It looks like the St. Louis weather will take a turn for the worse in the next few days. We have about 7 PMs which, some of which are spending the night in our gourd rack. I have lots of crickets in the freezer, mealworms in the fridge, a feeding platform ready. BUT, my birds are "untrained". We lost at least 16 PMs last year to bad weather, and I don't want that to happen again.
To those of you who have trained your PMs - what are some of your success stories about how you did it? I work through the day, so I will only have time in the later afternoon to try flipping crickets. If I come home & they are "holed-up" in the gourds, should I lower the rack to get them to come out? Should I put crickets in the gourds too? How many days should I wait before I try?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Don & Danielle
Need Tips On Training PMs To Take Crickets - St Louis Area
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Don & Danielle
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- Location: Dardenne Prairie, MO (suburb of St. Louis)
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
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- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Don & Danielle,
Here are links to a few articles with good information on feeding martins.
http://purplemartin.org/downloads/FeedingArticle.pdf
http://www.purplemartin.org/update/14.3 ... eeding.pdf
I'm glad you're preparing before the colder weather hits and hope other landlords in the midwest and northest are also watching the weather. I would try flinging (dead, thawed) crickets and also put some in cavities IF you know which ones are being used. Scrambled eggs can be tried once your birds take crickets. A plastic picnic spoon works well for flinging.
You can also do a search on crickets or mealworms to find recent forum threads about feeding. good luck - it was so nice to see you both in St. Louis :-)
Louise
Here are links to a few articles with good information on feeding martins.
http://purplemartin.org/downloads/FeedingArticle.pdf
http://www.purplemartin.org/update/14.3 ... eeding.pdf
I'm glad you're preparing before the colder weather hits and hope other landlords in the midwest and northest are also watching the weather. I would try flinging (dead, thawed) crickets and also put some in cavities IF you know which ones are being used. Scrambled eggs can be tried once your birds take crickets. A plastic picnic spoon works well for flinging.
You can also do a search on crickets or mealworms to find recent forum threads about feeding. good luck - it was so nice to see you both in St. Louis :-)
Louise
Don & Danielle,
I personally have not fed Martins. In addition to the great links Louise provided, the following link is to another great feeding article.
Your Martins are very fortunate to have great landlords like you!
http://www.purplemartin.org/update/9(4)crickettoss.html
I personally have not fed Martins. In addition to the great links Louise provided, the following link is to another great feeding article.
Your Martins are very fortunate to have great landlords like you!
http://www.purplemartin.org/update/9(4)crickettoss.html
I've never had luck with the flinging of crickets - however, I have had GREAT luck putting them into the compartments where the martins are staying. (One bad year all six of the early martins crammed into one comparment!)
When we checked later, the compartments with resident martins had no crickets in them and all of our birds were alive. Since this has been the case every year, we can only assume that this feeding method is successful.
We also have a B&B tray. Only in the very worst of years did I see martins eat the mealworms the we set out there.
Good luck!
When we checked later, the compartments with resident martins had no crickets in them and all of our birds were alive. Since this has been the case every year, we can only assume that this feeding method is successful.
We also have a B&B tray. Only in the very worst of years did I see martins eat the mealworms the we set out there.
Good luck!
Sonja - Athens, OH
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John Miller
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Don and Danielle
I've stocked up on crickets too. I may put some in house compartments. by Friday. You know I learned a few weeks ago that a little pile of crickets near the entrance frighted one bird, so I'll put fewer and clear out a spot in the floor of nest material. Not sure how to handle this in a gourd. Some people use a shallow container, but if birds are not used to it, it may spook them.
I don't think you will get martins to take flung crickets if you flush them out. Maybe you can try flinging by Sat morning, if you are home and birds are sitting on the racks waiting for a warm up. That should be about the third day of poor feeding conditions.
John
I've stocked up on crickets too. I may put some in house compartments. by Friday. You know I learned a few weeks ago that a little pile of crickets near the entrance frighted one bird, so I'll put fewer and clear out a spot in the floor of nest material. Not sure how to handle this in a gourd. Some people use a shallow container, but if birds are not used to it, it may spook them.
