gender

[sandyj]

When do roosters get that sharp hook(or what ever it is) on the back of their foot? Can you tell male or female by looking to see if there is one, or don't all roosters have them?

Sandy J.

 

[HorseFeathers]

That's a spur. Hens sometimes have them too, especially game birds.

 

[mikarod]

Some females have them also. Mediterannean breeds have them alot of the time...it's genetic.

They're called spurs. Generally speaking, the males tend to have larger ones than females, but again...there's always that oddball. They start growing them around 6 months old and have a little "bump" around 9 months old...it's larger than a bump but smaller than a spur...so a spump? LOL

 

[Pinky]

I thought one of my hens was a rooster because her spur was larger than my rooster's.I found out she wasn' when she layed a egg.

 

[Mahonri]

I am not a fan of spurs... I got one in the leg once when I was a kid. If I were allowed to have roos and they had spurs (hen or roo) I would remove them. (carefully)