A Primer in
Poop-ology
Lydia Ash
lydia@themodernapprentice.com
Shirley Needham
spaceworksin@rtcol.com
Mutes
If you diligently observe the mute, you shall easily prognosticate and foresee her evil, and
any such disease as your hawk is infected with.
But if her mute be white, intermingled with red, yellow, grey, or such like colour, it is a sign
that the hawk is very ill and diseased, and moreover that she stands needful of a scouring, as
of mummy purified and beaten to powder, wrapping it in cotton, or some such like matter,
to set the gorge and stomach of your hawk in tune again, and other inward parts, as
hereafter I shall make further show of in a place meet for that speech and discourse.
Assuredly, when you see your hawk’s mute so full of diverse colours, it is very necessary for
you to respect her cure, and to endeavour yourself to remedy that mischief, or otherwise she
must needs perish under your hand, for that those are very deadly signs, and proofs of the ill
state of your hawk.
-Edmund Bert
The Perfect Booke for Keeping Sparrowhawkes and Goshawkes, 1575
Mutes
Empty
For if the mute be white, and not over thick, nor over clear, and
besides not having any black spot in it, or in the least but little,
it is an evident proof that the hawk is excellently in tune, and
not diseased.
Empty
Although empty, this is a normal mute.
All there is here is urate – there is no fecal.
The lower gastrointestinal tract is empty
and the bird is likely hungry, although not
starving.
White
But if it be white, and very thick in the middle, well it may import health, but it argues
the hawk to be over gross, and too full of grease. And therefore it shall be needful to
cure that mischief, by giving her liquid and moist meat, as the heart of a calf, lamb,
or such like. And for one or two mornings, to allow her (being empty and having
nothing to put over) a quantity of sugar candy by which will scour her, and make
her slice, or else a gut of a chicken well ashed, of a convenient length and size, full
of good oil olive, well clarified in water, in such sort as hereafter I shall instruct you.
It is easily found, when a hawk is over greasy, and not enseamed, by her mute, when it
is white with some black in it, which evil is easily removed by giving her hot
sparrows, and young pigeons.
White
Although the fecal is difficult to see, this is a
perfectly normal mute.
This mute is the result of a light, fatty meat
and a high calcium intake (turkey meat and
bones). The system can only absorb so
much of the mineral and the rest is passed
through in the mute.
Green
A green mute is also a sign of an infected and corrupt liver, and happily of some apostume,
unless she makes that kind of mute upon this occasion, that she has been gorged with
some wild and rammage meat, or herself been a rammage hawk: for then this rule does not
hold. You must look to this evil as soon and with as great speed as you possibly may,
feeding her with meat all powdered with mummy.
It be given her in a casting, or some scouring, continuing it in this manner, sometimes after one
fashion, sometimes after another, until you find the mute to be changed from the bad
colour to the better. But when this mischief proceeds, and continues a long space, then
shall you be fain to bestow on her a scouring of agaric, to rid those evil and noisome
humours which do offend your hawk, and after that another scouring of incense beaten
into powder, to recomfort her.
Green
Although green, this is a normal mute.
The urates have picked up some color from
the fecal mass. The key is the whiteness and
evenness of the urate.
Green
Green urates indicate the liver.
•Difficulty breathing
•Easily exerted
•Extreme thirst
•Weight loss
Given these variables, start investigating
Aspergillosis.
The liver may have an asper infection.
Green
Green urates indicate the liver.
•Diarrhea
•Flecks of red
•Foul smelling castings
Given these variables, start investigating
Coccidiosis.
The liver may have an coccidia infection.
Green
Green urates indicate the liver.
•Unresponsive to antibiotics
If green mutes continue for the course of
antibiotics without change, there may be a
bone shard poking through the
proventriculus and irritating the liver.
Try offering materials that will cause
castings. These may work the shard free.
Green
Green urates indicate the liver.
•Gasping and coughing
•Neurological dysfunction (shivering,
convulsions, seizures, etc)
•Loss of eyesight
•Vomiting
•Lethargy
Given these variables, start investigating
New Castle’s Disease.
This green mute came from a bird who died
from New Castle’s.
Green
Neon green, frothy mutes indicate too much bile. This may be that the liver is
creating too much bile. Or it may not be the liver, but rather something stuck in the
proventriculus causing excess bile production.
Green
•Food flicking
•White plaques in the mouth
•Difficulty breathing
Investigate frounce (Trichomoniasis).
Green
Excess bile production can also be genetic requiring special attention to the diet.
Yellow
The white mute, having a greater part of yellow in it, that of any other
colour, does evidently make show, that the hawk is surcharged with
choleric humours, caused and engendered by over great flights, when
you fly with your hawk in the heat of the day, as also of over much
bating. Which evil you may provide for and eschew, by giving your
hawk’s meat ashed in cold waters, as buglosse, endive, borrage, and
such like wholesome cold waters, very medicinable for that mischief,
always remembering to strain the hawk’s meat, and wring it in a linen
cloth, after you have washed it in the waters aforesaid.
