Unintrested male harris

[BrianM]

i was out this morning with my male harris "parker" as you all know ive not been out for about 2 weeks now because of work ,,, i weighed him last night and he was 1oz over weight .. so i only gave him half a chick,,, this morning he was 0.5 over weight but he seemed really keen so off we went ....... just as we entered the golf coarse a rabbit got up about 30 feet in front of us and i slipped parker but he just made a half arsed effort,, ok i thought just a little unfit after being laid off for a while, but he then just sat up a tree for 10 min totally ignoring me ,, he then dissappeared for another 10 minutes i tracked him down using the telemetry,, he came straight down to the fist and i boxed him and took him home,,,

[Saker-Clive]

Brian, you fed him before you took him out? When Kier is going out on a hunt, I don't feed him for at least 18 hours. This way i know he is going to be keen and work hard.
If we are going out say tomorrow and his weight is right, I would have fed him no later than lunchtime today; if I'm only taking him out to play, then it doesn't really matter. If he chases something all good and well but if we have gone out just for excercise then so be it.
I know, there will be a number on here likely to say he should be hunted all the time as this is what falconry is all about but when he is huntng I expect him to perform, and when we go out just to 'play' then thats what we do.

[BrianM]

hi saker he was fed last night and had nothing but 1 chick leg today,, i ll see what his weight is tomorrow and try again.... i was just wondering if it was because hes not been out for 2 weeks or is it more to do with his weight or both,,,, he flies at 1lb 6oz but ive had him up to 1lb 9oz but thats when hes getting out 4 times a week

[Saker-Clive]

Mine has until recently always flown around 1lb.6 1/2 - 1lb.7oz but the last month I've flown him a few times at 1lb. 9oz. and he has killed at this weight. The next day he wasn't interested. I took him out yesterday at 1lb. 8 1/4oz. and he was still not too bothered at rabbit but flew hard and well to the fist.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! repatition, easy life at the higher weights but definately lighter to get back into yarak.

[BrianM]

cant get out today as it raining from the heavens and there a force 9 gale...

[Mr. Fong]

Simple solution..... if you take him out and he shows minimal interest again- give him fresh air for dinner!!

[BrianM]

ive done that mr fong i was just wondering because of the lay off hes forgotton how to "act" when out,, does he need a little retraining

[BrianM]

or do you think he will come back onside when his weight comes down

[Jiff]

i think theres a combination of things going on here,firstly the two week layoff, i havnt been out for two weeks due to xmas resposibilities and the flue,however sky gets nowt for nowt,even in the garden with security lighting at night she has to hit the lure for food,this gives the impresion that she's still fending for her self,she don't care weather it's a lure or a rabbit but she has to catch it or go hungry,secondly,when you say you'v
been out for two weeks have you kept up manning,making meaningfull contact even just for 15/20 mins a day will give you a bit more control in the field,as for weight,i believe only you know weather or not the weight is an issue,sky has had good and bad days at different weights and as we'r both on a learning curve i note in my book her responce from day to day and hopefully in time a pattern will emerge,i also note weather conditions,as i believe this is a big issue in the birds performance.one last point,which has been mentioned already is the feed,i do agree with saker,you'v got to be that little bit more carefull with food before you go out,in the wild they kill when hungry and no other time they never kill for fun and so we need to try and safely recreate that condition. all the best mate and i'm sure things will pick up now we have the mad season behind us. :wink:

[BrianM]

i dont know where saker got that from as you can see from my 1st post had hadnt been fed for a good 18hrs before going out,, when we were out he only had 1 chick leg to get him back on the fist to go home ,,,, ive never fed any of my birds before going out,,, thats just being ****in stupid,, he has had manning everynight during his lay off ,, but as you say now that xmas is past i hope things get back to normal

[Jiff]

keep at it bri mate, a local lad to me had/has the same problem with a young male i offered to takehim out with me 3 or 4 times a week and show his bird so manny rabbits it would kill one eventualy, you know what,,,,,,,every time i foned he had an excuse for not going out no effort no gain,i'm sure you aint like that so i'm sure things will pick up, :wink:

[Saker-Clive]

I do appologise BM, I mis-read your post about the feeding but even so, I don't feed at night any more for that very reason. I check the weather forecast around lunchtime and if it's going to be very cold or miserable and I know I wont get out then I can feed more and a little later in the day if I know I won't be going out.
If like me you hate not feeding anything, then give him the chick wings and the legs cut up into 3 pieces and make him fly to the fist in the enclosure if it's big enough. This way, he is getting only a small bit of food and he will be more keen as he will think that he will get more next time.

