Screen perches

[Barbary Boy]

i have been suprised by recent correspondence how many people are once again using screen perches! i used them when i started years ago because that is what we were told to use,then they became "tabboo" and i thought they were a thing of the past,i am not a member of any club but was under the impression that the B F C frowned on thier use. i may be wrong. they are a really good way of keeping several birds tethered in close proximity ,especially at night,but as i have allready said in earlier threads i liken the new "craze" for post perches to hold the same potential problems.if you are around the bird constantly fine otherwise i wouldnt dream of using either today.nick fox writes in"understanding the bird of prey" the screen perch has killed many hawks including my old hawk eagle gorgon when i lent her to a friend.he goes on to say under the heading of (bad practices,)"writting about perches in particular"some such as the screen and pole perches cause death overnight on a regular and frequent basis? philip glazier in one of his books writes under the heading of screen perches,"tradition is fine but should be tempered with common sense and altered if there is something better ,afterlong experience with screen perches i am now utterly opposed to thier use" he goes on to write about the problems assosiated with them broken feathers just one of them.he ends by saying"over the centuries that screen perches have been used they must have killed a great many hawks" william c oaks in the falconers apprentice has only this to say,no one is adviced to use a screen perch for a red tailed hawk. these perches are dangerous.they kill hawks.certain traditions should die and this perch is one of them.DO NOT USE THE SCREEN PERCH, these are just a couple of examples from some books, i could find dozens more but cant find any in recent literature recommending thier use! is this a case of modern "unread" falconers reinventing an old problem?

[Shaun Byrne]

I may be wrong but isn't the problem with the screen that the bird has to "learn" to regain its perch after bating and if it doesnt it hangs until seen to?

With the poles that I use, the bird cannot hang as it doesn't have enough slack leash or Jess.

[Barbary Boy]

in an ideal world screen perches would be o k but what if your bird has killed eaten a good old crop full then gone to bed for the night on its screen perch. couple of hours later it takes ill coz the food in its crop is poisoned or it gets a perforated crop from a bone or any one of of hundred other things. it cant get to the floor so just drops off hangs there and dies, nice. ive seen it happen years ago and thought it was a thing of the past but i bet it starts to happen again and i bet the people who are using them wont be too quick to come on here and admit it.please there are alternatives dont listen to me listen to history.

[Tim Laycock]

I would not have a parent reared Goshawk on anything other than a screen perch while unattended in the mews.

This is not a prefference born of being "Unread" :roll:

[Barbary Boy]

cant believe people cant see the potentional risks! fair enough get on with it dont say you havent been warned.

[Tim Laycock]

The point is to see the potential risks and guard against them!
feed your hawk only the best, freshest meat.
Do not allow them to take sharp bones, Surely this is effected by all that would wish their charge to remain healthy wether perched on a screen or not?

Design of the screen is also a factor too. Many hawks, Particularly if moulted through the summer on a screen learn how to lie along it.

A hawk on a screen that is ill can be instantly recognised as it will sit on top of its jesses and swivel instead of at their extent.

Such a hawk should be brought indoors for observation at any rate!

Nine out of ten deaths on screen perches are attributable to poor design and poor perception of the hawks condition.

These are not faults that lie with the concept of the screen perch but rest at the door of the austringer that uses it

[Attmonk]

If there are potentially life threatening problems with the screen perch, what are the benefits that attract people to use it?

[Adam Barrett]

have a look at this thread mate, the topic has allready been covered in depth;

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3902

If this link doesnt work go to the bottom of the 'blocks and teathering' section and change your display options to view threads from the past year.

[Tim Laycock]

I would love to hear how Barbary Boy would keep a P/R Goshawk in perfect feather for the full season without a screen perch.

[Gaz]

He"d use a Waller..obviously....

[Tim Laycock]

I should have seen that comming all the way from Bristol :lol:

[Shaun Byrne]

I would love to hear how Barbary Boy would keep a P/R Goshawk in perfect feather for the full season without a screen perch.

Sedated!! :lol:

[Barbary Boy]

have a look at this thread mate, the topic has allready been covered in depth;

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3902

If this link doesnt work go to the bottom of the 'blocks and teathering' section and change your display options to view threads from the past year.
thanks for that link very interesting, cheers b/boy

[MattSpar]

I would love to hear how Barbary Boy would keep a P/R Goshawk in perfect feather for the full season without a screen perch.

As matter of interest, I have kept gosses in good feather without ever having used a screen perch.

[Tim Laycock]

What did you use?

[MattSpar]

The normal bow perch. Initially, in years gone by, an older version using a naturally bent branch in an adjustable frame. These days, with astroturf grip. Also, my gosses went to the flying grounds sitting on a perch on the top of the back seat of the vehicle.
In my opinion the issue of feather damage can be just as much a feature of an individual bird, as of the falconer and the equipment he uses. Some birds will go through an entire season and never have a feather out of place, let alone broken. Others will get through two or three tails with ease.

[Tim Laycock]

I can imagine

[Attmonk]

have a look at this thread mate, the topic has allready been covered in depth;

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3902

If this link doesnt work go to the bottom of the 'blocks and teathering' section and change your display options to view threads from the past year.

Thanks for the link, very interesting reading. The one thing it doesnt mention is why you would specifically use a screen perch, I get the impression that it is to prevent feather damage (but I could be wrong), and if so how does it prevent feather damage?