Falcons

Falcons

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Breeding Stock

Any breeding facility is only as good as its parental stock. A high percentage of our present breeders were actually bred by ourselves. We have obtained falcons from other breeders both nationally and internationally when we feel the need to acquire a certain bloodline and we will continue to do so as a constant program to improve our stock.

We house around 110 falcons for breeding although some of these are juveniles maturing for future production. 80% of falcons kept are imprinted for production via the use of artificial insemination. This allows us a far greater scope to swap and choose pairings almost at will, to produce falcons of the highest caliber. As an example, if we have a Peregrine laying for the first time and we have decided to produce Gyr hybrids from her, we will inseminate her with semen from several individual Gyrs through out her first laying period and generally end up with eyasses fathered by 3 or 4 male Gyrs.

By either training and hunting these eyasses ourselves or by asking for feed back from clients who have obtained these eyasses, we can soon decide which parental Gyr to use in the future with this falcon. Although the physical appearance of an eyass falcon such as size, colour and shape is a key factor, the overhaul style and hunting ability in the field or desert is of paramount importance. It’s no good owning a pretty falcon that struggles to catch the quarry it was bred for, ours are bred to hunt!

Help & Advice

Choosing the correct falcon for the job can now become a real dilemma. In the past, tradition played a much more major role than it does today, not only with the falcons available to the sport but also with the diverse prey which is being looked at as quarry. Having flown in many different styles and produced birds to meet these demands, we feel if required, our help and advise could be invaluable to the people who are sautéing into another branch of the sport. Whether it is with the choosing of the correct falcon or the best way to transport or prepare a new acquisition, we hopefully have the experience to offer you good sound help and advise. We of course do not discriminate between our own and customers of other breeders, so if you feel that we can be of any assistance please feel free to contact us with your questions.

Rearing Methods

All falcons are hatched in incubators and hand reared for between 5 & 8 days, before being put with their parent or fosters parent. Both imprinted females and natural pairs are used for rearing. Once all the individuals in a clutch are able to fly to the highest perches within the rearing chamber, they are then all moved to a large independence chamber. This allows the eyasses to build and improve their flying skills plus they then have to become mentally independent from their parents. All too often eyasses removed from parent falcons and then reduced in weight straight away, for initial falconry training, will swap their dependence from parent falcon to falconer and start screaming for food. This is when they exhibit all the other associated habits, which mimic a mal-imprinted falcon.

We will supply imprinted falcons; clients from the UK who require imprinted falcons must collect their eyass prior to 20 days of age. To cut out guess work on sexing falcons destined for imprinting, we will DNA test chicks at the time of hatching, to guarantee you get the sex of falcon you have ordered. Due to the time involved in imprinting a falcon correctly only a few individuals can be reared this way for foreign customers, so book your imprint early.

Initial Preparation of the Falcon

If the client has previously chosen the falcon he requires prior to the date of collection or has allowed us to choose the individual, this will enable us to prepare the falcon for traveling home on a cadge. Once the collection date has been confirmed, the falcon is removed from the hack pen first thing on the day prior to collection. It will be fitted with anklets, jesses and a hood. The falcon will be carried for periods throughout the day and then placed on a block. We have found that all falcons managed this way will sit and travel on a suitable cadge the following day without bating. This also gives us a true empty weight on the day of departure.

The hood can be purchased and any other equipment such as bells, swivels, telemetry mounts etc can be bought or alternately if obtained elsewhere and sent to us, we will fit them free of charge. All our young falcons will have been wormed with "Panacur", Sprayed with "Frontline" to eliminate the chance of mites etc, and treated with "Baycox" at 21days, 42days and the day of transporting as a precaution against coccidiosis. This treatment has been developed under the guidance of our vet and should ensure that you and your young falcon have the best possible start at that all important early training period.

Once again as breeders it is our commitment to supply you with a young falcon, that is both physically and mentally prepared for the season ahead.

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