Do my roosters nail need to be cut?

[Adelic]

The spurs need clipping if they interfere with his walking, but the nails don't look too long at all. They look normal to me. You'll know when nails need trimming - when the whole toe twists sideways because it can't stay straight anymore with the curved nail pointing down. Like this:
View attachment 3250482

 

[Adelic]

Like this?

 

[K0k0shka]

Like this?

This is a much better picture. That twisted toe wasn't very well visible in the other photo. And yes, that particular nail is too long and needs trimming. The nail should be able to sit centered on the ground without twisting to one side. The nail facing away from the camera might be too long as well, though I can't tell from the angle of the picture. The middle one looks fine.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Um... What?

You haven't seen Napoleon dynamite I'm guessing.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

I've always preferred sandpaper or a dremel but my boy has dark nails and I can't see the quick so I don't want to risk it. My flock is on dirt and grass all the time so I put cinder blocks laid on their side out around the run and they hop on them often enough to file them down on their own.

 

[chickensox]

My rooster's spurs were so long they were causing him to walk very carefully. My son and I tried using dog clippers, but they broke. Got two hot sweet potatoes and finished the job minutes later, with no trauma to Carlos. And no towel or cover needed. Just held him upside down and spoke soothing Spanish words to him.

 

[LaFleche]

is there a painless way I can shorten them?

Yes. I use a Dremel and it is quick and painless, no bleeding nor infection.

I bundle the rooster in question in a towel feet sticking out and use adhesive tape to wrap the toes together, thus preventing them to get in the way and hurt.
After cutting don't forget to take the tape off his toes.

And I trim their nails as well to prevent the hens getting bare or injured.

The whole procedure does not take more than 10 minutes and my roosters don't hate nor fear me for it.

 

[Penpal]

As reported by Chickenpox, when you hold a chicken like a baby, back down and feet up, they calm right down. I think they are wondering why everything is upside down.

Anyways, one person can old the chicken, the other cuts or grinds. With dogs, it is considered safe to clip only 1/8 inch of a long nail. You want to just clip that sharp tip the first time.