You do not want to mash them up. Most are 'streamlined' with the body scales going from nose to rear end. This means a bird needs to eat them head first so the insect body does not get stuck on the way down and block the crop! If you mash them up - you dramatically increase the chance that parts of the exoskeleton will go in the wrong way and hurt the bird.

If the crickets are too big - cut them in half and offer the head end, head first. Toss the rear end. Most baby birds wont accept the cut end of an insect....... because they don't know if it's going in the right way.

You need to feed a baby bird several insects per hour to keep them fed and growing. This is allot of work. If you can buy the meal worms live at the local pet store or smaller crickets - that would be best. You no not have to kill the food to present it - the birds are fine with it live.

Thanks for question. If these are insect eating birds. then why kill the cricketl? Mom Bird and Dad Bird wouldn't.If the crickets are too big - cut them in half and offer the head end, head first. Toss the rear end. Most baby birds wont accept the cut end of an insect because they don't know if it's going in the right way.

If these are insect-eating birds, then why kill the crickets? Mom Bird and Dad Bird wouldn't.

Ah, they're chimney swifts? Yep, very much insect-eaters. Crickets may be too large for them. Get some mealworms and frozen mosquitos. Set out a fly trap and feed them from the captures.

i was wondering, whats the best way to kill a cricket to feed to baby birds, chimney swifts, to be specific? i could smash it, but that sounds kinda gross for the babies? i tried to drown them, but they have been swimming around the water for about 5 hours now.

and also is there something specific i need to do before giving the cricket to the birds? like rip its back legs off or something? i have been supplementing the bugs for wet *dry* cat food and cooked eggs, but i think bugs would be better...

( my parents closed up the chimney and the babies fell down the fireplace)

i tried putting them back on the chimney in a little basket so they can hold on and some shade, but its been about a day and a half... i havent seen the parents come back for them yet and they were dehydrated so i wet their beaks a little and they licked it off ....

i have raised baby birds successfully before and released them back into the wild, but they were orioles, and required a different diet.... any ideas on how i could help? ^^

thanks!

ps. i did call a rehabilitation center, but the lady didnt seem to want anymore chimney swifts, or baby birds for that matter, she insisted i leave them out in the basket... should i..? i dont want them to die, it sounds like a painful death...