The Care of Raptors
Management, management, management! The care of raptors should always be pro-active and not re-active. Management of three key sectors give falconers a healthy hawk:
1. Environment
2. Nutrition
3. Preventative Care

1. Environment
Raptors in the wild are exposed to many dangers but 'bugs' (bacteria, viruses, fungi) are not very high on the list. This is simply due to the low density of raptors in the wild and the reduced chances of infection and transmission.

As soon as we keep several birds of prey in a small pen or room, with reduced ventilation, and feed them on dead food, such as day old chicks, the chances of infection and transmission of 'bugs' is greatly increased.

Aspergillosis: stress (due to low body weight, transport, disease) and increased amount of fungal spores in the air (due to reduced ventilation) can cause Aspergillosis. Aspergillosis is a fungal disease that affects mainly the air sacs and can kill, sometimes without obvious initial symptoms.

Bumble Foot: that bit of astro-turf may not do the trick. Heavier falcons in small pens, or tethered a great deal of the time, will land heavily causing damage to the feet. Only a small wound is required and bacteria (from food, floor or from the skin) enter the skin and cause an on-going infection. This results in classic swollen, hot feet. The infection can sometimes spread to other organs such as the liver, resulting in death of the hawk. Treatment consists of antibiotics, pro-active management of the lesion with padded dressing and intra-site gel and anti-iflammatories.

Astro-turf helps. Hygiene is critical. Good housing with adequate perches and regular examination of the feet is essential.
Trauma: you may not be able to prevent injuries while hunting, but injuries at home are preventable. Make sure your bird is safely tethered with all falconry furniture in good condition. Check it regularly. Keep your falcon safe from dogs, children and passers-by. Baiting causes feather damage, foot trauma and, at worst, enough stress to kill your bird.

2. Nutrition
Feeding for body requirement is the key.
A gyr falcon raising a clutch of eyases requires a higher quantity and higher quality food than an adult Harris hawk that flies twice a week for his owner. A small falcon may need less calories daily, but cannot miss more than a day or two before the body is in dire energy deficit.

The ideal is to feed fresh, high protein meat such as quail, in a manner that allows no bacterial build up. Feeding on the hand for the individual bird is a good way or reducing bacteria. Feeding on food ledges that can be scrubbed down regularly without disturbing breeding birds is important.

Day old chicks are inexpensive and convenient. Although day old chicks may provide enough energy, they may not provide adequate levels of protein or calcium. This means that breeding birds may have poor egg quality. Hard hunting birds, despite eating large numbers of chicks, may not maintain adequate muscle mass. De-yolking of chicks is advisable, especially in sedentary birds or breeding birds, out of the breeding season.

Supplementation of minerals and vitamins should only be necessary in times of body stress – high production egg laying, chick rearing, convalescence during and after illness and hard hunting.

'Sour Crop': usually results due to a casting that has been retained. This condition may resolve by itself. The bird does not eat for a day and eventually manages to cast. Feed without castings for a couple of days.

Sometimes a secondary bacterial infection sets in, especially if a small amount of food material is retained that the bird cannot cast. If the condition does not resolve within twenty four hours, seek veterinary advice. Treatment consists of antibiotics in a mild case and surgical intervention in the worst-case scenario.

Always feed good quality food.

3. Preventative Care
Simple do's and don'ts:

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Make sure your bird is fit enough for the job – flying an unfit bird hard causes strain on heart and muscles and is more likely to result in injury, as the bird gets tired.
* Feather care – life is easier with all feathers in good condition. Tether your bird to maintain perfect feather condition. Imping is a good option for flight feathers.
* Hygiene – wash your mews, nest ledge and equipment regularly with a safe but effective anti microbial wash
* Is your hawk off colour? React promptly and get early veterinary care. Early diagnosis makes the difference between survival and death, as well as reducing the cost of the care.

4. Bird 'flu - Is it a threat to your falcon?
It may be a big threat to falconry, but it is a very small threat to your falcon.

The avian influenza virus is carried mostly by water birds, such as ducks and swans. They tend to be carriers, rather than incubating the disease, but occasionally they do succumb to the virus.

Outbreaks have been in intensive poultry units with high stocking rates, where either infected poultry has been imported or an infected bird has had access to the poultry sheds or feeding areas.

So, yes, if you are hunting water fowl, there is a possibility that your falcon may get avian 'flu. However, for the average falconer, flying his nearest duck pond, the possibility of contracting avian 'flu from a passing infected migrant duck is very small.
There is no question, that the spectre of avian 'flu does threaten the sport of falconry.

Restrictions and culling of animals after BSE and Foot and Mouth Disease has certainly threatened the livelihood of British farmers. In the same way, possible avian 'flu triggered restrictions and government control programmes, could threaten captive raptors. Hunting with falcons, travelling with falcons and trade in falcons are at risk.

The most important thing for falconers, and the government, is to assess risk – risk of the disease occurring in the UK, and the risk of it spreading across the UK. At present, there have been one or two outbreaks (in highly intensive poultry farms) and an occasional dead swan.

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Preventative measures: most preventative measures will be aimed at the falcon housing. Simply because, if you are out hunting with your falcon, prevention is difficult to implement.
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Keep falcons under solid roofs – whether they are breeding pairs in pens or you keep your falcon on a perch.
* Net any gaps to prevent wild birds nesting above your breeding pens / mews, possibly bringing in disease.
* Maintain biosecurity around your pens – make sure casual passers-by have no access to your birds. Ensure your falconer friends walk through a foot bath before entering your breeding premises.
* Quarantine any new birds for four weeks, ensuring basic biosecurity between new comers and the rest of the birds.

Vaccination: although vaccines are available, it is illegal to use them in the UK without permission of DEFRA. The chances of vaccination being an option is remote, as, at present, if there is one diagnosed bird 'flu case, all the birds in the immediate vicinity are euthanased.

Keeping birds indoors, in a well-designed mews, is probably the easiest way of avoiding all the issues mentioned above.

In captive birds, usually kept in pens and on blocks, and usually flown under supervision, this risk is very small. We just need to make sure that the government remains aware that this risk is very small.