Hen with LONG spurs

[Chicken JoJo]

Hi, I am new to Backyard Chickens and I have a hen that has some very long spurs. They have begun to curl and seem to be affecting the way she walks. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what I should do to help her out?

 

[centrarchid]

First show picture of hen and the spurs.

 

[aart]

Hi, I am new to Backyard Chickens and I have a hen that has some very long spurs. They have begun to curl and seem to be affecting the way she walks. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what I should do to help her out?

Welcome to BYC @Chicken JoJo !
Pics would definitely help.

 

[Beer can]

Yeah pics would help.
Never heard of a hen with spurs Lol!

Just kidding, I actually have a polish hen with 3/4 inch long sharp spurs.
Most of us who do trim rooster spurs either just take off the sharp tip with dog nail clippers or use a dremel or cutoff tool being careful not to go too far back and hit the 'quick' blood.

 

[DaQatz]

One of my hens with spurs. So yeah sometimes they do get them in a pretty good size.

 

[centrarchid]

Perfectly normal. I have several with spurs just like that. Walking should not be interfered with by spurs of that size.

 

[DaQatz]

Perfectly normal. I have several with spurs just like that. Walking should not be interfered with by spurs of that size.

Yep My hens spurs are normal. Was just giving an example that they can be big. It's Chicken JoJo who has a hen with an issue. Still no pic posted for her yet.

 

[azygous]

Hens with long spurs are more common than folks think. I have one of these phenoms. Her name is Myrtle and she get her spurs trimmed about once every 18 months or so. Usually I just run a Dremmel file over the tips, although once I removed them using the twist-off method. They grow back of course.

Long, curling spurs should definitely be filed down or removed. There are lots of YouTube videos demonstrating spur removal methods. It's very quick and simple.