Mutes and Diagnosis

1

• A Primer in
• Poop-ology
• Lydia Ash lydia_at_themodernapprentice.com
• Shirley Needham spaceworksin_at_rtcol.com

2
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 hawks 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

3
Mutes
4
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.

5
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.
6
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.

7
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.
8
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.

9
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.
10
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.

11
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.

12
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.

13
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
  Castles Disease.
• This green mute came from a bird who died from
  New Castles.

14
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.
15
Green

• Food flicking
• White plaques in the mouth
• Difficulty breathing
• Investigate frounce (Trichomoniasis).

16
Green
Excess bile production can also be genetic
requiring special attention to the diet.
17
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 hawks 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 hawks
  meat, and wring it in a linen cloth, after you
  have washed it in the waters aforesaid.

18
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.

19
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.

20
Yellow
The yellow of this mute is from
over-supplementing.
21
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.

22
Black
Black can indicate bleeding of the upper
digestive tract.
23
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.

24
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.
25
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.

26
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.

27
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.

28
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.
29
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.
30
Brown
Bert didnt mention brown
31
Brown

• Shaking
• Weakness
• Nervous system oddities
• Investigate lead poisoning, either by ingesting
  or shooting.
• This mute is actually normal and caused by
  feeding rat.

32
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.
33
Over-Hydrated
This is an over-hydrated mute, although nearly
identical to diarrhea.
34
Over-Hydrated
Some diarrhea also has the gas bubbles as seen
here.
35
Worms
Roundworms in a mute.
36
Worms
Worm evidence in a mute.
37
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

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Thank you!
Steve Layman Seth Layman Salman Ali Dr. Carmen
Lindheimer, D.V.M. Dr. David J. Kersting, D.V.M.
Shirley Needham spaceworksin_at_rtcol.com Lydia
Ash lydia_at_themodernapprentice.com A copy is
available online here
http//www.themodernapprentice.com/mutes.htm