I don't think you will get martins to take flung crickets if you flush them out. Maybe you can try flinging by Sat morning, if you are home and birds are sitting on the racks waiting for a warm up. That should be about the third day of poor feeding conditions.
John
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Guest
I had real good luck last year flipping the crickets witha spoon.It was the first time i ever fed them.It took about 10 times of flipping the crickets about 15 ft in the air but once one caught on the rest joined in.Interesting tidbit i fed the martins for three days and that was the end of the cold weather and this year when the martins returned and cold weather set in i walked outside one morning and one of the female martins came and hovered about 8 ft above my head she had remembered i fed her i geuss.So i went inside and thawed some crickets and the first one i tossed she caught so they do remember.
Rod Hollis
Rod Hollis
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Don & Danielle
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Louise, Matt, Sonja, John, RHollis
Thanks for the tips. Maybe I'm overly-concerned, but I just don't want a replay of last year's die-off, which was totally due to my inattentiveness.
I'll try a combination of putting crickets in the gourds & flipping them with a spoon, maybe starting on Thursday afternoon. It looks like tomorrow (Wednesday) may be the first bad day, with little relief in sight until Monday.
Thanks for the tips. Maybe I'm overly-concerned, but I just don't want a replay of last year's die-off, which was totally due to my inattentiveness.
I'll try a combination of putting crickets in the gourds & flipping them with a spoon, maybe starting on Thursday afternoon. It looks like tomorrow (Wednesday) may be the first bad day, with little relief in sight until Monday.
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Bob Flam
Great tips have already been given. I'll throw out my story too. I have been flinging crickets for a few years now. They also eat out of the Bed-N-Breakfast(elevated feeder platform) readily and regularly. I tried putting them in compartments, but as John stated, they seemed kind of spooked at that by just throwing some in a room or on the porch. But it could very well work if they really need it though also.
Crickets: I order a thousand (large/full grown/1 inch ones). I put the entire box in the freezer when it arrives. Once froze I open it and take out the egg holders and piece of food they put in. Once I need some I dump about 100 or so on a couple paper towels and just let them thaw on the counter...turn em every few minutes to speed it up...wife loves it HAHA! It's much easier than fighting live jumping crickets. A few years ago I put a 5 gallon bucket of live crickets in our bedroom and the cats knocked it over. We never found one cricket...wife still gives me crap about that one! HAHA!
Eggs: I have since gotten them trained to also eat scrambled eggs too. I fling them and put them in the B&B also. Couple eggs with a touch of water stirred up well, throw it in the microwave a minute or two. Stir em/break em up in lil pieces.
How I got them to take it: It took a few tries of just standing out by the housing flipping dead thawed crickets in the air towards them perching on the perching pole. Sometimes they fly when you go out, just wait for them to settle down and land again. Wait till all land so they aren't watching others flying about. Once they've settled down, I started tossing. Try and get them over them or right beside and over. Use the wind if you can. The first few times they would just watch the crickets fly by and fall. Don't go chasing after crickets because that may make them all fly again. Just grab another and keep trying. They may fly when you toss the first few...let them land and settle again. It took a few times on a few days to get them to finally go after one. Once one does...they will all or most start doing it. Then you can flip two or possibly 3 at a time. Thats about all I throw at once, and now I just throw one or two tops at a time...too much fighting for them.
They waste alot of energy for only one or two martins to actually get a cricket. So eventually you will want to get them eating out of a feeder platform. I had been putting nesting material and egg shells in it anyway for years, so using it was nothing new to them.
But to get em started eating out of the feeder platform... I went over to the platform, lowered it and dumped the crickets in it. I then left it lowered and would grab crickets out of it to put in the spoon, and flip from there towards the perching poles.
After a bit, I raised the feeder platform, and I would leave a few on a plate or something to take with me and left some in the platform that was now raised. I stood back away from the feeder and just started flipping over it. Most of the crickets were too far away from them then and would fall to the ground. They still tried to catch them but missed alot of them and they would hit the ground. Eventually they landed on the perch rods above the feeder platform, just to be closer to where the crickets were flying. You could see the couple martins looking at the crickets in the platform right below them. Before long they were on it eating them.
