Feeling the Keel

[Master Yarak]

This topic has come up a few times so I thought a thread for it would be a good thing.

Somewhere long ago man decided he use a raptor to gather meat for his table. I don't think these early falconers were rich. By observation and much trial and error they started to learn how to be successful. Scales were few and far between. How then did they determine the hunger level and the best hunting weight...they felt the keel. Over and over and over, not just on one species or one bird but many. Not just there own, but others as well. At that time it was THE only and best way to determine the birds condition. It took much experience to create consistent results. Beginners always had a more experienced falconer do this, until they themselves began to learn how to interpret what they felt.

Now let us jump ahead, today we all use scales. I do not use my scale ( it has a name I call it Dr O 'Haus) just to determine weight but also hunger level based on the time between the last feeding. It also tells me the condition of my bird. It can tell me about her metabolism and her rate of digestion. It can also give me clues to her fitness. Based on combining these factors with a graph history of what came before and a log of observed behavior at each weight. Feeling her keel combined with all the other accumulated data I can teach myself what she feels like when she is where I want her. It is far less accurate than Dr. O'Haus.

Let's look at anatomy, what is a keel exactly. It is the concave point of the breast bone. The pectoralis attaches there. It also is where fat reserves are built up first. Don't be deceived.A bird with very well developed pecs will not feel sharp. Its increased muscle mass will take the place of the fat. Once more the benefit of a weight log combined with experience becomes obvious.
Due to slight anatomical differences in the same species
feeling the keel becomes at best a guess.

I have done my share of raptor rehab. I happen to think I had one the BEST raptor vets in the US. When my parrots went in for a physical he did not feel there keel he took there weight. When my hawk goes in the first thing he wants to know is her weight not the shape of her keel. Getting in a downed hawk or falcon we weighed it first. Then we gave it all it wanted to eat.
We continued to weigh it it either gained, lost or stayed the same. That could tell us a great deal about its health. When my bird contracted WNV I weighed it twice daily. Fortunately, she kept her appetite although she did not gain she did not crash either. I got lucky once more.

So, after all this typing feel the keel all you want, just don't think it will ever be as reliable as a scale. A scale is THE most important tool we have in our arsenal when properly used. I am open to hear the opinions of others so respond with your thoughts.
Yarak ( & Dr. O'Haus)

[manok]

A strong subject.
Yarak, I don't weigh Solomon daily, my work dictates that I can't.
I weigh Solomon, feeling the keel, check his injuries, look at his mannerism, whilst he's out in the mew, observing him from the house & also when taking him from the mew to the scales.
I don't keep a daily " chart ", but record his weight before & after every hunt.
I weigh his food & tidbits.
Weather forecast's are also a key tool to be used.
Weight management is an important factor for birds of prey, it affects response, both toward the handler & whilst in the woods.
When we get together in the New Year, I look forward to a more detailed " one on one " with regard to the above mentioned topic.
Manok.

[colohen]

Yarak
Very nicely done !
It is with out a dought the best known method in the US and UK .
I do not disagree the point that scale are the MOST important equipment in falconry !!

Manok
Thank You .

The Keel , To feel or not to feel ?
Please concider these questions :

1) Can you tell me , of the 11 red-tail hawks in the US , what exact spcies / sub-spieces / cross species , do you have ?

2) Can you tell me the high-low weight range for each spices , sub or cross , by sex and age ?

3) Can you honestly say you know at what point weight reduction becomes a health hazard for each variable ?

4) Each bird has a attitude of it's own . Some birds will hold out longer then others . Can the scales tell you to what point this becomes un-safe health risk ??

5) Every year thousands of young birds die from starvation before there first year . Can the scales tell you if you have a fat healthy male or a poor starving female ?

To me it is like saying two english men weighing 150 pounds are both healthy when one stands 6'3" and the other stands 3'6" , when in fact that is not a real good weight for eather .

I know a very good falconer (General class ) that lost his bird for the very reasion listed above .
An apprentice just lost his bird the other night because he was following the very same math he followed last year , same bird .
But there was several differances this year .
One , he started the bird in late July to get ready for the September season . Last year he got the bird in mid September .
Two , Last year he dropped her weight slow , looking for the right responce weight . This year , she started at a little lower weight then her trap weight last year so it did not require as much a drop to return her to last years " Ideal " weight , or was it ?
Three , last year she was a juvie !! This year a sub adult !
In all , up till she died , her responce was very good !

What factors were missed this year , when she had done so well the hole time ?

K]n

[Weasel]

Hmmm...I will bite on this subject...The Keel.....seems such a touchy subject of late doesn't it? I feel the keel of my bird daily, but I do it for several reasons. One reason is that it allows me continuing contact with my bird to prevent him being nervous when I do other things such as change equipment etc....Second reason, well, is put simply to check a general condition. I can tell if the bird is fat, thin, content or nervous just by feeling the keel. Now, with all this being said, THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR THE SCALE!!!! The keel check was a method used many years ago to check condition as no scales where acurate enough....or they simply didn't exist. To judge by the keel is only sking for something to EVENTUALLY happen. It may work for awhile, but what happens if the bird gets a parasite and begins to drop weight rapidly? Do you think that you can tell as quickly by feeling the keel? It just may end up that you notice the bad condition by feeling the keel because it's cold as the bird is stone dead...I admit that I sometimes go by reaction of the bird to tell if he is ready, but I still weight the bird regularly, check slices for worms, check his throat for frounce, check his feathers for lice....and did I mention that I weight the bird on the scale too??
As Yarak stated, the scale is most likely the best invetion utilized in falconry today next to Telemetry and modern medicine. Don't guess at your birds condition....

[Master Yarak]

1) Buteo jamaicensis borealis female

2) Despite plumage and habitat differences these are the most comprehensive weight ranges I have found.
Males, ave.of 108, 1028; females, ave. of 100, 1224.
Range of weights 710-1550, ave. 1082. (Clark and Wheeler, 1987)

3) Not sure which variables you are referring to. If we assume the bird is freshly trapped and been given a physical, its overall health will be determined. At that point you have a foundation on which to build your weight data. Someone who knows nothing about raptors could certainly take the bird too low. With an experienced and involved sponsor that is far less likely.
So....yes I can confidently say I can tell when a bird weight is dangerously low.

4) Attitude and prior life experiences are certainly factors that shape a birds behavior. With good weight management and a log of observed behavior I can determine the unsafe weight range.

5) If a proper physical is performed, it will reveal the overall condition and likely sex of the bird. From that point scales should be used to insure you are not starving it or porking it out.

Numbers alone are meaningless. If you have little to no experience and no one to with experience to help that is a formula for disaster. Without the ability to interpret what you are seeing in the birds behavior accurately you won't be very successful.

I will not speculate on the loss of the birds mentioned.
If starvation was the sole cause of death it would surprise me. If they did not die and simply flew away, I would also be surprised if weight was the only contributing factor.

Really, the success of the falconer is hard to measure.
I hedge my bets, I do all I can to stack the odds in my favor. Feeling the keel is just one more tool in my box.
It has its uses just Like Colohen describes. As with any other tool it has a specific form and function. It should be used accordingly. Feeling the keel will not reveal anything to someone who has little to no experience.
Comparisons of keels within the same species may also
provide misleading information. By doing this over and over some good data will result. By all means add it to your techniques, feel the keel of EVERY bird you can.
My point is don't put too much reliance on it.
Thanks Colohen! Those questions made me think!
Yarak