Help! 1 baby dead

[Guest]

It's so hot. 102 and 111 heat index. We had 3 babies, about 11 days old. THey were OK at lunch, but tonite when we got home, 1 baby is gone. Not on the ground, just gone. WE figured he died of the heat anbd the parents took him away.

The other 2 didnt' look good. THey were on bare metal, so we put a little nesting material and some green leaves under them to get them up off the hot metal. We sprayed the box down with the hose, being careful to not get water in the compartment and are going out to spray every 15 mins or so now, giving the parents time to feed in between, and they are feeding. we took off the crescent door and put on a round hole for better air flow.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. Can anyone suggest what else we can do? We considered putting an umbrella up on the west side of the house (the babies are on the east side Trio Grandpa) but are wondering if this would spook the parents.

Please if anyone has sugestions, let us know, we are worried about losing our last 2 babies!

THANK YOU!

[iluvbirds]

Hi Ren, I'm so sorry you lost one of the babies. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Getting them off of the metal floor has to help a lot. I think the the umbrella would help too. I don't think it would scare the parents off. Just watch and make sure that they go in. Hopefully, Laverne or someone can come in here and give you more suggestions. Please let us know how they're doing tomorrow. It has been really hot here too. The last of my bunch fledged yesterday. I do have 2 nest boxes of bluebirds. I checked on them today, and they seem to be doing fine...(knocking on wood)....Good luck to you, I hope they make it... Pat

[John Miller]

Ren

Sounds like you've done all you can. Misting will surely help. The bigger hole sounds reasonable too -- at least for this hot spell which is supposed to break in a few days. (Some temperature tests find rapid interior temp reduction with just a little breeze.)

I am concerned about how long it will take the birds to get used to the umbrella.

This winter, put styrofoam in the attic and maybe on the walls too, and maybe styrofoam nest bowls -- or a lot more pine needles.

John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo

P.S. Are these babies in the top level? I've extended the rooflines out on Trio houses a bit for more shadding, using aluminum flashing. You can experiement by cutting a piece of white poster board about four inches wide and the width of the roof, then temporarily slip it up under the edge, letting it stick out about about two inches beyond. It would provide a little more shade across the compartment front and maybe not spook the adults too much. If you want to see a photo, email me by PM.

[CUL Lou~Mich]

I'd say if one were going to add an umbrella, or something like this, it should be done EARLY in the morning. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long for the parents to get used to it. CUL Lou

[Guest]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions Pat, John, and Lou.

Good news! We found the 3rd baby alive and well in another compartment. Maybe it was trying to get away from the heat? It was laying on bare floor just like we've found the other two. We've added leaves and other material to their nests twice, but each time we go back out, it's been pushed aside and the babies are on the bare floor again. Any ideas why?We put it back in w/ the others. The parents are feeding every 15-20 mins. They are our subbie couple who just couldn't seem to get it together for the longest time and are doing a great job as parents now. We calculated the fledge date of August 4th.....long past the usual time. This nest is on the bottom floor so it does get more shade from the upper porch.

We have given up the idea of an umbrella but love the styrofoam idea. We have some modifications to do over the winter and will keep this in mind.

It's 11am here and already 97 degrees out. We've decided to mist the house every 1/2 hour or so. Today will be the hottest day, so if we can get through today we should be ok. If anyone has any ideas of other things we should be doing, please let us know.


Thanks for all of your help! We'll keep you posted.

Last, but certainly not least........we caught a male sparrow in the throes of late nest building w/ our trusty spare-o-door trap. Yippeee! Nite Nite little sparrow.

[John Miller]

So glad you found the presumed dead baby. Call the newspaper!

I think they wander when under stress. Porch dividers may help next year.

I've also found that after I replaced nesting material, it got pushed aside or just disappeared. The babies push continually with their feet. As you've seen, the sub pairs in particular make thin nests. I've found many nests with ASY pairs also wear through. It's probably not a concern after the babies are well feathered out.

These might be the last fledgings in Missouri -- do the best you can for them and keep us posted.

