Quote Originally Posted by forensics View Post
I believe you misunderstand my post...............I use and always suggest to apprentices to use Oakes book. The Falconers Apprentice. I never said to feed by bare hand...........feed calling or from the glove as this is where food is associated and manning is done. A bare hand offering food (unless via a skewer) during manning is asking for problems later. And as stated if the bird has an issue with footing the bare hand it is either way under weight or been fed wrongly. Food should be fed from gloved hand........then once eating they will jump to the glove ten fly to the glove.............just basic manning for a RT. So if it's going after the bare hand it's of of the issue's (I Believe) above.


I also AGREE with the posted comment if the bird is seeing him pull meat from a pouch and placed on Glove than it is associating the bare hand with food. So attempt to train it and work things so as not to allow it seeing you place food by bare hand on glove. Turn your back in other words...............or other various ways and methods to disassociate hand feeding vs glove fed.
I am interested in this line of thought. None of the times I have been footed or bit have, in my opinion, been about food hand association. twice I was unclipping jesses at night and I got footed and held, the other times have been when I pushed the bird to much either on the lure or kill and they have just been tags. I feed redtails a lot from a skewer, only because I don't like getting bit, smaller birds I just use my fingers. I have never had a bird foot the skewer or the meat on the skewer, they just bite it. I am never shy about putting food on the glove, I don't hide it at all. I use my off hand to remove food from the glove (very carefully, with good timing) My experience has been that I get footed or bit if I push to far, if I'm spending to much time on checking condition, if I try to jess up too quickly, if my trade is clumsy, in the dark. That sort of thing. It is always preceded by body language that says STOP, WAIT. the only time I have ever felt I might get footed as a way to get food was when I was doing jump ups with an especially keyed up bird. She started watching my off hand very carefully and I stoped doing jump ups.