Biggest spurs I've ever seen!

[lilshadow]

My Roo has the biggest spurs I have ever seen on a Rooster. These things are at least 3 inches long, that is how I got him. I would pick him up except I am afraid he will get me, plus I know that has to hurt my hens. What can I do to get them off, and how do I get them off..

 

[dbjay417]

put on some thick leather gloves and get him by the legs.

I used to get them at night, and take the spurs down with a sturdy pair of wire cutters.

 

[lilshadow]

Okay this is going to sound silly, but here goes. If I do it that way is that going to hurt him in anyway, and how fars should I cut them down to?

 

[Blisschick]

Spurs are like fingernails, so you have to be careful not to cut too close to the leg. There is actually a cone of bone in the spur about an inch from the leg, so don't cut them that close. If you can do it under a light, try to trim a little bit at a time until you can tell where the quick is. The spur will flake off in layers after you cut it, so you may be able to pull some of the surface loose to see it. If you do happen to cut a little too close, you can use some Stop Bleed powder on it. You can get it at most feedstores.

 

[ChicknThief]

Quote:
You can also use corn starch to stop bleeding as well. If you dont have any of that, you can use flour, but it doesnt work as well....

 

[birdnutz]

On the serama pages I watched a video wher he just twisted them off. He slowly twisted the spur back and forth until it broke loose,then slipped the spur right off. I haven't tried it yet. No blood and no fight from the roo.Didn't seem painful at all.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

spurs

I read in a book I think Chickens in my Backyard theres away to cut it off when young that won't grow back!

Does anyone know how to do that?

 

[Blisschick]

Quote:
I don't know about the no blood part -- mine aways bled some, but not a whole lot. I've used the twist method for many of my larger roos, and only on the more aggressive ones.

 

[pipermark]

Found this on another site, seems to know what they are talking about.


DON'T despur the chicks, wait until they're older - definetly DO NOT burn the spur buds off - even the girls get them, they just don't continue to grow like the boys' do. "For permanent removal, cut spurs off close to the leg when cockerels are 10-16 weeks old and their spurs are no more than 1/4" long. Rub potassium hydroxide into the wound to prevent hemorrhaging and to destroy spur tissue so the spur can't grow back. Trim the spurs of a mature cock in one of two ways: by snipping off the end and filing it smooth or by twisting off the spur cover. Beneath the old hard spur is a softer new one. If you choose to blunt the old spur by snipping off the end, take care you don't clip off too much at once or you might damage the new spur and cause it to bleed." When you're twisting off the old spur, rub oil into it first and on the leg near it to soften it up and twist, don't bend!

 

[rooster-red]

All 3 of my roo's have spurs that long, all I've ever gotten from them is a scratch.
They come in handy if a preditor attacks.
I do blount the ends slightly so that my hens don't get scratched during mating.