Hi, I have some wings that were clipped off a dead blue jay. I washed them and dried them and thought mistakenly I could reposition them later but they are stiff. Is there any way to soften them up again so that they can be put in a flight position? Thank for any input!
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U could try using a relaxing agent, like rittles. it might work.
Unless you have the proper paperwork on the blue jay or are in a country where it is legal to have one in your possession, the bird is illegal and you should dispose of it as soon as possible. Good luck.
In addition to it probably being illegal to have them, there are two other problems:
One is that the wings will almost certainly fall apart when rehydrated because they were never properly preserved in the first place.
The other risk is that they might be contaminated with West Nile virus. I would be VERY cautious about picking up the remains of dead jays or crows for this reason.
Your best bet is to dispose of them ASAP.