Do YOU trim your ROOSTER's spurs???

[CityGirlintheCountry]

When do they get spurs? My really big 20.5 week old buff orp is spur free.

Is it like the egg deal? If you watch for them they never appear?

 

[Blisschick]

They grow gradually like a fingernail. By the time he's a year old, he should have spurs about a half inch or longer.

I used to twist them off of mine, but I really don't like doing that, since it's like removing a fingernail. I just nub off the end with a file if I feel they've gotten too long and are a problem, or when I find damage on my hens. Otherwise, I don't trim them.

 

[Southerngirl]

We use dog nail trimmers to clip the tip of the spur off. Easy and Quick !

 

[tattooedchickenlady]

We just trimmed our roo's with some snips. Our local chicken lady suggested we cut them with a PVC cutter, and looking online we saw to twist them off.....not too keen on the twisting thing, so we just snipped them. If we had a dremel, I think that would be the way we would go (OK, actually, if DH could FIND his 2!!!! dremels, THAT would be the way we go)

 

[Wynette]

I don't trim them; I figure, they're there for a reason.

I've also seen where you can super-glue a wire tie connector thingy...I can never remember what they're called...right onto the spur, but I've never done that, either.

 

[christmaschicken]

Quote:
This is great! I think I can do it with DH help!

Thank you very much for that link very helpful! He is so sweet it just looks like his are rubbing a tad so when I get brave I will try it.

I love this place!

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
I am guessing you're referring to wire nuts that screw on to connect two or more wires together like when you're installing a light fixture or outlet? I can see where it would act as a nail cap, like the Soft Paws nail caps that are made for cats' claws. Interesting option...

 

[Jarhead]

Want to know the British way to do it? Well this was at least in one of my books from the UK (which is a newer book, I think it was published in 04) it has a procedure for removing the spur. It says to boil a potato, cut it in half. Wrap the roosters leg in a towel, but still expose the spur. Wearing a heat proof glove you then hold the potato and push the spur into it. It says hold it on the spur for several minutes. When you remove it the spur will fall off. Sounds like a lot of trouble to me

Dremmel seems easier.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
Yeah they are there so the Male of the species can use them in Battle with others to win the affection of the females in the area, oh wait these are birds that no longer need to fight. And the hens are not free to run away as they are in nature.

Adaptions need to be made for domesticated animals, would you allow your dogs nails to continue to grow just because hundreds of years ago a dog ran wild and wore them down??
Lots of what would be considered bad has been breed out of domesticated animals, however for those that have not been breed out, adaptions should be made.