Bluejay eating my eggs! What to do?

[portwes]

A local bluejay (or more than one) has developed a liking for my chickens eggs. Please don't post comments that I must be mistaken, it's the chickens themselves doing it, etc.
That's because I have caught the culprit "red-handed" actually in the nest, pecking at the eggs. And several times!

I need to know how to stop them. There is one small entrance to the nest/egg-laying area, and I can't really close that off or the hens would go nuts trying to get in.

So what to do??? We're both out at work all day, so we can't stay and watch the nest all day (and one hen lays late mornings, 11am or so.).

 

[R@ndy]

inject an egg with hot hot sauce then sit the egg outside on a table so the little bugger can get to it, hehehehe

 

[portwes]

Actually, I was wondering about something like that. But would the hot sauce diffuse throughout the raw egg? Maybe I'd have to suck out the egg, mix it up, then re-inject the contents back into the egg? Maybe I'll try it and let you know if it works . . .

 

[JennsPeeps]

Chickens can't taste hot sauce, so I doubt that blue jays can. In fact, I know that parrots can't taste hot things, either.

Is there any way you can change the entry to prevent the blue jay by confusing it? Maybe move it, or put a tunnel of some sort over it?

 

[portwes]

Rats! Didn't think about the lack of taste buds!

I can't really change the nesting arrangement/approach. Except for putting up a sign to the effect: "No free-loading bluejays allowed!" And I think some bluejays might be intelligent enough to read it. But being blatant criminals, they would ignore it anyway!

 

[Polish Chickens]

Probably the best solution is to put wild bird seeds since Blue Jays love eating Sun Flower Seeds

 

[portwes]

Ha! I'd be spending half my salary on sunflower seeds, since a couple of the hens like them as well!

 

[la dee da]

Can birds taste sour? Maybe you can inject an egg with something sour