Will my new ASY's be annoyed if I toss them crickets&egg

[Guest]

The weather hasn't been too bad around here on the North shore of Lake Erie but I'm keen on trying out supplemental feeding for my new arrivals, (3 ASY). From what I've read it seems like a good idea to train your martins to eat egg/crickets before any really bad weather hits. I guess I want to know if I would be annoying the martins or perhaps giving them a reason to find another nest site? We still get terrible cold snaps in May and I want to be prepared, and yes I want to bond with my birds too but is it too soon?

Thanks

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi Ania,

Your weather is probably similar to mine. My colony is feeding itself just fine and I suspect yours is, too. I think tossing food now would be a waste of time and money.

What you could do instead is build or purchase a tall platform feeder like the Bed & Breakfast sold by PMCA. Set it up within 10' of the martin house and martins will use it as extra perching. After they start perching on it, use it to offer egg shells. Then on cool, rainy, or windy days, offer crickets on the feeder. There is a fair chance they will learn to eat crickets in this manner. The other thing you can do is leave dead crickets on their porches or in their housing while they are away hunting on bad weather days. If they return hungry, they may eat the crickets.

I did introduce my colony to supplemental feeding by slingshotting crickets. However, the birds were on the brink of starvation before they would accept them. After the first bird finally got curious and caught that first cricket, the whole colony joined in and BINGO they all learned immediately. But it didn't happen until they were desperately hungry.

If you do want to try tossing, I recommend you use a slingshot or flip crickets with a plastic spoon. The throwing motion of an arm can be threatening for martins not accustomed to it plus you have to get uncomfortably close. After martins understand what it's all about, the throwing motion won't scare them at all -and- they won't mind you being close.

Good luck, Mary

[Guest]

Sounds good,


Thanks again Mary!

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Ania. I'd suggest if you feel like it, and can afford the loss, then go ahead and try to get your PMs to eat either eggs, or crickets. Lots of folks are now finding they can get some PMs to eat Scrambled eggs. Just take an egg or two or three, scramble them in a bowl, then put on a Microwave safe plate, and start nuking them. Cook for one minute, stir, cook another minute, stir. You do NOT want to put anything in with them. You want them to be in quite small chunks. Some folks recommend getting a chopper, such as one would use for cutting up strawberries or such, and using that. Make the chunks 1/4 inch wide by maybe 1/2 inch long. Folks are also finding now that they hard boil eggs, then mash them up to the above size, and put them on the feeder, shells, egg and all. Some say their birds won't take Eggs at all. So you'll have to experiment with it, and see what they go for. Also if you're going to fling with a plastic spoon, it's recommended you take several out. They seem to break pretty easily. Good Luck. CUL Lou

[Guest]

Thanks Lou,

I'd like to try some feeding on cold mornings and I have plenty of eggs to spare from my flock of 14 hens.

Cheers!

[Guest]

I have offered eggshells last year. They were eating them pretty good. My only problem is how do you keep the eggs shell, crickets, ect from blowing out of the feeding tray on windy days? It looked to me that the trays on the bed and breakfast were made of aluminum. Noth sure how high the sides are, may 1"? I used a aluminum pie pan and rolled the outer lip inward. Roughed the bottom and sides up with a dremel, drilled hole in bottom for drainage. Thought maybe rolling edge would catch some of the eggshells on a windy day.

Is there a better way to solve this problem.......Or do I need to eat a lot more eggs

Thanks!
Craig C

[Bob Flam]

I just got my Bed-N-Breakfast back up at my new house. And one of the ASY girls immediately went to it and got eggshells. I was pretty sure after moving 2 miles that some of the asy's I have now are from my site in town. I had cut it in size to 1/2 when I moved.

The ASY,s that came here immediately went thru the crescent srehs and one even chose an excluder gourd over 2 round holes I have in the house. I'm now sure at least a couple, if not all, are from the other site after watching them go to the B&B. Cricket tossing would confirm it further

The egg shells and crickets don't blow out too bad. If you put straw in it...thats another story. I save egg shells all year long ...hafta... they'll go through em and even go to the ground and pick up ones that get thrown out. The martins throw more out than get blown out. Egg shells that is...crickets don't make it long enough

But it's been a real mild year here. In fact, it's the 1st year in about 5 that I didn't need to feed them so far.

Even seen a white breasted nuthatch getting some shells today. Other birds raid it too once they figure it out

bob

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi Bob,

It surely does sound like some of your martins have moved with you. That is really cool!


Hi Craig,

I don't have problems with food or eggshells blowing out of the B&B. Maybe your site is windier than mine. I do line the trays with a moist double-layer of paper towel before spreading scrambled egg on top. This helps keep eggs moist (and heavy) longer and makes it easy to keep the feeding area clean.

My best, Mary