Delia-FHH

[ChrisRobbo]

Hi all,
Right where do i start! I have just received an unexpected female Harris hawk 05 to accompany my male 05 bird and female 01 saker. Basically she is in a bit off a state (a do-err-upper). The bird is around 28weeks old and has a lovely temperament but has fallen to the ever-increasing number of incompetent shortsighted wan-a-be falconers.
I will start with her condition, She had been fed on whole rabbits initially and it was evident from the maggots in the three rabbit carcasses in her mews that I must say was a decent size. But once these where unavailable the bird had been fed on a joint of tesco’s beef. Her mutes where very watery initially which gave me great concern. But after I fed her two chicks she weighed 3lb 1 ¾ oz and within a few hours she had a bit more colour in her mutes. She seems to be holding a lot of weight on an empty crop that I think is due to the beef and no exercise.
My main concern is with her tail feathers, they are pretty bad with only 10 remaining and four of these are of half-length with the others being very poor as well. This is due to her bouncing off wire weld mesh on the front of her aviary. I think I may have some serious repair work on my hands.
Although the owner did say that he doesn’t have time for her and would rather she went to a good home than sell her on which is always nice and is becoming a bit of a novelty.
I am planning to start afresh with this bird as I feel she still has great potential. I thought it would be a good idea to keep a record on here and post some pics at the weekend. I really just want to show a before and after scenario to illustrate the point of commitment needed with these birds which we seem to be discussing regularly.
Anyway I would be grateful to hear your opinions on this matter and if you are interested in me continuing with this thread.

Cheers Chris

[Stephen]

yes good idea would like to hear how she gets on
good luck with her

[Graham Stuart]

yes get some pics up, hope you gave the guy a mouthfull after taking the bird..

[DeathFromAbove]

aye the very best of luck to you with her matey, sounds like you have your work cut out there, do you have any tail feathers to imp on for her?

[Sean]

all best the best her, sounds like shes in good hands now.

[PeelsBells]

Chris to get some vitamins back in to the bird the best way i know of is Abidec put a couple of drops on a chick every other day. THis will help with her mutes and get condition back in to the bird.
One you have her stable, i would use which i use on all my birds
Entrodex, MVS 30 ,abscorbivite
These are proberbly the best vitimins on the market today.
MVS 30 is for the feathers
Entrodex is for the energy and up lift of the bird.
Abscorbivite is for the digestive system.
I hope this helps you out.
Also give her a high protein and lower her carb intake just to settle her down.I am proberbly telling you to suck eggs here sorry.
I hope all goes will with her, just give her some love which sounds like she is lacking.

All the best./

[ChrisRobbo]

When i received the bird i was more interested in getting it healthy than with the owner in a way i was just glad i had got her and that he was willing to give her up for free. As far as feathers go as both HH are 05 birds i don't have the precise feathers to imp but there's more than one way to skin a cat although it would be nice to have a moulted set available. I already use the entrodex supplement and she has been in her mews since wednesday with some basic handling but not alot. I intend to get her out tomorow and do a full examination of her tail feathers ect. I did not want to stress the bird to much initially.

[DeathFromAbove]

When i received the bird i was more interested in getting it healthy than with the owner in a way i was just glad i had got her and that he was willing to give her up for free. As far as feathers go as both HH are 05 birds i don't have the precise feathers to imp but there's more than one way to skin a cat although it would be nice to have a moulted set available. I already use the entrodex supplement and she has been in her mews since wednesday with some basic handling but not alot. I intend to get her out tomorow and do a full examination of her tail feathers ect. I did not want to stress the bird to much initially.

I have some juvenile moulted feathers which i could try an dig out for you, altho they weren't exactly in the best nick after she'd used am chasing allsorts in her first year. amazing how they don't damage more the way they go hurtling into allsorts of brambles, thick forestand stuff after quarry hehe

[ChrisRobbo]

I know what u mean my MHH is a bit of a nutter all the more interesting to watch i suppose! It hasn't done him any harm! It would be good if you could have a look for them and we'll have to come to some sort of arrangement. Great to see everyone taking an interest!
Cheers.

[Kanati]

can you get some pics of the the tail..would be interested to see it...and the rest of her too :)

[DeathFromAbove]

no worries mate - i did put em somewhere safe... so safe that i can't remember where hehehe but not to worry, i'll find em. soon as i do i'll let you know bud.

[ChrisRobbo]

yeah thats great cheers. Like i said i will get some pics on tomorrow or if not sunday at the latest she's quite big (a right hare muncher).

[Talon]

broken feathers can be fixed or if realy bad left to moult out.
she a big bird 3lb. 2 even though shes had two chicks.
hope she turns out a cracker for you ...good luck .

[ChrisRobbo]

Hi here are a few pics of her but sadly none off her tail feathers yet as my camera battery went flat!!! I'll try and post some asap.

[Kanati]

she looks nice...quite small..what does she weigh?

[ChrisRobbo]

i'm 6ft 4in might be a bit desceptive went 3lb 2oz full yesterday

[DeathFromAbove]

nice lookin harris there bud, managed to find the moulted feathers for you altho the vey tips are missing off a few, which ones does she need?

