Can a hen have a spur??

[floridachickhatcher]

My mom and I are testing our hens to see if they are laying and out of the molt or are too old to lay and we put them in a brooder coop and wait 3 days to see if they lay at that point they are tossed into the non layer and rooster pen and she did lay today so we put green zip ties on both legs to mark they are good hens and my moms hand felt something sharp and we looked and she had a spur! i told mom could it be an extra toe or in grown toe? cause its right where a spur would be and its only on the one leg and i told her maybe when they get older they grow them??

 

[Highlander]

Yes, older hens can grow spurs.

 

[kari_dawn]

yep. My old buff orpington started growing spurs as she got older. By age 9, she had full on rooster spurs.

 

[anderson8505]

yes

 

[Kevin565]

Yes but this usually doesn't occur till they are much older

 

[coonhoundmama87]

yup! I've got an older black spanish from my mom who has some pretty crazy spurs!

 

[speckledhen]

Sumatra hens have spurs from a young age. I have a hen less than 2 years old who has Sumatra blood. She's had spurs since she was quite young. I also have a 6 yr old RIR with spurs, have had Blue Orp hens with spurs and a Speckled Sussex hen with only one spur.

 

[floridachickhatcher]

uh huh i knew those hens that were sold to my mom were old! someone told me on here if you feel their legs and if they are really rough and ragged they are old and she did have rough patch legs and she only has the one spur on the one leg i mean mom trimmed it cause she doesnt like that but as long as she is laying momma wont care if she has a spur it just means she will have to watch out around her for the one spured hen lol

 

[Taylor]

YES THEY SURE CAN!!!! I had a old dominicker hen couple years ago who had 3 spurs on each leg, and a cochin hen 3 yrs old who had a 1 and 1/2 inch spur on each leg.

 

[floridachickhatcher]

Well Thank ya'll for letting me know my mom never heard of a hen who has a spur but we know now if the other hens grow spurs they are old lol