Change in my FHH Temprement

[Boby]

hi all, im looking for some advice again regarding my FHH, she is now arround the 21week mark, we are at the stage where she has been flying free for about a week, coming to the fist nicely and being nice and responsive to me.

a few problems have arrisen this week, i have noticed she is being quite flighty arround her mews, to the point where by i have seen her at the door and hanging upside down from the roof! i have not witnissed this behavior with her before.

she has managed to damage her face, with slight brusing and cut to the skin just above the top beak. to small scrathes on either eye brow. Caused by sticking her head throught the 2inx2in welded wire mesh.

i have been trying to bring her weight down from 2lb 11 fat weight to 2lb 5ish.

she is steady at 2lb 6, this is the weight ive reached when i have experienced the problems. she seem to be very nervous of other people, my mother stuck her head round the corner of the house some 100ft away from her mews while i was inside, she jumped onto my shoulder and gave a very quiet squeal (the same sort of volume as a mouse)

Whats am i doing or not doing wrong? not enough manning? bring her weight down to slowly ? too quickly? is it the weather? is it disease?

or is this just normal?

all help or advice would be very welcome!:confused:

[Sean D]

I really think you need a mentor, but in the mean time get her teathered in her mews as it is far to early to be freelofting her, also get rid of the weld mesh and replace with vertical bars, you say she is nervy, more manning around other people, cars roads farms ect ect should sort this out

[Graham Stuart]

vERTICAL barrs in the inside of the avery about 5" from the mesh about 2" appart, cover the roof, stop her getting near the mesh, she mabay just doesnt fancy your mum:yawinkle:...Graham

[Boby]

thanks for the advice, verticle bars are not an option, 40 meters of mesh in her mews, just wouldnt be practical. i can confine her to her weathering section where bars are present at the window, i could teather her outside on the bow perch on the lawn or i could tether her to the bow perch in the mews, however with the temp down to -6 i like to give the bird the option of where she goes.

she has been free lofting for 2 weeks now with problems only starting a few days ago.

manning is a bit of a problem, tractors, cars, cows, sheep, dogs, wildlife, farms, lorrys ect she is fine with but i dont have access to people!

i do have a mentor but i like to get as much input on any subject as i can, as i find different people can have vastly different expierence and veiws on the same subject.

so i take it this "problem" is down to .... behavoir? training? lack of stimulation?

thanks.

[Pearl]

i wouldnt free loft a young bird in early stages of training , she is down at wieght this is why she is crashing around the mews , she needs bowing down untill fully hunting , just my opinion :supz:

[Shaun Bannister]

as has been pointed out a young hh needs to be controlled in its first season theyre like stroppy teenagers and need boundaries to prevent bad behaviour and injury to themselves ,she will get worse in this aspect if you continue in this way whilst getting to hunting weight and it could even get risky as she gets nearer to it ,get her teathered,unless out hunting, ensure there are no higher perches visible in the tethering area to encourage it to bate ,continue with the manning process using a hood when required to avoid ugly situations ,a useful method is after feeding to bow her indoors whilst you and your family watch tv
as for temp have you ever been in a desert at night? its freezing but dry (-25 when i was in iraq) just ensure shes not put away wet (use a hairdrier if required) and out of draughts and she'll be just fine if your mother had appearred unexpectedly and she had been tethered all that it would have resulted in was a bate its only because shes freelofted that damage was done

[Boby]

Thanks for the advice, so its just down to the weight that is changing her temprement then.

I will tether her for the time being and continue with the training as normal, i will however be spending more time manning the bird and trying to get her use to people.

i think i will leave the weight as it is and bring it up a bit. im getting a better response at 2lb 7 1/4 than i am with her at 2lb 6.

thanks everyone.

[Jack]

We have regulations concerning the way we can build a mews or hawk fascility here. It is not legal to use any sort of wire unless it is where the hawk is to be tethered down. Especially if the hawk is anywhere near flying weight. Come hunting or eating time they are subject to hang from the roof.
You know, there is just so much manning one can do. I suggest that weight might be a problem if the hawk is acting skittish in any way.

