Drought and many starving babies in Buda, central Texas

[TexasMatt]

Hello All,

I have not posted here since 2020 and sorry I cannot post my detail due at this time due to time but I have 27 starving jumpers in shoe and biger boot boxes I am feeding beef heart. I had and returned 32 starving babies on Sunday. the number will get higher and changes. 4 have died in the gourds. Its a ongoing cycle. We had hardly any rain March- May so a effects of drought with high heat have kicked in beginning of June. I knew it was coming due to the daily hot wind blowing in April and May which was similiar to the year of the Great Drought in 2011.

Under present natural circumstances, I suspect I will lose up to around 50+ babies to starvation this year out of 28 nesting pairs. Entire broods are jumping. I check them to see jutting chest bones you could possibly cut jello with and the rib cages sticking up above sunken in bellies with dehydration naturally.

I have seen this before in the year of the Great Drought. Its a PM keeper's nightmare. One is left watching the large scale suffering to death of dozens of these sweet scared babies that would otherwise live. There are no nest infestations( 1 lone benefit of drought conditions since mite plumes happen mostly with a reliable rainy season) I have sun broads erected over all the gourds.



Would anyone have a link or links to purchasing live crickets and/or grasshoppers by the hundreds at the best prices? I have ordered from such places before but it has been years so I have forgotten the company name and link.

If I were to attempt to provide mass crickets on feeders, maybe parents will use them for feeding. The problem here is due to the number and entire broods jumping, I cannot be sure which birds belong in which gourds. I suspect some birds have abandoned their babies but I not sure which. It is doubtful to work but no other options.

Another possibility would be transplanting them to someone from the North Texas area round about DFW area or even better, East Texas that has a big colony that are doing well with parents feeding and got more rain this Spring. I of course do not hold this to anyone but it is another possibility if the opportunity was presented. .

Good links or info is much appreciated


Matt

[brent]

I am so sorry to hear about this Matt. I order from Flukers Farm. Google them online. They are in Louisiana and they do have over night delivery. I know at times they limit the order but don’t know if they’re doing it now. My heart goes out. Brent

[ToyinPA]

Matt:

Flukers Farms https://flukerfarms.com/ or Reptile Food https://reptilefood.com/

You will need an average of 30-40 five to six week old (3/4" to 7/8" size) crickets per chick per day to keep them fat & happy. They should be feed 3-4 times a day. If they are under weight they won't be able to fledge.

I use bent end tweezers like these: https://www.amazon.com/ACE-Tweezers-Twe ... B07B5QGHCT

You will need to gently open their beak & place a cricket in it. Once they get the idea they will usually grab them from the tweezers. I would suggest you start them off by dipping the crickets in Pedialyte. Clear is best.

Parents will feed them to chicks off platforms, or catch flipped crickets, etc, but they may also feed themselves first. Survival of the fittest.

Place the cricket boxes in a plastic grocery bag & tie it shut. Then into your freezer for 12-24 hours. Then sort out any trash & bag them in Ziploc bags. I do about 100 per bag.

Best wishes....you sure have your hands full.


Toy in PA

[C.C.Martins]

The critter depot

Fluker farms

Armstrongs crickets

All good

Tom

[TexasMatt]

I am so sorry to hear about this Matt. I order from Flukers Farm. Google them online. They are in Louisiana and they do have over night delivery. I know at times they limit the order but don’t know if they’re doing it now. My heart goes out. Brent

HI Brett, Thank you for company names. I have 2000 coming but won't get here til Friday.

[TexasMatt]

Matt:

Flukers Farms https://flukerfarms.com/ or Reptile Food https://reptilefood.com/

You will need an average of 30-40 five to six week old (3/4" to 7/8" size) crickets per chick per day to keep them fat & happy. They should be feed 3-4 times a day. If they are under weight they won't be able to fledge.

I use bent end tweezers like these: https://www.amazon.com/ACE-Tweezers-Twe ... B07B5QGHCT

You will need to gently open their beak & place a cricket in it. Once they get the idea they will usually grab them from the tweezers. I would suggest you start them off by dipping the crickets in Pedialyte. Clear is best.

Parents will feed them to chicks off platforms, or catch flipped crickets, etc, but they may also feed themselves first. Survival of the fittest.

Place the cricket boxes in a plastic grocery bag & tie it shut. Then into your freezer for 12-24 hours. Then sort out any trash & bag them in Ziploc bags. I do about 100 per bag.

Best wishes....you sure have your hands full.


Toy in PA

Toy, Thank you for the links and names. I have 2000 coming on Friday but I do not think I will be able to get these birds in the air. This is what droughts do. Bad times and bad memories. We do what we can.

[TexasMatt]

The critter depot

Fluker farms

Armstrongs crickets

All good

Tom

Tom, Thank you for the names. What I see here is what I remember in the "Year of The Great Drought 2011". Its getting like a dust bowl now with hot from heater like wind blowing dust devils parching your throat and it ain't even 06/15 yet. We got 3.5 months of dog day drought summer left. hahaha. no rain in sight.
Can't do much about the weather.
If this would have hit a little less than 2 weeks later, most the birds I am seeing in on the ground would have been fledged by now. They are just shy.. of full length wings but got hit with starving. None were sick or injured. Its a heart breaking sh!t sandwich to eat.

[ToyinPA]

[/quote]
Toy, Thank you for the links and names. I have 2000 coming on Friday but I do not think I will be able to get these birds in the air. This is what droughts do. Bad times and bad memories. We do what we can.
[/quote]

Don't be so sure they won't fledge. I had a chick that was 40 days old before it fledged. Parents left it behind when it's clutch mate fledged. Do what you can to keep them fed & hope for the best.

Toy in PA

[Sharon - Central TX]

TexasMatt

There is a rehabber north of Georgetown, Allthingswildrehab.org. They will take purple martins.

[Elmo]

I live just north of San Antonio and while feeling the effects of the drought, I only have one nest with three babies. I am on some acreage but I am able to water parts so I am providing the opportunity for the birds to forage.

OTOH, I will buy some crickets today and see if the parents are interested.