Bathing R/T foot management

[grendlesgirl]

Howdy!

I have a Western female that has big feet and head. I have started bathing her feet daily becuase they are so dry and sometimes crack as well as to help her heal from old blisters she got. One person told me to help with talon sharpness (hers are kinda dull) to put a brick in her favorite perching area to help with this. As she tends to run back and forth in the mews (which caused foot blisters) I hesitate as I have had to keep everything covered with long-leaf astroturf, so now when I soak her feet I do it while she sits on a brick.

Does anyone know why passage RT rarely bathe when in their 1st year? And when can I expect her to start bathing on her own?

[wtiger65]

something I learned from some old-timers is, it all depends on your bathing pan!
What color is the bathing pan? (black is bad because they can't tell how deep the water is)
How deep is the pan? ( they only need a couple of inches of water)
What kind fo rim does the pan have? (make sure they can perch comfortably)

now having said all of that the best thing I have found is a hard plastic base from a big flower pot usually a red clay color.
And my bird is in his bath every day, there are days when i don't see him in it but his feathers are wet when I go out and check on him.
I hope this helps!

[Weasel]

For the black bath pans, I put a bunch of gravel stones in the bottom so the bird can see how deep it is.

[grendlesgirl]

Wow, thanks for the suggestion as I have a black pan, sides are with insulation with turf over it so she sits on it, but not in it. How old were the hawks when they started bathing??

[Dodes]

I'm having a hard time believing that hawks can't see the bottom of a black bath pan. They could read the fine print of a newspaper (if they could read...) from a quarter mile away, but they can't see the bottom of a black tub?
All of the birds I work with have black bath pans, and they all bathe in them frequently.

[Master Yarak]

Age is irrelevant. They bathe when they want to. Becareful constantly soaking the birds feet. They can become too soft. They can peel and crack some that is not unusual. I would use a little Vitahawk with EVERY feeding. IT very well may be a nutrional defeciency
Yarak

[Master Yarak]

Dodes,
I have never seen any evidence that they cannot see the bottom though I too have heard the same thing. I do not believe it either.
Yarak (the dubious)

[Not So Banned Ooby]

Well my bird wont touch her bathpan. its dark green and she can stand on the edge, but has no desire to bath that i have seen. Probably because i soak her down with a spray bottle after each outing hehe.

To grendlesgirl:

I would try and identify why your bird is running around the mews. My bird will occasionally bate towards a window, but i have never seen nor heard her running around in the mews. Most of the time she sits content on her perch. Instead of trying to deal with the effects of her running, try and determin why she is running so you can fix any problems and then you won't have to deal with the feet problems.

[Weasel]

Is't an individual behavior that the birds can have Ooby. Some birds do and some birds don't. My wifes bird took to the mew like a duck to water. Mine did not....It happens....

[Not So Banned Ooby]

Its easy to blame it on the bird.

Its not so easy to re-evaluate our husbandry to determine if something is causing it.

[Weasel]

Husbandry can be a part of it if the bird has a fear of something, but I would think it has more to do with the individual personality traits that the bird has from birth. Each one I have had has been completely different even though I use the exact same technique in manning and training. One would jump in the bath in front of me in the living room, the other wouldn't go near it if I was in view. JMHO

[grendlesgirl]

Well, thanks for all of the interesting advice. Something that I am learning is what works for one person perfectly works horrbily for another. Even the advice from master falconers or expert apprentices. So for each thing I am told now I experiment with it very carefully. I tried the brick in the mews for one day, and took it out as I did notice it could be dulling them making them flat. And that came from a local red-tail expert.

I would like to know what people have found that has dulled their bird's talons. All I have seen for sure is cement and other surfaces harder than her talons. In my mews are wood perches covered with long leaf astroturf and astroturf floor. Now that she is free-lofted she never sits on the ground anymore. She has a perch that is steel bow covered with sisal but does not sit on it very much. When weathered it is on grass/perch with nylon. Somewhere between her trapping and now she has dull talons, I think it was from when she was first trapped before being freelofted she would bate and bate and bate with feet on the ground. But I wanted to know what other people found so that after coping they do not become dull again?

[Yarak away]

Grendlesgirl,
That is a dangerous attitude. Trial and error ? Possibly at the birds expense. Keep looking for someone with more accurate info. It can be irrelevant how long someone has been in this sport or what level of falconer they are. The techniques I use were passed down to me. They have produced reliable consistant results. In doubt...ask Mr& Mrs Weasel.
Yarak

[grendlesgirl]

I don't mean trial and error,

I mean whatever advice I choose to impliment, even from sponsor or expert, I do so very carefully.

For me it is best not to assume that what works for one person/bird will work for me.

I think that is different than what you were thinking I meant.

Sorry I was not able to express that better??

[Not So Banned Ooby]

Grendlesgirl:

I understood what you were trying to say. I have been gaining information from all different sources, and much of it was bad. Even from great falconers who have been doing it for decades.

It doesn't end. So keep in mind, its YOUR bird, do what you like. Listen to EVERYONE but think what they say through, and ask questions. A lot of falconers get pissed when you question thier methods. Simply explain you are trying to understand the method, not questioning its usefullness.

And if you can't tell, im quite used to soothing ruffled feathers of falconers who get uppity when you question thier word.

Question EVERYTHING. There is plenty of GREAT information out there, and plenty of absolutely CRAP information.

One mistake i made was taking the advice of someone who had seen my bird once. Unless the person you want to blindly follow has seen your bird in the field many times hunting, working, flying whatever, its ALMOST impossible for them to give you 100% correct advice.

Its one thing to give advice on making leashes, and coping talons, its another to offer advice on weight management or training technique. That comes from observing the bird and the birds reaction.