What do you feed your Raptor?

[longwing]

I always feed with the egg sacks on, except in training because it's unhygenic if the glove gets caked with yolk. I don't think it makes all that difference. One egg a year certainly don't do any harm. Plus a bird in a colder climate will need more cholesterol.

[tanaro2]

The problem with feeding beef heart or venison for too long (supplemented or unsupplemented) is that it lacks the calcium the bird needs (especially first year birds) The risk you take by doing this creates a calcium defeciency. Thus, brittle bones and high risk of bone breakage. Learned this first hand just recently. This is not to say it will happen to all birds fed venison or beef heart, but you are taking a chance if that is all you feed your bird. Also, keep in mind, too much Vitahawk or whatever can be just as bad as no vitamins at all. Just like steroids, works great and has awesome results but more than likely, over time it will catch up to you and the damage will be done. This knowledge cost me $430. I give it to you for free. Again, not to say all birds (red tails) will create a problem with that diet, but eventually you will have a bird that will. Getting broken bones (legs) operated on is an expensive venture. I got it done for $430, while another place wanted $820 for the procedure. You decide.

[Master Yarak]

If you have taken a passager it was grown entirely on what the brought the parents fed it. A RT reaches its adult size in about eight weeks. If it failed to get enough calcium then it will always have frail bones. Raptor nutrition is the first thing I did my homework on. I read many articles and talked with some really longtime raptor keepers. Almost all said a whole carcass was best. Beef heart, chicken and venison can all be fed. Albeit in much smaller quantities. A vitamin supplement when used sparingly can have a profound positive impact on the birds overall health. Too much can be detrimental. I have never experienced any health related problems with the exception of WNV. I had used the equine vaccine I believe that mitigated the symptoms and allowed the bird to survive it. I was also told that the fitness and overall health of this animal also contributed greatly to her survival. Dehydration was the most serious problem associated with WNV. Due to the encephalitis she was unable to fly down to the bath pan to drink. She never lost her appetite though. Once tubed with 50-50 pedilyte and water she began her recovery. I want my bird to be in THE best physical health possible, like a tri-athlete. The key to this is nutrition and exercise.
Yarak

[birdguy888]

I specifically stick with the red meats 5 out of 7 days of the week. If given too much white meat like rabbit, pheasent and rat, birds can quickly become enemic. I feed a ton of quail, pigeons (home grown, medicated) so I know they are safe, mice, sparrows and starlings (preferably frozen to help kill diseases). I also feed some white meats like pheasant and rabbit. I also like using really lean beef steak and liver with a vitamin/mineral supplement one day a week.

[alex2]

What are some peoples thoughts about having there birds fast one in a while?

Still Healthy? Or would it be healthier just to feed them everyday?

[Master Yarak]

If I have given her a full crop I will withhold food the next day. Occasionally when dropping weight she will miss a meal also. Not very often. Her disposition discourages a habit of missing too many meals.
Yarak

[Tiercel78]

I do Wolf, It has never affected any of my birds that I have had. If I was going somewhere new or I misjudged and he wasn't going to be at weight for the next day, I would hold him. I did it during the moult too. I also didn't feed him full feeds everyday at max weight. Really, it's just a waste of food and just makes more mutes. I've never had a problem with feather condition or health. I really don't like keeping birds at a sustained weight all of the time. It never happens in the the wild and over time just makes a fat hawk (molt).

Oh and since I haven't responded I feed my bird mostly squirrels and a little bit of Quail,rabbit,trimmed Beef heart for variance. Everything that is not full body gets vitamins. The squirrel I stick with cause it helps the most in keeping beaks and talons trim and the bird gets a work out due to the toughness of the hide.

[Dodes]

My bird gets chicken, beefheart, and squirrel (assorted pieces).

Lately, I've been throwing a large rat (live) once a week, just to give her something to kill/ whole/ nonfrozen.

The problem is- being fat, she mantles like crazy. I don't like that.
So I'm going to start transferring off of, and then back onto every rat that I throw to her. This should keep her used to the transfer for next season, and will keep her from getting all footey.

[kenbro77]

Dodes where do you get live rats that are whole/nonfrozen. just playing,lol.

[Master Yarak]

I sure hope you are NOT feeding in the mew! I don't think you are. If you are than stop now or one day you will be sorry!
Yarak

[longwing]

What is wrong with feeding in the mew? Never caused any problems with me.

I don't make any of the birds I work with starve. Even though they might do in the wild and it won't hurt them physiologically, psychologically they depend on you for the food. If you don't hand over the goods, they blame you.

So if you're feeding your birds rats, pheasant, whatever, are you flying them to beef? (ie. creance/exercise) What do you put on the fist? I like flying to beef but I find chick legs and wings are better value for money lol. That way if a bird eats 2 chicks a day, I get up to 8 flights to the glove without adding to the food that they eat.

[Master Yarak]

Not really sure where the starving thoughts are coming from. I do not in mew because that is the only place I have had aggression problems, ever. Passagers are naturally territorial. Combine that with a diminishing fear of you and ...well the combination can be painful. Now add to that food stimulus. Go in with food the bird gets even more stim'd. I remove the hawk perch he out feed mostly on the served lure a few small bits on the glove then let her sit out for awhile. This means that she never expects food brought into the mew. I have been "slapped" by her in the face twice in almost 12 years, WITHOUT food association. In my experience its a bad practice. I warn everyone about it.
Yarak

[chris]

durting the spring I feed mostly rabbit that I buy whole from an organic breeder of meat rabbits, during the summer it's ground squirrel, marrots, starlings,sparrows, some pigeon that I freeze for two weeks before serving, fall and winter it's mostly snowshoe hare and rabbit. Some duck and grouse if we catch any.she could probably do with a little less rabbit but it's the easiest for me to get. !.50 a pound live weight for rabbit where as my mouse sourses are 1 to 2 bucks a piece.

[Weasel]

longwing said:

What is wrong with feeding in the mew? Never caused any problems with me.

I don't make any of the birds I work with starve. Even though they might do in the wild and it won't hurt them physiologically, psychologically they depend on you for the food. If you don't hand over the goods, they blame you.

So if you're feeding your birds rats, pheasant, whatever, are you flying them to beef? (ie. creance/exercise) What do you put on the fist? I like flying to beef but I find chick legs and wings are better value for money lol. That way if a bird eats 2 chicks a day, I get up to 8 flights to the glove without adding to the food that they eat.

Dirctly feeding a bird in the mew will eventually cause the bird to do several things. Think about the phycology of a raptor, it makes a living by killing and eating. Once it figures out where to get food, it will begin to anticipate this food supply coming and fly to it. Heck what Yarak was talking about, a big nasty FRT flying towards your face to get food. Now, With that being said, there are ways around this as I have heard from several falconers including Dodes Sponsor. If the bird is trained using a conditioned reinforcer to get the reward, the hostile actions can be mitigated and focused. Example: I walk into the chamber and the bird is eagerly awaiting the food it knows is coming. I do not produce anything yet.....then the bird moves to a certain perch in the mews....I then produce the food. If the bird trys to fly at me to bluff food from me, I will exit the mews and come back later. It does not take them long to realise what happens when it comes to feeding time.

[Master Yarak]

A conditioned re-enforcer will work if it is applied all the time. However, another solution to the problem with out resulting to operant conditioning is......Don't Feed In The MEW!