John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo

[iluvbirds]

Ren, I'm so glad you found the last baby alive!.... ..... What kind of nesting material are you using? I used cedar shavings once, and they threw every bit of it out. They seem to love the soft pine needles I use. I've never seen any of it tossed out. Maybe you could try a different type of material and see if they will leave it. Sounds like your SY pair is doing a fine job in taking care of them... ... I think if you keep misting the house like you're doing they will be fine. Great job on getting that Sparrow!... ....Keep us informed.....Pat

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Ren. I'm worried about Splayed legs on the babies. You say they are on the bare floor, and you say you wanted to get them up off the bare metal floor. I'm taking it that the house is aluminum then. Correct?? If so, and there is no nesting material under them, they are in danger of Splayed Leg. This is caused by them NOT getting any traction when trying to walk, and their legs just slide off to the side. You need to get some "Shelf Liner." Comes in different colors. I've found it in a couple of places. Hardware section of Wal Mart. Also in a bin at a Dollar Store. Oh, also found it a couple days ago in a Clearance Bin at NAPA. (An automotive supple store.) It's sort of a sticky plastic. Not sticky like glue, just that it don't slip around. Don't know as it's called anything but "Drawer Liner." It's not at all expensive, and you can cut it to the correct size for the apartments, take the babies out, lay it in, then put them back in. Don't think it'd need any kind of glue, or fasteners. Just lay it in. Good Luck. CUL Lou

[Guest]

Yes, Lou, it is alumninum house. I believe I know what you're talking about in the drawer liner. Thanks for that idea. Isn't the surface of that slick, though? Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong stuff. Do you or anyone else know if that grippy stuff you can use as shelf liner--it's kind of grippy but no glue or anything, kind of spongy, would that work? Or is that what you're talking about Lou?

It's 103 here this afternoon and we're misting regularly. Babies seem comfortable when we check on them, perky and gaping. Getting fed regularly by both subbie mom and dad. Tomorrow should be about 100 degrees, so that will be a challenge with being at work. Will come home at noon and mist, then at 5 pm. Hopefully they will be OK in between.

Thanks again everybody. "The last fledglings in Missouri," so named by John, are going to make it!
:D

[Louise Chambers]

The misting will help, so keep that up. Could you possibly add sheets of styrofoam right on top of existing roof??that would keep it from getting so hot inside and if the foam sheets overhung the existing roof edge a bit, it would create more shade, as John Miller mentioned. The foam sheets could be fastened on quickly with bungee cords, and if there is a small space between roof and foam sheets, that also would cool the house more. It might spook the parents briefly, but if you add the foam first thing in the morning, they should feel comfortable within a short time, but if several hours go by and they are not used to it and feeding the nestlings, you could remove the foam.

Another easy way to do some temporary cooling is to make homemade slush packs - use heavy duty zip lock freezer bags and double them - make two packs by filling inner bags with water and a little rubbing alcohol (this will keep the slush packs more flexible since they won't freeze completely). Put the bags in the freezer for a few hours, then place a slush pack inside the adjacent cavities (not in cavity with nestlings), up against wall it shares with the occupied cavity. This will cool things down considerably - you can make several slush packs up and change them once or twice a day. If you are doing fine with misting you may want to just continue that, but if you are going to be away during afternoon when things are hottest, the slush packs might be used then.

good luck, let us know how it goes -

Louise

[Guest]

Awesome idea, Louise...I am going to try it this afternoon while i'm gone!

Thanks again, everyone! If we can make it through this afternoon, I think we're home free. The babies are fine so far today. We'll keep you posted.

[Laverne]

Hello Ren.

Did you get something on that bare metal floor to give the nestlings some traction?

Purple Martins will frequently add twigs and mud to their nesting material. This combination dries into a stable enough base to allow the nestlings to get their feet under them. The shelf or drawer liner material Lou suggested sounds like it would work "very" well and no more problem with slipping little feet pushing the nesting material to the sides of the nest cavity. I would put a 1 - 2 inch layer of pine needles or hay or long grass clippings on top of the liner material to help insulate the young from the heat. The air between the straw-like material would help in cooling their little bodies. That's what I would do...

