The Care and Feeding of Trained Hawks and Falcons by Jim Roush
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Volume 27 | Issue 2 Article 8 1965 The aC re And Feeding Of Trained Hawks And Falcons Jim Roush Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian Part of the Veterinary Medicine Commons Recommended Citation Roush, Jim (1965) "The aC re And Feeding Of Trained Hawks And Falcons," Iowa State University Veterinarian: Vol. 27 : Iss. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian/vol27/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Iowa State University Veterinarian by an authorized editor of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Care And Feeding Of Trained Hawks And Falcons by Jim Roush Falconry is the art of training hawks, is the first few months after hatching. falcons, and eagles to pursue and capture Baby hawks are extremely frail and tender wild game. It is perhaps the oldest field and they are very susceptible to trauma sport; in fact it was one of the ways of and the forces of nature. They are also procuring meat for the table before fire very susceptible to the nutritional dis arms were developed. During the first half orders such as rickets, perosis (slipped of this century this ancient sport has in Achille's tendon) etc. Louse powders com creased in popularity. This is probably due monly used on cattle and poultry can kill to the rising standard of living and a sub them. In fact, hawklets survive only be sequent increase in leisure time. cause of the constant and very exacting The hunting birds are susceptible to a care of the female hawk. Since it is most variety of diseases and injuries, and each difficult for any human to duplicate the falconer occasionally needs the services of care and nutrition prOvided to the young a veterinarian. The diseases of raptorial hawks by nature, my advice would be to birds are not well known, and the treat leaves the eyasses in the nest until they ments for these diseases are either archaic are almost ready to fly. This is the only or untested, and the veterinarian must insurance of having healthy young hunt rely on his general medical knowledge in ing birds. It is suggested by prominent these cases. However, the principles of American falconers that young hawks in care and feeding of trained hawks and the medium size range should have at falcons are well established, and have least eight inches of tail feather. If they been for more than four thousand years. are taken before this stage they will prob This article is intended to be a review and ably develop perosis. They will almost a summary of these principles. certainly become "screamers·~. a vice where Hunting birds can be trapped from the the young hawk emits a piercing series of wild or taken from the nest when young. screams beginning at dawn and ending The former birds are called haggard fal at dusk. "Screamers" are exasperating to cons, and the latter are called eyasses. say the least. Briefly, a beginning hawk is trained to If, for some reason, one must care for fly to the falconer for food. They are then extremely young hawks, the following trained to attack and kill game, and to points must be considered. hold this on the ground for the falconer Keep them inside and at a reasonably without flying off. This is not as easy as warm temperature. When very young they it may sound, however. There have been should be kept in an environment with a volumes written on the proper procedure temperature of about 90 degrees. This of training and a falconer may spend may slowly be lowered to room tempera months striving for perfection. This makes ture as the hawks grow. a hunting hawk very valuable to the fal Diet is the most important aspect of coner. - raising very young hawks. An acceptable The most crucial period in a hawk's life diet is one that closly approximates that fed b.y the mother hawk. In the wild the female hawk supposedly kills small birds • Jim Roush is a junior student in veterinary med· icine at Iowa State University. and mammals and tears them apart, stuff- Issue, No.2, 1965 83 CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS CONTENT OF SOME MEATS* per cent phosphorus % P % Ca Meat present to add to add beef .16 .44 1.0 veal .25 ,.35 1.0 lamb .17 .43 1.0 beef heart .20 .40 1.0 beef kidney .22 .38 1.0 beef liver .35 .25 1.0 beef tongue .18 .42 1.0 lamb kidney .23 .37 1.0 lamb liver .36 .24 1.0 * from The Science of ~ and Meat Products, W. H. Freeman. ing the material into the mouths of her unknown, but these recommendations are offspring. Since most falconers are reluc all we have. A multiple vitamin prepa tant to try this, the next best procedure ration should also be included in the diet. would probably be to grind up small birds Hawks should never be fed anything and mammals and feed this to the but meat as a basis for the diet. I once eyasses. This, too, is usually impractical. heard of a veterinarian who recommended Nonetheless, plain meat is not satis chick starter for the young hawks. This factory. The diet must contain proper diet would undoubtedly prove rapidly levels of calcium, phosphorus and manga fatal; a raptore's digestive tract is oriented nese, and these minerals must be in completely toward digesting flesh, and balanced proportions. A deficiency or in they do not even have a gizzard. Growing balance of these minerals is the cause of hawks s'hould never be .fed plain horse perosis. Morrison's Feeds and Feeding meat, heart or liver. These meats are ex recommends that the diet for growing cessively high in phosphorus and can chickens should contain 1.0% calcium, lead to skeletal diseases. Most other 0.6% phosphorus, 0.5% NaCI and 25 mg. muscle meats are satisfactory if the min of manganese per pound of feed. Whether erals are correctly balanced. or not this is suitable for growing hawks is Very young hawks should be fed all 84 Iowa State University Veterinarian they can eat every hour or two throughout fed, the head and crop should always be the daylight hours. Periods of starvation removed to eliminate the danger of the will cause the fonnation of "hunger hawk catching oral trichomoniasis. This traces" in the growing feathers. This has disease is a common killer of trained been described as a thin line at right hawks and is difficult to treat. angles to the shaft, as though someone I know one excellent falconer who says had rawn a razor blade across the feather. he would feed his hawks the finest beef if It is an area of improper development and he could afford it. But since most of us the plume is likely to break at this point. can hardy afford beef for ourselves, beef The importance of preventing this will be heart is a good substitute for fully grown discussed later. hawks. Chicken necks ,backs and wings If these recommendations are not fol are also excellent hawk feeds. I have even lowed, the young hawks will almost cer fed hawks raw beef kidney for a week or tainly die. If these recommendations are so at a time. Hamburger is not satis followed, the hawks will probably die any factory because of the high fat content way, or at least slip their tendons and be and because hawks have difficulty eating useless. I cannot overstress the importance ground meat. Pork is not recommended of leaving the eyasses in the nest until because of the danger of trichinosis. they are almost fully feathered. Spoiled meat is also unsatisfactory. Once a hawk has been taken from the As a precautionary measure, it would nest at the proper time and has been be a good idea to include a vitamin supple proven not to be a screamer, she may be ment in the diet of grown hawks. handled in two ways. She may be coaxed The amount of meat a hawk should be to jump to the trainer's hand for food and fed depends upon four factors: thus coaxed to fly. Or she may be "flown at a) the size of the hawk, hack"; here the hawks are kept in a shed b) the nutritional quality of the meat, during the night and during the day they c) the environmental temperature, and are released to roam at will. They will re d) the hunting status of the hawk. turn in the afternoon to be fed, and then The best way to regulate the food intake they can be returned to the shed. This pro is to weigh the hawk daily. To accomplish vides abundant exercise and will produce this, get a spring scale that weighs in frac a well-muscled and strong-flying hawk. tions of ounces, removing the pan from However most falconers live in areas the top of the scale and replacing this with populated by other people and there is too a crossbar that will serve as a perch. much risk involved in turning young When a hawk is moulting (a process hawks loose. They are likely to get shot, which goes on a feather at a time through eaten by dogs, or murdered by children. out the spring and summer) she· should If the hawk is taught to fly by jumping to be fed a good full crop daily.