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consequence is 'SOUR CROP'. So never let a
bird over fill the crop. It is not healthy. Feeding the Vomiting Bird - Vomiting may arise
in raptors as a consequence of a whole range of different conditions. The
whole situation will almost inevitably require veterinary care, although a
few general points are mentioned here. A bird which is vomiting should not be
immediately offered more food, even if it is losing weight fast. If more food
is given the vomiting will continue. Instead the bird should be allowed to
settle for an hour then a small volume (0.5% of its body weight ie. 5ml per 1
Kg bird), of slightly warm (hand temperature) saline (eg. lectade) should be
given by crop tube. The bird should be placed in a warm dark quiet area and
allowed to settle. If the fluid is kept down, it should be repeated once more
two hours later If that is retained then a further two hours later, a feed
with the same volume of a liquidised food should be given by crop tube. Most
standard cat and dog vets will stock suitable liquidised convalescent diets,
examples are Hills a/d or Liquivite. The liquid food is repeated every 2
hours on 3-4 occasions, before the first meal of finely chopped beef (or
similar). If the bird is not keen to take the meat, it Is not yet ready for
it. As stated previously a bird may vomit for many reasons, from simple
matters such as travel sickness, to more serious situations such as
Aspergillosis. So unless the situation is truly straightforward, and the bird
immediately responds, veterinary care should always be sought. Feeding the Inappetant Bird - Frequently one
is faced with a bird which is low in condition, which you know should be
eating, which is however not wanting to feed. Many conditions can cause this.
Any mouth (e.g. frounce, Capillaria, Candida), oesophagus/crop (e.g. local
irritant, bacterial infection, sour crop, poxvirus), stomach (e.g. impaction,
infection) or air sac (e.g. aspergillous, air sacculitis egg peritonitis) or
septicaemia (eg. blood poisoning) condition will lead to a depressed
appetite. Sometimes the bird will simply not eat, on other occasions the bird
attempts to eat, but |
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then flicks its head all the time and brings
the food back. Any such bird will need to be seen by a vet, an accurate and
specific diagnosis made and the condition treated. Bird which is Low in Weight, or not Putting
Weight on in Relation to it's Food Intake - This situation is common. Either
a bird may be taken out of an aviary after a moult and not be as heavy as it
should be bearing in mind its ad libitum feeding, or the weight loss may be
noticed as a consequence of daily weighing. Again a range of conditions may
be responsible. The immediate reaction on the part of many keepers is to
assume the bird is suffering a parasitic condition, Even if this is so, the
keeper will probably then worm the bird with a standard wormer, such as
Fenbendazole (Panacur). The problem is that such a wormer only treats one
form of parasite (i.e. roundworms), so even if the problem is parasitic, the
situation may go on unchecked. It is far more sensible to have a mute
(faeces) sample checked, to see if it is a parasitic problem, and if so what
is the correct medication to use. Furthermore if it is not parasitic one
knows straight away, and can then take other action to find the real cause. Weight loss may be caused by any illness. If
it is gradual loss over a period of time the most likely causes will be
parasites, bacterial gut infection, aspergillosis (even in the absence of any
respiratory signed) or tuberculosis. Expert veterinary care is required, to
differentiate and treat accordingly. Feeding Birds and Travelling - Birds should not be fed directly before travelling, in particular
if they are not used to travelling. If one is talking about an experienced
flying bird, which is used to travelling, known not to suffer from travel
sickness, then fair enough he may be fed up after a kill and allowed to
travel home. For a bird such as a Peregrine, we would
advise giving a cast free meal 8-12 hours before travelling. The danger is
that any bird with a stomach or crop full of food or casting, may regurgitate
during the journey. This is particularly dangerous if the bird is hooded. |
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However, even without a hood, the bird can
choke and die in a matter of a few seconds. Conversely a bird should not be
starved for a long period before travelling. The smaller the bird, the less
time they can manage without food. Many of the essential nutrients are not
stored to any extent, or are unable to be rapidly mobilised, by the bird.
Examples are glucose and calcium. Nervous birds, which are particularly
sensitive to stress are prone to calcium deficient fits if food has been
withheld and the bird is then stressed. In particular if goshawks are to be
transported long distances (or undergo any other major stress), it is advised
that they should be given additional calcium supplementation beforehand. In
the author's experience the most effective product for this situation is
'Nutrobal' (Vetark). Even a single dose of this powder by mouth prior to such
a situation is likely to be effective. Casting in Adult Birds - This is a particular
problem with chicks, but can present difficulties even in adult birds. If
birds are tethered in mews, whose substrate is peat, wood shavings, or
sawdust, then as the bird eats food, it the food has fallen on the ground,
peat, wood shavings etc may also be ingested, leading to am impaction. Some
adult birds will have difficulty in casting normal casting material, when it
is fed to excess. Remember that in the wild, a bird will pluck much of its
kill before ingestion. In captivity there may be more competition for food as
birds in an aviary are obliged to eat in close proximity to other birds. The
result may be a bird which 'pigs' its food down, ingesting excessive amounts
of casting at the same time. In particular, breeding female birds should not
have excessive casting. The reason being that their abdomen is currently
unusually full of developing eggs as well as an enlarged oviduct. In either
situation, having eaten the casting, birds may not be able to cast it. The
consequence is that they continue to eat more casting, the pellet stuck in
the stomach gets larger and larger, eventually forming a blockage. Water - As previously stated, although raptors
under normal daily conditions usually do not drink, when ill, stressed, in
hot weather etc. they will often need to drink. With this in mind water
should be available for birds on a daily basis, Care should be taken in |
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choosing a suitable water vessel as birds are
able to drown themselves in even the shallowest container Hawks. Hygiene and Eating - As previously
stated, the hygiene of the food supply during its preparation, and the way
and manner in which it is given is very important. However many falconers are
blas¾ about their own hygiene when in the presence of their bird. We must
accept that infections such as Salmonella enteridis are rife in the poultry
industry, and hence will also be in day-old chicks. Likewise avian
tuberculosis is common in feral birds. Either infection can be a serious
pathogen to ourselves, so care should be taken. We are all prone, when short
of a hand, to pull a gauntlet off with our teeth, temporarily forgetting who
just got eaten on the fist, or who muted on it. Furthermore knives used in
good preparation, as well as the occasional footing of your hand by your bird
can introduce tetanus, which we all know is a dangerous and potentially fatal
disease. Needless to say all falconers must have an up-to-date tetanus
injection. Consult your own GIP, most advise a booster every ten years. Calcium Deficiency in Adult Birds - As
previously mentioned a diet should be varied and mixed, comprising of whole
carcasses. However in display birds who are flying daily in front of the
public and being fed up afterwards, whilst the spectators questions are being
answered, this can be a problem. Understandably the public find a lump of
meat far more acceptable than a fluffy chick or a rate. In this situation is
is best to give just half a crop then feed up on rat etc. later. If meat is
fed for any significant part of the daily food intake, they must also offset
this deficiency by adding a calcium supplement such as 'Nutrobal' (Vetark). Conclusion - There are risks involved in
feeding almost any food to your birds. The main point is to be aware of the
risks. Above all feed a varied diet, do not rely exclusively on 'day old'
chicks, the diet must approximate as close as possible to the bird's diet in
the wild. No bird in the wild feeds exclusively on chicks. Feed a hygienic,
wholesome and varied diet, in that way you are more likely to keep a fit and
healthy bird. |
