Overdue introduction

[areal]

I joined a week or so ago, and been reading through a few of the articles posted here.
I'm a member on two other forums, but this is the first I have seen with a few people interested in breeding their own foods.
I started breeding my own rats shortly after I started keeping hawks and currently produce around 50 odd a month. It costs me a small fraction of what it would cost to buy them in from a feed supplier and I have the option of either feeding a thawed rat or freshly killed. (we cant feed live foods in the UK)
I dont have anywhere near the complexity of setups I've seen in the writeups (still use induvidual water bottles) but the auto waterer posts have given me a few ideas on cutting down the water filling I need to do. My compliments to the guys who've put those threads together.

I fly a female Harris Hawk (Jessica), an imprint Male Ferruginous (Mwagi) and I have a pair of imprint Golden Eagles (Saxon and Hedi) currently in an AI program with one of our upcoming breeders here in the UK, with the hope of breeding a male to fly myself when my daughter is old enough to decide if she is prepared to take on a goldie when I'm old and cant care for it anymore.
Considering she's only due to be born at the end of June this year I have a few years to wait :-(
Anyway its clear a lot of work has gone into background articles and totally unselfish contributions by members.
I look forward to contributing.

[`Chris L.]

Areal,
Welcome to the site and thank you for the kind words..

I created the site for all the reasons you stated you liked it. I really want a one stop forum that has usefull information with out all the politics. .. The members here have really helped shape the forums to where they are now. It is great to see they are turning out like we all hoped they would. It takes great members that will take the time to be proactive for the forum to be great.

The auto watering will make your rat operation sooo much easier. Sometimes you forget they are even there. Those water nipples I posted are the cheapest on the net and they have not failed on me yet... and the small weanling rats can use them as well. So you dont have to buy any other nipples than those

I am excited to hear about your golden eagle project. Wow, what a great oprotunity. Are you well versed in AI. I will be getting into AI soon enough and I need all the info I can get on it.

I look forward to your posts.. thank you for introductiing yourself and please dont hesitate to post.

Oh yeah, dont forget to sign your posts with your real name.. unless areal is your real name...

[areal]

Sadly I know very little about AI, although I am friends with a very experienced AI breeder, who will probably get round to joining this forum some time in the early summer when he reappears from the AI blocks to show the world how much his beard has grown. :-)

The eagles are a fledging project, two imprint male semen donors (one proven, the other shows good signs for this season) and two females. One of which is an imprint Hiebler bird who is so ready for AI she was standing on the glove at hunging weight.
I've promised not to say any more until we have some positive results (the same politics you mention!!) though I'd be happy to pass any questions that come up on the experts.

Anyway I've seen a thread on ferrug that I'd like to read.

[areal]

Think I go the signature working now,
If not I'm called Evan.

[`Chris L.]

thank you for fixing your signature.. it looks great

[everetkhorton]

Even:
You can join the rat pack [smilie=eusa_clap.gif] When these guy get talking rats it is a party [smilie=icon_pidu.gif] They are getting rat breeding down pat. [smilie=icon_thumright.gif] With all your bird plus two imprint eagles, man you have your hands full. That many bird would do me in [smilie=icon_hang.gif] Good luck with your breeding [smilie=eusa_clap.gif]

[wesleyc6]

man once those rats get going it is unbelievable. Chris told me early on that the "grow out" would be aggravating and truth is that is the hard part. You need a decent amount of room if you birth 100 babies in 3 days time. Before one of you guys say it, I meant the rats birthing them [smilie=icon_hang.gif]

[Zarafia]

Well crap Evan, youve been a member here way longer than I have, so me trying to say welcome is a bit of a moot point.
But you know what? You need to start posting more!