For eggs: I would flip crickets and once in awhile I'd throw a piece of egg instead. At first they would spit it out. But they eventually started swallowing them. And then I just mixed some egg in with the crickets in the feeder platform.
Now they eat both readily and do remember from year to year. Flipping is fun to watch. But remember that once they do it, many martins fly for one cricket, and it is waisting valuable energy they need to be saving to survive.
It takes time, just be persistant and they will finally do it!
good luck!
bob
Crickets: I order a thousand (large/full grown/1 inch ones). I put the entire box in the freezer when it arrives. Once froze I open it and take out the egg holders and piece of food they put in. Once I need some I dump about 100 or so on a couple paper towels and just let them thaw on the counter...turn em every few minutes to speed it up...wife loves it HAHA! It's much easier than fighting live jumping crickets. A few years ago I put a 5 gallon bucket of live crickets in our bedroom and the cats knocked it over. We never found one cricket...wife still gives me crap about that one! HAHA!
Eggs: I have since gotten them trained to also eat scrambled eggs too. I fling them and put them in the B&B also. Couple eggs with a touch of water stirred up well, throw it in the microwave a minute or two. Stir em/break em up in lil pieces.
How I got them to take it: It took a few tries of just standing out by the housing flipping dead thawed crickets in the air towards them perching on the perching pole. Sometimes they fly when you go out, just wait for them to settle down and land again. Wait till all land so they aren't watching others flying about. Once they've settled down, I started tossing. Try and get them over them or right beside and over. Use the wind if you can. The first few times they would just watch the crickets fly by and fall. Don't go chasing after crickets because that may make them all fly again. Just grab another and keep trying. They may fly when you toss the first few...let them land and settle again. It took a few times on a few days to get them to finally go after one. Once one does...they will all or most start doing it. Then you can flip two or possibly 3 at a time. Thats about all I throw at once, and now I just throw one or two tops at a time...too much fighting for them.
They waste alot of energy for only one or two martins to actually get a cricket. So eventually you will want to get them eating out of a feeder platform. I had been putting nesting material and egg shells in it anyway for years, so using it was nothing new to them.
But to get em started eating out of the feeder platform... I went over to the platform, lowered it and dumped the crickets in it. I then left it lowered and would grab crickets out of it to put in the spoon, and flip from there towards the perching poles.
After a bit, I raised the feeder platform, and I would leave a few on a plate or something to take with me and left some in the platform that was now raised. I stood back away from the feeder and just started flipping over it. Most of the crickets were too far away from them then and would fall to the ground. They still tried to catch them but missed alot of them and they would hit the ground. Eventually they landed on the perch rods above the feeder platform, just to be closer to where the crickets were flying. You could see the couple martins looking at the crickets in the platform right below them. Before long they were on it eating them.
For eggs: I would flip crickets and once in awhile I'd throw a piece of egg instead. At first they would spit it out. But they eventually started swallowing them. And then I just mixed some egg in with the crickets in the feeder platform.
Now they eat both readily and do remember from year to year. Flipping is fun to watch. But remember that once they do it, many martins fly for one cricket, and it is waisting valuable energy they need to be saving to survive.
It takes time, just be persistant and they will finally do it!
good luck!
bob
Last edited by Bob Flam on Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:12 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Bob Flam
I use these types of plastic stirring spoons. Long round handle heavy duty. I've snapped a couple flat handle ones. You don't want one with a big bend in the cup, it throws the crickets goofy. A shallow, straight cup is best.
