Drinking Water 24/7

[Debbie]

Well who among you gives your birds access to drinking water 24/7?

And who among you do not?

And what are your reasons for which ever your choice is?

Debbs

[Hawkmaster]

24/7 for me!

There would be two reasons for me not to, that I can think of right now.

1 A bird that baths before flying.
2 If I want to encourage a bird to bath.

[Jiff]

don't know how accurate i am here,but it's my understanding that birds of prey require very little water,getting most of the moisture they require from theire diet, :?:

[Kevin Massey]

jiff they do yes..........but will also drink aswell when the want to that is
kev

[North East Harris Hawker]

they also like to bath, mine does it frequently, even when its freezing cold :shock:

[Claire]

at the centre I worked in we emptied baths at night and gave fresh water in the morning usually and we didnt fill baths when it was really really cold

[Varmint]

I think the thing to remember here folks is that the metobolic rate of your bird increases in cold weather, therefore the colder it is, the easier it is for them to get de-hydrated?

Shallow baths on freezing days are still a good idea, at least giving the bird the choice?

If i see my bird dripping wet at the end of a day and it looks like it's gonna be a cold night, i dry them off, or pop them in their carrying box in a warmer location until they have full dryed.

[Saker-Clive]

My birds have access to water from when they are opened up in the mornings, til I put them back away again in the evenings.
In the summer months, as the days a longer, 18 hours or so but as the days draw in, like now, I guess from 08.00 - 17:00 give or take a few minutes.

[Claire]

I think the thing to remember here folks is that the metobolic rate of your bird increases in cold weather, therefore the colder it is, the easier it is for them to get de-hydrated?

Shallow baths on freezing days are still a good idea, at least giving the bird the choice?

If i see my bird dripping wet at the end of a day and it looks like it's gonna be a cold night, i dry them off, or pop them in their carrying box in a warmer location until they have full dryed.

On freezing days when we dont give water which is very rare only the days when the water would freeze we feed wet chicks so they get water that way but it really isn't very often last winter it was twice. we are on the east cost and it's not often that we get sub-zero temperatures that last all day

[Jester]

i used to leave a smaller dish with water for Jester to drink from as well as his bath but he would never use it, instead he prefers to stand in his bath and drink that instead. (its great having to change the water 2 or 3 times a day cos of mutes or maybe he decided to csat a pellet while in the water :roll: )

i have never seen him having a bath though but one of the windows in the aviary has a perch beside it so he can see out the other side as well. the rain comes in sometimes and i have found him sitting there quite happily getting soaked. Another slight mistake i made while building the aviary was one of the roof panels leaks slightly above one of the perches i put in for him the only time he ever uses it was when it is raining and the drips land on him. (one time my mrs went in to try sealing the leak cos he was soaked and he ran at her with his wings open to chase her away) ............. i guess he prefers a shower instead of a bath

now the weather up in aberfreeze is colder i have kept his bath in but i have it sitting slightly on a slope with very little water in it so he van still stand in it and drink but not get too wet. Also made the roof waterproof and closed off the window but im gonna modify it so it opens and closes easily so he can still get a shower if it isnt too cold

[Albie]

Now I don't want to boast about our weather down here in Brixham, but the very little frost we get in deepest winter is gone usually by 10 am, so for this reason I leave my hawks bath out at all times in his flight and never known it to freeze.

Here's something for you all to try with your bird on your fist. (Hawkmaster showed me this and it works) Pour yourself a glass of cold water and take a mouthful.. then put it back in the glass from your mouth slowly (I don't like to use the word Spit!!) then offer your bird a drink from the glass and see if it has one.
They usually will after a couple of goes.
Albie.. :wink:

[Hawkmaster]

It is the trickling sound that gets them going or you can use a watering can in the mews too. Does not help much in hot countries when you are out hawking and the bird needs to drink, so this is why it is taught to drink from a glass or cup.

[Afshimo]

I did that too! Let my bird drink from a cup! Its a small, long and thinsyle, and also bright pink, and Sykes won't drink from other mugs thankfully. I did it a few times, when he had a chick on my glove, he looked like he was having trouble getting it down, so i got him some water, and i think it workes, cus he didnt make any more choking noises.

Over here, it gets pretty darned cold lol, often goes under freezing, and thats in the flats! Up on the pennines, I'd hate to think how cold it gets lol.

