I was always pretty sure that spurs were a "guy thing" ...err, I mean a "roo thing" ...but I saw some tale of a hen with spurs on the net yesterday.. ....so now I am confuzzled again. Thanks everyone!
Chickens are not black and white. Each is a little different, so there is always going to be some conflicting information. Some breeds of hen do have spurs. They don't normally get as large as a roo's spurs. Our White Face Black Spanish and Gold Penciled Hamburg both have small spurs. In fact our WFBS, Eleanor, recently cracked one of her spurs. She ripped the bandage off when it was healing, and now one grows up instead of out. HTH edited: now if I could just type
All my 10 week olds (6 of them) have little bumps on their legs where spurs would be. They were sexed when I bought them and are all supposed to be hens. Not sure..but I guess we will wait and see.
All chicks have that bump, so dont worry too much. Spurs dont come till maybe 8-9 months old. I do have one hen with spurs.
Had one Hamburg Bantam hen with spurs...from what I got from Jim LaGendre, an excellent breeder of Hamburgs said that the spurs do pop up in hens due to genetics. Nothing wrong with them but can not be shown. You can use them in breeding stock.
hens with spurs just have a higher level of testosterone..and yes the spurs can get quite large sometimes. Genetically they can skip a generation, but show up the next..no biggie.
Quote:Actually there's no reason a hen with spurs can't be shown. It is neither a defect nor a disqualification. I made a Langshan hen Champion Large Fowl at a show last year.
Thanks, folks!! I guess, seeing spurs on my friend's "hens" isn't a "roo stamp" after all, then. She'll be happy to hear that ...as she's not quite ready for the roo side ....err, the wild side ..of urban chicken'dom