Tatty Harris

[HawkingRock]

Hi everyone
Fairly new to falconry but got a m&f HH and both doing pretty good.Got them both from a guy who never looked after them and the only problem is they won't take a bath!I do spray them down but they do look pretty shabby especially tail feathers.Read somewhere that a little baby oil on tail feathers keeps them in good nick,any advice?

[Hawkmaster]

WELCOME HawkingROCK!

I would not use the baby oil, there is no point as far as I can see. You can spray water on them if the weather is OK, but other than that, let them settle and get on with it themselves, they will get there don't worry!

Have FUN on the forum!:supz:

Cheers Paul

[Tr1gger]

My harris' likes to hav a bath (when the weather is right) after hes had a gd feed. Dont no if that will help or not

[Kanati]

Hi everyone
Fairly new to falconry but got a m&f HH and both doing pretty good.Got them both from a guy who never looked after them and the only problem is they won't take a bath!I do spray them down but they do look pretty shabby especially tail feathers.Read somewhere that a little baby oil on tail feathers keeps them in good nick,any advice?


if they dont bath and they are a bit durty then you can shower them with a hose pipe...with regard to the oil/feathers thing...give them codliver oil on their food...they will look very nice after a while and have a nice shine

[Osiris]

All you can do m8 is offer them a bath, whenever they are teathered or free lofted... It may take them time, dont worry about it. Took my FHH ages to get into the bath!

[Talon]

if there flying ok .just leave them alone.
you can let them moult out next year.

[Talib]

Hi everyone
Fairly new to falconry but got a m&f HH and both doing pretty good.Got them both from a guy who never looked after them and the only problem is they won't take a bath!I do spray them down but they do look pretty shabby especially tail feathers.Read somewhere that a little baby oil on tail feathers keeps them in good nick,any advice?

Use hair conditioner... the sort your wife or girlfriend uses after shampooing her hair. Mix a little with water and spray it on. It puts a gloss on the feathers and makes them smooth and shiny just like it does on human hair. (feathers and hair are both made out of the same substance - keratin). It helps to remesh the webbing and helps preserve the feather structure. It also waterproofs the feathers.

Talib

PS You might find however, that your bird will want to keep looking at its reflection in windows etc., as it goes past, and flicking and shaking its feathers into shape... just like the product's other users do with their hair as they walk past their reflections in shop windows or large mirrors...

[Osiris]

Use hair conditioner... the sort your wife or girlfriend uses after shampooing her hair. Mix a little with water and spray it on. It puts a gloss on the feathers and makes them smooth and shiny just like it does on human hair. (feathers and hair are both made out of the same substance - keratin). It helps to remesh the webbing and helps preserve the feather structure. It also waterproofs the feathers.

I wouldnt. Most human soaps, oils, hair stuff etc... can in most times, take the oiling off the hawks feathers. Just keep offering them a bath. If they feel they need a good soak/bath, then they will go in. Dont force them.

[Talib]

I wouldnt. Most human soaps, oils, hair stuff etc... can in most times, take the oiling off the hawks feathers. Just keep offering them a bath. If they feel they need a good soak/bath, then they will go in. Dont force them.

There is no oil on a hawk's feathers. The substance the hawk spreads on its feathers from its preen gland performs the same function as hair conditioner.
The feathers are not waterproofed by an oil or grease but by surface tension that repels water droplets on integral feather surfaces assisted by the powder down deposits created when the hawk rouses.

Talib

[Talon]

you now some stuff. you do talib.?

[ColdZero]

if its really bad you can dip the tail in warm water and leave them inside to dry, my RT never bathes either so this is all i can do now its too cold to mist her.

[Dave G]

i wouldnt worry about it as you will find if you leave the bath in the weathering they will take a bath ,mine was the same never saw him take a bath many a time hes jumped in and just stood there, but this year his 3rd season he takes a bath so just give them time and leave the bath with them,as for the shampoo well it makes my hair go fluffy so if you want a teddy bear looking harris go ahead lol, i was once told a storey about a guys hawk that was manky so was told to bath him which he did in a bowl using shampoo and it knoted all his feathers up ???

[IAmTheWeasel]

There is no oil on a hawk's feathers. The substance the hawk spreads on its feathers from its preen gland performs the same function as hair conditioner.
The feathers are not waterproofed by an oil or grease but by surface tension that repels water droplets on integral feather surfaces assisted by the powder down deposits created when the hawk rouses.

Talib
Talib, Don't know where you heard that there is no oil on feathers.....That is exactly what they are spreading onto thier feathers with the uropygial gland. It is an oil gland. I recently read an article where the glands where removed fron non-waterfowl to see what effect it would have and a feather degradation occured within several months due to the lack of oil.

[Bones]

My male usually takes a bath after he's been out hunting and has been cropped up but on other days when not flown he jumps down into the bath as i fill it up with clean water he even stands under the flow of water at times thinks he's a duck i think lol
PAUL

[Flying High]

i offer my male a bath as much as he wants it buy he very usually uses it. he would rather go and use a muddy puddle when out flying. i use a hose on him but this year when is was very hot he took his first bath in a year. so don't worry about it. in the summer i cut back on the hose to tempt him to have a bath but through the winter i use the hose and a sink of worm water for his tail if it gets bad.

[Graham Stuart]

my barn owl likes a shower but he always leaves the wet towels on the floor and feathers in the plug hole :wink:

[Altai]

There is no oil on a hawk's feathers. The substance the hawk spreads on its feathers from its preen gland performs the same function as hair conditioner.
The feathers are not waterproofed by an oil or grease but by surface tension that repels water droplets on integral feather surfaces assisted by the powder down deposits created when the hawk rouses.

Talib

Isnt that parrots?

[Talib]

Talib, Don't know where you heard that there is no oil on feathers.....That is exactly what they are spreading onto thier feathers with the uropygial gland. It is an oil gland. I recently read an article where the glands where removed fron non-waterfowl to see what effect it would have and a feather degradation occured within several months due to the lack of oil.

When birds that have had their uropygial glands removed grow new feathers they are waterproof again. Newly moulted feathers that have never been "oiled" are waterproof it is the failure in the integrity of the feather that occurs over time that causes them to become less waterproof.
It is the waxes (not oils) from the uropygial gland that maintain the integrity of the feather until the next moult. They do not directly cause the feather to become waterproof. They help keep the keratin of the feather supple so that the barbs, barbules and barbicels can "hook up" together when preened. As long as all the individual feathers can "zip up" they will remain waterproof.
Water has difficulty penetrating the "zipped up" structure of feathers because of the phenomenon of surface tension. Oil can penetrate the feather structure better than water because of its lower surface tension... that is why oiled seabirds sink and may drown, they have already lost their waterproofing BEFORE any detergents are used to remove the oil from rescued examples.

Talib




Talib

[Talon]

nice one GB ..you tell him