Feeding Crickets
This is only my 3rd year of being a landlord. This is the earliest that I have had birds. Never had to worry agout weather and feeding before. I bought crickets last night an put thrm in the refrigerator. This morning I went out and started flinging crickets over there heads. It took a while before I had a taker but it dropped the cricket twice in a row. After a few more crickets a couple other martins joined in. They one grabbed 1 to 2 crickets each. After that they didnt seem to pay any attention to the crickets. My question is this enough or do I need to continue trying to feed them.(try again later) Its is supose to get up in the 50's today.
2010- 8 pair
2011- 24 pair- 112 eggs- 103 fledge
2012- 40 pair- 147 eggs so far
PMAC Member
2011- 24 pair- 112 eggs- 103 fledge
2012- 40 pair- 147 eggs so far
PMAC Member
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
In my opinion, they are not hungry. They will easily eat 15 crickets when they are hungry, and they surely will not drop them. Martins need to be very hungry before they take food, especially dead crickets or eggs. Seems to me like they need to be without food for at least 2 or 3 days before they accept crickets. I am told that if you feed them from a platform, they will eat more easily and quicker from the platform. Mine are not trained to eat from a platform
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Doug Martin - PA
- Posts: 1988
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Pennsylvania/Fombell
- Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
I agree once again with Emil.
It takes more than a day or two to really make them want to take food. Apparently these guys are not very desperate.
However you are taking advantage of a cold snap to train them, which is the first step. If the weather should get bad for a longer period of time later, at least you will not have to lose your birds to starvation. It is nice to know that.
It is very frustrating when they are in fact starving to death, and still refuse to eat. It only takes one "trained bird" to get the others to catch on and feed.
To train from a platform. I would lower the platform, put food on the platform,then take it off and flip it in the air from there. That seems to get the message across of the origination of the food. I would then raise it back up with some food on it after flipping. Once they associate the raising and lowering with feeding they catch on quick. They are actually very smart birds. Soon they greet you at the door when hungry and squawk to let you know. I have been surprised by this as late as June or July during cool windy spells when they had young.
Generally they are not interested unless they need it. I had a few that would sit on their favorite perch, when I would point to them and make a hand motion, they would then fly down and take egg or cricket with a short toss a just foot or so from my hand.
Good job giving it a try. It may pay off later for you. Can be pretty neat too. I found out from a very old gentleman in Ohio that some Amish there had been feeding them egg and meat way back in the sixties and seventies. I don't think this is a new concept...just getting more widespread in use.
Doug
It takes more than a day or two to really make them want to take food. Apparently these guys are not very desperate.
However you are taking advantage of a cold snap to train them, which is the first step. If the weather should get bad for a longer period of time later, at least you will not have to lose your birds to starvation. It is nice to know that.
It is very frustrating when they are in fact starving to death, and still refuse to eat. It only takes one "trained bird" to get the others to catch on and feed.
To train from a platform. I would lower the platform, put food on the platform,then take it off and flip it in the air from there. That seems to get the message across of the origination of the food. I would then raise it back up with some food on it after flipping. Once they associate the raising and lowering with feeding they catch on quick. They are actually very smart birds. Soon they greet you at the door when hungry and squawk to let you know. I have been surprised by this as late as June or July during cool windy spells when they had young.
Generally they are not interested unless they need it. I had a few that would sit on their favorite perch, when I would point to them and make a hand motion, they would then fly down and take egg or cricket with a short toss a just foot or so from my hand.
Good job giving it a try. It may pay off later for you. Can be pretty neat too. I found out from a very old gentleman in Ohio that some Amish there had been feeding them egg and meat way back in the sixties and seventies. I don't think this is a new concept...just getting more widespread in use.
Doug
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
Thanks for all the advice and info. I will definitely try your method to train them to platform feeding. Don't normally have issues with cold weather here but we do have consecutive days of rain and strong winds. would like to be prepared just in case.
2010- 8 pair
2011- 24 pair- 112 eggs- 103 fledge
2012- 40 pair- 147 eggs so far
PMAC Member
2011- 24 pair- 112 eggs- 103 fledge
2012- 40 pair- 147 eggs so far
PMAC Member
Last year was the first time I felt our martins were getting too hungry. I took the advice of people and valiantly tried flinging crickets in the air both with a spoon and with my hand. Didn't work. Finally out of frustration I lowered the gourd rack and lined the interior of the occupied gourds with crickets. The next morning all of the crickets were gone. I tried it again the next evening, and again in the morning the crickets were gone. They were frozen, and dead, so I am sure the martins must have eaten them. That, plus the fact that the martins seemed so much more lively gave me the confidence to do the same thing this year should the need arise.
Sue P
Sue P