i need some advice fast.we have a heat wave coming this week and i need to know
if there is anything i can do to help the young martins survive the heat.i have a pond here for the adults.thanks for any help.nestling
heat wave help
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
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- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
I would ask how hot, and for how long? Temps of 90-95 are not going to cause trouble, but if it gets hotter than that, you might add extra ventilation, put ice packs (like the ones you'd put in a cooler) in empty rooms next to occupied rooms, and add second roofs or umbrellas over gourds for shade.
But chances are you don't need to do all that, unless temps are going to stay at mid to upper 90s for several days.
What kind of houses or gourds do you have (please add that info to your profile - it will help people provide better answers to any questions you have)?
But chances are you don't need to do all that, unless temps are going to stay at mid to upper 90s for several days.
What kind of houses or gourds do you have (please add that info to your profile - it will help people provide better answers to any questions you have)?
If it is going to be 103-104 I recommend misting which I posted how I bought a 11.00 misting system for each house and fit one head per gourd.
I have a well so cost of water is not a concern.
If it is around 100 for a week or 2 they will survive but I think the stress takes its toll and you will have fewer fledge. At 103-104 they start jumping and dying.
With misting you have to make sure the moisture isn't going straight into a nest and making it wet. In fact my cheap misters actually do more dripping than misting and I think the steady drip of cold water over a gourd or aluminum house cools very well. I've got one bird that had survived over three weeks of 100 plus with an official high of as high as 109. 109 on the weather channel means about 115-120 when directly in sun on something hot.
I have a well so cost of water is not a concern.
If it is around 100 for a week or 2 they will survive but I think the stress takes its toll and you will have fewer fledge. At 103-104 they start jumping and dying.
With misting you have to make sure the moisture isn't going straight into a nest and making it wet. In fact my cheap misters actually do more dripping than misting and I think the steady drip of cold water over a gourd or aluminum house cools very well. I've got one bird that had survived over three weeks of 100 plus with an official high of as high as 109. 109 on the weather channel means about 115-120 when directly in sun on something hot.
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Guest
it is going to be in mid 90s for at least a week.i have 1 aluminum house with
4 compartments all occupied and the rest are super gourds.i do have a mister and was going to use that on the house.thanks for the info.
nestling
4 compartments all occupied and the rest are super gourds.i do have a mister and was going to use that on the house.thanks for the info.
nestling
I have a s-k martin house with 6 large compartments, and I created a misting system by buying one of they $15 coil misters, then straighteneing out the coil, attaching it to a pvc pole that was taller than the martin house and then slipped the pvc pipe over a 6 ft reebar rod I pounded into the ground. The mist comes out about a foot above the house, and the martins love it. Takes very little water.
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Scott D.- La
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- Location: Louisiana
The mid 90's should not pose a problem if your babies have been well fed to this point, and you have kept the parasites under control. That is considered a normal temperature down here and nothing to worry about.
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Guest
In adding to Scott'e thoughts, I think 100 degrees plus can be handled by the little guys if healthy.If they have ample food their bodies will be receiving enough moisture to exist.
I am not saying to stop misting and attemping to make your colony more comfortable but IMO food is the key factor.
dick
I am not saying to stop misting and attemping to make your colony more comfortable but IMO food is the key factor.
dick
dick I agree food is a factor but how is food affected? It seems to me that around 100 degrees the parents stop feeding, why? Food supply issues via fewer bugs available?
My experience was that the babies stop eating. Once I started misting the parents kept right on feeding during 104 temps making trips all day long. Again we all agree that babies will survive mid 90's to ?. My experience is 101 for a day or two and no babies die but they do stop eating and become stressed.
So if your having an unusual day to 100-101 at say 14 days of age and then it's back in the 90's until 28 then no problems.
But 2 weeks of 100-102 then babies stop eating during day, stress, and start to die after a week or so and even if they reach fledgling age will be too thin to fly.
My experience was that the babies stop eating. Once I started misting the parents kept right on feeding during 104 temps making trips all day long. Again we all agree that babies will survive mid 90's to ?. My experience is 101 for a day or two and no babies die but they do stop eating and become stressed.
So if your having an unusual day to 100-101 at say 14 days of age and then it's back in the 90's until 28 then no problems.
But 2 weeks of 100-102 then babies stop eating during day, stress, and start to die after a week or so and even if they reach fledgling age will be too thin to fly.
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Guest
I would guess that the absense of insects, as they probably die off too when they are subjected to the heat. There is probably not an insect bloom in sufficient numbers in hot dry weather thus no food.
I have not noticed the adults at my colony stoping the feeding activity during hot weather if there was insects to be gathered they did so.They do however slow down when fledge dates are near,,,some say this is done purposely to make them hungry while others say it is to cause them to lose weoght thus making initial flights easier.
