can you clip a roosters spur?

[mycountrycabin]

i have a newhampsher red rooster and when he walks his spur rubs his leg

so i was wandering if you could cut off the spur ,if so how can you cut it off without hurting him

 

[chickenzoo]

You can cut it down(I use cat nail clippers) or use a dremmel with a sanding disk. You can also use a wide pair of pliers, have some one hold the roo, and grab in the middle of the spur w/ pliers and squeeze... It will crack off and look like a empty bull horn, but it will bleed so have some blood stop on hand. It will leave a softer,flexable spur that you can then cut back after a few days.

 

[rooster-red]

I use a dremel tool with a cutoff disk.

Its fast and painless, I cut about 1/4" off the tip, then smooth the edges.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

Definately. I heard somewhere that if you boiled a potato and stuck it on the spurs they'd come off! Haven't tried it, so I don't know for sure.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
I just wanted to comment that some people have had poor experiences with the cooked potato method. I have read that it leads to quite a bit of blood and it also makes the spur sharp again much quicker. But, like you I haven't tried it myself. I just remember reading where someone was fairly traumatized when they tried it.

But, then again, some people say it works like a dream.

I personally clip with metal shears or dog nail clippers. I want to use a dremel, but I never have one handy.

-Kim

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
I heard something this past weekend from a chicken friend of mine. It may be an old wives tale, but it may work.

I was told that you take a hot potato and stick it on the spur. After a few minutes the spur should soften up, and you can pull the spur off.

I've also been told to use a rotary tool, and use a sanding wheel to file them down without causing cracking or splintering.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

Quote:
I just wanted to comment that some people have had poor experiences with the cooked potato method. I have read that it leads to quite a bit of blood and it also makes the spur sharp again much quicker. But, like you I haven't tried it myself. I just remember reading where someone was fairly traumatized when they tried it.

But, then again, some people say it works like a dream.

I personally clip with metal shears or dog nail clippers. I want to use a dremel, but I never have one handy.

-Kim

Oh my goodness. I never heard of that happening.
I will never attempt that!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
It's only because the potato softens the outer shell of the spur. So after softening it up, you are suppose to pull it off. Which still leaves the sharpened inner parts of the spur. So when the spur comes back, it is immediately sharp.

Where, if you trim the spurs by cutting or clipping, you leave a blunt end. Which takes longer to grow "out" and then sharpen.

-Kim

 

[Chickndaddy]

I always had a pair of wire clippers handy so that worked real well.

And I read somewhere in a book an interesting method. It was used for show chickens so the males spurs would look pretty. It involved hot oil and you soaked the spur in it. When it was soft, you simply twisted it off, leaving a smaller hard spur behind....or something like that.