To hood or not to hood

[Newbie FHH]

Just wondering, some people say there is need to hood a FHH cos they are fairly steady. Others say you should.

I personally think that it would be good to get the bird happy to take a hood even if you were never to use it again - does that sound like the right way of thinking??

[IAmTheWeasel]

Hood it

[Ben C]

Hood......Hood and thrice Hood...............what you gonna do if your hawk gets bitten by a squirrel FHH :wink: :mrgreen: :wink: :mrgreen:

[Newbie FHH]

I know, I know - this is my thinking too!!

This is what I said in another post - its so much better to know more than one person then you get more than one persons opinion!!!

[Ben C]

Not only that it is part of the tradition. Not to hood is a bit lazy in my humble opinion :) :) :) No doubt I shall get a drubbing for this opinion!! :)

[Wilfred]

well my opinion is completely different...that is....I strive at using the hood as less as possible....which means only using the hood when it is necessary. Hooding a bird of prey for hours the first days just to get them accustomed to the hood is something I regard as completely unnecessary. Because it simply is not needed! And even now...i have a parent reared sparrowhawk since saturday. Got some advices to hood her since she is parrent reared and this is also recommended in books. But I chose not to hood her at all till now...only once and a while to get her accustomed to the hood when needed. But i started training sunday morning and some 8 hours later or so she was used to cars and people.

My view is just...hood does indeed shield against noises and scary objects that can upset a bird. But, on the other hand, they also prevent birds from just getting used to these noises and objects. So I try to use them only when really needed.

[Gaz]

what you gonna do if your hawk gets bitten by a squirrel
Pull out the hood made from soft leather that you keep on you screwed up in the back/pocket for emergency & put it on :!: Ta daaaa :finga:

[Ben C]

So make it to the hood then. :) :)

[Bird_Dog]

Wilfred --

You'd need a hood if you just trapped a passage coopers or prairie falcon. You might get away without hooding a HH or RT if you use a giant hood for transportation. I did it with my first RT, but she bent alot of feathers banging around in the box. And when the door openned you better stand back. Train your bird to the hood=good feathers.

-- BIRD_DOG

[Sprout]

It's always better to have the option of using a hood if you want. If you don't like it you don't have to use it but if your bird is made to the hood in the beginning you always have that option. I personally think it is a good idea, even with HH. On field meets it syops your bird seeing quarry when not your slip so stops them getting frustrated when bating to get off as well as preventing avoidable stressful situations. Saying the bird should see these situations to become accustomed is all well and good but if on the fist it will only bate away from the situation, get stressed further at the inability to escape the situation and only compound the fear of it. Hooding the bird lets YOU have the OPPORTUNITY to present such situations to the bird to render them less stressful rather than forcing the situation on the bird.

[Ali]

Its always best to hood your birds, first of all it makes them look reasonable secondly they are well mannered, thirdly they stay calm with the hood on their heads, at least all passage birds should be hooded if you want to get good results in the filed from them,and unhood the bird at night when youre alone with it while manning it or during training time.
Ali

[Wilfred]

well...last thing I wanted to say is that the hood is not needed at all! Of course there will be endless situations where it is better to use it. Only thing I wanted to say is that I think in many cases the use could be less maybe.

[Wolfinizer]

Well of coarse its not needed,

Your shoes arnt needed either. But you wear them for a reason dont you?

Excessivly using the hood is not a good idea either but what are you reasons?

[Mr_Colin]

I dont hood my FHH and I can walk around a busy airfield without her bating now. She did at first but as she was exposed to it more and more she stopped worrying about it. Expose to different environments and it should get steady. How-ever I do see the virtues occationally of hooding, say the Vets or equipment change or coping. Maybe a hood will benifit during these times. What say you??

[Newbie FHH]

Interesting comments arising on this subject. We didn't hood at first and now less than 3 weeks in, she bates and screams at the sight of it. Simon currently reading a book which has made him not want to hood her and I am still of the opinion it would be a good idea - however I can't stand it when she screams. :( I think we should get her to take it and then hopefully never need it!!

[Tim Laycock]

You have owned her too long FHH, she will resent you for it!
She can still be made with the hood but If you are new to hooding you will struggle to make her stand to the hood with modern "Conventional" methods.
If you choose to take this route then good luck, you will need it without doubt! :wink:

[Newbie FHH]

BB, can you tell me more?

[Tim Laycock]

About what part FHH?

[Newbie FHH]

She can still be made with the hood but If you are new to hooding you will struggle to make her stand to the hood with modern "Conventional" methods.

About this bit?

[Tim Laycock]

The hawk will need to be "Sleep deprived" and plied with the hood while it is in this state and in various locations(Early morning walk, room full of people etc)
This may not work! but there is another course of action though I will not describe it on the open forum.
I can do no better than to point you in the direction of "Training the Short-winged Hawk"- An elizabethan perspective.
It is the transcribed version of an old shortwingers bible<g>
The book mainly conscerns itself with the management of the Goshawk but the section regarding vices and remedys is appropriate to all raptors.

[Newbie FHH]

I feel really bad now that we didn't introduce it earlier. Thanks for the info I will take it all onboard.

[Tim Laycock]

The hood must be introduced to a harris on the first day, I find :(

[Mary Quite Contrary]

The hawk will need to be "Sleep deprived" and plied with the hood while it is in this state and in various locations(Early morning walk, room full of people etc)
This may not work! but there is another course of action though I will not describe it on the open forum.
I can do no better than to point you in the direction of "Training the Short-winged Hawk"- An elizabethan perspective.
It is the transcribed version of an old shortwingers bible<g>
The book mainly conscerns itself with the management of the Goshawk but the section regarding vices and remedys is appropriate to all raptors.


Newbie if you look in the archives there are plenty of posts on this subject of hooding and late hooding.

I have done this to a Harris without problem and you do not need to do any of the above BB mentions.

.

If you do intend on this which i believe is a good thing you have to make sure everything comes out of the hood.

The Hood must mean everything and must be kept that way for it to work.

Have a look in the archives and you will see quite a few variations and advice on this.

[Tim Laycock]

I was simply laying down a course of action that I know to be successfull :|
This is just how I would do it. As CPC has rightly pointed out there are other methods.