bob
bob
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The Olsons
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Don and Danielle,
I do not think you are overly concerned, you are doing everything right
You love your martins and care for them and want to be prepared. You seem very responsible and are planning ahead for the bad weather coming, and you asked for help in order to do the best you can. In other words--you are great landlords 
I never had to feed our martins but always have frozen crickets in the freezer, and the slingshoot/spoon nearby. You got excellent advice today from excellent landlords, and I am sure your martins are going to be fine. Best wishes for this bad weather and the rest of the season for you and your martins
Astrid
I do not think you are overly concerned, you are doing everything right
You love your martins and care for them and want to be prepared. You seem very responsible and are planning ahead for the bad weather coming, and you asked for help in order to do the best you can. In other words--you are great landlords I never had to feed our martins but always have frozen crickets in the freezer, and the slingshoot/spoon nearby. You got excellent advice today from excellent landlords, and I am sure your martins are going to be fine. Best wishes for this bad weather and the rest of the season for you and your martins
Astrid
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Bob Flam
Yep keep trying. The 1st few times I tried was pretty half hearted efforts and I only had a couple dozen crickets I got from a pet store.
Actually once they took to catching flung crickets, I hadn't thrown that many that year. It was my 2nd year trying I believe. If I remember I think I was out there maybe 5-10 minutes max and they started doing it.
I always say to be persistant because a lot of times they really aren't that in need. But once they did need it that year...they took to it pretty darn fast. And now I don't even need to do anything but go out and put some in the B&B. I fling some sometimes just to do it and keep em up on it.
So when I say be persistant, just spend a few minutes tossing a few times. Do it for a few days, doesn't have to be everyday. Eventually they are going to surprise you and go get one! Especially if they need it.
As Astrid said, you are a great Landlord for asking!
bob
Actually once they took to catching flung crickets, I hadn't thrown that many that year. It was my 2nd year trying I believe. If I remember I think I was out there maybe 5-10 minutes max and they started doing it.
I always say to be persistant because a lot of times they really aren't that in need. But once they did need it that year...they took to it pretty darn fast. And now I don't even need to do anything but go out and put some in the B&B. I fling some sometimes just to do it and keep em up on it.
So when I say be persistant, just spend a few minutes tossing a few times. Do it for a few days, doesn't have to be everyday. Eventually they are going to surprise you and go get one! Especially if they need it.
As Astrid said, you are a great Landlord for asking!
bob
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Guest
I have had and continue to have great success flinging crickets, once you get one bird to instinctively grab one , the rest soon follow suit. sometimes they will take the very first one thrown up ,other times it may take several ,but if they are really hungry they will catch on quickly, I have been feeding this way for 4 years now.
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Don & Danielle
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 6:55 pm
- Location: Dardenne Prairie, MO (suburb of St. Louis)
Bob...
Thanks for the detailed reply! You gave us lots of great hints when you explained what worked for you. It sounds like your martins are well-trained, and I hope that ours take to the training as well as yours! I hope to start trying this afternoon/early evening.
Bob & Astrid & Larry...
Thanks for the encouragement & kind words. Our best wishes go to you & your PMs this season!
D&D
Thanks for the detailed reply! You gave us lots of great hints when you explained what worked for you. It sounds like your martins are well-trained, and I hope that ours take to the training as well as yours! I hope to start trying this afternoon/early evening.
Bob & Astrid & Larry...
Thanks for the encouragement & kind words. Our best wishes go to you & your PMs this season!
D&D
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Bob Flam
This post has great info and links on it so I'm going to continue it and let my other about supplimental feeding die out.
Today is day 2 of the bad weather here. The wind is blowing like crazy! It's 30 degree's and won't get much warmer. It's cold, snow was blowing earlier but no accumulation.
Today brings up interesting thoughts of what to do. The martins are in their gourds and not coming out. The perching poles have leaned from the wind, the houses and gourds are just shaking. I just came home for lunch not long ago.
Do I make them come out to feed them? I probably won't today since I don't have any crickets until tomorrow. I'll let them just save their energy. By tomorrow they will probably start communal roosting...if they haven't already.
Strange..I hear martins now! There's 4 or 5 looking around? Is there new comers coming here to possibly communal roost with mine? They are not going to find any food today and I'm surprised their out looking around. Wasn't a soul out a few minutes ago when I got home.
I keep getting up to watch, it must be newcomers by the gourds they are looking at. They are struggling just to stay on the porchs in this wind!
