Supplement feeding

[Martinmelody]

New Martin landlord here...It is going to be raining for 4 days here. I have Martin babies. Do I need to supplement feed? Or will the parents still be able to find food?

[flyin-lowe]

If there are breaks in the rain they should be fine. If the rain never stops for four days, then yes you would need to try flipping crickets. I am not from your part of the country but when I have been down there from time to time neve experienced all day rains for multiple days. If it stops raining for a little bit they bugs will come out and they should feed.

[John Miller]

Continuous rain over several days can indeed cause death of young, especially newly hatched to about 15 days. I think some die of cool temps -- they don' t have feathers yet and the parents don't sit on them, but are out trying to find food, and of course rain clears the air of insects. As said, if breaks in showers, may be okay. But if you feed, to help young may be better to put on a platform or porches of houses so the parents can just take it inside to the young, not flipping as we sometimes do for adults during cold spells.

[flyin-lowe]

Everyones exeriences are different. I have never been able to get mine to eat from a feeder or platform, only on the fly. They took to flipped crickets the first year I ever had to feed, in about 10 minutes. There were some who were huddled on the shingled roof of my house and I flipped crickets up there and they just looked at them. I have had martins for a long time and fortunately in my area I have only had to feed maybe 3 or 4 springs. For the vast majority of the years the weather is good enough. All the times I have had to feed have been within the last 7 years or so.

[brent]

I’m in Southeast Louisiana and had to supplement feed the last 3 days and again this morning. For a long time I was unable to get the birds to take crickets and mealworms until one day last season. Some birds were huddled on my roof and I decided to try flipping there and they took the food. This year the martins remembered and again they took the food both on the roof and flipped in the air. I use mealworms and crickets. I order them live, freeze them and then thaw them in warm water until absolutely thawed and still warm. The last few days it rained just about all day. The adults would fill their beaks with crickets and mealworms and take them to the chicks. I had some from neighboring colonies coming to get food too. I even had fledglings sit on the roof and beg for food from the parents and they were fed. They will take the food right off the roof. I put another order for 10,000 mealworms and 3,000 crickets just in case. What I do is once they arrive I freeze them and then put them in freezer bags. Wrap them in newspaper and they will keep. Toy in PA is the one on the forum that told me how the keep them. They will last, if packaged right, in the freezer. I will use them after frozen for up to a year. Usually I will restock if they are older than that but I’m sure they’d still be good. Funny thing is the birds have often, in their way by going on the roof, told me when they are ready for food. Good luck.