[Freddie1]

She looks a nice bird all credit to you for giving here a proper second chance!!
Good Luck
Steve and Netty:-)

[PeregrinesUK]

The bird from this angle looks well and tail feathers are the easiest of all to repair (as long as the shafts aren’t damaged) How is the bird mentally? Has she been handled well by her previous owner? Also who bred the bird as it is an offence to sell a bird/animal to someone with out the necessary knowledge to care for it maybe the breeder needs reporting to the relevant authorities? Just a thought as not to long back people on here were jumping down a breeders throat for trying to do the best for his hawks... Its good to know the hawk is now in good hands and we look forward to reading your posts and I hope people contemplating taking on a hawk before they have done courses read lots of books and have a good mentor take note of this and THINK before you purchase your first hawk! Good look with the mental rehabilitation of this bird hope all goes well

[Shaun Byrne]

I know what u mean my MHH is a bit of a nutter all the more interesting to watch i suppose! It hasn't done him any harm! It would be good if you could have a look for them and we'll have to come to some sort of arrangement. Great to see everyone taking an interest!
Cheers.

If you PM me your details I'll send you a lorry load of decent FHH feathers.:lol:

[ChrisRobbo]

The bird has a very good temperament although she does seem slightly nervous. I am treating her as if she is a new bird without any previous experience. I hope this way to build her confidence and i'm sure when i sort her tailfeathers out she'll be a good'un. Thanks for your interest. As far as the tailfeathers go i am yet undecided on how far to go there are a couple of definate relacements needed but some are borderline! I'll get back to you asap on this as i seem to be very busy at the moment!!! And hopefully post you a pic to illustrate this.

[ChrisRobbo]

I have been out with her and have produced a diagram of the tail feather damage as i beleive this illustrates it better!

From left
1 2 3 4 5 6
ok ok ok Tip Tip 3-4 inches missing

From right
1 2 3 4 5 and 6
ok 1-2 inches 2 inches Tip but bent 3/4 feather missing

So the good news here being i am sure i can repair all the feathers with some work!! The bad news being i havn't got any feathers for her i have had a couple of offers now and would like to know how i stand as i aim to have her out hunting in around 2-3 weeks.

I have just started to drop her weight and start the whistle training, she is in very high condition so within a few more days i will have her at a workable creance level. (This bird has supposable been trained but i would rather go through it all and check as i go to pick up any bad habbits now!).

I will now attempt to put a paint drawing on which i have never tried so i'm not sure how it will turn out.

Cheers, chris.

[Shaun Byrne]

Personally I would only bother with feathers 5 & 6 on the right. The others are only tipped and apart from not looking very nice they shouldn't cause any problems.

[ChrisRobbo]

I agree but the drawing is not to a brilliant scale. The descriptions are so i plan to do L6 as well as its missing around 3-4 inches and r5 and r6 as these are the worst!
Any news on any feathers yet??

[Shaun Byrne]

I agree but the drawing is not to a brilliant scale. The descriptions are so i plan to do L6 as well as its missing around 3-4 inches and r5 and r6 as these are the worst!
Any news on any feathers yet??

Ive got a good few mate I'll get them out tonight and let you know.

[Shaun Byrne]

These any good?

PM me your details and I'll post them to you.

[ChrisRobbo]

Had some feathers donated kindley from some people on the forum! Thanks guys! Arrived this mornin i'm planning to get her sorted Thursday night and be doing some long creance work friday and saturday. If all goes to plan should be flying free sunday! She was incredably fat when i got her (3lb 2) she weighed in at 2lb 5 1/4 oz this morning. I am tring to bring her down to 2lb 3-4oz slowly (flying weight accourding to her previous owner). This seems about right judging from her keel and response for food. She has completely settled in now and benefiting from alot of manning and being dragged around the field by a friend following my male harris. We'll this is the progress up to now i have lost the use of a digital camera for the moment but should be able to get some before and after pics on her feathers posted soon. Hopefully things should gain momentum from this point they usually do.

Thanks chris.

[DeathFromAbove]

glad to hear it mate - did they arrive ok mate? not bent or broken? you'll be causing havoc on the rabbit population before long fella.... keep us posted buddy.

[Shaun Byrne]

Did you get the set I sent you ok?

[ChrisRobbo]

The fullset arrived today i beleive from hawka the three from DFA have not arrived yet. I was gonna choose the best feathers, only the best for her! Rabbits will definatly be in decline! Two harris hawks on the job! Cheers.

[ChrisRobbo]

Well its been a long time but i still have her i thought i would post a before and after just as i am commencing her training let me know if you think there is a slight improvement?

[Hobby]

I can pull together a mature fhh tail set if you need it.
Just realised - I am a bit slow of the mark!!!

[ChrisRobbo]

The after pictures were taken today! She is feather perfect now but thanks!

[Hobby]

The after pictures were taken today! She is feather perfect now but thanks!You have done a good job,she is looking great

[Ker-strel]

Great job!! .. Top class ;)i am takin notes