There's a male on the B&B now...now a girl also. Guess I'll take out some fresh eggs!
Looks like I have company here to stay with mine during this bad weather...if they are somebodies north...don't worry...they will be fed and be on their way in a few days
Gunna run!
bob
Today is day 2 of the bad weather here. The wind is blowing like crazy! It's 30 degree's and won't get much warmer. It's cold, snow was blowing earlier but no accumulation.
Today brings up interesting thoughts of what to do. The martins are in their gourds and not coming out. The perching poles have leaned from the wind, the houses and gourds are just shaking. I just came home for lunch not long ago.
Do I make them come out to feed them? I probably won't today since I don't have any crickets until tomorrow. I'll let them just save their energy. By tomorrow they will probably start communal roosting...if they haven't already.
Strange..I hear martins now! There's 4 or 5 looking around? Is there new comers coming here to possibly communal roost with mine? They are not going to find any food today and I'm surprised their out looking around. Wasn't a soul out a few minutes ago when I got home.
I keep getting up to watch, it must be newcomers by the gourds they are looking at. They are struggling just to stay on the porchs in this wind!
There's a male on the B&B now...now a girl also. Guess I'll take out some fresh eggs!
Looks like I have company here to stay with mine during this bad weather...if they are somebodies north...don't worry...they will be fed and be on their way in a few days
Gunna run!
bob
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Bob Flam
Quick update while the eggs are in the microwave. They have gone in already...didn't see which gourds or where. Must have been a couple strangers came over to stay here. Going to take em some egg and then get back to work.
a fast edit/add: I am about to take the eggs out and just saw a group of about 15 swallows fly over. Couldn't tell if they were tree swallows or what...looked like it....but they was heading south...Fast!
bob
a fast edit/add: I am about to take the eggs out and just saw a group of about 15 swallows fly over. Couldn't tell if they were tree swallows or what...looked like it....but they was heading south...Fast!
bob
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Bob Flam
Quick update befoe I go out and check on the birds. As I was putting out egg in the B&B at lunch, another group of about 15 swallows flew over going south in a hurry. Dang it's cold!
Right before I left I saw starling on the B&B! Didn't take him long to figure it out!
Amy was talking a bit ago about how cold it is and I said, "yeah the martins are gunna die"! She even said, "yeah they looked pretty sad this morning in that wind when they 1st came out, the wind slammed them right back into the gourd if they tried to fly off". She said they weren't out long and went right back in! I know it's bad when the wife notices them struggling!
She asked when I was ordering crickets...haha told her they'd be here tomorrow...she knows me pretty well haha Maybe I should ask if I can keep em in the bedroom!! 
Hopefully the wind dies down some tonight, it would be tough flinging or even keeping crickets in the B&B in this stuff. Gunna go see if that starling wiped out all the egg and see if the martins want any quick.
bob
Right before I left I saw starling on the B&B! Didn't take him long to figure it out!
Amy was talking a bit ago about how cold it is and I said, "yeah the martins are gunna die"! She even said, "yeah they looked pretty sad this morning in that wind when they 1st came out, the wind slammed them right back into the gourd if they tried to fly off". She said they weren't out long and went right back in! I know it's bad when the wife notices them struggling!
She asked when I was ordering crickets...haha told her they'd be here tomorrow...she knows me pretty well haha Maybe I should ask if I can keep em in the bedroom!! Hopefully the wind dies down some tonight, it would be tough flinging or even keeping crickets in the B&B in this stuff. Gunna go see if that starling wiped out all the egg and see if the martins want any quick.
bob
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Bob Flam
hmmm
Saw one come flying in so I waited, he went in the gourd with the 45 degree elbow, which is also the gourd my 1st pair chose. As I went out and lowered the B&B, it still had some egg so it hadn't all been eaten, he came back out when I said something to star. I heard more martins in that gourd, they must be communal roosting in that one. I didn't disturb them and he's gone back in it also now. He landed on the perching pole 1st...his wings were drooped.
The Starling saw me at the door with the pellet gun before I left at lunch and took off the B&B, he must not have came back or at least didn't eat all the egg.
