Instructions
Remove the hawk from active hunting and placed it in a mew -- a birdhouse for hunting birds. The mew offers protection from predators and the elements and allows handlers to better observe any problems with the birds.
Place a light source of at least 32 watts as close to the hawk as possible without causing harm. This light source needs to be controlled by an electrical timer. The molting process in the wild is triggered by the lengthening of light in a day.
Set the timer to keep the UV lamps on for an additional 15 minutes after sundown initially. Gradually increase the amount of time the UV lamps are on, increasing the length of ̶0;daylight̶1; the hawks receive by 15 minutes per day every week. Each hawk will be different but most beginning to molt at around 11 to 12 hours of ̶0;sunlight̶1; per day.
Wait four to six weeks total before the molt is complete. Afterward the bird should have a healthy new set of feathers and be ready to approach a full season of hunting.
How to Reverse Molt a Hawk
A healthy set of feathers helps birds of prey hunt effectively. Despite the care of handlers, these feathers wear out over time and the process of molting begins. During molting old feathers are shed and new feathers are grown from follicles. Hawks, unlike most birds, molt from the outer feathers first in a process known as reverse molting. Traditionally, hawks undergo one complete molt per year, in the spring, but some falconers prefer to start an artificial reverse molt in winter, directly before the falconry hunting season.