The heat sounds horrible - Styrofoam on the roof and the west side of the house sounds like a great suggestion. Plus slushy, ice packs to neighboring compartments - like air conditioning.

I'm so happy you found the 3rd nestling! How old are these nestlings?

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Ren. Far as I know, the stuff I'm referring to is just called Drawer liner. It feel sticky. Well, not sticky, just sort of has a "I'm going to grip things" feeling. You can lay it on a counter, and NOT slide it across the counter top. Might feel just a bit spongy. Any way, I think you would be able to find the correct stuff either at Wal Mart, or a dollar store. The stuff I'm referring to does NOT have any side that is slippery. It's sticky/grippy on both sides. It's used a lot in motor homes to keep utinsels from sliding around in drawers. Also used under silverware trays in drawers. I'm sure if you feel it once, you'll know without a doubt that you've got the correct stuff. It just has "That" feel to it. CUL Lou

[Guest]

Laverne, the nestlings are 13 days old. I will put the drawer liner down and grab some pine needles from under the trees here at work, and some long grasses on top of that.

Put the slush packs in the adjoining compartment and they seemed comfy and happy when I left. When I get home at 5:15 I will be making a beeline for the pole to make sure they are ok.

Is Splayed Leg syndrome visible to the layperson? Will I be able to tell if they have it? What kind of permanent effect will it have on the birds?

Thanks eveyone!

[Guest]

The shelf liner he's talking about is really similar to the liner you put underneath rugs to keep them from sliding around. I think they are made mainly of silicone. Im going to try it next year too. You can get them at Wal-Mart or any home store.

[Laverne]

http://www.purplemartin.org/update/10(1)mishaps.html

This is a link to a photo and some information on "splayed leg syndrome". I hope that your nestlings do not have this condition. The article says the prognosis is not good. They still have about 15 days left in the nest - if this was beginning to be a problem for them, maybe you have corrected it in time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be okay.

Let us know what you find when you look at them this evening. If you find that they are exhibiting the splayed leg symptom, I would put an extra layer of cushiony nest material beneath them. That will hold their bodies up and let their legs go down into a more natural position. Perhaps the condition will be reversed with a little time. They are young enough to come out of this okay (in my humble opinion).

[Guest]

Lou and JGragg, I put in the right stuff :D Thanks! Would this be a good measure to take early in the season, to put this down in the compartments then put pine needles on top? I feel it would not be all that sanitary, but I guess a martin nest is not all that sanitary anyway by the time it's all said and done. You could just replace it every year. I would think since it is a bit spongy, there may be air cells that could help with insulation against heat and cold as well?

Laverne, thank you for the link.. I am going to read now, and then look at them this evening. I'll let you know what I find as far as the splayed legs.

Thanks again everyone!

[Guest]

Good news, I checked the babies for splayed legs and so far they look OK. The largest of the nestlings had an ever so slight splay, barely discernable, so maybe we caught it just in time.

The "3 Amigos" were fine as far as heat goes when I got here, those slush packs worked like a charm. I'm misting again til the temp falls lower than 98 or so, and the forecast says it's all over after today, and in the high 80's tomorrow.

Thanks again for everyone's help in getting through this stressful time and helping us salvage what has been a difficult martin year.

:D

[Laverne]

Great News, Ren!

...and good job! Luck was on your side.

Please keep us informed on the progress of your nestlings. Best wishes...

[Guest]

Just an update:

The cold front rolled through today, and it's now about 71 degrees and we've had a nice shower. What a welcome change for people and birds around here!

I checked in on our fledglings and they were snug in their "new" nest with the drawer liner base. No nesting material had been tossed out at all--that must have just been happening as they were trying to get a grip on the floor. Poor things, next time we'll know what to look for. We've said that about so many things this year, it has been a lot of learning this time around.

Don't know what we would have done w/out this forum. Thanks again!