4.) Jackrabbit-hearty feeder (good for redtails & gos)
5.) Cottentail-not very rich (if feed alone it can starve a bird)
Beef-the exception (good for tranning supliment)
Rodents-little power pills (good emergency feed)
Day old chicks-Low in nutrients (high in cholesteral)
There are many other types of feeders but these seem to apply to most everyone. This chart will also very on the type of species you intend to fly. A kestrel would not gain half as much from eating a jack as a redtail would but the same applies to sparrows. It is a good idea to mix and match feed as it tends to improve the quality of the bird.
Ok, answer this: We all know about pigeon and Frounce. That is a big problem with wild trapped pigeon. But what about caprive bred pigeon? I recently met a gentleman who raises his birds in a flight cage. He doesn't free fly them. They have minimal contact with wild birds (other than the sparrows and small things that get in through the chicken wire). I doubt that he medicates his birds. How safe are they to feed your hawks? Oh... i can buy then for $2 each, so that makes them pretty affordable.
Without medication I would be a little leery about buying them. Being in contact with other birds, even pigeons, by no means, means that they will get or carry frounce. I treat my birds every other week for frounce, *coccidiouses, and a few other commonly known deseases that birds will carry. I free fly my birds all of the time. I believe this is an essential part of producing good healthy meat. Without flying a pigeon it will lose its form, hence the nutrition level will go down. Constant flying helps prevent any detereoration in muscle and meat. Also the type of feed that you give your pigeons may very the amount of nutrition the bird will have on it. For example I feed corn and sunflower before a pigeon race, this ups the amount of sugar and carbohidrates in the bird so that it has a great sprinting ability at the begining of the race and the carbohidrates keep the birds going for a longer period of time.
Basically with the right medication and good excercise I wouldn't worry about it. Also you want the birds to be fed and housed on wire flooring. Don't buy birds that are lofted on ground. Any serious pigeon breeder will never put his birds on the ground. Dust and things will hinder the preformance of the birds and in some casses cause them to become very ill.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
After hearing horror stories about feeding pigeons, I watch all the longwingers I know feed them to their birds. I naturally had to ask. The answer I got from everyone is that they never feed the crop or the head, rarely the entrails, and have never had a problem. Hawks tend to be more succeptible to catching avian herpes from pigeons than falcons are. If the pigeons come from a good clean source, I don't see any problem feeding them to your bird. I agree with pogo, birds that are able to fly produce leaner meat, and are at no greater risk of being carriers (no pun intended) than pigeons who are constanly cooped. I think an occasional pigeon would help round out the diet. I may get pounced on for saying that, but I wouldn't lose too much sleep adding them to the menu. Rich
Post by Master Yarak on Oct 31, 2004 13:38:59 GMT -5
That would change RICHW if you had your bird die from your choice of diet. Family colombidae carry the highest risk of transmitting a lethal disease to raptors than any other food source. My question is why risk it? Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away
i have a friend who build something similar to a hawk mews but they were for the pidgeons he raises they dont meet other animals its just then they were captive bred and he freeflys them in the "mews". i believe this way can keep then safe please correct me if im wrong.
Yes and no, pigeons are still suseptible to desease where ever they are housed. I have had pigeons that develop coccidouces, keep in mind their lofts are cleaned every day and water and food changed as well. The only thing that can keep a flock almost desease free is medication. Even if they are housed in a town home they still may get deseases.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
Longwings aren't as susceptible to frounce either. But i'm talking about RTs. My sponsor's response was similar to Yarak's except he added that if pigeon was all that was standing between your hawk and death, then feed it.
Looks like this thread might be kind of dead, but I'll give it a try...
So, many of my colleagues are mad gun-hunters, and several have offered to save the bits and pieces of what they kill for my hawk. Specifically, my freezer is filling up with duck heads and necks, gizzards, and hearts. They've already advised me to open and rinse out the gizzards, since the ducks might have ingested lead shot which tends to collect in there. Anyone have any other reasons why I might need to be careful feeding this meat (diseases, etc.)? I imagine the meat's fairly rich, I envision rotating it in during molt or maybe when giving my bird a rest from being at flying weight.
I know birds can get Liver flukes from water fowl. I'm not sure if it's only in specific areas of the body or if freezing the duck will kill it off.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
Sea Ducks that my friends shoot has been one of my main sources of food over the last two years. I just take the breast meat, pull the legs off, and pull the wings off. I have never fed any of the entrails. To compinsate for the nutrence in there I throw in a good deal of mice and squirrel.
Received a swan yesterday, man that is a seriously big bird! But sadly all my contributors eat what they can off their kills, so really all I could salvage was head, neck, and some missed bits of breast meat. Talked to one of the guys to see about possibly harvesting some coots, if my bird will eat mudhen then I could be set for molt - we can bag 25 a day in this state!
Has anyone or someone you may know tried Nutria -(Myocastor coypus), some of the Rehab'ers are using them in my area as a food source for their large Raptors (Eagles-Redtails-Buzzards), high protein, low fat, nutritional value is what I'm told. If any one has any info on this food source please inform me. Thanks wes
Post by Master Yarak on Dec 9, 2004 23:39:37 GMT -5
Wes, Any member of the colombidae family CAN transmit evil pathogens to raptors I stear clear of those! Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away