Also at lunch, I saw a martin going in one of my torch tunnels with the SRRH I made(starling resistant round hole)! Wooooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooo success!
I wonder how many are out there? It's too late to mess with em tonight, I'll wait until tomorrow when the crickets get here. Looks like work might be a bust tomorrow!
It will be a good couple next days to get your birds trained...if the wind isn't as bad as it was today! You may have to resort to putting some in compartments.
Good luck!
bob
Saw one come flying in so I waited, he went in the gourd with the 45 degree elbow, which is also the gourd my 1st pair chose. As I went out and lowered the B&B, it still had some egg so it hadn't all been eaten, he came back out when I said something to star. I heard more martins in that gourd, they must be communal roosting in that one. I didn't disturb them and he's gone back in it also now. He landed on the perching pole 1st...his wings were drooped.
The Starling saw me at the door with the pellet gun before I left at lunch and took off the B&B, he must not have came back or at least didn't eat all the egg.
Also at lunch, I saw a martin going in one of my torch tunnels with the SRRH I made(starling resistant round hole)! Wooooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooo success!
I wonder how many are out there? It's too late to mess with em tonight, I'll wait until tomorrow when the crickets get here. Looks like work might be a bust tomorrow!
It will be a good couple next days to get your birds trained...if the wind isn't as bad as it was today! You may have to resort to putting some in compartments.
Good luck!
bob
Bob, have six in residence here in central Ohio, and they ate about two dozen crickets this afternoon. This is our first really bad day. One actually ate the first cricket tossed into the air. I believe they will be eating larger numbers tomorrow. I may try the chemical hand warmers in the goards the next few nights. Seems like every year I get a good start, the weather tries to wipe them out. I started with six, and the goal is to still have six next Wednesday when it finally warms up. We'll see what happends. Terry
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Bob Flam
Good deal Terry! Is this your 1st year trying with crickets? Sounds like it's not, mine will eat also, I just haven't gotten serious or crickets yet.
We had a bad spell in May last year here with rain, wind, and cool weather. It seems I've lost birds almsot every year for 6 or 7 now. I can't think absolutely straight right now, I know whats coming this weekend. Many birds are going to die here in the midwest in the upcoming weekend...again! And we may have another bad spell after this ones over yet!
I had 7 staying here and an eight thinking about it, in fact I think the eighth did stay here last night too. I think I've picked up more too today from what I saw at lunch. Tomorrow I will get serious and we'll see how many are out there.
I hate this! Losing the mature birds...these are the birds that teach the tricks to the younger birds.
WTG Terry!
bob
We had a bad spell in May last year here with rain, wind, and cool weather. It seems I've lost birds almsot every year for 6 or 7 now. I can't think absolutely straight right now, I know whats coming this weekend. Many birds are going to die here in the midwest in the upcoming weekend...again! And we may have another bad spell after this ones over yet!
I had 7 staying here and an eight thinking about it, in fact I think the eighth did stay here last night too. I think I've picked up more too today from what I saw at lunch. Tomorrow I will get serious and we'll see how many are out there.
I hate this! Losing the mature birds...these are the birds that teach the tricks to the younger birds.
WTG Terry!
bob
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Don & Danielle
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 6:55 pm
- Location: Dardenne Prairie, MO (suburb of St. Louis)
This was day one of bad weather. I tried flipping crickets after I got home from work, although it was pretty windy. There were 4-5 birds flying low over the gourd rack, but they would fly away before they got much of a chance to see them. I chose to not lower the rack to put anything in the gourds.
Later, two pair returned. One pair went right into a gourd. Another pair perched for a good time on the rack. I must have flipped 40-50 crickets. They would cock their head & look, but didn't make a move to catch any of them. I did break a spoon, though
I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe they'll be hungrier. I hope this works...
D&D
Later, two pair returned. One pair went right into a gourd. Another pair perched for a good time on the rack. I must have flipped 40-50 crickets. They would cock their head & look, but didn't make a move to catch any of them. I did break a spoon, though
I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe they'll be hungrier. I hope this works...
D&D