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Modern Captive Breeding by Peter Gill……….continued |
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take into account. The first of these
is a falconry one. For the breeder it is imperative that as much information
on the parent birds is obtained on previous progeny produced by them with
regards to their falconry successes. Information on size, weight and colour
are all questions rightly and commonly asked when people ring us for a
falcon. Sometimes people also ask how good its siblings and parents performed
in the field, and what style of flight they produced, and in my view this
should he a major consideration. This is something we are working to develop
at Falcon Mews and as time goes on we will be able to give more and more
information in the area of falconry performance. By speaking with the breeder and other
falconers who have had experience with that lineage, a close assumption of
its falconry style and potential can be made. All too frequently a small
difference in the price of individuals swings the buyer towards one bird, but
if the individual bird doesn't fit your requirements, it will certainly
result in a false economy in the long term. The second point to consider is the performance of the lineage in the
breeding chamber. Again some detective work will have to be carried out. For |
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example some Goshawk lineages have proven far more productive, with
less aggression problems than others, even after being reared and kept under
the same parameters. I find that a lot of our regular customers who are ordering falcons
for falconry purposes, order falcons bred from specific parents which have
previously produced top hunting performers, rather than just a particular
species. With this in mind, the days of pairing any individuals up just
because they show signs that they may breed have long gone. I now have to
plan specific breedings, to accomplish eyasses of a specific standard.
Selective breeding is the only way forward. The breeding chamber When planning and building pens, it is essential that you cheek if any
planning permission is required. A great deal of practical thinking should be
put into planning of your pens and you should aim to think through all of the
following: siting, |
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dimensions, access arrangements,
building materials, flooring materials, nest ledge design, perches, food
ledges, observation methods, baths, and security needs. Pressure of space
means 1 can only touch on these areas, but some key considerations are as follows: Siting will depend on your
circumstances but obviously major considerations are accessibility for you,
and if you can choose somewhere relatively unexposed to the elements so much
the better. With regard to size a lot of breeders state very specific dimensions
and designs for breeding pens, and the tyro may assume that if these are
deviated from, then the occupants will refuse to breed. This is totally
untrue. The main requirement is that the raptors feel safe and at
ease within their chamber. Dimensions should he down to what you believe is
sufficient, strongly taking into account the occupants 'quality of life'. 1
believe that medium sized
raptors, paired for natural breeding,
should have a chamber with a floor area of at least 20 x 10 feet and at least
8 foot high and higher if possible. Our imprint pens are all about 12 x 8
feet in size. We are quickly moving away from the
'skylight & seclusion' type chamber and providing our pens with a window
to look out of. The amount of close visual disturbance that is present in
your particular circumstance should dictate whether or not you fit a |
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window. The window can be a vertical
bar affair or simply a one inch diameter hole for the birds to view out.
A window is still probably not feasible under most circumstances for passage
caught accipiters in breeding projects, owing to their nervous nature. When it comes to choice of materials,
this to a certain extent comes down to cost, though of course you must always
aim to use the best you can afford, and never use materials which are poor
quality or unsuitable for the job. For example fence panels should never be
used as they fall short on both quality and strength. We tend to build using
concrete blocks and/or exterior plywood. We now only build pens with solid
roofs as we find this type of pen more appealing to both the inhabitants and
ourselves. This is particularly true when dealing with imprints, as you want
to spend time with these birds when you want, and not be dictated to by
weather. Probably the most difficult problem
to overcome is the type of floor to use. Earth floors in outside pens can
over time harbour disease. Concrete floors soon get green and slimy. Pea
gravel seems to be the best answer but is still not ideal. We use dust free
pine wood shavings in our inside chambers. Numerous people who have visited
us have questioned the use of |
