Getting prepared for the arrivals and the weather

[MichaelH]

Well it's getting close for us landlords and all the wannabes,it seems the weather is more unpredictable than ever,well this is Illinois lol.
Only by reading some of the great and informative post that the seasoned landlords put on here I have learnt and progressed over the last 3 years ,and supplemental feeding is one of the tools that I am sure saved some of my birds last year,.
I started by ordering a thousand crickets from fluckers farm and as soon as they arrived put them in freezer then the next day transferred them to zip log baggies ready for the task in hand.my first birds arrived march 16th
(after much anxiety as this was first year after becoming a landlord and not playing dawn song or daytime chatter both I am sure helped )
So my birds came back along with a cold spell so the thawing of crickets and the flipping began ,and the martins sat on there gourds and looked at this crazy fool braving the cold probably thinking what the heck is this guy doin ,along with my Neighbour's I guess,lol.
Eventually after a week of flipping and feeding the grackles and starling,the moment came and the cold and hunger took its toll yep he swooped down and caught a cricket ,mmmm a female watched the commotion and started doin the same eventually had up to ten birds doin it and gradually weaned them onto scrambled eggs too .
What a great feeling of accomplishment and knowing I probably saved a bunch of birds was worth the time and effort so to all my fellow landlords and wannabes who live in the northern states were the weather can hinder our feathered friends please be patient and persevere it is worth the humiliation of the Neighbour's thinking you are crazy lol be prepared for the worst it will pay dividends in the long run (oh ps a thousand crickets don't go as far as you think)'I got four thousand in my freezer right now ready to go .as much as I want to see my birds hope they stay south a little longer good luck to you all and to all the wannabes this year could be your year
Mick

[Kyler]

Michael,
That is what I'm worried about. My martins showing back up so early. I don't have any crickets but I think I need to get them ordered soon. I never got the chance to try with my birds last year but I'm planning on this year. I'm just worried they won't jump out and feed and then just suffer and die!! I need some help with this?

Kyler,

[MichaelH]

It does take time ,well with my birds it did but keep trying and it will work ,I am sure others here will have great input and if I can help I wil ,good luck

[Whippy]

Thanks for the information. I ordered crickets for when, or if, I have Martins arrive.

Heck, if it gets to a point they don't need them, I'll take my son fishing and throw them out on a fly rod. But I'm pretty sure my son will prefer to feed the birds. He's 11 and is as excited about it as I am.

Coolwhips

[ToyinPA]

The key to supplemental feeding is timing. If you have a few plus days of bad weather, that doesn't allow for them to find food, then by the 3rd or 4th day is the best time to flip crickets. They will be very hungry. Non-feeding days would be temps below 50 degrees, rain, snow, high winds.

I'd start by making a sound to get their attention. I whistle a short tune. Then flip one cricket at a time, a few feet in front of an adult male. Watch him to see if he saw it. Then flip another. Once you get one to go after a cricket others will follow. Not all will supplement feed. The best times to flip are in the morning hours & about an hour or so before dark.

It takes at least 10 crickets (3/4 inch) per adult martin 2-3 times a day to sustain them during bad weather. Yep the larger your colony the more crickets you will go thru. I use on average 6000 crickets for 12-14 pair per season. My colony refuses to eat eggs, so it's crickets all the way for them. Tried meal worms too. No go.

Supplemental feeding has kept my colony alive & their chicks as well. Last season just after they returned we had 11 straight days of snow, freezing rain, rain & cold wind. They all would have died without supplemental feeding. I also had 11 other martins arrive, not part of my colony. They were starving, wet & cold. They spent the night. Sadly 2 died, the rest moved on north.

The last 4-5 years we've had a major lack of insects in my area, so parents often will feed the crickets to their chicks. Many areas are spraying the creeks & rivers for black fly. Sadly it's killing other insects as well.

My colony sits on power lines & peeks in my back windows when they want fed. I would also like to state that they will NOT supplement feed if feeding conditions permit them to find food on their own.

Many of us have managed to keep our colony going by supplemental feeding. It's time consuming & it can get expensive, but for me it's well worth it.

Toy in PA

[Tim m.]

Supplement feeding our martin doesn't have to be a big job. Supplement feeding can be made very simple and easy,yes and this is what i do. I have a egg shell tray i made which works great and made out of scrape wood. Here goes tray floor is two foot square made out of 1/2 exterior plywood ,sides are 1x4's on edge all trays i see on market are to shallow wind blows every thing out! Roof is made out of piece of galvanized metal which 12 inches above floor . Have 2x2 treat holding up roof the 2x2's are deck spindles left over from job . I lost 12 adults one spring i said it wouldn't happen again if i could help prevent it from happening again. Always put egg shells in tray right after they arrive . I tried flipping crickets no success so put few crickets in tray before weather got bad because it gets bad here in Iowa after them arrive.Kept checking tray after couple days all gone well you guessed it weather turned bad. Thawed crickets took out in red coffee can called to martins and whistled climbed up 6' step ladder put in tray which is 8 foot and a post. I just got back across drive way and they were already in it eating away man was i happy. After that it has been easy to get them to eat they get to begging for them. Watched other landlords successful feeding their martins also this way.I had 142 pair last season which fledged 548 great year here!!!! If i can help in any way contact me PMCA mentor

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Nice job Mich!
I,flip crickets and mealworms but they seem to like crickets better. I graduated from doing the single cricket flip to using a large plastic spoon and flipping 6-10 at a time, it takes a little practice but worth the effort. If you have a dozen birds going after the flip more of them get fed. I have tried setting food out on a feeder but didn't have much luck with that.

[MichaelH]

Yes ray my birds won't eat crickets off the b an b ,I just end up feeding the robins and starlings and crackles lol yes toy I also whistle after a week or so they would swoop down when I whistle even if I wasn't feeding ,have a great weekend all
Mick