So, I know enough about the art of falconry itself, but my question is; what did people in ancient times feed their raptors when they hadn't caught something recently? Birds of prey seem to only like fresh meat, and back in those days the primary what to preserve food was to salt the heck out of it. I don't imagine the birds wanting salty meat. So what were they fed? Hopefully someone here knows lol. I've had trouble looking it up.
My guess would be mice or rats living in the mews or home -- they're pests and vermin, and feeding them to the birds of prey would be an efficient way of cleaning them out. There's also the possibility of feeding them smaller birds, such as doves or the native equivalent, which would be easy enough for someone to find or keep in an extensive house, but killing them might be a different question altogether depending on the person's size, strength and speed, and their religion's rules on such things.
I'm not an expert on all things falconry or medieval, but I'd still guess practical. What "practical" is depends on the place and culture the birds are being kept in, whether there are laws or personal moral codes against killing smaller animals without personal need, and what types of small animals or furry pests would even be available to the character.
This thread never got much of an answer while it was fresh.
I do have a couple of answers for it but I know we have some people active at the moment who might be able to give us a legit rundown. Threads like this have a common question that I've seen multiple times in the backlog.
A quick tag for two of the resident bird experts I know of: @chierynn and @Featherstone
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
As a falconer myself, I can definitely speak to the fallibility of these birds actually catching something when hunting! Raptors are obligate carnivores, like cats. This means they eat meat, meat, and more meat - and that they can only eat meat. Their diet includes fur, feather, and bone as well, and they'll often eat offal (namely the heart, liver, and lungs). Falconry originated on the steppes of Asia, probably with eagles, and nowadays the Kazakh still practice this form of falconry to catch foxes and wolves for fur.
The first part of the answer to your question is this: birds of prey are very versatile, and the birds flown in those times (with the exception of the nobles' birds) were flown to get food. Shooting a quail with a bow and arrow is hard. So, why not use a hawk instead? Goshawks were among the first raptors used, and as it spread, falcons came into usage after accipiters. Birds were selected for their ability to hunt. For instance, haggards (or raptors caught and taken up in their adult years) were more highly valued than passagers (aka sore-hawks; birds in their juvenile plumage), and few used eyases (chicks). The older the bird, the harder to train, but the more experienced it is hunting. The short version of what I'm saying is this: birds in those days were more likely to be successful than in a lot of modern falconry, since it was a means of survival, not recreation.
However, it was still very much of an issue. What do you do when your bird didn't catch anything, or if you needed to eat that game yourself? The answer: anything you could give it. Rats, mice, sparrows; you name it, the bird was probably fed it, so long as it wasn't spoiled. No preserved food can be fed, however. In some instances, a raptor might be given herbs or remedies if it was ill (which isn't advisable). Even now we'll feed our birds a rat or we'll trap sparrows for them.
So there's a long answer to a short question. If you have any further inquiries about raptors and/or falconry (modern or historical), feel free to ask! I'm happy to answer.
If you're interested in some sources to research medieval yourself, here's a few book recommendations:
The Kings and Their Hawks: Falconry in Medieval England by Robbin S. Oggins
The Art of Falconry by Frederick II
Hawking or Faulconry (History of Falconry Series) by Richard Blome
Enclyclopedia of Falconry by Adrian Walker
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Gender:
Points: 1395
Reviews: 100