Is This a Spur?

[chickengeorgeto]

Thanks @chickengeorgeto

Never thought about a hacksaw - thanks for the tip!

Cradle your bird in your arms and grasp the lower leg just above the spur, and saw away. Set the saw down and change hands with the chicken. You can do it in one movement. The other leg should now be the lowest, take a hold of the ankle and saw away at the spur.

It is easier for a first timer if one holds the bird while his friend does the cutting.

This is how I do it, and In my lifetime I have trimmed enough spurs to fill a tub.

Post and tell us how it went.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

When his spurs are long enough to hack on - I will give an update. I noticed the spurs have really started growing in the last few weeks. He's only a little over a year old so it will be a while

 

[HenOrRoo1]

I used the pliers method a few minutes ago and Amber seemed fine with it. She was a bit uncomfortable being held slightly propped up on her back in my arm, but she was patient and calm and only really fussed once. I readjusted how I was holding her and that did the trick. The spur came off easily and barely bled. Maybe one drop of blood worth. Once the outer spur was off, I blotted the inner spur with a soft cotton wipe and spread triple antibiotic cream on it. Then I let her back in with the other girls. She's doing fine and now won't have a spur grow into her leg! Here are the pictures of her inner spur and the hollow outer spur.


The inner spur is soft and pink. In this picture, I've already spread the antibiotic cream on it and then she protested being held and got into the dirt.


Here's a different angle of the soft, inner spur.


Here's the hollow, hornlike outer spur.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I used the pliers method a few minutes ago and Amber seemed fine with it. She was a bit uncomfortable being held slightly propped up on her back in my arm, but she was patient and calm and only really fussed once. I readjusted how I was holding her and that did the trick. The spur came off easily and barely bled. Maybe one drop of blood worth. Once the outer spur was off, I blotted the inner spur with a soft cotton wipe and spread triple antibiotic cream on it. Then I let her back in with the other girls. She's doing fine and now won't have a spur grow into her leg! Here are the pictures of her inner spur and the hollow outer spur.


The inner spur is soft and pink. In this picture, I've already spread the antibiotic cream on it and then she protested being held and got into the dirt.


Here's a different angle of the soft, inner spur.


Here's the hollow, hornlike outer spur.

Interesting!
Thank you for posting back with photos!

 

[HenOrRoo1]

Just an update on Amber's spur healing process. I removed the outer spur yesterday and when I checked her today, the inner spur looked like this:


The other side was hard to get a picture of. She didn't appreciate being held. It was dirty though and a little bloody. I cleaned off the inner spur with a damp cloth, then spread more triple antibiotic cream on it. Then it looked like this:





I'm going to check her daily and make sure she heals well. I will update as we go along!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Just an update on Amber's spur healing process. I removed the outer spur yesterday and when I checked her today, the inner spur looked like this:


The other side was hard to get a picture of. She didn't appreciate being held. It was dirty though and a little bloody. I cleaned off the inner spur with a damp cloth, then spread more triple antibiotic cream on it. Then it looked like this:





I'm going to check her daily and make sure she heals well. I will update as we go along!

 

[HenOrRoo1]

Apologies for the lack of pictures yesterday. I checked Amber and she seemed to be doing well, although being held did not top her list of favorite things to do.

Today I was able to hold her and get pictures of her healing spur. It's looking very good. This is day three of the healing process and there's no sign of fresh blood or infection.


You can just see the pale pink spur on her leg here. It's firm and doesn't seem tender, so that's great!


Here's a side angle of the little spur.


Here's another side angle. The tough, hornlike outer layer is starting to grow back a bit. The spur is dirty, but not bleeding or infected.

I'll be checking on her over the next few days, but she's healing very well and I don't anticipate any trouble for Ms. Amber.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Apologies for the lack of pictures yesterday. I checked Amber and she seemed to be doing well, although being held did not top her list of favorite things to do.

Today I was able to hold her and get pictures of her healing spur. It's looking very good. This is day three of the healing process and there's no sign of fresh blood or infection.


You can just see the pale pink spur on her leg here. It's firm and doesn't seem tender, so that's great!


Here's a side angle of the little spur.


Here's another side angle. The tough, hornlike outer layer is starting to grow back a bit. The spur is dirty, but not bleeding or infected.

I'll be checking on her over the next few days, but she's healing very well and I don't anticipate any trouble for Ms. Amber.

Looks good to me

Well done!

 

[HenOrRoo1]

I haven't been able to get pictures of Amber's healing spur recently, but I can tell you it looks healed. There's no blood or sign of infection and the hard, hornlike outer coat seems to be reforming to protect the soft, inner spur. It's feels like a good accomplishment to be able to de-spur my own chicken with no fuss or muss.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I haven't been able to get pictures of Amber's healing spur recently, but I can tell you it looks healed. There's no blood or sign of infection and the hard, hornlike outer coat seems to be reforming to protect the soft, inner spur. It's feels like a good accomplishment to be able to de-spur my own chicken with no fuss or muss.

Good job!