Chicks still hatching, birds everywhere! 2 Pics

16 years ago

The Purple Martin nesting season is strange this year. Right now I have chicks more than two-weeks-old, chicks that have just hatched, and more than half of the total number of eggs still being incubated.

The fledging season is going to be stretched out, which is fine by me. That means the colony will be here longer than usual.

I've had three "clear" (not fertilized) eggs, and four one-week-old embryos to die in the shell. In past years and with larger numbers, I've not lost any eggs, or only one or two, to natural causes.

Still, the PM chicks are doing great! As of this afternoon I have 23 chicks hatched and 14 eggs still being incubated in the 10 active nests.

Gourd 1 - 5 eggs *One is an adopted "mystery" egg from Gourd 5.

Gourd 3 - 4 eggs

Gourd 4 - 1 Chick from an adopted egg. The four eggs laid by this pair were infertile/dead-in-the-shell.

Gourd 5 - 5 Chicks. These are my oldest/biggest b@bies.

*After the first three chicks hatched a "mystery" egg appeared. I moved it to Gourd 1 since those eggs were the same age.

Gourd 6 - 5 Chicks

Gourd 7 - 4 Chicks and 1 egg. These are my newest precious pinkies.

The eggs will hatch over a 2-3 day period because of the PM's laying/incubating pattern. This is normal.

Gourd 8 - 4 eggs

These eggs are past-due to hatch; I'll give them three more days before I check them.

Gourd 11 - 4 Chicks

Gourd 12 - 4 Chicks *One is from an adopted egg. One of the original eggs did not hatch. It was unfertilized.

Gourd 14 - 4 Chicks.

These are the last eggs to be layed in the colony.

Adopted babies...The two eggs that were left from Gourd 2's dead hen both hatched and are doing fine. The only chick to hatch in Gourd 4 was from an adopted egg.

One of the chicks in Gourd 12 was also from an "adopted" egg.

Here's four fresh faces that hatched yesterday, July 5.

I've titled this photo "Collapse." It appears that Baby Boy, on the right, has eaten himself into a coma. Actually, he was trying to move his head and toppled over in the process. I thought he looked hilarious. His mouth is full-to-overflowing with yummy, juicy, green bugs.

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Comments (10)

kayjones
16 years ago
Those are absolutely wonderful pictures - thanks for sharing them - I have never seen martin babies! I'd be sending these to National Geographic and Animal Planet!!!
glenda_al
16 years ago
contented with full bellies :o)
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^^^ Hahaha...I once had to buy eggs at the market while my girls were molting, I brought them home and made a point to show the eggs to the girls to remind them what they looked like. Laying started up again shortly thereafter. :) Well...we checked both incubators and candled the eggs we could see into last night. A lot of them were clear, especially the Polish eggs. :( But I don't see my Polish ladies getting much action from my roos, the dumb boys! Other eggs have chicks, but I could not tell if they were alive or not, and how fully formed they are. No peeping or activity yet from any of the eggs, but they aren't due to hatch until beginning at 8PM Saturday night. If none of these hatch, I don't know what to think...I know that both of my roo boys are getting their job done and I don't think they have fertility issues, they are healthy fellas. We did change locations for the incubators this year, to my dining room table, in a corner of a room away from windows and doors to help protect from drafts. I THOUGHT I had a great spot, but if this batch doesn't work I'm going back to putting the darned things in the kitchen. :( On top of everything else, we are having weird weather here since yesterday, supposed to continue until Tuesday--wind, rain/hail, and tornadoes, of all things! If the power goes out, I have my broody hen contingency plan...Bear, Splash and Blue are all broody and would get to sit on the eggs. :) We checked the cam last night and have it all set up and ready to go, if hatching begins we'll fire it up and I'll notify everyone. Time will tell! Velvet !:>
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janie_ga
16 years ago
How the heck do you know it is a male????
lydia1959
16 years ago
Great pictures!! I always enjoy your informative posts Caroline.
caroline94535
Original Author
16 years ago
LOL Janie. I don't, but I had to call it something and Baby Boy seemed to fit.
nicole__
16 years ago
Interesting! TFS I expected feathers or soft grass to be part of the nesting materials?
alisande
16 years ago
Omigosh, wonderful pictures, wonderful birds!!
janie_ga
16 years ago
Okay, I thought maybe with no feathers, gender was easier to determine or something! LOL

He does look like a guy on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner!
caroline94535
Original Author
16 years ago
Nicole...Purple Martins use only dry nesting materials; around here they like pine needles, wheat straw, twigs, old mulch, etc. They usually add green leaves right before egg laying begins. Mine used a lot of maple seed "helicopters" this spring.

Some PMs add layers of leaves right before egg laying begins. Some add one lone leaf and call it good. They don't use anything soft.

I fill the gourds with fresh cedar shavings in the spring; I pack them tightly and fill the gourds to about 1/2 inch below the entry hole. Some of the birds don't bother to add anything else. They spend nest-building time eating and resting and getting strong.

When the chicks are 10-days-old, and again when they're 18-days-old, I remove them from the nest, take out all the old nesting material, add Sevin dust if I see any mites, add new cedar shavings, and replace the babies. The adults buzz around and watch the procedure, but they're very use to my nearly daily "help."

It keeps the chicks clean, parasite free, reduces bacterias and molds, and helps ensure they all fledge strong and healthy.

No. Most birds "in the wild" don't get this treatment, but with the martins it's all a numbers game. I try to ensure each egg laid has the optimum conditions to hatch (didn't do so good this year) and each hatchling lives to fledge.

I love tending my little flock. I can do a complete nest change/clean out in about two minutes so it's really not a bother.

Janie...LOL. Of course he's a guy. No lady would be caught in such an over-indulgence stupor! LOL (All their "parts" are internal, boys and girls,)
mariend
16 years ago
Thanks for the information and pictures and patience to do this.

Chicks still hatching, birds everywhere! 2 Pics

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