Hand warmers

[brent]

Hi all. Where do you put hand warmers in the compartments during really cold nights? Thanks, Brent

[flyin-lowe]

I would put then on the floor of the compartment with a good layer of pine straw over them.

[brent]

OK I was going to place them between the side of the nest tray and compartment wall. Do you think that on can keep the adjacent compartment warm too? What do you think? I found super hand warmers. Should I put one in each compartment? Thanks, Brent

[flyin-lowe]

What type of housing do you have and what are the nest trays made of? I have used similar style handwarmers before (never seen the 18 hour ones) and I don't think they produce enough heat to affect an adjacent cavity. I have a T 14 with wood nest trays and I am not sure how much heat would transfer through the wood. I would activate one of those and see how hot it actually gets. As long as it's not hot enough to burn your skin, I assume it wouldn't' get hot enough to harm the martin if they would come in direct contact with it. That is why I said to put a layer of pine needles over it. I have a cheap infrared temp gun from Amazon that would come in handy in doing some testing with these hand warmers.

[brent]

I have 2 Trensetter houses both have 8 compartments. The trays are as shown in the attachments. I’m going to put the warmers in Wednesday late afternoon. Temperature will go down to mid to upper 20’s. Am I overly concerned? Brent

[C.C.Martins]

No Brent, your not. Hand warmers sound like a done deal. They will need food too, crickets on porches next. Its a 3 or 4 day event, look to see if they are huddling in one compartment, target that one. Imagine if those warmers keep em nice and toasty they won't need to huddle for warmth. So food.
3 to 4 days, we have our work cut out for us but we've got to try to save some martins.

[Thomas Maddox]

From lots of reading of information from our northern landlords, it appears unless it's really cold over a long period of time, the temperature isn't as much of an issue as the lack of food. They just can't tolerate going much over 3 days without eating and it looks like 4 straight days here. Sometimes they eat the supplemental feedings and sometimes they don't. I'm definitely trying to feed them by Thursday. I did buy some hand warmers. With all of the wrong forecasts we've gotten over, hopefully this one is off (at least somewhat). Praying for our landlords and birds!

[C.C.Martins]

Friday for sure down here, they will be quite ready. Wednesday hope they hunker down. Its food, have to get something in them.
I plan on no flipping, too much wasted effort for them. Ill put worms on the porches and my makeshift platforms over the gourd racks. Throw some on my roof. Iv 6k superworms, this is when they need them most.
Its going to be bad enough for us and especially bad for our northern landlords.

[Thomas Maddox]

Friday for sure down here, they will be quite ready. Wednesday hope they hunker down. Its food, have to get something in them.
I plan on no flipping, too much wasted effort for them. Ill put worms on the porches and my makeshift platforms over the gourd racks. Throw some on my roof. Iv 6k superworms, this is when they need them most.
Its going to be bad enough for us and especially bad for our northern landlords.

Have they eaten the superworms for you before?

[Martintown33]

Agree guys.. handwarmers may help.. I don’t like this 4 day weather set up.. but it’s the food supply that worries me.. I will put my house heater in.. it’s a mounted reptile cage heater element, with an in-line rheostat, so I can tune the heat to the right level.. it radiates heat to surrounding compartments without giving off any light.. but my main concern is food..I will put crickets on porches and in compartments but, I have had limited success with supplemental feeding, except for females willingly using them to feed their chicks and themselves, during feeding season.. man I hate seeing them suffer in these cold weather events.. crap..
Praying that all goes as well as possible..
Good luck to all.
Rob

[C.C.Martins]

Have they eaten the superworms for you before?

Yes, last few years had lots of success, so they recognize it. To the point they ignore the crickets and let them fall. Flipped a few days ago, only a few takers. Lots of takers during the summer drought but can't supplemental feed through a drought.

[flyin-lowe]

Being in Indiana I have had to feed a few times over the years. The first year I bought crickets from a local pet shop, just because we didn't have much advanced notice and I didn't have a lot of martins around. About 2 days into no food I started flipping and within 10 minutes they were eating, if they are hungry it didn't take long. The last few times I have had to feet I go to a local bait shop and get "bee larvae/bee moths". They are smaller than super worms but a lot cheaper than crickets and they don't have to be killed or stunted like crickets do. That is the problem with areas that don't have to feed very often, you can't really train them to eat flipped food until they really need it.

[brent]

Tomorrow’s (Wednesday) high is going to be around 57 and the low Thursday morning will be 28. Thursday’s high will be around 46 with a low going into Friday of 30. Friday warms up to 50 and Saturday 59. What do you think? Will it be warm enough for them to find food? Flyin-Lowe? Anyone? Thanks, Brent

[C.C.Martins]

While the reported low temps suck, look to the highs. At 50 and 59 for sure there will be food...you are in a bug rich area and better off than some places. They will be ok I think, you got hand warmers so cold is whipped, they may even go to huddle together. Either way, it will be a long, worry-full couple of days.
Here sat is projected to rain, quite sure it won't be a long rain just hope there is feeding time. Think our break day here will be friday. We shall see.
Hope all our birds will be ok Brent,
Tom

[flyin-lowe]

I agree, 50's will be no problem finding food. We have a pretty big lake near my house and over the water I have seen them feeding in the lower 40's.

[Martintown33]

Brent, I’m not sure where you’re getting your temp forecasts from, unless being 60 miles from me, makes that much of a difference.. the forecast here is 50 high, which occurred early this morning.. it’s 47 degrees , cloudy, misty , windy.. at 11 am wenesday and dropping... no feeding today.. 44 for high on Thursday, no feeding.. 46 high on Friday, borderline at best, but probably no feeding.. first chance is Saturday with high of 56.. I’m having flashbacks of 4 years ago when I lost 90% to starvation, despite constantly offering crickets.. it doesn’t matter if it’s 26 or 46.. martins can’t feed in either one.. I only can pray they accept crickets this time.. not confident..
Good luck,
Rob

[brent]

I know. Looks bad. Thawing out some crickets as I write. They never took my flipping them so when I put the warmers in this afternoon I’ll put some on porches or inside compartments. I don’t know what else to do. I am close to Lake Fields. I hope some insects in protected areas are available. The year you speak of I too lost many birds but many came to replace the loss and I had full houses. I just hate the idea of losing any. I have well over 20 birds now. Saddens me. Rob, which is better inside compartments or on porches?

[Martintown33]

Agree Brent.. I lost so many 4 years ago. I would find them , dead of starvation in their compartments, sometimes 5 or 6 at a time, with uneaten crickets laying on the floor right next to them .. very heart breaking.. I buried many martins.. hated every second of it.. to your question, I put the crickets on the outside porches and in the entrance room close to the nesting room.. the mockingbirds and bluebirds will eat many of the crickets on the porches, but my hope is the martins see that, and realize it is food, then eat what’s in their compartments.. it’s very hard to open the compartments to put fresh crickets in, and see that they didn’t eat any.. I’ve had some limited success, with feeding since 4 years ago, so I can only pray…
I hope they make it.. yours too.. but many in the south won’t..
Rob

[Thomas Maddox]

Man, this is so disheartening. So, about 3 days is the max they can go without eating?

[Martintown33]

Hi Thomas. After 3 days, they will be getting to the point that they’re too weak to fly and hunt for food. And , from my experience, 4 years ago, die on the 4th or 5th day without food. Saturday will be the 4th day, and first good chance to hunt for food.. it’s going to be close if that’s too late or not. Unless they can find a little on Friday , hopefully, with high of 46 to 48. I hope they eat the crickets I offer them.
Rob