Bird nest on my windowsill. Shluach hakan?

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amother

Taupe

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 11:19 am

This morning my kids woke me up all excited about a birds nest on my windowsill.
Two spring robins or sparrows, don't know which sitting on a nest.

Wondering if anyone did Shliach hakan and what the details are in determining if it's a kosher bird. Who can I call?

Seems an especially auspicious time since I'm due to give birth soon...😄

Iymnok

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 11:21 am

It must be in a reshus harabim, ask a rav, you may be permitted to mafkir it.

greenfire

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 12:06 pm

contrary to popular belief, sluach ha'kan is not a mitzva that pertains to today - & most certainly not in brooklyn

the only time you send off the mother bird & take her eggs are if you need said eggs to feed your children ...

otherwise it is an avaira of tzaar baal l'chaim ~ causing unnecessary agita to the animals & in this case specifically the mother

myym

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 12:51 pm

Greenfire, I never heard that. The point on shiluach hakein is that we do it not knowing why. It is a chok.

amother

Smokey

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 12:54 pm

Please don't do it. It's not like you HAVE to, so why would you want to cause this pain to some birds who have done nothing to you.

amother

Gray

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:00 pm

myym wrote:

Greenfire, I never heard that. The point on shiluach hakein is that we do it not knowing why. It is a chok.

Incorrect. The "we don't know why" aspect of the mitzvah is that we don't know why the reward is long life. But the mitzvah itself is very specific and has a clear rationale. The mitzvah is that you send the bird away if you're going to take the eggs for yourself. There's no mitzvah to just walk up to any old birds nest and chase birds away. It's specifically if you see eggs that you want, you must chase away the mother before you take them.

sleepybeauty

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:03 pm

I'm pretty sure the nest has to be on public property, but definitely ask a Rav because that would be super cool!

amother

Smokey

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:05 pm

sleepybeauty wrote:

I'm pretty sure the nest has to be on public property, but definitely ask a Rav because that would be super cool!

What exactly is cool about that?

sleepybeauty

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:06 pm

You don't actually keep the eggs, you just lift them and put them back. I'm not sure what's cruel about that.

"Upon approaching the nest one should first intend on sending away the mother bird. One doesn't need to pick up the mother and send her away, but rather, any stimulus which can cause the mother to fly away is sufficient.[10]
Once the mother bird has flown away, one must take the eggs or chicks.[11]Even if the mother bird is watching, one still fulfills the mitzvah. To perform a halachic acquisition, they should be lifted to a height of three Tefachim (about 12 inches).[12] Upon completion of the mitzvah, one may put back the eggs or chicks and need not keep them.[13]
After one takes the eggs or chicks, they may be declared hefker by the one who acquired them and then returned to the nest.[14] After the mother bird returns, another person may fulfill the mitzvah. In this way, the same nest may be used over and over again.[15]"

sleepybeauty

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:07 pm

amother wrote:

What exactly is cool about that?

It's a mitzvah that many people never have the opportunity to fulfill.

amother

Black

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:12 pm

I'm not sure of the exact halacha but I think you can get 3 men to say that it's hefker and then you can do shiluach hakan. I think there's a number in one of the gemach books that has a shiluach hakan gemach that you can call and ask.

sleepybeauty

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:15 pm

http://halachipedia.com/index......zvah.
Here's a very thorough article with all the sources listed at the bottom

silly

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 1:37 pm

Its a beautiful mitzva and if u get the opportunity to do it then grab it

MrsDash

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 2:13 pm

FYI, birds are not goldfish. They will fight for their babies and home. It's quite cruel to do this to a perfectly innocent animal, who like us, is just trying to survive in this world and care for their family.

HonesttoGod

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 2:17 pm

1- Ask your rav for specific directions how to do this. The nest must be in a public space or in public view. For example we had a nest in our back porch but in a private garden so we couldn't do it. When we had the nest at the front window we were allowed to since it was in a public area.
2- It is a HUGE mitzvah and one that is not often done. Therefore making it even more special.
3 - It is also a big segulah for parnassah and hatzlacha.

If you can, definitely do it but ask a rav for step by step guide as it can be complicated.

Please note, we did this one time and the minute we opened the window the bird flew away, we picked up the eggs put them down closed the window and the mother came back 30 seconds later.

MrsDash

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 2:19 pm

gp2.0

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 2:48 pm

Whew. I didn't know you could just pick up the egg and put it back down, that is a MUCH BETTER version of the mitzva than the one I've seen performed, and the little space in my brain that's been worrying about this can finally relax.

Iymnok

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 3:15 pm

Contrary to what many are saying here, chazal say that this mitzva teaches compassion.

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 3:41 pm

Iymnok wrote:

Contrary to what many are saying here, chazal say that this mitzva teaches compassion.

If you need the eggs, it is compassionate to take them when the mother is not looking. From this we learn to be sensitive to the pain of others.

Frightening the bird and handling her eggs for no reason...what do we learn from this?

Maya

Thu, Mar 17 2016, 4:03 pm

gp2.0 wrote:

Same here.

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