harris hawk

[MTR46]

HI just been to have a look at my new harris at the breeders house what a fantastic looking bird hes with mother and sister. now 10 weeks old in a secluded aviery flying about. but the little ****** has managed to rip off his leg ring.both paerents are stunning birds dad flying at 1lb7 and mother at 2lb2 6 weeks to go cant wait.

[Finnish]

You can just get him micro chipped mate.

[MickeyDredd]

MTR

Out of interest does the breeder know at what age he when he ripped off the ring?

[MTR46]

yes 5 days ago

[MickeyDredd]

So the ring didnt slip over the foot and off, it actually broke it then?

[BrianM]

how the hell did it get the ring off at 9/ 10 weeks old???????????

[MTR46]

pulled it clean off cctv to prove it

[MickeyDredd]

Brian, thats what I was thinking.

MTR did you see it on the cctv, i can only think it must have been a Female ring but even then would this come off a 9-10 week old male?

MTR, just looking out for you on this one - not having a go at you in any way mate

[BrianM]

me too mate ... id have thought that unless the ring broke or as mickey has said using a female ring on a male it should be impossible to come off

[MTR46]

yes seen my self breeder never had this problem befor all paper work was there including the ring

[MickeyDredd]

Okay, good luck with the bird when you get him.

Will you get him chipped?

[MTR46]

if that is what you advise then yes . how much will it cost iam a total novice about to get my first bop

[Renton]

A vet will charge, on average, £25-£30 to microchip a bird.

[Goldie]

For what it is worth, a 9wk HH has NO chance of getting a closed ring off EVEN if it was a female ring. On the other hand, perhaps it was a split ring the breeder had put on if he was too late ringing.

MTR46, do you recall if the ring had a gap in it ?

[MTR46]

it was a split ring and the ringing was done after seven days nothing dodgy going on .

[Goldie]

Thought it had to be a split ring, otherwise it would have sounded dodgy

[Goldie]

BUt I wonder why a split ring if the breeder is going to the bother of supplying papers certifying captive breeding?

[MickeyDredd]

Indeed,

Goldie, why would a breeder use a split ring if the bird is being ringed at an age where a closed ring could be used?

[MTR46]

i dont know but the breeder is part of a falconry club and haz been breeding harrises for sale six years recipts were givenfor the deposits and .lets face it why bother been dodgy with a harris hawk they are not exactley hard to get hold of thease days ?

[Goldie]

MTR46, its not a question of being dodgy in the same sense as schedule 4 birds etc. However, if they are correctly rung in the first place it is also stating their true age. As it is generally accepted that HH want to be at least 16/18 weeks before being picked up, it can prevent certain breeders passing them on a lot younger and giving inexperinced falconers grief for years to come. it DOES happen, especially with late clutches. It also prevents 10 yr old birds being sold as 3 yr olds.

Mike, I have absolutely no idea to your question, it is ludicrous

[MTR46]

the breeder iam using came recomended from a local falconry club he is very helpful and has rung me weekly since befo they hatched as a progress report iv seen personaly the ring been removed by the hawk why so negative. ps my name matt not mike. goldie

[Goldie]

the breeder iam using came recomended from a local falconry club he is very helpful and has rung me weekly since befo they hatched as a progress report iv seen personaly the ring been removed by the hawk why so negative. ps my name matt not mike. goldie

THere is no negativity towards you Matt, this is an open forum and read by many, inexperienced and experienced alike. Your initial post made reference to a ring being removed and has been commented on by others. Any points I am making is directed at all and sundry as to the reasons why this would or should happen and to educate others who may not be in the position of dealing with a reputable breeder.

You will no doubt notice in the coming weeks if you are regularly reading posts that this happens on most threads where people will add their thoughts due to their own experiences. That is what the forum is all about and not directed at you. You will soon know when someone is having a dig :lol:

With regards the Mike bit, that was in answer to MickyDredd ( Mike ) who asked a question previously :lol:

[MTR46]

i apolagise just a novice looking forward to his first hawk after nearly a year of prep. regards matt
ps i will take all your advice onboard. matt

[Shaun Byrne]

i apolagise just a novice looking forward to his first hawk after nearly a year of prep. regards matt
ps i will take all your advice onboard. matt

Nice one Mike :D :D :D

[Goldie]

:lol:

[Kevin Massey]

:lol: bunchac*nts

[Wightwings]

crying out load talk about jump on some thing for no reason....... :shock: :roll: :rolleyes:

[MTR46]

say what?

[CBrown69]

I'm also new to the sport and I have a male HH too. I found this article on the web about hunting with male HH's. What's your opinion on this way of training a male HH.
You find the article here : www.onlinefalconry.com/harris.html

[FlameHairedFalconer]

Matt,

If you get him microchipped, make sure your vet is experienced in chipping birds (and if poss BoP) Theres nothing worse than turning up with your hawk and the vet leaping into the corner of the room in fright :shock: :D

FHF

[FlameHairedFalconer]

I'm also new to the sport and I have a male HH too. I found this article on the web about hunting with male HH's. What's your opinion on this way of training a male HH.
You find the article here : www.onlinefalconry.com/harris.html

I like Troy and have chatted to him over the net before (is he on here?)

I maybe slightly disagree with the food association thing (to my mind, screaming and aggression is a combination of nature and nurture - just because his method has worked for 4 of his harrises - how many hundreds are trained in the traditional manner with the same end result?)

What I do agree on is the manning part - as soon as you can get that harris into the house to watch the family (or just the tv with you) and become part of your 'family group' Male harrises do become very tame quickly and it is a trait that can be exploited (my male used to come back looking for me when he missed game - very useful the time I broke my wrist out hawking!!)

With regards to entering provided you have the right weight this should be reasonably easy, harrises will try almost anything once, and once they have the idea your away!! Harrises do have quite a wide weight window, which means they will still return to you but will refuse quarry. Dont be afraid to take the weight down below the parents hunting weight given to you by the breeder - after all every hawk is different.

Happy hawking!!

FHF

[Wightwings]

well said..

[Jiff]

i have the quietest bird ever, i did things slightly different in that i fed from the ground the glove and anywhere else that fit the bill at the time, she does occasionaly have the odd squak but as i have plenty of other things to bussy me in the garden if i think she is asking too much i just ignore her and get on with something else, sometimes i'll unlock the avery and then feed the ferrets or clean the dog run other times i'll go straight in pick her up bow her out and clean the avery the thing is there is no fixed routine to feeding time so she never realy knows whats going to happen next i also use little tricks like putting the food under my arm pit, i then start to clean up and kick her ball about a bit, at some point i release the food from under my arm obviously she's on it like a shot but she's not quite sure how it got there, one point, i never hang about long on these occations and leave her to her meal, it is difficult perticularly at this time of year to avoid a food association developing,i'm sure my bird has a food association with me,but as she knows calling out will not bring it on ony faster she usualy waits paciently, and besides having no fixed routine suits me as i'm the most un organised individual walking.

[Adam Barrett]

Matt,
you arnt to far from rochdale in huddersfeild mate and their is a great vet around there used to be a falconer himself for many years and knows **** loads bowt bop. i have taken all my birds to him to be microchipped, i think he charged £19 which is well worth it.
Cheers
Adam

[MTR46]

thanks adam for that do you have a contact number or an address? thanks for all your posative replies its nice to hear im not on my own when i say i just want good advice on the best way to start the manning and training. cheers matt