Personally (and a lot of people disagree) i use everything from sparrows to rabbits. So, sparrows, starlings, dove, quail pigeon, pheasant, mice, squirrels, rabbits, and hares. I also supplement with Vitahawk. And to answer where i get it from, well, the pet store, i trap some, i shoot some, i get some from trusted friends (use steel shot instead of lead), pretty much summs it up. Hope that helps ya a bit.
Spome people get meat scraps from the butchers' shop, its cheap, and it fulfills feeding needs, just add vitahawk to get their vitamins in!
"Falconry is not a hobby or an amusement; it is a rage. You eat and drink it, sleep it and think it. You tremble to write of it, even in recollection. It is as King James the First remarked, an extreme stirrer up of passions." --- T.H. White
i still go for meat scraps and vitahawk, but frozen rats may be good too!
"Falconry is not a hobby or an amusement; it is a rage. You eat and drink it, sleep it and think it. You tremble to write of it, even in recollection. It is as King James the First remarked, an extreme stirrer up of passions." --- T.H. White
Quail including bones and organs is very good staple for any raptor, some people like me prefer to gut them for variouse resons and I do simply because I hate the smell of the guts but during the moult they get whole thing. You can get quai from a breeder just ask around the falconry circles and they will point you to one. Along with that I mix it up with whatever the bird catches and whatever I can catch -rabbit, jack, sparrows, starlings, pheasant, squirrel, duck and pigeon after its been gutted and frozen for a long time. Personally I would avoid processed meat as there is not much nutrients in it and only so much that vita-hawk can replace.
falconess
Last Edit: Jan 23, 2006 22:03:32 GMT -5 by SheHawka!
My soul is sick of chicken soup, it wants some chocolate!
I would never use proccessed meat, ITS NOT NATURAL!!!!!!!! THe only thing i would buy from the meat market for a bird would be chicken hearts or beef hearts, but this is only for training and its mixed in with wild prey food. I use vitahawk and i notice a difference in performance but not much, but like falconess said, its not meant to replace real food. Its just like human vitamins, would you drink only water and take 1 vitamin for the whole day, you would be very un healthy.
Falcon Girl, Like other people have said whole body meals are best for any raptor. Meat scraps and vita hawk are ok ever so often but the bird really needs whole bodies. Falconry books that are ages old- current have stated this too. One thing Vita-hawk doesn't have a lot of is calcium. I use Quail,Rabbit, Rats/Mice, Squirrel (mostly), Turkey necks (to help strengthen neck muscles and keep beak sharp), and every once in awhile Beef heart. I add a little Vita hawk to everything but only a little bit. So, I wouldn't plan on keeping a fit hawk on just Meat scraps ,vita hawk and a few mice. Another reason you want full bodies is to help keep the beck trim. If not given something to help wear down the beak the bird will need coping more often. I'm not picking on you just want you to have the right idea. If falconry was cheap then everybody would do it. I will say that once you have a made bird the you can catch enough game to help out during the moult. One thing I don't skimp out on is food-Zach
Last Edit: Jan 23, 2006 23:38:26 GMT -5 by Tiercel78
I used to think i knew some things. But i'm not so sure anymore.
well, I mean you could also feed them what they hunted for the day or week, as well, along with the meat scraps.
"Falconry is not a hobby or an amusement; it is a rage. You eat and drink it, sleep it and think it. You tremble to write of it, even in recollection. It is as King James the First remarked, an extreme stirrer up of passions." --- T.H. White
Well, What about the times the bird isn't taking game. Like durning the the time frame your training (before your taking game) and durning the moult. Are you going to feed the bird mostley meat scraps? Also, Is this what your sponser recommended you to use?
I used to think i knew some things. But i'm not so sure anymore.
Post by austringer84 on Jan 26, 2006 8:12:15 GMT -5
All the falconers I deal with and myself infact feed mainly whole carcasses, we either catch them out hunting, breed them ourselves or purchase them from breeders or pet shops! Rats, mice and quail are quite easy to come by here, although can be slightly expensive the quality of the food out weighs the price in my opinion.
We also utilise captive bred gerbils and hamsters here. Whole food items in theory include all desired and required nutrients for raptors, but frozen food lacks thiamin which breaks down in the freezing process. Also food which has been frozen for too long periods of time often contain less other vitamins which also decrease over time. I have studied various aspects of animal nutrition and management in my degree and hope what I have learnt through my degree and through falconry can help myself and others.
I meant to say during the hunting seasons..gee everyone gets all "official" and perfect. It was just a suggestion.. soory.
"Falconry is not a hobby or an amusement; it is a rage. You eat and drink it, sleep it and think it. You tremble to write of it, even in recollection. It is as King James the First remarked, an extreme stirrer up of passions." --- T.H. White
gee everyone gets all "official" and perfect. It was just a suggestion.. soory.
ok that... in my mind.. is pretty offensive.. we are here to help.. falco put his words in.. and you said that back...
thats not the reasion im offended... im offended becuase its a VERY serious sport.. that has more rules and regulations then any other... and you have to be "official" and "perfect" (even though we cant get perfect.. lol we can still try!) for the bird to stay a lean mean rabbit catching machine...
and yea.. go with quaill... its not that expensive.. some places if you buy it in bulk will give discounts...