Just wondering if anyone had any experience with flying thru molt. I am flying a 2x intermewed HH Tiercel he really like Avian quarry and I was pondering on flying him thru molt on lamping pigeons and the occasional car hawking starling. Are there any precautions or concerns with this method? In theory wild HH's have to hunt thru the molt every year so I'm interested to see if anyone else has tried it.
Your largest concern needs to be flight weight vs molt weight. Your bird should be "heavy" (not fat) during the molt to ensure proper feather growth/strength.
Yes wild hawks hunt during the molt but falconers are not concerned with having a measure of control of them. And they generally get plenty of food as young game can be plentiful in the spring.
A heavy bird could be hard to convince to hunt, or worse yet, to come down out of a tree once it gets comfy. If you drop the birds weight to gain control and get it to hunt, the feathers growth could be effected, this could lead to malnutrition and shock marks on the feathers, which make feather breakage more likely.. That's why most of us wait out the molt to ensure strong healthy feathers for next season.
some people have a break half way throught the molt and fly their birds for a couple of weeks. Personally i wouln't. Nathan is right in that wild birds are under different circumstances than captive ones, we use wieght to get a response, wild birds dont need the response.
I was only thinking of hunting him til June when the weather starts to get too warm. Then putting him up fat for molting til September. At this time he is yet to lose a feather. Thanks for the input!
I dont hunt through the summer but I do do abatement work with falcons and we fly year round and Ive not noticed any issues in keeping a bird at a weight that it will respond and feather problems. I think feeding high quality food allows it to be done we use all quail and feed up atleast once a week and again no issues. If lamping you would also be able to get away with a higher flying weight as well if Im remembering what I have heard about it?
Post by Falcon Boy on Apr 12, 2013 11:26:17 GMT -5
I flew abatement one summer and flew a falcon straight through the moult. Bird was flown hard numerous times per day, fed high quality food and moulted normally for the short time I had it (~2 months). Fed up the bird at least once a week like Chris said and didn't have any issues. If you want to see a falcon really take advantage of thermals, man can they go up in the summer time.
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This has been my first attemp with car hawking and I am still far from figuring it out! LOL... I started car hawking with him on passenger side seat perch hooded until I found game. Then I would drive with him on the glove unhooded (Seat as far back as it will go and the hawk/glove between me and steering wheel low in my lap) with his back to the window as i was approaching the game and I would turn him toward the quarry. First couple times out he show very little interest in starlings or blackbirds and was really slow to slip....I am assuming because he looks at them all day in the yard from his mews and didn't associate them as a food source. He took to leaving the window and returning to the glove instantly with little or no issues (Besides a little bating towards the window). So I bagged him twice in the yard on dead starlings from a distance from the high T-perch and let him crop to help with the identification association. Since then his response to game time is getting quicker (still not instant). He has had several near misses and pulled feathers but advancing each time out. Hope this helps.
This has been my first attemp with car hawking and I am still far from figuring it out! LOL... I started car hawking with him on passenger side seat perch hooded until I found game. Then I would drive with him on the glove unhooded (Seat as far back as it will go and the hawk/glove between me and steering wheel low in my lap) with his back to the window as i was approaching the game and I would turn him toward the quarry. First couple times out he show very little interest in starlings or blackbirds and was really slow to slip....I am assuming because he looks at them all day in the yard from his mews and didn't associate them as a food source. He took to leaving the window and returning to the glove instantly with little or no issues (Besides a little bating towards the window). So I bagged him twice in the yard on dead starlings from a distance from the high T-perch and let him crop to help with the identification association. Since then his response to game time is getting quicker (still not instant). He has had several near misses and pulled feathers but advancing each time out. Hope this helps.
Maybe you could video it next time but yes it does
Went to a local Stockyards last night that was suspose to be full of pigeons.......Well never saw the first pigeon but we did get to chase starlings for a couple hours with 4 catches!
GREAT JOB SHANE! I am glad the bird is filling the freezer I am glad you are happy with him. Hopefully I will be able to produce a nice hen for you this year so you can have a cast. Lee Shelton