Can you eat fertile eggs?

[kerethe3]

you can eat fer ffffffffffdfdsfsrgrgrrrg il

 

[ArtGirl]

We did this to our rooster and it didn't hurt him at all

. It did bleed a little more than they said though but if you put a spur cast or blood stopping powder on it than it heals right up and it's shorter and easier for them to walk

. I wouldn't us the potato because the inside part is like the soft part on your finger nail and when you put the very hot potato on it it feels like having it on the top of your finger nail. We tried filing the spurs but we only got literally a millimeter down and it started bleeding.

 

[bairo]

aoxa

thanks for the info; I traveled so much back then I must have mixed up my area's. That was about 20 years ago but I've talked to people from most of the places I've visited since then and they say it is about the same (except a friend said i was a little high with 50% for England...he said about 30% or less are refrigerated now)

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I've got a rooster and was wondering what to do about his spurs when they got big! (He is only 6 weeks right now.)

 

[mommy of two]

Has anyone ever had their roo despurred by a vet? And is it expensive?

 

[chicknmania]

Our mixed breeds are all pretty I think, and we have come up with such a consistent coloring and pattern in a lot of our mutts, that we are starting to think about researching starting a new breed!. It's amazing. When the chicks hatch I can't wait to see what or who they will look like, or if they will have colors and marking all their own.

It's fun.

 

[aoxa]

Has anyone ever had their roo despurred by a vet? And is it expensive?

Why do you want to de-spur him? He is a chick. He still has months to go before they even start to grow. Most roosters do not even need any spur removal. They are just fine the way they are. If they start hurting hens, or themselves, than it's time to do something, but right now at just a few weeks old - it's miles in the future.

I've never de-spurred a rooster. I have never needed to.

 

[mommy of two]

I don't mean right now, I am just exploring options. I don't really want to take any chances since I have two toddlers running around!

 

[aoxa]

I don't mean right now, I am just exploring options. I don't really want to take any chances since I have two toddlers running around!

Spurs or not, if he is mean, he should become dinner.

His claws alone are enough to hurt a toddler.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I don't mean right now, I am just exploring options. I don't really want to take any chances since I have two toddlers running around!

If your rooster grows up to be aggressive towards the kids, you have far worse problems than his spurs. If he's aggressive at all towards humans, simply get rid of him. You won't want to keep him. An aggressive rooster could still do damage with beak and claws to a toddler. Add to that the fact that people who are attacked by roosters when young often are really afraid of or dislike chickens for the rest of their lives--this is a chance you do not want to take.

As far as spur cap removal, you really only do it if he's accidentally hurting hens or can't walk well. And I say accidentally, because if he's hurting hens on purpose, he's gotta go. Our big rooster accidentally cut a hen pretty badly while mating, which is why we took the spur cap off with pliers. When it healed, it was too dull to cut anyone and about an inch shorter.

I have two kids. They are six and three right now. I've also had roosters the entire time I've had kids. The most important thing is, just don't let the kids and rooster be together unsupervised, ever, until they're older. It's the same rule as not letting toddlers be unsupervised with a dog or cat, and it's just common sense. We have our hens in a pasture, and the kids know not to go into the hen house to gather eggs or into the pasture unless they're given permission. I have never had one of our roosters take even one aggressive step towards the kids, so I'm more relaxed with the six year old, and he goes to gather eggs by himself now.

You just have to remember that roosters are potentially dangerous, in the way a dog is potentially dangerous, and act accordingly. You have a good chance that your rooster will be a good boy--I've had many roosters of many different breeds and can only think of two or three that had to be culled for aggression. My best advice for making sure that your rooster isn't one of those unlucky few is to NOT treat him like a pet. No cuddles, no lap time, NO having the kids hold him or pet him. There are so many sad stories here on BYC about people whose pet roosters turned on them when they hit maturity, I think there must be a correlation. Birds get to roost based on a hierarchy. The highest bird is the flock alpha. If you cuddle your bird and have him up high, especially on your shoulder or lap, he thinks he's the boss of you. Then when you do something he doesn't like, he comes at you to remind you of who's the boss. YOU need to always be the boss. To me, a good balance is when the rooster will come running when you call the chickens for treats and isn't stressed when you're around, but will move away when you move towards him. That's really easy to achieve--just pretty much ignore him. Make pets of hens, but not roosters.