Jay chick

[Novoiceleft]

Looked out of my kitchen window this morning and saw a Jay in the process of killing a chick.

I managed to scare it away - but now I have a crippled baby chick on my hands. I have put it in a makeshift grass nest for now and it is calm. Its legs are broken and I'm sure it going to die.

I am pretty sure the chick is a Jay - because there are blue patches on its baby wings. Would a Jay kill its own chicks ?

Another thing is that at the time of the attack, there was a robin doing its best to defend the chick. Now this robin is staying very close and watching the chick. I'm no bird expert, but I'm pretty certain that this chick is not a robin.

Its quite heart-breaking. I'm wondering if I should just put the poor thing out of its misery ?

NoVoice

[UncleEbenezer]

Might be worth a quick google, to see if you have anyone locally who might take in a wounded chick? Or phone one of the big name charities like RSPB to see if they know anything?

[Breelander]

Its quite heart-breaking. I'm wondering if I should just put the poor thing out of its misery ?

The RSPCA may help, as the did for a cygnet in this post...

They found a cygnet with a broken leg and called the RSPCA who came pretty quickly, managed to rescue it and it's now apparently on the mend at a nature reserve following a visit to a vet...

viewtopic.php?p=314931#p314931

[Novoiceleft]

I don't think anyone would be interested. It is so young... just a few feathers. It can't possibly walk or fly .. and it is just lying there gasping. At least it is calm.

At this stage of its life, I doubt it could be reared by humans. I did wonder if the robins would start to feed it. That would be astonishing.

So its just going to lie there and expire. Its all so sad.

I'm no bird expert and I have been googling what jays and their chicks look like. I'm pretty sure that the attacker and its prey are both Jays. You can read that Jays are vicious birds, but would a Jay kill its own young?

NoVoice

[swill453]

Nature can be ruthless. In watching osprey nests, it's not uncommon for the parents to neglect to feed the weakest of the brood so that it dies and leaves more food for the ones with a better chance of survival. Not seen them go as far as actively killing one though.

Scott.

[bungeejumper]

As Scott says, nature can be like that. If its legs are really broken, then it has no chance at all. Better to move it somewhere quiet where nature can take its course. And where no cats or other predators are likely to find it. Although, in some ways, it might be better if they did.

I'm still trying to work out why the robins are still hanging around. Jays are regular nest predators for robins, and I'd have expected them to scatter. Perhaps they've got a nest of their own nearby?

BJ

[Breelander]

... I'm pretty sure that the attacker and its prey are both Jays. You can read that Jays are vicious birds, but would a Jay kill its own young?

It may not be its own young, it may be the chick of another Jay.