Nuanced Approaches to Chook of Prey Coaching: Insights from the ABI Fall 2024 Chook of Prey Workshop

The main target of our Chook of Prey Workshops is to mix sensible suggestions and philosophies that problem conventional coaching strategies. These workshops are stored small to permit considerable arms on coaching time in addition to maximize the in-between moments, these crucial conversations that occur between classes or after displays as we permit our brains to course of one thing new. That is maybe one of the necessary ideas we now have realized since Covid and have shrunk the dimensions of our workshops and led to richer experiences for all.

This fall, we had some unimaginable themes revisited time and time once more with our friends. We mentioned nuanced views on concern and aggression in raptors, in addition to progressive weight administration methods that help the chicken’s well-being. We watched the sunshine bulb go off a number of occasions, as we acquired in repetition after repetition of destructive reinforcement classes and capturing classes with completely different species, utilizing area as a reinforcer and practising timing. Seeing the friends notice what a reinforceable conduct is and experiment with it’s actually enriching!

Prioritizing Preliminary Behaviors: The Function of Crating and Weighing

When beginning with a high-stress, free-lofted chicken, one of many first questions is whether or not to deal with crating or weight administration. After addressing the chicken’s preliminary concern of individuals, the coach shared the significance of constructing the conduct of stepping on a scale. This isn’t solely helpful for monitoring weight but additionally as a vital ability for reinforcing consolation with small, managed areas. By practising weight measurements early, the coach good points perception into the chicken’s well being and situation when free-lofting, offering a benchmark, even when the chicken’s exact physique situation stays unknown.

Coaching the chicken to step onto the dimensions affords extra than simply bodily knowledge—it introduces the chicken to a managed interplay with an object they could in any other case keep away from. Whether or not utilizing luring, concentrating on, or capturing behaviors, this act serves as a communication software between chicken and coach. For instance, with the ornate hawk eagle, the coach allowed the chicken to strategy the dimensions at their very own tempo, utilizing meals as reinforcement with out forcing interplay. This affected person strategy builds belief and familiarity, which finally makes future coaching simpler.

Crating as a Difficult however Obligatory Ability

Crating will be one of the unnatural duties for a chicken, making it a difficult conduct to coach. Not like perching on a scale, crating requires the chicken to enter a confined area, one thing it might instinctively resist. The workshop mentioned numerous strategies for alleviating this transition, akin to leaving the crate partially open to make the expertise much less intimidating or transferring the crate into the chicken’s area with out creating stress. Crating is usually a gradual course of, however it’s essential to prioritize calm, managed experiences to keep away from reinforcing concern.

Understanding Worry and Aggression in Raptors

One of the vital nuanced subjects lined was the right way to deal with concern and aggression in raptors. These birds can exhibit a variety of behaviors once they really feel threatened, together with defensive posturing, stomping, and grabbing at wires, as within the case of vultures. Whereas concern and aggression are pure, it’s important to not deal with these behaviors as the principle coaching criterion when utilizing the constructional strategy. This takes apply and important environmental set as much as keep away from sensitization.

The technique shared in the course of the workshop is to arrange the chicken’s setting in a means that minimizes fear-triggering conditions. For example, the coach avoids reinforcing problematic behaviors like biting or aggressive shows by in a roundabout way addressing them within the second. As an alternative, they construct up the chicken’s abilities with different behaviors, creating a powerful basis for belief and cooperation. On this means, even when fear-based reactions occur, they develop into irrelevant over time because the chicken learns extra productive behaviors.

Progressive Weight Administration for Birds of Prey

Weight administration in birds of prey is usually used to manage motivation for coaching, however progressive approaches transcend the numbers on the dimensions. The workshop host demonstrated how health performs a vital position, particularly when working with birds that can’t fly or have bodily limitations. For instance, a golden eagle with a wing damage had developed a historical past of sitting passively throughout occasions. To inspire the chicken with out counting on weight reduction, the coach launched predictable cues for stepping up. By tapping the eagle’s ft to encourage motion after it refused to step up the primary time, the coach diminished the chicken’s baiting (makes an attempt to flee) and made the expertise extra predictable. This strategy diminished stress and improved the eagle’s willingness to cooperate with out compromising its well being.

Constructing Belief By Communication

The underlying theme all through the workshop was discovering methods to offer constant communication, constructing extra reinforceble behaviors, and rising levels of freedom to reinforce coaching applications and welfare. Whether or not it’s introducing a chicken to new objects, encouraging calm conduct, or managing concern and aggression, making choices earlier than the classes began helped us out tremendously.

This workshop make clear the progressive strategies that prioritize the chicken’s emotional and bodily well-being, providing a considerate various to conventional weight administration and fear-based responses.

You will discover out extra details about our bi-annual Chook Of Prey Workshop right here.