Is the last chick being fed?

[Debby Pearsall]

I'm a brand new member and landlord.

This year one sub-adult pair laid three eggs, two of which hatched on the 2nd of July. The first chick fledged a week ago. In the last two days the activity around the box has gone down considerably. I still see the parents (?) entering the compartment, but less often than before. How can I know that the chick is being fed enough?

I'll apologize in advance because I'm sure the answer to this question is somewhere in the extensive forum archives, but I couldn't find it.

[trisha]

I would wait another day or two and then lower the house and check it out. The baby may have splayed legs or something and can't fly. Do you see it coming to the opening/door looking out? they usually do that before they fledge. You can make a sock and string to plug the hole while you lower the house so that it doesn't fledge while you are lowering it. It is easier to have 2 people doing this. One standing by with the sock and string attached and plug the hole as soon as it is low enough. Check the hole, and then raise it back slowly with plug inserted again. Wait a few minutes and then pull the plug (sock and string) back out.

Where are you located? Let us know how it goes.

[Dan G]

I am a new member and not even a landlord yet, but i am trying to learn, so I will offer my opinion and wait to see from the others here. I would think that multiple chicks fledge closer to the same time, and not a week apart. Can you lower your house to make sure they both haven't fledged. Of course, it may jump if you lower the house. Is he peeking out? In the event only one chick is left, they parents only have to feed half as often.

[Debby Pearsall]

I think the remaining chick looks too downy to fledge immediately. She/he is very bright, but cowers in the back of the compartment when I open the door. I'll use the sock and string technique. And hopefully she will be used to being checked, since I have done it four times already.

When we banded the chicks ten days ago, there were two big cicadas left in the nest for the chicks. They're gone now, so someone ate them. If I put egg pieces in the box with her, will she eat them if she is hungry?

I'm in PA near the Water Gap on the Delaware River in the far East of the state. That's right where Rt. 80 crosses the Delaware.

Thank you for your suggestions.

[trisha]

Hi. I wanted to see if the baby had looked out any today? Do you have any frozen crickets you could thaw and put in with it? Have you seen the parents? sometimes they come and we don't see them.. keep us posted.

[Debby Pearsall]

2014 One pair. Two fledged! : )

It think she actually fledged yesterday, but when I checked this morning she was gone. Well, I'll miss the new exciting addition to my life, but I'm relieved it is out of my hands now.

Interestingly the pieces of boiled egg I left for her two days ago were all cleaned up. Also there were little fingernail-sized clam shells in the shavings. Next year I'll put a calcium source on the porches.

I saw four and five fledglings flying around the place in the last two days. Earlier in the year there were visitations from an adult pair occasionally. And there seemed to be a more or less permanent residence of two other sub adults who even claimed some of the porches, but never nested. I hope that all means that I'll have more pairs next year.

There are only six compartments in this box, but I have another pole in the ground and some gourds to put on it. My winter project will be to get that together.

Thank you for your interest.

[ToyinPA]

Debby:

Glad to hear your baby fledged & is OK.

You can save egg shells & crush them to give to the martins. I rinse them well & peel the membrane out, then set them on paper towels to dry & then crush them & keep them in a ziploc bag. Sometimes I will put them in a large bowl with water & a drop of dish detergent & let them set a bit. Then rinse them well.

We put a frisbee, upside down, on top of our clothes line pole. Drilled a few holes in it for drainage & one or two screw to hole it in place. The martins sit right in the middle & get egg shells. They also feed them to the chicks. I tried the oyster shell, but my colony didn't like it, so I went back to saving egg shells.

I had 10 pair this year & they went thru a good 3 cups of crushed egg shells.

Toy in PA

[Louise Chambers]

We noted at the PMCA site that our martins preferred chicken eggshell, but since oyster shell provides more calcium & is more beneficial to the martins, it's worth putting both out, mixed together - maybe the martins can be trained to use the oyster more often. Or go tough love and only provide oyster! That's all we put out here and they use it just fine.

[ToyinPA]

We noted at the PMCA site that our martins preferred chicken eggshell, but since oyster shell provides more calcium & is more beneficial to the martins, it's worth putting both out, mixed together - maybe the martins can be trained to use the oyster more often. Or go tough love and only provide oyster! That's all we put out here and they use it just fine.

I'll try that next year & see how it goes. I often find tiny pieces of glass in nest each year too.

Toy in PA

[trisha]

hooray! I'm glad it fledged! You'll have more birds next year! Great job!