the digestive system

[SPAR 2]

after a bird eats its daily feed of what ever prey digestion takes six hours in this time energy is being converted from the food , dietry energy,

any other energy is stored as glycogen in the liver , this can be reconverted to energy and will keep the bird going for another six hours,

the rest of the food is converted in to fat and muscle , fat will be also convered into energy if needed and will last the bird another 24 hours minus the six from the food also minus the six from the liver this = 12 hours so to have a constant flow of nutrients and energy in the bird

 

Interesting hhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuu

[jasper65 6]

if I thought this would make a better flying bird I would take note! but It won't so I'll pass on this one . even if I could understand this about my own digestive system it wouldn't matter one Iotta!! I would still eat all the wrong crap and smash my liver with lots of alcohol .....

[jasper65 6]

As the metabolism on each bird is different would these calculation's also be different for each individual bird.. ..

Millet

 

Good point ...

[SPAR 2]

probably and not just from the one breed of bird. I wonder how different it is compared with a spar or an eagle

[jasper65 6]

You're right mate there must be a massive difference between something like a Spar that burns calories while you look at them compared to a bird like a Redtail or Eagle....

 

don't you just love these accipters SPAR ....

[SPAR 2]

ooooooooooooooooooooooo yes

[Shamo 319]

Being a newbie in Falconry, I don't want to argue the point too strongly. I do, however, keep other Animals which need to be 'on weight' and 'peak' at the right times. My understanding of conditioning and feeding etc is pretty good.

With Falconry, as I understand it, the Weather influences the amount of energy from food a Bird uses, if the Bird is weathering it burns energy, if it is flying for long periods it burns energy. These Tables and examples given about nutrition etc are just guidelines. A Bird in the wild MAY eat once a Day after flying and hunting for it, if lucky they may find a carcass to jump on. Once you know how much food keeps them at their weight stick with that amount and maybe a starvation day would not hurt once a Week or so. I would suggest feeding once a day, otherwise I would need to weigh more than once a Day. Any more feeding sessions can speed up an animals metabolism and then it might need more food to maintain the same weight as he was with one feed.

I guess it is all down to personal choice.....for me though, I weigh my Bird in the morning around 8.30-9.30am before flying him, then during flying he gets his 'morsels' and on the last time he comes to me I give him about 1/2 to 3/4 of a chick, which concludes his feeding and flying session, usually around 11.30ish. I then bring him home and put him in his weathering. He then comes in to watch TV with me every evening around 6pm-7pm for about an hour. During these times I have 'manned' him to the Hair Dryer, you never know. Anything more than that would impact too much on my lifestyle. He is an 07 Bird and my first Hawk, happy enough with his progress up to now.

[SPAR 2]

The only day I dont feed my birds is the day after I have cropped them out if I am happy with what their weight is after the feed when she has been on a rabbit feeding for 3-4 hours. I always crop them out once a week although I fly every day for about 2 hours is time of year so 1 day wont go a miss.