Couple of Imprint questions

[Hawkingcolorado]

Do you guys pick up your goshawk chick to weight it every day, or weigh it some other way?
When you are bringing the bird TO the food, how do you do that exactly?
Do you bring the whole nest to the dish/lure, then place it in the nest?, or some other way. Pardon my ignorance...:D

[PeteJ]

I assume you mean when they are growing up right? In general once they are getting to be large downies and starting to become more aware, I tend to not weigh them much and if I do I put them in something with sides and an obstructed view (like a small cardboard box with a towel in it) and weight it all, then subtract the box weight later. I try not to do too much of that during that time anyway, they just don't like it very much because they are feeling very unstead at that age. Later, when they get bigger and can stand quite steadily I will begin weighing daily as part of their routine. Eventually they get to understand the scale means they get to go flying and will bate to get to the scale as you approach it, even without any food being involved prior to or after. Most raptors seem to focus very much on the routine and pride themselves on figuring out what all the cues are that eventually lead up to getting to eat. As for taking them to the food? Yes, until they are steady on their legs, they are taken to the food in the nest bowl once they are able to scramble out of the low edged tub to get over to the food. Again, its all part of the routine..in this case, your presence, leads to taking them to the food and they go away from you to get it.
You can also see this in the wild, particularly with accipiters that have a winter territory where they run a specific circuit daily in attempts to 'surprise' quarry. They will mosey through the vacant zones that they have learned never have any quarry, but will hasten their speed and perhaps stealth up their approach to areas that usually produce quarry based on their experience. This is because they have learned various visual cues that they know end up with the acquisition of food. The more you can make these cues more enhanced and obvious, the more quickly your young bird will become a detailed observer and fast learner.

[Hawkingcolorado]

Yes, when they're growing up as downey's....How do you not let them see you filling the food dish/lure?

[Saluqi]

Tim, when they're young downies they need to be hand fed, as they get older and can feed themselves you can either bring them to the food that is covered with a paper towel that magically comes off at some point. Or you can put a trap door in the side of large cardboard box and slide the food in while you hide outside, it's all slight of hand. I think trying to avoid food association with goshawks is more to fool the falconer into thinking that the bird doesn't know where the food is coming from, that way later on when the birds behavior goes down the toilet the falconer can say that there was no food association, so the falconer is not to be blamed. Just my very opinionated opinion.

[PeteJ]

Tim, when they're young downies they need to be hand fed, as they get older and can feed themselves you can either bring them to the food that is covered with a paper towel that magically comes off at some point. Or you can put a trap door in the side of large cardboard box and slide the food in while you hide outside, it's all slight of hand. I think trying to avoid food association with goshawks is more to fool the falconer into thinking that the bird doesn't know where the food is coming from, that way later on when the birds behavior goes down the toilet the falconer can say that there was no food association, so the falconer is not to be blamed. Just my very opinionated opinion.
Likely you're correct Paul because they really cue on everything that we do so much better and more accurately than we assume they are capable of. But, it doesn't hurt to keep the new ones that are just learning about imprint rearing thinking about why making a hard food association is generally not the best idea (at least very early in the process anyway).

[Hawkingcolorado]

Haha!! Makes sense....I wanted to give it a try, but am gunshy about the screaming thing as I have close neighbors and that would be a "show stopper"...Sounds lke any potential scraming comes in only when weight reduction starts? I'm sure this has been covered Ad nauseum before. Mush aprreciate.- Tim

[goshawkr]

A good friend of mine who had bought into the "hide the food association" theory lock stock and barrell came up with a very simple and clever solution. He rigged up a trap door that was held closed by a counter weight. The counterweight was a gallon milk jug that had a tiny hole poked into it. He would fill the jug with water, load the trap door with food, and leave. ~25-30 minutes later the trap door would open and the young hawk would be fed.

[frootdog]

You can switch out food while they are asleep too.

[goshawkr]

You can switch out food while they are asleep too.

I am sure you can - but it is far easier said than done. At least, if you believe its a catastrophe to get caught. Personally, I am more in the camp with Paul, and I dont even bother trying to hide the association at all.

[frootdog]

I am sure you can - but it is far easier said than done.

Speak for yourself. I did it with my cooper"s and gos and had no problems.

[Richard]

I am sure you can - but it is far easier said than done. At least, if you believe its a catastrophe to get caught. Personally, I am more in the camp with Paul, and I dont even bother trying to hide the association at all.

It seems to me that it is best for them to have you there while they eat from the start. I also continue feeding them tidbits by hand while they eat their main course. Later on in training, they are already used to you playing with their feet and handing them morsels and helping them get the best parts off the carcass, so they don't get all mantly and protective of their food.