Moulting imprints

[Falcon Boy]

How does everyone moult out their imprints? In terms of dealing with feeding, hooding, weight, etc.

Thanks

[Saluqi]

Throw them in a chamber, feed them up, but not enough to make them crazy, don't worry about handling them.

[John]

I use a feeder with mine and go in and out of the mew a few times a day to clean, change water etc. Otherwise I don't handle her unless I have to take her out for some reason.

[chamokane]

I've done everything from flying them through the molt to just letting them pig out, it all seems to work. The two imprints I have now are pretty affectionate and they enjoy a lot of socializing and even snuggling. The male tries to share his food with everyone. It's not necessary to let them get too fat.

[Falcon Boy]

Ok well here's what's going on on my end. Goose wasn't tethered he could hop around to whatever perches he wanted, just like during the hunting season. Everything was great as i was bringing goose's weight up. I'd pick him up everyday, hood him everyday, weigh him everyday, etc. Just like normal but without the flying. One day he decided he didn't want to be hooded and wouldn't let me hood him. At 8oz heavy i guess it's to be expected but with an imprint i expected him to just stick to the routine as i was.
The next day the real "fun" began. He wouldn't sit on the glove, and when i got near him he'd scream, and if i held him on the fist he'd just bate and hang, not regain the fist. Wouldn't let me hood him either. This went on for probably 5-6 days and i started bringing his weight down slowly.
Yesterday I started tethering him. Now he will sit on the fist again and isn't screaming, but i still can't hood him. I brought his weight down a bit to 3-4oz over hunting weight and this is where i'm going to keep him.

I guess my question is how important is hooding during the moult? Once their weight is back down to hunting weight do they have to "relearn" hooding or is everything fine and dandy?

Thanks

[chamokane]

If I have a bird put up for the molt, I don't hood it unless I need to. If they have been properly made to the hood in the first place, there isn't much problem when you take them up in the fall; they don't forget much. They may act like they don't like it much the first time or two but it smooths out pretty quickly.

Fat males in particular, and desert falcons in particular can be a little temperamental. It can put a damper on a good relationship if you argue with them too much.

[Saluqi]

Trust your instincts, you know your bird better than anyone else, follow the path of least resistance. Don't worry about hooding with regard to next season, all of the falcons I've ever flown took back to being hooded after the molt as their weight approached their flying/hunting window.

[Falcon Boy]

Thanks for the info guys. I need to get him back used to being tethered again anyway because when i move next month he will be tethered a lot more than he was throughout this year. Luckily he takes to it very well and doesn't bate hardly at all.

[outhawkn]

Throw them in a chamber, feed them up, but not enough to make them crazy, don't worry about handling them.

Thats how i do it as well.

[Falcon Boy]

Goose and I worked out a system. I hood him slower than normal, he is tethered, and he eats a big crop everyday with no noise other than his "hey how ya doing?" when i first get there. We've found a balance rockon