Really bad news!!!

[Kyler]

Well we did a nest check tonight and found only 2 young out of 5 in the ASY pairs nest?? One young was in front of the entrance! I will post pictures later! Today was about 105 degrees!! I don't know if it is the heat getting to the babies or what? These babies were 3 or 4 days old I don't think they would have that much strength to craw all the way out of the entrance? There eyes are also closed! I dont have any single SY males that I am aware of! So I don't think that it is them! I have a couple sparrows on the houses but we have been trapping them like crazy!

If these 2 babies make it does any think the martins will be back next year or not! We still have 4 nests left! One with 4 babies that just hatched a couple days ago! There is still one egg in that compartment and then the other three nests have 5 eggs a piece! The ASY pair is still feeding the two babies! So I don't know what happened! The other two babies that were gone! They were never found! So I don't know where they are at!

Would the adult martins carry out the dead babies? Or will they just leave them in their? But I still don't think that if the martins would of left one their young on the porch in front of the entrance! I know that it wasn't a snake because a snake would of still been in the house! Plus I think it would of ate all the babies and the eggs in the other compartments. I don't think a snake would of climbed back down the pole? Or would they?

We have never seen any rat snakes in Colby! I don't think we get them here! I don't think it was a ground mammal because they would have done some damage to the house! Don't you guys think? I really need help???? I need advice??? Please!

I will posts all the pictures later when they load!!

Thanks!
Kyler,

[Kyler]

Well here are the pictures! Hope you guys can help????

I think the baby looks like he got way to hot! But I just don't know how he got on the porch?



These are the four babies in a new nest that just hatched!!



Kyler,

[stan davison]

I would buy a misting sprinkler , just don't get the nests wet. Good luck!

[Kyler]

I have hear about that! I might have to look into that!! I just never knew that the sun could possibly don't that!

Thank you so much!

Kyler,

[ToyinPA]

Sorry for your loss. Heat can dehydrate chicks & take them quickly.

My post was deleted but perhaps they will allow this one.

https://www.purplemartin.org/forum/view ... gs#p215743

Toy in PA

[Kyler]

Thanks! I was kinda thinking I saw a picture of a lady that took pieces of coroplast and attached them to the roof of her houses to make the roof larger perhaps to give the house shade!

Anyone think that would work? With the misting system?

[taxidermy lady]

Kyler, I was wondering do you have insulation in your roof? I put a piece of r max In the attic area. It was a thick piece. I had to shave it at an angle along the edges to fit! Are the babies that died on the top or bottom floor? Good luck!

[Kyler]

Sharon,
Actually if you look at the tread called (Adjustable Exculder Entrances) you will see that is what I'm trying to figure out! And no I don't have insulation in my houses! Mainly because this is my first year having martins nesting in these houses! So I wasn't really sure what I should do with them! Both of the nests that have the babies are on the top floor! They are right next to other!

Kyler,

[Okie]

Sharon, what is r max?

[Kyler]

Okie,
It is a polyiso ridge foam insulation board! Sorry I know that was toward Sharon!

Kyler,

[Okie]

Get it at a home improvement store I presume. Does it have a brand name? How thick is it?
Don't mind you answering Thanks

[Kyler]

It just called R Max and you can get it in 1in, 2in and 3in thick! And I comes in a 4 by 8 sheet!

[warbird]

I know what you mean by the heat its bin 100 plus here the last 10 days we did get a little rain yesterday. I don't know how pm's take it. babies doing fine but I keep coming up with missing eggs

[Kyler]

Warbird,
Yeah I haven't lost any eggs yet! But their is 3 nests that are still incubating though! I still don't know what I'm going to do!

Okie,
Have you insulated your trio house? Also did all your babies fledge and make it?

Kyler,

[4th Gen Martin Fan]

Kyler,
With yesterday's 106 degree F and 20% humidity, the upper story compartments next to the uninsulated attic and no ventilation probably created temperature in excess of 120 degrees F inside the nesting compartments. These are conditions exceeding daytime temperatures and equivalent humidity in Baghdad, Iraq this week.
Your picture of the dead martin chick looks like a well nourished but severely dehydrated chick. Notice the shriveled skin (decreased skin turgor) which is a sign of severe dehydration in mammals.
I am not an avian veterinarian but I suspect that similar factors which affect animals such as humans also affect birds.
Continuous, excessive heat and low humidity causes Volume Depletion, Heat Exhaustion, and ultimately fatal Heat Stroke.
Sorry for your losses.

Since you are out of town and are unable to make any changes immediately, you can learn from this year's experience and prepare for next year's season.
I hope suggestions from this Forum are possible in your colony.
Mark.

[4th Gen Martin Fan]

Okie,
I studied the material which Kyler has mentioned and it is available as 1/2" x 4' x 8' sheets at HD home improvement store @ $13.25/each plus tax. It has a R-3.6 value.
I am so excited about Kyler's suggestion that I am going to check it out at my HD today. It is cheaper and has a better R value than Extruded Polystyrene Insulating sheathing!
Mark.

[Kyler]

Mark,
The rest of the week and part of next week is supposed to be a little better! The highest is 97 and the lowest is 87 so I think I'm good for a least a little while I till I get back! Thanks for the information and stuff hope you have a great year!!

Kyler,

[Kyler]

Mark,
Thanks for explaining the RMax insulation better then I did! I also looked it up and it also comes in 1/2 inch like you said! Do you think it is better than the foam board you were talking about?

Also had a question about the baby? How do you think the baby got all the way out on the porch? Because he probably doesn't have that much strength yet and plus his eyes are closed??

Kyler,

[4th Gen Martin Fan]

Kyler,
I am still investigating the polyisocyanurate insulating sheathing, but it should work as well as extruded polystyrene insulating sheathing. Primary consideration is how well it cuts and stands up to getting wet. Will the cardboard like material on either side stand up or will it saturate and delaminate? Time and experience will tell. If it is available to you I would give it a try. It will hold up much better than "Styrofoam", white extruded polystyrene beads. Styrofoam does not work. It is too soft and the birds tear it up too easily.
The dense polystyrene foam board hold up well. It is colored blue, pink, gray, etc. One side has a sheen and hard surface and the other side has a softer surface. I apply the hard layer towards the bird's side so that it is not as easy for them to peck at.

I suspect that the chicks died in the nesting compartment and the parents were in the process of disposing of the carcasses outside and away from the house.

Attached is a picture of 3/4" PVC elbow vents on the side of a Trio house.
Mark.

[Kyler]

Mark,
We don't really have a great home improvement store in Colby! So I can't just get all the stuff! I will have to do a little bit of traveling but that's no big deal! Thanks for the picture of the house! Also did you get the elbows from the PMCA or just a home improvement store?

Thanks!
Kyler,