how many crickets for jumper?

[zoefluf]

I have a jumper around 22 days old. How many crickets should I give him and how often? I've forced him to take four and then let him rest for a while. I plan on putting him back in the nest around four 0'clock this afternoon, after I've fed him some. Is that a good idea or should I put him right back? Should I keep him outside in a box or in the house where it is cooler?
Jeanne

[birdbrat]

Everyone has their own way of doing these things but I will tell you how I do it. I have a pole within the colony that is no more than 6 feet tall. I mounted a box on that (I use an old plastic martin house) with only one compartment open. I put in pine needles and just leave the little one in there. After feeding him a few times he would meet me at the door with mouth open everytime he heard me coming up the step ladder. I have done this repeatedly with great results. It seems we always have a few older jumpers and this always has worked better for me than returning them to the nest. The added bonus of leaving them with the colony is that the older birds fly down to his box and visit, then during fledge time they all help out with flight lessons. As far as how many crickets? I find that they will only eat till they are full.

[ToyinPA]

When I feed an abandoned chick last year I feed 3-4 times a day 12-14 crickets each feeding. I kept him in a 5 gallon bucket with a towel partially across the top in the shade. I live in town, fenced yard, no risk of predators. At night I'd put him back in the nest. By morning he'd be on the ground again. I kept this up until one mornaing a adult came along & off he went.

Toy in PA

[Spiderman]

We keep our jumpers in the garage. It's cooler than their house but still warm enough for them. 5 gallon bucket works good.

Feed 3 or 4 crickets every couple of hours and put them back in the nest before sunset. We soak the crickets in water to thaw them out to help with dehydration.

He may jump again tomorrow at that age but he will get it right soon.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Hi Jeanne:

Back in June of 2009, I had four nestlings, about the same age as yours, that jumped due to the weather. It seems I had to hand feed them for about four days. Here is a link to the post I made about how I was feeding them and how many they took during each feeding. I did discover, after about the second day, i didn't need to pick them up. I just dangled the cricket above their head and they would open their mouth and extend their neck to take the offering. I guess they associated me with food after the first day or two. Be sure to dip the cricket in water prior to giving to the nestlings to help keep them hydrated. If I recall correctly, three of the four jumpers I had survived and went on to fledge. Good luck. It is not a fun experience but very rewarding if they go on to fledge.

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... highlight=

[Linda Reynolds]

Have you read this post? Penny is the only rehabber participating on our sites. She provides the best information as to supplemental feeding and care of of jumpers!

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19872

[dsonyay]

when hatchlings are hand fed like the methods above, how do the parents react with the chicks only coming back to the nest at night?

Also I'd bet those little fledges that make it would be ones that are very tolerant around adults in future returns. Does that make sense? I figure if they were hand fed so much as hatchlings and then made it to fledge, they'd have a stronger than normal bond with humans from that point on.

[Scott D.- La]

My wife will usually feed them 6 crickets dipped n water and will repeat this process until we are satisfied it is ready for the nest. I will try and find a similar age nest with the least amount of babies. All of my jumper's have came from larger broods. I had a lot of 6 egg nest this year and even had a 8 egg nest and all hatched.

[zoefluf]

Thanks all for the great advice.

I fed him four times and then put him back in the nest around 5 p.m. I think I found the right nest.

So far this morning, he is still in the nest and I've seen the parents going back and forth so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I was tempted to keep him and care for him for a few days cause I am a control freak but I forced myself to part with the little darling. I'm keeping a close eye on the ground around the rack to be sure that the little one survives.

Four more nests to fledge and then my sanity may return.
Jeanne

[ToyinPA]

I would say it would be an individual thing. Some may "imprint", but most will not. Their genes are too strong for something like this to make a major difference. Once fledged they go into the wild, where other martins will show them the way.

Last year I handfed several cxhicks due to low food. One chick was totally abandoned. Nest of 3 chicks. 2 fledged. Parents tried, but were having trouble finding enough food. They tried to get the 3rd to go, but he was too weak to fly. After a couple days of us picking him up off the ground & putting him back in the nest the parents gave up & left. On the 2nd day I felt I needed to feed him, as the parents had not come back, not even once. Every morning he'd jump. I'd feed him & stick him in a bucket for the day, outside in the shade so if the parents did come by they'd see or hear him. At night I'd put him back in the nest hoping the parents would come back for him. Finally after 4-5 days of stuffing him full of crickets, 4 times a day, an adult came in the early morning & off he went. Not once did that chick willing open it's beak for me to feed it. It took the 2nd day of feeding for it to quickly swallow the crickets I placed in it's mouth. It wanted nothing to do with me & I never saw him again.

Rehabbers take in thousands of birds & other animals every year. They're dealt with medically, hand feed, etc. Once they are released msot are never seen again or want anything to do with humans.

Toy in PA

when hatchlings are hand fed like the methods above, how do the parents react with the chicks only coming back to the nest at night?

Also I'd bet those little fledges that make it would be ones that are very tolerant around adults in future returns. Does that make sense? I figure if they were hand fed so much as hatchlings and then made it to fledge, they'd have a stronger than normal bond with humans from that point on.

[TX Rehabber]

Dsonyay & Toy

Bird rehabbers do take in thousands of baby birds each year that are hand fed and cared for. We have to be very careful that a baby birds will not imprint. Imprinting means that the bird is entirely dependent on humans for their care and feeding and cannot survive in the wild. A single bird raised without contact with its own species, doesn’t know that it’s a Martin, Blue Jay, Mockingbird, etc. That is the reason we advise against hand rearing any baby bird. If we receive a bird that has been raised by a non-permitted person and it is imprinted, most of the time this can be reversed, but it takes weeks, sometimes months and occasionally longer. There are times when these birds are used as surrogate birds, but we can’t keep them all. After 6 months, we are required by law to transfer these birds to another permitted rehabber, education facility or euthanized. Many birds have to be destroyed because of this each year.

