Can you..?

[Jesusfreak101]

Can you trim a chicken spurs? Icwondering cause some of my hens look like they are developing them.

 

[Den in Penn]

Yes. There are a couple of methods. One is to take pliers and twist back and forth until the outer layers pop off. There is also the hot potato method, where the heat cause a separation of the layers. Still you could just trim them back like toe nails, just don't cut to the quick. Many hens develop nobs that look like they will grow into spurs, but few do.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Mmm ok good to know, yeah over half my hens have the bumbs so far.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Usually hen spurs don't grow long, and they don't use them as a rooster would so they are usually left alone, why would you want them trimmed, just curious.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Well i figured if they got spurs they would use them, this is my first flock so wasnt sure and just figured i ask just incase.

 

[enola]

Hens wth spurs will use them on other hens IF the disagreement gets violent enough, but that seldom happens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Every chicken, male or female, develops spur buds. With some hens it doesn’t get much beyond that, just a little spot on the leg. With a vast majority of hens development doesn’t get much beyond “noticeable”. They are there but just don’t amount to much. Certainly not worth worrying about.

On a very few hens the spurs will get more than just noticeable. They can even grow relatively long and sharp. I’ve never seen one grow much of a spur like that in person but on extremely rare occasions you’ll see a photo on here where that happens.

Occasionally hens fight. It’s not all that common in most flocks after the pecking order is set. It’s not even that common in setting the pecking order. Setting the pecking order usually involves a lot of pecking and chasing and very little fighting, though fighting can happen.

Do me a favor, look at the hens’ legs that you are concerned about. Count the number of spurs on the legs and look at the size and sharpness. Then look at the toenails, again number, size, and sharpness. Which do you think will do the most damage? Are you worried about the damage that can be caused by a hen’s toenails in a fight? I’m not either. So why are you worried about her spurs?

It is possible you have a hen that is actually developing some longer sharper spurs. If that is happening, could you please post a photo of the leg you are worried about? It could be interesting to see.

Practically all roosters develop long sharp spurs when they mature. Adult mature roosters with spurs will occasionally fight, sometimes to the death. They do try to use their spurs. Most of these fights do not end in injury or death. Usually one fairly quickly learns it is better to run away instead of stay and fight so the fight ends without damage to either rooster. Spurs on roosters are a lot more to worry about than spurs on a hen yet spurs are usually not trimmed on adult roosters. There is usually no need.

There is a big different in something that might possibly on rare occasions happen and something you really need to worry about. A piece of space junk could fall out of the sky and hit your house. I believe that actually happened in Australia a few years back so it is possible. But that happens so infrequently it’s not worth worrying about. I put worrying about a hen injuring another with her spurs in that same category.

It is a good question since you did not know that hens do not normally damage each other with their spurs. I like the question because it shows you are thinking, it’s different. Trimming a hen’s spurs doesn’t even cross the mind of the vast amount of people on this forum or in the commercial chicken industry. It’s possible you have a freak of nature, a hen with really long sharp spurs. But even then it is highly unlikely she will cause any damage with them.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

So far its just buds, but mosr of my hens are not matured yet. I have a two year old and a baby on the way so i was just concerned after i found out how my rooster was going to act, i just like the ideal of them having weapons lol. I plan on trim some nails because od how long they are. My daughter generally goes out there with me to get eggs feed and water. And while i am in the garden she plays in her sandbox and pool which the chickens all have access to. I might put up a fence to keep them out o the garden but i cant really put it up in the area of her stuff because of the fact its one of the only shady spots we have for the hens. I am not really worried about the way the hens act towards her now as they follow her and they seem to enjoy hee playing since she normally stirs up bugs for them. Like i said i didnt know if they would use them like a rooster or not, i didnt even know they got them until some one posted a picture of two leghorns both with spurs and both were hens. I happen to have leghorns so i wanted to know. I also have delewares, sexlinks, rir, bar rocks , and one austrolorp.