Supplemental feeding

[shiner]

Is there a need to supplemental feed when the temps are in the upper 40's to low 50's. I know that an extended period of rain will have an impact on the ability to feed but I am not sure about the temperature. and........Are there signs to look for that will tell us landlords that they are hungry?

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

You did not mention the length of time without food. The temps are a factor as they usually can find little food at 40 to 50 deg.

More important is the length of time without food and the physical condition of the martin. A well fed martin can go 3 days without food, and often they will not be easily trained to accept food until about the 3rd or 4th day. As a general rule, you may have dead martins at 5 days without food. It really doesn't matter much as the reason, whether its cold or rain, they both have the same effect, but cold may be a bit worse.

The signs to look for are very difficult: drooped wings, staying inside the housing, they almost quit flying, they often gather in a cavity to stay warm and there may be 10 to 12 in one cavity. When they get real hungry, it may be easy or difficult to train them to take food, each situation varies. I have had no trouble training them when I fling live large cricketts on the 3rd or 4th day, using a plastic spoon to flip the cricketts slightly above them and right in front of them. After the first martin catches one crickett, some of the others will quickly join in. If the martins are comfortable with you being right under them, they are easier to train. If they fly away when you walk up to them, there is no way to train them to accept food.

[Craig Dyer]

Hi Robert,

I'm a little concerned about our recent cold, rainy pattern too. Wind, rain & temps in the 40's isn't good, especially if it lasts for several days. I plan on doing some emergency feeding if this weather doesn't improve by tomorrow. As usual, I procrastinated and don't have a supply of frozen crickets on hand. I'll probably end up paying way too much for some at the local pet store. I have used supplemental emergency feeding in past seasons. My martins readily accept crickets & mealworms tossed by hand overhead. Last year during a cold snap, some would dive at me when I stood under their housing. I think they remember emergency feedings in past seasons.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Craig, one year I fed the martins 2 days in a row. The next morning they greeted me at the back door and porch (about 60 feet from the poles). Its hard not to feed them when they do that, so back to Petsmart I went and paid too much just as you say.

[shiner]

Craig and Emil, Thanks I too have fed in the past by flipping crickets but it was much colder. I know this was a very general question and every situation is different. Craig, I will probably try feeding tomorrow as well. And just to make you both feel better, I did not order crickets either, and will overpay for them at the pet store.

Thanks again

[Craig Dyer]

Hi Emil,

I have thought about tossing scrambled eggs. That would sure be cheaper than Petsmart crickets & mealworms. I have never tried tossing eggs. Do you think that would work?

[ToyinPA]

Last year we had a wet spring, then a major hot dry spell. During that time I flipped crickets. The ASY males seemed to take to it more than the females. Not one Subbie took to it tho. They just watched. The parents would grab a cricket & take it right to the chicks every time.

We had major flooding here late summer. Flooding can & does destroy insects. I'm not sure what this spring will bring, but I'm ready with 4000 crickets in my freezer. I will flip to those first arriving so they know food is available if they can't find any.

It's neat to see them line up. I do a special whistle for them to let them know I'm going to flip them crickets. They come flying in & line up on the power lines. Once one starts they all get involved. It took me 3 years of trying to get them to accept crickets flipped. Conditions have to be just right for them to accept them.

Toy in PA

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I tried tossing scrambled eggs, the martins would catch them, and quickly drop them. Maybe the pieces of eggs were too large.

[ToyinPA]

I tried eggs too. I had them cut up in 1/4 inch pieces. They didn't like them & dropped them. I also put them on the balcony of the houses & they just walked all over them. They never ate them.


Toy in PA

[Todd Wright]

Are the crickets from the pet store any different from crickets at the fishing bait store?

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

At Petsmart, they sell the Black Field Crickets. I have never seen any other kind.

[Laverne]

I'm sure the crickets at the bait store would work just as well and I understand they are considerably cheaper. My problem is, "where's a bait store?" Maybe near a lake somewhere??

Rehabber, Penny Halstead, suggests raw beef heart as a substitute for insects. Here's a link to one reference:

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... beef+heart

[Todd Wright]

I know bait store crickets are fairly inexpensive and if memory serves me correctly are normally light brown in color.

[Louise Chambers]

Today it is drizzling rain and in the high to mid 50s. The martins fed well yesterday, so I think they'll be fine - but we put some crickets in the B&B feeder just the same. We've noticed one female in particular will take food before the others will, so the crickets are waiting for her, just in case.

[ToyinPA]

I buy my crickets from Flukers Farm.

http://www.flukerfarms.com/live-crickets.aspx

As soon as they arrive I place the box in a paper or plastic bag & then into the frezer for a day. Then I sort & bag them in sandwich ziploc bags for easy access later.

To thaw I put some in a small bowl of hot tap water for about 1 minute. Drain off the water & dump onto paper towels for a few minutes. Then back into a bowl to carry outside.

Toy in PA

[Craig Dyer]

I have offered crickets and mealworms on an elevated feeding platform in the past. I have never been sucessful getting the martins to accept the food that way.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I may have been wrong above, I said we had black field crickets, but we may have house crickets. The Flukers crickets look like house crickets. So what kind do they sell at the per stores?

[ToyinPA]

Craig:

It took me 3 years to get my colony to accept flipped crickets. The conditions have to be just right or they will not take them. Rain/cold/too windy/drought = no food.

Keep trying, especially when the weather is bad for 3-4 days. Flip a few right in front of them...2-3 feet away if possible. Once you get one to accept/grab one the rest will follow. I went thru 50 one day before the first one decided to grab one. After that as soon as they saw me with crickets & whistled they lined up to catch them.

Toy in PA

[Craig Dyer]

Toy,

My martins readily accept crickets & mealworms tossed by hand or flipped. I have not been able to get them to take the food from a platform. Have you had success at that?

[Laverne]

Same here, Craig. I have had few opportunities to even flip crickets. I've never gotten a Purple Martin to eat anything from a Bed & Breakfast Feeder Tray. We should count our blessings!!

This is why I don't stock up on crickets and keep them in my freezer. In 14 years, I've bought crickets 3 or 4 times. One of those times I went to the trouble of going to purchase crickets and then tossing them only to have my PMs watch them fly overhead and look at me funny. If they aren't hungry, they still won't accept food tossed by me. But when they are hungry it is so rewarding -- I love it!!

If I were a northern landlord I would definitely keep my freezer stocked with fresh frozen crickets. Planning ahead can save Purple Martin lives.