All the baby Martins that I’ve have raised over the years have never imprinted, solely because they were raised together with other Martins and as they approach fledging age they have already begun to be afraid of me, as their wild instincts kick in, and they start to feed themselves and I have less and less contact with them. I’ve also received many injured and sick adult Martins, they never tame or calm down.

There is also a misconception that Educational Program Raptors are tame. No they are not! They go thru weeks, months & years of training, which has to be reinforced on a regular basis, to stand on a gloved fist quietly. We have to wear gloves to give us some protection, but at ANY GIVEN time they CAN and WILL sink their talons into our arms & hands and bite, right thru the glove. These Raptors never lose their “wild instincts” and if in a BAD mood, let you know it real quick!!!

[ToyinPA]

Penny:
Yes I understand. I had to explain this to my huz, as he thought we may have to keep the chick I feed last year. I told him I could not do that, as it needed to be with other martins to learn the ways of the wild. I was so glad an adult came back & it flew off, as we have no rehabber here.

I have parrots & let me tell you I know about imprinting. They bond to you just like they would a mate in the wild. They do retain many of their wild insticts tho, even tho all are bred in capivity.

Yep those big foot talons would be nasty. Parrots have big feet & sharp nails, but not near as big/sharp as a raptor.

Toy in PA

Dsonyay & Toy

Bird rehabbers do take in thousands of baby birds each year that are hand fed and cared for. We have to be very careful that a baby birds will not imprint. Imprinting means that the bird is entirely dependent on humans for their care and feeding and cannot survive in the wild. A single bird raised without contact with its own species, doesn’t know that it’s a Martin, Blue Jay, Mockingbird, etc. That is the reason we advise against hand rearing any baby bird. If we receive a bird that has been raised by a non-permitted person and it is imprinted, most of the time this can be reversed, but it takes weeks, sometimes months and occasionally longer. There are times when these birds are used as surrogate birds, but we can’t keep them all. After 6 months, we are required by law to transfer these birds to another permitted rehabber, education facility or euthanized. Many birds have to be destroyed because of this each year.

All the baby Martins that I’ve have raised over the years have never imprinted, solely because they were raised together with other Martins and as they approach fledging age they have already begun to be afraid of me, as their wild instincts kick in, and they start to feed themselves and I have less and less contact with them. I’ve also received many injured and sick adult Martins, they never tame or calm down.

There is also a misconception that Educational Program Raptors are tame. No they are not! They go thru weeks, months & years of training, which has to be reinforced on a regular basis, to stand on a gloved fist quietly. We have to wear gloves to give us some protection, but at ANY GIVEN time they CAN and WILL sink their talons into our arms & hands and bite, right thru the glove. These Raptors never lose their “wild instincts” and if in a BAD mood, let you know it real quick!!!

[TX Rehabber]

Toy:
I totally understand about the parrots, as we have several Macaws in residence. I don't what would be worse, holes in you, flesh taken out or a Macaw removing one or two fingers at a time.

Penny

[ToyinPA]

Toy:
I totally understand about the parrots, as we have several Macaws in residence. I don't what would be worse, holes in you, flesh taken out or a Macaw removing one or two fingers at a time.

Penny

LOL. Parrots are very misunderstood. I have a Blue & Gold Macaw. She was a sort of rescue. Previous owners abused her. She has been with me for 10 years now & will not let anyone but me pet her. She a riot tho. So silly & fun loving. We have an Umbrella Cockattoo & An African Grey too. Haven't lost any fingers yet .

Toy in PA

[JamesinIA]

I was handling a Hyacinth Macaw one time and he clamped down on my finger and I was very glad that he did not use any where close to full pressure. I was in pain for a couple of days. We had a pair of Moluccan Cockatoos that would chew their 2x6 perches down to nothing.

[Glenda Detling]

I am kind of late to this party. But I have a couple of young ones on the ground. We put water out and they are hopping in and drinking. I read about feeding crickets. Are crickets readily available at particular stores? Do I let the "jumpers" hang out on the shaded patio, or do I need to put them in a box or something? Any info will help. Thanks

[ToyinPA]

I am kind of late to this party. But I have a couple of young ones on the ground. We put water out and they are hopping in and drinking. I read about feeding crickets. Are crickets readily available at particular stores? Do I let the "jumpers" hang out on the shaded patio, or do I need to put them in a box or something? Any info will help. Thanks

Glenda:
The parents will NOT feed them on the ground. Put them back in the nest if you can, if not then in a box. You can get crickets at pet stores, but they are much cheaper on line. You need to freeze the crickets , to kill them, first then thaw them in warm water. Do not let the chicks jump in the water, as they can drown.

Please read thru posts by TX Rehabber on this issue.

Toy in PA

[Glenda Detling]

Thank you for the quick reply. The water in about 1/4" deep in a small tupperware lid, They're just pecking at it...no drowning. I'll keep you posted.

[Glenda Detling]

I thought I'd report on my two jumpers. They were still on my patio this morning, so I went off to our local Petco and got some crickets. When I tried to approach them, they both hopped off in a panic. Since they are somewhat mobile, I thought I would leave some crickets in the water dish and maybe they would figure out how to get to it themselves. I watched periodically from my window. Soon I noticed that they were in the little dish, pecking at the crickets. Then...a parent martin flew in with a bug and fed one of them. The parent flew away and returned with more food! I don't know what the outcome will be, but I know that I cannot care for these little ones better than their parent. I'm watching to see which gourd the parent goes home to and will try to return the little ones to their home this evening. In the meantime, they are being fed and getting stronger.