Jack

[CanadaManada]

Tether your bird. You obviously don't have a mews suitable for freelofting, or your hawk wouldn't have beaten up her face. The reasons why don't matter.

Justin

[Sophie]

Thread Moved

like has been said already been said it is to early to keep her free lofted, start by tethering her and getting a mentor would be another great step ,
good luck

[Boby]

well thanks again for the input everyone, my bird is now tethered on the bow,

a new mentor is in the pipeline and the manning has been increased. her cut is looking much better this morning, after the antiseptic cream.

Im not sure what to do about housing, its a design that had been found suitable in both books, and by several different "expierenced" people.

if the housing isnt suitable then i will have to change it, simple as that, its very disapointing however, after putting all the effort in and getting advice regarding housing before the bird arrived, to find it is incorrect a few weeks down the line. its hardly ideal having to change the housing at this point, it should have been done properly in the first off.:-x

anyway i hope my new mentor will steer me on the right track! some practical guidance will be brilliant!

legislation on housing seems a good idea, for both handler and bird alike. ive seen too many mews, weatherings, avairies (call them what you like) that are just down right unfit for purpose. i am just very disapointed with my self for falling into the same position!

Lets hope i can get things sorted quickly!

thanks everyone.

[Jiff]

for a start mate 2lb 11 oz is enormous free lofting the bird too early can and will result in some of the problems you have discribed, in the past i have had plenty of time to put into my bird and she has successfully hunted from 2lb 4 -6 oz however the bird is teathered untill we have an understanding and she was hunted more or less on a daily bassis, she was never fed at home and even when the weather put pay to hunting she alwways caught her food from the lure, give a bird of that size too much of her own way on her own stomping ground and youre asking for trouble, food is the only control we have over them, i've always been an advocate of tameness, i like to be able to mess on with my bird, being able to do this is the only way you can gauge the fat/muscle ratio of the body, get the boddy fat down raise the appetite and gain more control, it's a fine ballance of which you are miles off at 2lb 11 oz.:yawinkle:

[Shaun Bannister]

and the good news is ! that once youve got her hunting and fit and well behaved ,theres nothing to stop you going on to freeloft her in due course but i persoanally wouldnt do so in a first season bird for the reasons myself and several others have stated ,if the design of the pen is a good one then wire damage should be pretty hard to do ,i assume youve used plastic coated or bounce back mesh ? this may not matter in a years time once shes grown up but keep to the bow till then

[PenelopeP]

well thanks again for the input everyone, my bird is now tethered on the bow,

a new mentor is in the pipeline and the manning has been increased. her cut is looking much better this morning, after the antiseptic cream.

Im not sure what to do about housing, its a design that had been found suitable in both books, and by several different "expierenced" people.

if the housing isnt suitable then i will have to change it, simple as that, its very disapointing however, after putting all the effort in and getting advice regarding housing before the bird arrived, to find it is incorrect a few weeks down the line. its hardly ideal having to change the housing at this point, it should have been done properly in the first off.:-x

anyway i hope my new mentor will steer me on the right track! some practical guidance will be brilliant!

legislation on housing seems a good idea, for both handler and bird alike. ive seen too many mews, weatherings, avairies (call them what you like) that are just down right unfit for purpose. i am just very disapointed with my self for falling into the same position!

Lets hope i can get things sorted quickly!

thanks everyone.

Really good to hear that things are now moving as they should do. The Mentor in the pipeline will set you right. Trust him listen to him and you will do well. Hats off to the mentor thats stepped in. Good on ya :yawinkle::supz:

[Leo 1]

get her tetherd down m8 asap until u arn hunting/enterd reguley and dont ceap her at flyin/hunting wehgit all the time oveasly u are bringing her wehgit down so u carnt raily do that yet so get her tetherd down m8 or u mite/will end up wit more problams and do as mutch manning round ya mum as posible but i woodant worry to mutch about that my fhh hates the hell out of my dad adn her old trainer she will chaes them if come in to siet lol
ps not read the full thread sorry if i missed sumert