[Kornie]

I leave my bath out for trinity all the time. Change it when its dirty.

[Jiff]

since this post started i've spent alot of time with sky and where waters concerned i have to be carefull,she'll bathe in a jam jar lid,i don't like the idea of her bathing every day,she wouldnt in the wild,on hunting day's when she's fed on rabbit which carries plenty of fluid anyway i put a pan in the mew for a short while and watch her,when i'm sure she aint going to drink out it comes,on a friday a.m i put a bath in and she does what she does best, the crawl-the back stroke and the butterfly,before i go to work out it comes,i make water available every day but the interest given by sky is minimal,apart from playing in it.

[Varmint]

I think we all know the signs of dehydration, but for any newbees here are a few tips?

Look at your birds cere (skin were the nostrils (nares) are situated), is it shrivelled like prune or raisen?

Is the skin on the feet saggy or shrivelled, can you pinch it between your fingers gently and the skin stay in that position when you let go?

If the answer is yes to either of these questions, then your bird needs access to fluids.

[Gaz]

moisture they require from theire diet,
the metobolic rate of your bird increases in cold weather
Good post jiff,but flying at weight this is vastly reduced,got to have water access 24/7,dehydration has the same effects on the organs as anorexia patients have..and once the damage is done,thats it,and like Varmint said,its easy to forget the colder weather effect on the birds fluid needs....how many times have people been out hunting for hours and saw the bird land by puddles and think "hes gonna have a bath",when what its really desperate for,and desperate is the word,for a drink..good solid thread this. :mrgreen:

[Carol]

my eeo had access to water all year round but in winter the bath came out just after dinner and was put back the next morning. But he was a typical male only bathed once a week no offence lads im only going by ken lol

carol :supz:

[Bubo]

nice one carol. My barn owl wont bath, so i he's definately male hehehehe. He does drink from a cup though which i offer him quite a few times a day. His bath it there for him just incase but he is just not interested.
bubo

[Claire]

we had two male barn owls and they always had fresh water in a bath and I never saw either of them bathe. the male tawny likes to sit in the rain though

[OhMyGod]

my falcon has a bath as soon as i put her out, she loves it, then I remove it. I always wash the food well so I can crop her up more, so she very rarely drinks at all.

[Saker-Clive]

OMG wroteI always wash the food well so I can crop her up more, so she very rarely drinks at all.

when you say you wash the food, do you mean that you just drop a chick into a bowl of water to wet t or do you mean 'washed' as in soaking and squeezing out?
The latter is usually only used for sick birds as it strips the food stuff of all its nutrients!! (we have to remember that there are members that do not understand all methods and might mis-interpret the wrong method as standard!) :oops:

[Hawkmaster]

Washed meat may need its own thread please.

[Bod]

This might sound a bit of a daft question but if a bird doesn't want to drink how can you make it. "You can lead a bod to water but ya can't make it drink".
I have had my female harris for nearly two weeks, things are coming along nicely but I am getting concerned she might me showing signs of dehydration.
I will try the glass trick and wet chick tomoz, but if she does not drink do I need to get her to a vet?
She is out in her weathering with access to a bath during daylight hours.
I have a cctv system set up so I can view her at all times without disturbing her, but I havent't seen her go anywhere near the bath. :?

[Shaun Byrne]

Dont worry mate, she will get all the moisture she needs from her food and if she doesn't she will take a drink if its available.

[Bod]

Thanks Shaun
Thats reasuring. After my first birds demise I didn't want to take any chances.

Bod

[Varmint]

Some birds are just dirty!

In the summer months i regularly spray my bird down with a fine mist nozzle on the hose pipe, after a mild drenching they will usually finish the job off themselves in the bath!

Doing this regularly has other advantages too, encouraging them to preen and spread oil daily which in turn makes their water proofing more effective for the worse weather days :wink:

Fresh warm food is another substitute for a bird which doesnt drink, see how your HH relishes that warm, bloody rabbit liver?

[HawkNorth]

bath was in most of last season for my female harris until the lanner i
had took wing tip she had a full recovery never seen her drink or bath
but she was one thirsty bird after flying and feeding the bird up took
water of my finger tip till i figured soaking the food in warm water

im sure idea came from reading Nick Foxs book