I have read a little bit about this on the modern aprentice but wanted to hear from people who have done it. So does anybody here do this if so what Is your setup. (do you have a mew or a room or an open area with a material to stop mutes? ) What birds do you have indoors?
Just did this with my last kestrel (and have with every kestrel). Most micro Falcons and hawks are kept indoors due to weight management issues.
For falcons, they mute (meaning their defecate straight down in a drop, they don't shoot). These are easy to clean and keep clean. I have two perch set ups. One is a PVC bow perch. The area surrounding the bow perch is covered in a 4x4' section of indoor outdoor carpet for the bird to land on when it bates. Directly underneath the perch, where the bird spends the majority of its time, I cut a circle out of the indoor/outdoor carpet and place a disposable paper plate underneath. This catches the mutes and is extremely easy to change once a day without it leaking through to my floor.
The other set up I have is a rotating ring perch with a plastic plant drain for a bottom (y'know, the shallow plastic pan you see under large flower pots?). The pan is filled with either sand or dust-free kitty litter (I prefer the kitty litter) and catches the mutes. This is set up on a table with a 3x3' section covered in stadium quality AstroTurf.
I have actually kept a red tail inside at one point. For him, he was placed in a corner on the floor with plastic hanging from the walls starting about four feet up. The same plastic covered the floor beneath him. When it needed to be cleaned, I simply unhooked the plastic and washed it off. If I could do it over again, I think I would've done indoor outdoor carpet on the floor instead of plastic. Tougher to clean but better for the bird.
I have actually kept a red tail inside at one point. For him, he was placed in a corner on the floor with plastic hanging from the walls starting about four feet up. The same plastic covered the floor beneath him. When it needed to be cleaned, I simply unhooked the plastic and washed it off. If I could do it over again, I think I would've done indoor outdoor carpet on the floor instead of plastic. Tougher to clean but better for the bird.
How big was the space around the red tail. Also i was thinking a farm grade rubber mat attached to plywood would do good. I have seen people do this in their mews(http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rubber-mat-black-4-ft-x-6-ft)any thoughts?
The area I had him in was roughly 4x4. He was still able to shoot poop beyond the edges of that.
There are falconers that use rubber lifting mats, but it's typically underneath something like indoor outdoor carpet or AstroTurf. If you're going to house indoors, plywood underneath won't be necessary unless you're planning on plywood covered in indoor outdoor carpet. Which could work, but it'd be best to have some sort of padding between the plywood and carpet.
That would depend on weather and the time I had to keep an eye on them. Under the new regs in most states you don't need a weathering yard. Simply a suitable perch outside will do. You'll have to check with your state.
That would depend on weather and the time I had to keep an eye on them. Under the new regs in most states you don't need a weathering yard. Simply a suitable perch outside will do. You'll have to check with your state.
Florida *my state* makes it mandatory to have an enclosed/roofed weathering area but not a mew At least that is what I have read and heard from falconers. How new are these laws?
I love the disposable paper plate under the perch...clever! Might have to steal that one.
I did a block perch with the planter pan/kitty litter setup for my merlin--it worked wonderfully. I could also just pick up the whole thing and put it in the seat of my car--made travel extremely easy. I tied the leash long enough that when the bird bated it landed outside of the pan and not in the litter, but not so long that she could hurt herself.
Kept a kestrel, merlin, and a sharpie all indoors. The sharpie was on a 3x3' table covered in turf with a fixed bow perch in the center. However, I was always amazed at how far even an itty bitty sharpie could shoot poop! I should have made a bigger table, I was still cleaning mutes off the floor.
If you dislike someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. --Jack Handy
I am using the stall mats from tractor supply in the mews covered by AstroTurf. It is very heavy and not easy to clean. Also the surface is hard and I believe can dull talons hence the AstroTurf top. I only use then as I have cement floors which I cannot drag out and pressure wash. The weight lifting/garage floor mats are soft and a red tail talon goes right through. I got them for indoor manning to keep the floors clean. Worked for a week but unless you keep the bird hooded all the time she will tear it to shreds in my opinion.
While many people keep birds indoors most do not. There are a number of reasons, but I will tell you I was given a choice of wife in the house or the bird, not both.
Many falconers in hot areas find that a weathering is all they need. Check out the Georgia falconers webpage or search for jumpbox. I built one but found it was not used as much as thought I would as I have a nice mews already that is more convenient for me. Keeps the bird dry, I can keep a scale, glove, log out there, the bird can be overweight because it caught a really stupid pocket gopher that wandered in.
I am using the stall mats from tractor supply in the mews covered by AstroTurf. It is very heavy and not easy to clean. Also the surface is hard and I believe can dull talons hence the AstroTurf top. I only use then as I have cement floors which I cannot drag out and pressure wash. The weight lifting/garage floor mats are soft and a red tail talon goes right through. I got them for indoor manning to keep the floors clean. Worked for a week but unless you keep the bird hooded all the time she will tear it to shreds in my opinion.
While many people keep birds indoors most do not. There are a number of reasons, but I will tell you I was given a choice of wife in the house or the bird, not both.
Many falconers in hot areas find that a weathering is all they need. Check out the Georgia falconers webpage or search for jumpbox. I built one but found it was not used as much as thought I would as I have a nice mews already that is more convenient for me. Keeps the bird dry, I can keep a scale, glove, log out there, the bird can be overweight because it caught a really stupid pocket gopher that wandered in.
I will likely build a weathering yard and have a space for my bird indoors during poor weather. I live in florida so we are required by law to have a weathering yard.
Outdoors is the way to go with Hawks. Falcons are a breeze to keep indoors since they poop straight down, making it easier to contain and clean.
I'd check out some of the mews/weathering areas on here. Check out www.themodernapprentice.com for some great ideas too. There are some really cool weathering area-esque mews in both locations. Functional and attractive.
I use the weight lifting mats and have for years, never had any issues with birds shredding them. Mostly used with small birds up to coops size but have kept RT on them too. IMO birds should not be bating much. If they are the cause of the bating needs to be evaluated and the situation remedied*.
*please note i'm not trying to be a jack*** here, just stating my view. If your bird is bating a lot on those mats they probably will get shredded.
Last Edit: Jun 2, 2016 16:25:14 GMT -5 by Falcon Boy
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
I use the weight lifting mats and have for years, never had any issues with birds shredding them. Mostly used with small birds up to coops size but have kept RT on them too. IMO birds should not be bating much. If they are the cause of the bating needs to be evaluated and the situation remedied*.
*please note i'm not trying to be a jack*** here, just stating my view. If your bird is bating a lot on those mats they probably will get shredded.
Great point FB -- A bird who bates so much that the mats get shredded is doing more than just damage to the mats. When a bird is indoors in an area where there are a lot of potential triggers/stimuli, the way that you set up your perch system should be considered with care for the bird's feeling of safety and comfort--for example, a permanent indoor setup is usually more comfortable for the bird if it's elevated, so the bird doesn't feel vulnerable on the floor. Pole perches, shelf perches, and screen perches all address that, and I've had the best luck on a tall pole perch. Harder to keep things clean with a hawk but worth it for the bird's comfort.
If you dislike someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. --Jack Handy