Yellow
Yellow can sometimes be a shade of green
indicating the liver.
•Skin has taken on a yellow shade
Given this variable, investigate an inflamed
liver.
Yellow
Yellow can sometimes be a shade of green
indicating the liver.
•Swollen eyes (conjunctiva and/or cornea)
•Swollen nasal membranes
•Shortness of breath
Given these signs, investigate chlamydiosis,
possibly infecting the spleen or liver.
Yellow
The yellow of this mute is from oversupplementing.
Black
The mute of a hawk which is very black, declares her liver to be infected, and is the
most deadly sign of all others. For if it continues three or four days, most assuredly
the hawk will peck over the perch and die. But if it be so but once, and no more, it
greatly kills not. For then may it proceed of one of these two causes: either for that
the hawk in pluming and tiring on the fowl, has taken of the blood or guts of the
prey, which is a matter of nothing: or else because she has been gorged with filthy
meat. In this case it behoves you to respect her, and allow her good warm flesh, and
a cotton casting, with mummy or the powder of cloves, to set her stomach in tune
again.
Black
Black can indicate bleeding of the upper
digestive tract.
Black
Black can indicate bleeding of the upper
digestive tract.
•Diarrhea
•Lethargy
•Food flicking
•Smelly castings
•Lack of appetite
•Brown, slimy castings
Investigate Coccidiosis, although this is an
advanced stage.
Black
The black here is from feeding beef heart –
rich in blood and iron and deceiving in
indicating that the bird may have upper-GI
bleeding rather than properly indicating she
has eaten a quantity of blood.
Note that the dark color of this mute could
mask some other symptom. If you suspect
a symptom that could show itself in a mute,
avoid feeding a meat like beef heart or
supplementing with pigeon blood.
Red
The mute that is not perfectly digested, tending to red, and that is
full of small worms, like unto flesh, not perfectly digested and
endewed, gives manifest proof, either that the hawk is not well
in her gorge, or else that she has been fed with ill or corrupt
meats, cold and stinking, and unwholesome for a hawk.
Red
Red (or pink) is never normal. It indicates
lower intestinal bleeding or kidney bleeding.
•Preceded by a day or so of larger than
normal mutes
Investigate a bound egg in the cloaca,
uterus, or vagina.
The Saker that caused this tested positive
for Streptococcus.
Red
Red (or pink) is never normal. It indicates
lower intestinal bleeding or kidney bleeding.
•Flecks of red in the urate
•Diarrhea
•Lethargy
•Food flicking
•Smelly castings
•Lack of appetite
•Brown, slimy castings
Investigate Coccidiosis.
Red
Red is never normal. It indicates lower intestinal bleeding.
This is very similar to a bloody mute from a bound egg. This mute was instead caused
by a bone shard puncturing the lower intestine.
Pink
Pink may be normal. A fresh pink mute is not and will indicate blood.
Mutes will turn pink over time due to nitrogen eating bacteria flourishing on them.
If you suddenly notice your mews is turning pink, it may be a change in the bird or
may be that it simply needs to be cleaned.
Brown
Bert didn’t mention brown…
Brown
•Shaking
•Weakness
•Nervous system oddities
Investigate lead poisoning, either by
ingesting or shooting.
This mute is actually normal and caused
by feeding rat.
Brown
Brown mutes that smell very strong indicate sour crop sometimes coupled with a
strongyl infection.
This mute is actually normal and caused from feeding rat.
Over-Hydrated
This is an over-hydrated mute, although nearly identical to diarrhea.
Over-Hydrated
Some diarrhea also has the gas bubbles as seen here.
Worms
Roundworms in a mute.
Worms
Worm evidence in a mute.
Mutes
By this which I have spoken, as touching the mutes of hawks, it may be
gathered how greatly it does import, and how behovefully it is for a falconer,
or austringer, for the better cure of his hawks, to peruse every morning with
great care the mute of his hawks. For that it does greatly concern the good
health and state of them, to find out at the first their indisposition and
diseases, before they be too deeply rooted and confirmed in them, when
truly it will prove a very hard and difficult matter to remove the evil.
-Edmund Bert
An Approved Treatise of Hawks and Hawking, 1616
Thank you!
Steve Layman
Seth Layman
Salman Ali
Dr. Carmen Lindheimer, D.V.M.
Dr. David J. Kersting, D.V.M.
Shirley Needham spaceworksin@rtcol.com
Lydia Ash lydia@themodernapprentice.com
A copy is available online here:
http://www.themodernapprentice.com/mutes.htm