Need help with my cricket math

[The Walvoords]

Looks like eastern Wisconsin is in for a run of 30 and 40 degree temps, wind, and rain. Could go on for several days so I'm wondering about how many crickets might be needed to get the PMs through a week or so of this? I'm new to supplimental feeding, and I have 2000 crickets with about 12 birds. They continue to arrrive, had a bunch come in last weekend. In the next week or two I expect my full crew (32 birds )to be in. They still don't take food from my feeder so I have been putting crickets on the porches or just inside the door but off to the side, and those they eat. So, if I put enough crickets out to feed each bird 20 per day plus a few extra, I can get through this cold spell with what I have. But if anyone knows, is that enough per day to keep them in decent shape?

And another thing while I'm here, the starlings are shoving themselves through my crescent hole entrances and yesterday I noticed I need to replace 2 entrances they have managed to crack while getting in. BUGGERS!! They are just awful!

Anna

[KathyF]

Anna,
This information was given to my by Louise:

Here's the feeding/nutrition thinking: an adult martin can maintain its weight on 40 crickets a day, if that's all it is eating. One cooked egg will feed two adult martins for one day, so one egg = 80 crickets.

[The Walvoords]

Thanks Kathy,
By that I'm looking at about 4-5 days if I assume they won't be getting much other food. I might go broke if they don't start to eat eggs. I tried some when the first few showed up but they only ate the crickets, so I've just been giving them what they like. Maybe if I cut the egg up small and put it in with the crickets they will get the idea that it is food. I'll keep trying. They'll get it sooner or later.

Anna

[CraigMo.]

Anna I have just taught my pms to take crickets and eggs by flipping this year. I am not able to feed all that they would need either or I would go broke too! If you go out there when you think they are hungry, sit down with a bunch of crickets and flip one at a time straight up in the sky any where from 4 feet to 15 feet in front of them but hopefully higher than they are. If they are hungry within about 40 crickets(mine took about 20) they will probably learn. If they don't try for any after 40iish flips I would give up and try again the next day. Once they learn, the next day feeding do the scrambled eggs also and alternate which one you flip and then they might start eating the eggs also. I am not an experienced feeder but thats how it worked for me. I don't think mine were in great shape but they lived. Good Luck
Craig

[Guest]

I figure 25 to 50/bird/day,They probably won't eat much the first two days.

dick

[Dave Reynolds]

Craig --
That's good information.. on flipping to them.. I always wondered how far in front of them to flip the food. 4 feet sounds good, do you flip it above the house and let it fall in front of them ?? I have never feed them yet but I sure will try, now that you said how you did it..

Thanks
Dave -- in Ohio

[CraigMo.]

Dave my trio house and gourd set ups are about 15 to 20 feet apart. I sit about 10 feet away andI basically flip the food as high as I can right smack dab in the middle of the 2 poles. I think the higher the flip the more it entices the pms to try for it You asked(do you flip it above the house and let it fall in front of them ??) My answer is Yes, that is my goal. Once they learn you practically can flip them any place you want and they will catch it. I probably could of trained a couple to feed out of my hand but I decided not to do that. Its kind of fun. Good Luck
Craig

[John Miller]

I put a big tablespoon full -- probably 20 small crickets in each compartment, once or twice a day. If they are eating all, and you know you can only do this once a day, put a few more the next day.

As you have starlings snooping, you may need to cease putting a few crickets on porches or near entrances and put them further back in compartments; once starlings find them, they will aggressively go from hole to hole reaching in. You also may want to consider plugging half your compartments to force birds to fewer, to make compartment feeding more feasible. This may be trickey as your birds are already there and you'll need to decide whether it's a good idea based on number of birds there, but it would help stretch your crickets, and in very cold weather the martins won't be fighting as much.

Try not to flush martins out into rain or snow. I think getting wet when it's cold is very stressful to them and could lead to hyopthermia..whew...but know that you can keep these birds alive. If you have a day of sun and high of 50 and no wind, they may be able to go out and feed. Those days I might put crickets inside late in the day before they return to roost, just to help them along. You'll have to watch the weather daily very closely.

Try some flipping too, but do what works at your site. John M

[The Walvoords]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate the help. Tried the flipping thing today just to see if the birds would go for it. Nada, I think my crickets are too small for flipping, didn't get very good height. I'll have to try that again another time. I put plenty of crickets in each compartment a bit farther back inside and now I probably won't go out again unless the weather changes tomorrow. Its windy and snowing here.

Shot a starling that was pestering one of the houses, I'm glad for that small victory. I never could figure out how they could get into the compartments because the crescent openings are all 1 and 3/16 in. from the top to bottom of the hole. I never knew the height from the porch to the bottom of the entrance was a factor. Mine all have between 3/8 and 5/16 in. of space there. When it dries up I have some 1/4 inch plywood pieces cut up and ready to go on. I hope the martins don't mind the change too much, and the starlings...well they can just get lost!

Anna