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	Blue Jays Pecking at House Paint

What to do if you have a Blue Jay pecking at the paint on your house.

Although it is considered to be unusual, Blue Jays are occasionally observed pecking at houses and consuming paint that they chip away. The reason for this behavior is not clear, but the current thinking is that, since paint has calcium in it, the jays are seeking the calcium from the paint. Calcium deposition is lower in New England, and may also be affected by acid rain. Paint pecking is most often reported during the winter, when snow covers the ground and the birds do not have access to dirt, earth and sand, which may provide their usual supply of minerals. The Blue Jays may be attempting to supplement their diet in the best way they can. They may also be caching the paint, in the same way they do sunflower seeds, resulting in large amounts being consumed by the jays.

There are two possible solutions to the problem. One is exclusion. Observe carefully the exact locations they are most interested in and, if possible, make the area inaccessible to the birds. Try covering the affected area with heavy plastic, chicken wire or small-mesh plastic garden netting.

Another strategy is to supply the birds with what we presume to be lacking in their diet by offering eggshells crumbled into small pieces and placed near feeders. These are often eagerly consumed by Blue Jays in winter probably because the eggshells contain reserves of calcium. Try putting them out in a flat dish on a platform feeder where there are sunflower seeds that will also attract the jays. You may want to start by putting the eggshells near the area where the Blue Jays are pecking your paint, then gradually moving them away so the jays will no longer be attracted to your house.

How many eggshells to offer will depend on how many Blue Jays you are trying to keep away from your paint. For example, one person in New Hampshire was offering two to three cups of crushed eggshells every day for forty Blue Jays in her yard. You will need to replace the shells if they are covered by snowfall, as the birds will not search for them, but more likely will return to the paint on your house. Egg shells may contain salmonella bacteria and it is best to boil the shells for 10 minutes or heat them in the oven for 20 minutes at 250 degrees, let them cool and crush them.

If exclusion is not possible or proves ineffective, and if the birds spurn your offerings of alternate sources of calcium in favor of your house, you can contact the Wildlife Services offices in Concord at 223-6832 for additional ideas.

Good luck!