Post by trapperdobbs on Sept 12, 2004 0:18:20 GMT -5
Hi, my falcon is in need of some coping, this seems to happen pretty often and people often ask me how falcons in the wild survive without this being done for them. I don't really have any idea as my falcon has basically anything i would asume a wild bird would have i.e. hard substrate and rocks in her enclosure to maybe do it herself and is feed similar prey to what she would get in the wild. Does anyone have any ideas?
In the wild birds have thier talons coped by standing on hard surfaces as you stated. But they do pick and choose thier favorite perches in the wild. The hard surface allows the old carotine to slough off and keep the talons sharp. They cope thier beaks by feeking on these hard surfaces too. Im not 100 percent sure how it all goes together, but thats the jist of it. You will have to ask a naturalist or an ornithologist to get more detail.
However i can tell you that a bird used in falconry shouldn't need to be coped that often. If you find your bird needing more, i would suggest speaking to a vet, and evaluating your husbandry. I do not mean to insult. Simply looking to help. The talons should be needle sharp and should only need to be coped because of length, not because of dullness. Speaking to a vet will enable to you see if they are growing abnormally quickly for some odd reason.
Post by Master Yarak on Sept 12, 2004 21:47:34 GMT -5
I too have often wondered about that. My bird gets coped twice a year. 85% of her diet is squirrels, but she swallows even large leg bones without breaking them. I have never cut her talons though or had to sharpen them. 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
Post by trapperdobbs on Sept 13, 2004 2:16:49 GMT -5
When i say fairly often, i guess it is really only twice a year, but it always seems to come around really quick! It would be very intresting to track down an ornithologist to get a better understanding of how coping is done naturally in the wild.
Like Ooby stated they maintain their beaks by feeking. Your bird does it too, if you have rocks and things in her enclosure I'm kind of surprised that she isn't using them. Some people will watch to see where their bird feeks, and glue a piece of sandpaper there, I think this method has limited success. A tiring with bones that can be split or a hard bone like a skull will also help them naturally maintain. I hope this helps a little. Rich
My retails only need to be coped once a year and that is bout the time for the OFA picnic. Just to shine her up. I freeloft my bird and all their peaches are branches with thick bark. they had to be replace this year because of the worn spots from feeking. I also recomend anyone trapping a new bird hold it up to a white sheet or something and get a profile of the beak, and use that as a guide. I cant tell you how many times I have gone to the picnic and see bird that do not look like the day they were trapped. Sorry for the venting but it drives me nuts.