[BrianM]

no probs mate i do much the same.if i am going out next day i check the weight the day before to see where they are and feed accordingly.. at least 18hrs before going out

[Varmint]

Maybe look at something a little more simpler?

Maybe he's out of routine, feeling a little flabby through lack of excersise.

A safe excersise would be to drop him 1/2 oz below his original flying weight :wink:

And see if that improves his performance, if not maybe a little re education will be in order?

[North East Harris Hawker]

this advice all seems about right, maybe your boy just had an off day?
sometimnes it trakes two or three trips to get them back into it especially when trips have been postponed a few times because of work. keep plugging on mate 8)

[Varmint]

Training is initiated by appetite, completed by routine!

[Gaz]

Training is initiated by appetite, completed by routine!
Cant better that,..sums it up. :mrgreen:

[BrianM]

just back in,,, cut his weight to 1lb 5.5oz .. 0.5oz under his usual flying weight .. he was a different bird today attentive and sharp in short back to himself, well almost if my hand went near my hawking bag he was in the air on his way back to me but i take it if i get his weight back up to 1lb 7oz things will get back to normal... no kills today nothing moving.. then we got bloody soaked game over

[Gaz]

Flying weight...hunting weight...theres a difference :mrgreen:

[Kornie]

Jiffster said:

"she don't care weather it's a lure or a rabbit but she has to catch it or go hungry,secondly,when you say you'v
been out for two weeks have you kept up manning,making meaningfull contact even just for 15/20 mins a day will give you a bit more control in the field,as for weight,"


|I know this may be a bit late but what that man said I thought was spot on!

Also I would try less sudden drops, If you dont give your bird any food, he'll have no energy the following day. I would guess that is why he had the long rest after chasing the rabbit.

[Varmint]

making meaningfull contact

What you mean like little kisses, flowers , that sort of thing Kornie? :lol:

[Gaz]

:lol:

[ChicM]

I noted the same thing in my male HH Brian. Would chase half-heartedly but not put in for the kill the way he had been doing. Maybe they've got SAD!

[Shaun Byrne]

My FHH started doing exactly the same, only banging rabbits when she felt like it and trying to catch every vole in sight. Only one thing for it HUNGER!!

[Kornie]

making meaningfull contact

What you mean like little kisses, flowers , that sort of thing Kornie? :lol:

Yeah, kind of. Also presents, presents work very well.:lol:

(pssst, byt the way jiff said that**) 8)

[BrianM]

varmint was spot though guys drop em to 5oz below usual weight ,,, worked a treat

[North East Harris Hawker]

bit of dangerous advice there me thinks! do you mean 0.5 of an ounce ie 1/2oz? i only ask as 5 ounces off any HH at its correct flying weight is likely to kill it :shock: :? :o

[BrianM]

sorry NEHH typo,,, you are quite right 0.5oz

[Goran]

For last several days we had -20C and lower temp and I put my two old birds to breed.Young male (last year bird) was hunting with the other two but today I had to take him out.It was -12C and not much wind.I do not weight my birds.I just hunt them daily and feed lean meat while hunting.Female is around 1kg, old male is 650g and young male 750g.This weight is from two weeks ago from my vet when looking for deworming dosage.No worms but hey.
"Boy" took high position and could see the whole ravine with a frozen creek in the midle.Cottontail start moving in few minutes and boy was in a chase when 'tail went just 20 meters to a first brush pile covered in a snow (25cm).Buy took position above me and after a reflush he cought it by the back legs.I love this one.Him and a female cought 28 ctails, 13 squirrels, 2 starlings and a crow.His brother from previous year(elactrocuted the last day of the last season) was the same.He was catching ctails with already a full crop.Males, if entered right, will do it because they hunt for the group (us or other HHs).

[HawkNorth]

if i cant get bird out due to for example weather more than couple of days
i do high jumps male or female harris
but not if there noisy
yes i agree with food being fed early in the day couple of days before hunt

[HawkNorth]

i should have put in especially for weekend hunters

[HawkNorth]

if i cant get bird out due to for example weather more than couple of days
i do high jumps male or female harris
but not if there noisy
yes i agree with food being fed early in the day couple of days before hunt
weekend hunters