Egg Shells for Blue Jays

By á-46330

Ingredients

• Boiled egg shells

Preparation

Step 1

Blue Jays have been known to peel the paint off of houses during harsh winters, likely because many paints contain some calcium. They peel the paint off our white deck every winter.

Calcium is important to birds, especially during the breeding season when females are producing eggs and when birds are raising growing nestlings.

Just sterilize eggshells first, so you don’t give the birds salmonella. It’s easy – either boil them for 10 minutes or bake them in a 250º F oven for 20 minutes or so. Then crush the shells so they’re smaller than a dime, and put them out for the birds. The gritty shell bits help birds digest their food and provide some calcium.