Beak and nail trimming question

[Haunted Chicken]

Is this a common thing to have to do if you have chickens? I had a hard time trimming my dogs nails lol (made my stomach queezy, I didn't want to hurt her). Can anything be done to prevent needing to trim them? Or am I going to have to face it someday

. I guess I'm asking...does everybody with chickens have to do this at some time or another?

Please say no

please say no, lol.

 

[colebarnhart]

Nope, don't think so. Unless you just want to. Some people de-beak thier birds and they look horribly ugly and a lot of people will get some pliers and remove the spurs on the roos when they get too big, but they grow back and it's a maintance thing.

 

[ReikiStar]

You only have to do it if, for some reason, they grow too long. Generally, a healthy, well formed chicken won't need either trimmed -- through normal pecking and scratching they will wear them down. I believe people who show might shape or trim the beak and nails.

So....No!

 

[Haunted Chicken]

Quote:
Bless you!!!

I love your answer

 

[Haunted Chicken]

Quote:
Ouch, that sounds brutal!!

 

[cafarmgirl]

We just catch up our roo about once a month and my husband files down the spurs so they are rounded. I watched a video about popping off the spurs but was a little to squeemish to try it so we just file them.

The hens do enough scratching they never need nail trims. Normal beaks don't need anything done to them either.

 

[Amethyste]

I have a few cement blocks places around our run and inside our coop. They will look for ways to file their nails and beaks I have noticed. They often will go and scrape their beaks on the cement quickly, or jump on the cement block and scrape their feet like they are looking for food. Not often mind you, but its good to have it when they need it tho.

I have a few times tho trimmed their nails like I do to my cats... don't cut the quick and its all good. I have used a small dremel on a few of my older birds that I have seen that ahve beak issues...just to keep them a bit shaved down. That was by recommendation of our local vet who sees our girls regularly.