I read somewhere that birds have a body temp as high as 112 or was it 114,whatever its up there so why would the heat bother them.The body temp is of course hinged to the species so maybe the PM's are on the lower end of that scale.
I guess we will never really know until some PM's are put into captivity and srudied under similar conditions.
dick
I have not noticed the adults at my colony stoping the feeding activity during hot weather if there was insects to be gathered they did so.They do however slow down when fledge dates are near,,,some say this is done purposely to make them hungry while others say it is to cause them to lose weoght thus making initial flights easier.
I read somewhere that birds have a body temp as high as 112 or was it 114,whatever its up there so why would the heat bother them.The body temp is of course hinged to the species so maybe the PM's are on the lower end of that scale.
I guess we will never really know until some PM's are put into captivity and srudied under similar conditions.
dick
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kimball911
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 6:33 pm
- Location: Kansas/Iola
This heatwave has just been too much, for too many days. I have lost 9 babies out of 35. I have natural gourds, all painted white, no parasite problems, but when it's 109 in the shade...you just have to expect some of them not to make it. I expect all the nest will be empty this week, which will be a relief, as they heat is not expected to break any time soon. And it's not just the Martins...cows are dying in pastures, turkeys/chickens...just too much heat.
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Laverne
- Posts: 2216
- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:58 pm
- Location: TX/Alvin
- Martin Colony History: Erected 1st house in 1997. Birds were checking it out before Mike got down from the ladder. Six cavities had a little colony 1st year. Grown to 88 cavities all gourds with near 100% occupancy. Most important factor for success is rain = bugs.
kimball911... you have my sympathy. We lost many nestlings this season - not from heat, but from drought. It has been a long, dry spell for us. The likes of which I have never seen.
Nestling...
There have been many weeks where the highs reached the upper 90s and low 100s in the afternoons. I have found that running a lawn sprinkler beneath the PM housing would cool things off a little bit. If you have no other options, you might try that... But, temperatures in the 90s will not normally kill PM nestlings. The temps usually fall back into the high 70s low 80s for the night and this gives the birds a break. I believe the most important factor is food... there must be bugs - big fat juicy bugs... yum!
Good luck!
Sincerely,
Laverne
Nestling...
There have been many weeks where the highs reached the upper 90s and low 100s in the afternoons. I have found that running a lawn sprinkler beneath the PM housing would cool things off a little bit. If you have no other options, you might try that... But, temperatures in the 90s will not normally kill PM nestlings. The temps usually fall back into the high 70s low 80s for the night and this gives the birds a break. I believe the most important factor is food... there must be bugs - big fat juicy bugs... yum!
Good luck!
Sincerely,
Laverne
Sincerely,
Laverne
Laverne
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ToyinPA
- Posts: 2227
- Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
- Location: PA/Avis
- Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.
I've seen my martin parents slow down or stop feeding in the upper 80's here in PA. I've watched adults & chicks both start panting in the mid 80's. We also have high humidity here, which adds to it.
We've not had rain in weeks now & the bug populatin is low. If they haven't been fed well the high temps will be harder on them.
I also wonder if the "northern" martins can fair in the hotter temps like the "southern" martins do?
I shoot water up over the houses & let it fall like rain to cool them down. Mid afternoon into late afternoon is the hottest/worst time for them. Use caution not to get the nests wet.
Toy in PA
We've not had rain in weeks now & the bug populatin is low. If they haven't been fed well the high temps will be harder on them.
I also wonder if the "northern" martins can fair in the hotter temps like the "southern" martins do?
I shoot water up over the houses & let it fall like rain to cool them down. Mid afternoon into late afternoon is the hottest/worst time for them. Use caution not to get the nests wet.
Toy in PA
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Guest
Panting in itself is not alarming,it just means they have turned their air conditioner on like the dogs do, it would indicate they are warm,,,,,,
the geographic location may have some affect but I would think only after a time periord.
dick
the geographic location may have some affect but I would think only after a time periord.
dick
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Kathy in VA
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:24 am
- Location: Virginia/Scottsburg
- Martin Colony History: It took me 11 years to get martins. It finally happened in 2010! Been going strong, ever since! I have a 12-gourd rack, full and overflowing!! I love this hobby!
nestling,
In case you missed seeing it, here is the link to a previous Forum post with some ideas for cooling: http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... 9d950477ff
I used the plastic storage tub lids to shade my active-nest gourds and they worked great for me; I had no nestling losses or jumpers in our heat wave. Just leave an air gap between the lid and the roof of your martin house for air circulation.
Best wishes to you,
Kathy
In case you missed seeing it, here is the link to a previous Forum post with some ideas for cooling: http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... 9d950477ff
I used the plastic storage tub lids to shade my active-nest gourds and they worked great for me; I had no nestling losses or jumpers in our heat wave. Just leave an air gap between the lid and the roof of your martin house for air circulation.
Best wishes to you,
Kathy
Kathy in VA