Types of nutrition

Characteristics of meat provided to falcons

It has become necessary to mention and pay attention to the sources of meat provided to falcons because of their impact on health, flightability and feather quality, in addition to the success of the feather replacement process during the moulting period. Therefore, the falconer must take into account several matters in using meat to feed falcons, including:

1. The meat must have a rich and sufficient nutritional content to meet the body’s needs.
2. Ensure that the method of storing and freezing foods is correct so that they are not frozen for long periods, as this reduces their nutritional content.
3. It must be clean, healthy, not contaminated with pathogens, and from a reliable source.

The most important diseases that can be transmitted through contaminated food are:

1. Parasitic diseases: including trichomoniasis (thrush), intestinal worms (abdominal worms) and coccidiosis, which are often transmitted by live birds such as pigeons and quails.
2. Bacterial diseases in general.
3. Viral diseases: including Newcastle (epilepsy) and herpes virus (hepatitis), which are also transmitted by live birds such as pigeons and quails.
4. Fungal diseases: including aspergillosis.

Tips for feeding falcons

Falcons' nutrition should be taken care of, so that it is based on sound scientific foundations, and we will mention some important tips:

1. Do not give frozen, cold or hot meat to falcons.
2. Not giving falcons pre-cooked meat.
3. In the case of storing meat in the freezer, it is preferable to defrost it quickly by placing it in a container of warm water. The reason behind preferring the speed of defrosting is to prevent contamination of the meat with bacteria that could be contaminated if it takes a long time in the water. Here we note that ovens of all kinds are not used. Or microwave to heat or defrost meat because in this case the inner bone of the meat will retain the heat, which will therefore lead to serious damage to the digestive system when the falcon swallows it.
4. Do not store frozen meat for periods exceeding six months, because in this case it will lose large amounts of nutrients (vitamins, amino acids, etc.) that it contains, and thus the falcon will not fully benefit from it.
5. Some falcon breeders avoid giving the fat (grease) contained in meat served as food to falcons, and this is not true, as these fats enter into the composition of the substance that gives the shiny and attractive appearance of the feathers and provides the necessary energy during the hunting and training season, in addition to its role in maintaining body heat during the winter. and severe cold periods.

To achieve the best results, it is preferable not to remove all the fat from the meat and leave small amounts, even if they are small, so that the falcon can benefit from all the nutrients available in the food provided to it.

1. Do not remove bones from meat permanently, as bones contain high levels of vitamin D and calcium, which are important in feeding falcons and building their skeleton.
2. Make sure not to provide bones with sharp or pointed edges that may lead to wounds or punctures in the digestive system (tongue, esophagus, crop, etc.) of the bird when it is eaten.
3. It is necessary to give the prey, along with its feathers, to the falcon from time to time, as the feathers act as a cleaner (vacuum) for the digestive system. Note that most of the feather remnants will come out of the falcon’s body after a short period in what is called (roobaja), and the rest will come out with the feces.
4. The falcon feeds on the internal organs (liver, heart, etc.) of live prey or frozen food from time to time, as each organ has a nutritional benefit that the falcon can benefit from. For example, the liver is considered the main storehouse of vitamins (A, K).
5. Do not serve meat contaminated with dirt or sand. If meat is contaminated with sand as a result of falling on the ground or for other reasons, it is preferable for it to be washed well until the sand is completely removed from it before presenting it again to the falcon.

How to prepare frozen meat before serving it to falcons

It is necessary to take care of the method of preparing frozen meat before serving it to falcons, because healthy food rich in nutrients and prepared in a correct manner will reflect on the health of the falcon later. Fresh food must also be provided to the falcon whenever the opportunity arises, and not rely entirely on providing frozen food at all times. We will mention some useful tips:

1. Providing a clean and sterile warehouse for storing and freezing meat only and not using it to freeze or store foods or other materials that would transmit contamination and diseases to the foods stored for feeding falcons.
2. Refrain from placing frozen meat in open areas or exposing it to sunlight or heat after extracting it from the freezer, because it will be exposed to contamination and bacterial growth that will later lead to infection of the falcon.
3. Do not take out and prepare large quantities of meat at one time, as the required amounts of meat must be calculated accurately to avoid freezing the excess again, because this leads to the meat losing large amounts of nutrients in addition to a higher possibility of it being contaminated with pathogens.
4. Meat can be defrosted in two ways:

• Quickly: by placing the frozen meat in a bowl of warm water.
• Slowly and gradually: by placing the frozen meat in the refrigerator first to defrost it, then putting it outside the refrigerator to remove the cold.

1. Clean and sterilize the tools used to prepare and serve food to falcons on a daily basis before and after using them.

How to prepare fresh meat

To prepare fresh meat, by which we mean meat used directly after slaughter, we recommend following the following healthy methods for preparing and serving food to falcons, which are:

1. Verify the source of the live meat purchased, as meat contaminated with pathogens is considered the main source of transmitting infectious diseases to falcons, and therefore any unreliable sources must be avoided.
2. Ensure that bird meat provided to falcons is well and fully fed to ensure that their bodies contain all the nutrients that the falcon needs.
3. Offer sacrificial meat to falcons directly after slaughter to avoid any possible contamination after slaughter.
4. If live birds (especially live pigeons) are used as food for falcons, it is preferable to remove the head, neck, and giblets after slaughter, and freeze the slaughtered pigeons for a period of at least two weeks to reduce the possibility of contracting diseases such as thrush.
5. It is preferable to examine the internal organs (liver, lungs, intestines, stomach cavity, etc.) of live birds after slaughtering them and note any pathological changes in them, such as the presence of spots on the liver, red dots, solid tumors on the intestine, or the presence of bleeding in the crop or stomach, etc., and in the event that any Pathological changes in the internal organs. Here, the carcasses must be destroyed directly and not presented to the falcon.
6. After examination, if it is confirmed that the internal organs are free of pathological changes, in this case it is preferable to get rid of the stomach, intestines and urinary tract in all cases, and the liver and heart can be presented to the falcon along with the rest of the meat.
7. Refrain from providing the meat of birds that have been hunted with lead to falcons, due to the possibility of the falcon eating lead balls with the bird meat, which will lead to the falcon being poisoned with lead or its death in some cases where the poisoning rate is high.

Nutritional additives and enhancers:

It means vitamins, amino acids, salts and other nutritional elements that are added to the meat or drinking water provided to falcons.

In general, an adult falcon that is not used for breeding and hatching purposes does not need any food additives if the food provided to it is characterized as healthy and has a complete nutritional content and is from a reliable source, as a varied healthy meal (salwa, pigeon, chicken, liver , heart, bones, etc.) A healthy falcon does not need to add any vitamins or amino acids to its food. Except in some cases, during the breeding seasons, both parents and chicks need calcium and vitamin D, which are important in forming the female’s egg shell and building the chicks’ skeletal system.