Removing/trimming rooster spurs

[owlmeadowfarm32]

I have heard that you con microwave a potato and stick it on the apur and twist the potato around the spur and it will come off

 

[Mi Amor Farms]

Please, Please, Please, NEVER use pliers to twist and remove spurs!!! This is severely cruel. It is the equivalent to ripping off your mail. The proper way to cut spurs is to purchase a gadget that you slip the spur in and use a small handheld saw to cut them. Tuck the rooster under your arm and hold his leg up to it, slip the spur in and saw it in a clean motion. It will cut easily and straight.

 

[hubbyofchickmom]

I find the best way to remove spurs without injurinf the bird is to microwave a potato until its hot. Push the potatoe over the spur and leave it for a few minutes. Remove the potatoe and use a pair of plyers to easily remove the spur. This does not hurt the rooster at all. If it bleeds at all i just use a mixture of cornstarch and cayenne pepper powder to cover the area helping it clot and keeping it clean.

 

[silkieRaiser]

how old are most roosters (specifically silkies) when you have to cut their spurs the first time?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Most people never trim the spurs. There is usually no need. The very few times I’ve done it the spurs were secondary. My main target was to blunt the toenails (claws) because of the damage the claws were doing to the hen’ feathers. But since the Dremel tool was out and the spurs were available I took the sharp point off of them also.

I very seldom trim claws or spurs, I rarely have a need. But it’s something that can occasionally come in handy.

 

[Pyxis]

On Tuesday I picked up a group of OEGB that were dumped on a property and left to die. One of the roosters had spurs that were getting to the point that they were about to grow back into his legs, so they needed to be trimmed. I didn't want to just pop them off because unfortunately the temporary setup I have for this group while they are in quarantine is quite cramped and I was worried that he'd knock into the exposed spur base a lot and cause bleeding, and OEGBs are so small they don't have much blood to lose. So trimming it was.

Here's a before shot, please excuse his legs and feet, they all seem to have scaly leg mites and I've started treatment:

Sorry for the blurry shot, it's hard to hold a rooster in one hand and take a picture with the other, but it gives the idea of what I was dealing with. As you can probably see his nails needed work too so those were tackled also. I used a pair of dog nail clippers to give everything a good trim and this was the result:

Much better. Now, I would not recommend using clippers on spurs of breeds larger than this, as you could easily splinter or crack the spur to the base, but they do work on these little breeds whose spurs are not as thick. For anything larger, if you need to trim, definitely go with a dremel.

 

[silkieRaiser]

Most people never trim the spurs. There is usually no need. The very few times I’ve done it the spurs were secondary. My main target was to blunt the toenails (claws) because of the damage the claws were doing to the hen’ feathers. But since the Dremel tool was out and the spurs were available I took the sharp point off of them also.

I very seldom trim claws or spurs, I rarely have a need. But it’s something that can occasionally come in handy.

ok thank you!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

how old are most roosters (specifically silkies) when you have to cut their spurs the first time?

My silkie rooster is almost a year old and he doesn't have spurs just little soft bumps on the side of his legs like most hens have.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I find the best way to remove spurs without injurinf the bird is to microwave a potato until its hot. Push the potatoe over the spur and leave it for a few minutes. Remove the potatoe and use a pair of plyers to easily remove the spur. This does not hurt the rooster at all. If it bleeds at all i just use a mixture of cornstarch and cayenne pepper powder to cover the area helping it clot and keeping it clean.

I find it's easier to lay the rooster on it's back on your lap and take a pair of dog toenail clippers and trim the Spurs until they start to bleed and it takes a while for them to grow back I only have to cut my roosters Spurs like 4 times a year.

 

[hubbyofchickmom]

Well by removing it We only have to do ours once a year. The rooster is never stressed and now our hens dont get all tore up from a randy rooster

I find it's easier to lay the rooster on it's back on your lap and take a pair of dog toenail clippers and trim the Spurs until they start to bleed and it takes a while for them to grow back I only have to cut my roosters Spurs like 4 times a year.