Best Ways of Caring for your Baby Blue Jay

People take care of birds for various reasons. Some people keep birds for their beautiful visuals while some keep them for their songs. Whatever the reasons are, taking care of a bird pet has its ups and downs. This article will let you save time taking care of your precious and beautiful jays. Let’s break them down into five important ways.

Blue Jays are a special type of bird for many reasons. It is one of the most chosen mascots for ball teams because of its mythical beginning as protector of the universe. Most importantly, their blue colors radiate under the summer sun yet maintains its beauty against the white backdrop in the winter.

As a birder, three of the most important considerations are knowing proper bird diet whether homemade or store bought, proper way of feeding them and finally, proper ways of maintaining their health. Like other pets, their diet intake has a direct impact on their activities, improving their feathers and colors as well as their overall well-being.

The Blue Jay Diet

Knowing what do baby blue jays eat on a daily basis is the first important step in bird care. Like most nestlings, blue jays do not exhibit their orange and blue colors early on. This is your best chance to be a part of this beautiful development. Being babies, they usually stay with their mothers during the first two months of their life but once they are out and about, birds begin to find their own way.

Generally, blue jays are omnivorous which means they can eat a blend of plant and meat sources such as worms. This eating characteristic also makes it easier for birders to decide which food is best given to them. The quality of food will also be readily available at local pet stores but if not, then it is easy to also create from scratch at home.

The diet of baby jays is the same as their mothers. Some the most common food they consume are the following:

Nuts

Blue jays are big fans of peanuts and the healthy oil from peanuts is good for the birds overall well being. However, most peanuts sold in grocery stores are salted for human consumption so it is important to pick shelled peanuts instead.

Berries

The bills of blue jays are very strong. This means that they can crack peanut shells and acorns without a problem. Berries are rich in nutrients and low on calories and great for keeping them healthy.

Worms, Grasshoppers, Beetles

Like any other birds, blue jay need sources of protein and they can easily get it from invertebrates. For baby jays, it is best that these foods will be in small bit sizes to avoid choking.

While bigger birds can survive on their own and forage for food, baby jays only trust their mother for food and nurturing. To make sure they won’t feel confused, knowing what to feed a baby blue jay as well as copying how a mother jay will provide food is necessary. Bird feeding is through the beak and in slow movement and feeding them with smaller pieces are always better.

Favorite Foods of Baby Blue Jay

I would like to think that baby jays are slightly special. While such species might become the bully birds that they are known for, they are like any other cute baby birds solely dependent on their mothers.

So these special birds need to get the best diet to grow well. So what to feed the baby blue jay may be an important topic. Here are tips on how to choose the meal of these lovely birds.

Soft Food

Little birds need food that will go down through their throats easily. It is advisable to chunk down berries, nuts and even processed food before giving it to them.

Canned Pet Food

Yes, you can actually provide them canned pet food as an additional source of protein and other nutrients but make sure they are softened by adding water or blending them along with some berries.

Feeding the baby birds with plastic liquid drops or a straw is not just to keep the baby jay alive but also provide a sense of satisfaction of spending time with them while they are but nestlings.

6 ways of Feeding a Baby Jay

Feeding baby jay might be simple and straightforward at the same time. Since the diet is similar to a mature blue jay, food sourcing is easy. But the digestive tract of a baby jay may be slightly weaker so as a birder, extra care is necessary.

Those beautiful but tiny jays need all the help you can give while trying to outgrow their next. For six weeks, blue jays abandoned by their mother should be fed and cared for but not removed from the nest.

Here are some ways how to feed a baby blue jay:

• Select good berries from your backyard or the store if you don’t have any.
• Grind/blend them to achieve a smooth texture. Add water to soften the food.
• Use a baby food dropper with a tip that resembles the beak of a mother blue jay. This will make sure they won’t feel alienated with plastic use.
• By instinct, baby birds open their mouths wide when it is time to eat. Feed the baby jays using the dropper by pressing the food at the back of their mouth. Try to avoid pressing it into their throats as it might cause choking.
• Allow each bird to swallow the food well, spacing feeding.
• Keep a cup of water nearby. They will benefit from a drink after feeding.

Personally, feeding them nuts is my favorite. When the jays are at least a month old, they can be fed with those crunchy nuts. While they may need the nuts to be broken into small cuts, the sound of them swallowing the nutritious nut is always a good moment.

Conclusion

There is no better way to enjoy a baby jay than feeding and nursing it to grow into a beautiful bird that is ready to explore the world and give happiness to many. Enjoy watching their grey baby feathers turn into beautiful blue and white. For blue jays in the North American region, splashes of orange also come out as the bird eventually grows.