Female HH severe moulting?

[caveat]

My daughter has a female Harris Hawk that was a rescue case and she seems to be having serious moulting problems.
We've had the bird for about 3 years now and when we got her she resembled a chicken as her feathers were all gone due to being kept in a razor wire cage.
Afetr some time her feathers all grew back and she looked great but I watched her today really trying to pull her feathers out. She's now resembling the chicken again.
The first time we just put it down to a massive moult but she seems to spend more time looking like a chicken than she does a buzzard now. In fact 'chicken' is being kind! She's more a chicken that's been half plucked.
She's not got any mites etc so any ideas?????????
Is this some kind of self mutilation? Do birds carry past traumas with them? And if so, is it possible for past stress to result in this behaviour?

[FlameHairedFalconer]

Which feathers is she plucking?

Has she been treated for mites/lice etc, what was the treatment?

Are you hunting with her?

Just a few questions it may be useful to have an answer to :)

FHF

[Taowolf]

How do you know she does not have mites. My friends harris done this and she was infested with red mite. Remember redmite only comes out at night. I would get a mute test and spray her with johnsons antimite, just to be on the safe side.

Regards Cameron.

[Misty]

as FHF has already asked, are you hunting with her. She could be bored. I have known HH do this when they get stressed and when they get bored. Is she free lofted or tethered? You say she hasn't any mites, have you checked for them lately.

[caveat]

Right I'll try to answer all your questions, bear with me, but first I should point out that this bird is my duaghters and I know pretty much not alot about BOP, although I do try to do my research on each breed that we have. My husband is the one that is experienced with BOP but even he seems flummoxed by this one. Anyway:

The bird is not flown, never has been. My daughter has done a fantastic job of helping her overcome her fears of humans and the bird is now very friendly. She takes the bird out on her arm all the time to the village, woods, beach etc.

She is treated with the Johnsons antimite powder and she is checked every few weeks.

Which feathers is he plucking? O Eck, here goes - The long ones at the back were the ones I saw her disagreeing with today. In fact she had to turn her body at quite a fantastic angle to get them.
Her wings are looking rather fragmented too.

She's free lofted, never tethered.

Is this any help?

[FlameHairedFalconer]

To be honest I think some pictures of the feather damage might actually help here. It will help us work out what is going on and if it is feather plucking from boredom or there could be another reason.

FHF

[Tigger]

To be honest I think some pictures of the feather damage might actually help here. It will help us work out what is going on and if it is feather plucking from boredom or there could be another reason.

FHF

i agrey

[Misty]

I agree, photos would be a great help. Also a little more background. Why has she never been flown, how old was she when you got her and was she straight from the aviary? How large is her free-loft aviary and how many perches etc. Sorry for all the questions but we need to build a bigger picture.

[caveat]

I agree, photos would be a great help. Also a little more background. Why has she never been flown, how old was she when you got her and was she straight from the aviary? How large is her free-loft aviary and how many perches etc. Sorry for all the questions but we need to build a bigger picture.


I'll post some piccies later but in answer to your questions:
She's never been flown largely due to the state she was in when we got her. She was this wild plucked bird but has done a complete 180 and will my daughter do pretty much everything with her and goes everywhere with her. Personally the state of her feathers leave me in doubt that she'd be able to fly anyway - she looks as thought a lawn mowers had her.
When we got her she came from someone who had just rescued her from a barbed aviary althought the rescuee kept her in a large aviary till we got to her.
Her aviary here did consist of an indoor area (a shed conversion) with a 20ft flight off it. We're now re-building all the aviaries so she's temporarily in an aviary of a similar size with half inside and half completely open (although wired obviously).
We initially overdid the perches but she now has 3 at different levels.

[Misty]

right, i don't know if kitana will thank me for this, but I would pm her. She is an absolute treasure when it comes to behavourial problems and is also a vet. I have found her helpful in the extreme. Try that first and let us know how you get on.

[Kennelre]

It would be useful to know what weight you are keeping her at and by what method you are giving her food.....but, based on what you are saying it does sound as if she has ended up as a pet. Though clearly much loved, and receiving considerable attention....she is likely to be entirely frustrated by her lack of purpose. She has no mate with which to breed, nor feathers with which to fly, nor opportunity to individuate and develop her hunting instinct....and she is already more than three years old!
Unless there is some underlying medical reason for her behavior then it is likely to be psychological in origin...and further compounded by each year that passes.
Unless you are already doing so, I would personally work out a strategy for making this bird put some work in for her food. She needs some serious opportunity to use the above average intelligence which nature gave her.....and to also develop a co-operative relationship with a human, rather than a dependant one.
Just my opinion.

[Misty]

It would be useful to know what weight you are keeping her at and by what method you are giving her food.....but, based on what you are saying it does sound as if she has ended up as a pet. Though clearly much loved, and receiving considerable attention....she is likely to be entirely frustrated by her lack of purpose. She has no mate with which to breed, nor feathers with which to fly, nor opportunity to individuate and develop her hunting instinct....and she is already more than three years old!
Unless there is some underlying medical reason for her behavior then it is likely to be psychological in origin...and further compounded by each year that passes.
Unless you are already doing so, I would personally work out a strategy for making this bird put some work in for her food. She needs some serious opportunity to use the above average intelligence which nature gave her.....and to also develop a co-operative relationship with a human, rather than a dependant one.
Just my opinion.

this makes perfect sense. still pm kitana as she will be able to advise you how to get over this problem as best possible.
Was she fully parent reared and can she fly from perch to perch okay. if so, she could well do with going in for breeding.

[Pink_Eagle]

It would be useful to know what weight you are keeping her at and by what method you are giving her food.....but, based on what you are saying it does sound as if she has ended up as a pet. Though clearly much loved, and receiving considerable attention....she is likely to be entirely frustrated by her lack of purpose. She has no mate with which to breed, nor feathers with which to fly, nor opportunity to individuate and develop her hunting instinct....and she is already more than three years old!
Unless there is some underlying medical reason for her behavior then it is likely to be psychological in origin...and further compounded by each year that passes.
Unless you are already doing so, I would personally work out a strategy for making this bird put some work in for her food. She needs some serious opportunity to use the above average intelligence which nature gave her.....and to also develop a co-operative relationship with a human, rather than a dependant one.
Just my opinion.

i agree, maybe she is just bored, a harris with no stimulation, what diet is she on? weight if the bird?