Michigan

[keyt1969]

Saw this at Soldan's while doing our regular "clearance animal food" hunting

 

[chikkaboomboom]

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LOL, ahh so many jokes...... I'll keep it pg though..

 

[FlyingFChick]

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OMG!! That is hilarious!!!

 

[snowflake]

what is that? like a hard suet block? Might be entertaining during those long winter months.

 

[snowflake]

does any one know how long it takes for a bald, rooster used hen to grow back featheres? Mother hen has moved into the big coop now with her chick. thought I should put my abused hens in the tractor. Daughter is coming over today will have her help me sand down the rooster talons. Opa how far can I take the spurs? Have you ever snapped them off?

 

[snowflake]

chicken grandma, I use the snap traps also but you will want to set them in a cage so your little hen can't get caught in it. My cat does a pretty good job of keeping the mice down also. she will sit next to the tractor and wait for them to come out, leaves us and the chickens presents now and then, left one out side the hen house once but my chicks were not interested.

That was some storm we had yesterday!!!! took my 16'x4' chicken tractor and turned it a 1/4 circle till it slammed into the fence. Fortunately the hens and roos were all in, or under the big coop, no one was injured. Hope no one had any trees fall on them. We have several down in the wooded area.

 

[snowflake]

mallisaB, shouldn't you be grandfatherd in after a yr.? Most areas have a grandfather clause. don't know haw it works Maybe you need to be there before the ordinance was passed? I would definitely get as many letters from your neighbors stating that in the year& time your have had your hens they have had no complaints. maybe some can come with you as witness and support.....Good luck!

 

[Opa]

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A spur on a chicken is made of keratin. The same material as fingernails, horn, & hooves. It is formed over and protrudes from a bony prominence on the inside of the birds leg. On large fowl this protruding bone is usually 3/4 of an inch or less and the spur forms upon that.

Spurs can be removed by several methods. To aid in handling the bird during spur removal I would suggest wrapping the bird's wings to the body with something like an ace bandage.

Some breeders grasp the spur, twist and pull in from the bone. This results in bleeding and a blood stop agent is necessary. A second similar method is to microwave a small potato and then place it on the spur. This aids in cauterizing the blood and the base of the spur. After a couple of minutes grasp the spur with a pair of pliers, twist and pull. The spur is off. Usually there will be no bleeding.

Another method is to use a small saw and cut the spur about 3/4 of an inch from the leg. Again it is advisable to have a blood stop agent ready.

The last method is to use a sanding drum on a Dremel tool. While you could remove the spur down to within 3/4 of an inch, I usually do it in steps. The sanding generates heat and could become quite uncomfortable for the bird. On the possitive side this same heat causes the blood vessels in the base of the spur to retract and bleeding usually isn't a problem. Spur removal isn't a permanent solution and the spur will grow back.

If you spend much time watching your birds breed you will observe the the rooster normally holds the hen by the neck and then stands upon her back. Most of the damage inflicted to her is not caused by the spurs but by the toenails. That's why I would suggest using the sanding drum to blunt the roosters nails. You need not remove much nail, you only want to round the ends to make them less sharp.

When a bird looses feathers they immediately will start to grown replacement feathers, however, it is also some what influence by where the bird is in the normal feather replacement cycle.

Hope this answers your questions sufficently.

 

[snowflake]

Thank you Opa, I have watched and didn't think the spur was doing the damage. They are a good 2" and curl up. I will just blunt all nails. I watched a video on removal and it seemed harsh but his are so long... wasn't sure if the blood vessel went up into the nails like on a dog. this answers my question . Job for today!! Some of my hens have been bald since spring 2 roos and woops 3 now 1 is just starting to realize he is a rooster. 23 hens. Am planning on disposing of my LakenVelder roo

 

[babigyrl22]

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Send it along. I'll sautee it in olive oil and have a tasty snack.

I was at my friend's house today to finish cutting and splitting her firewood. While there, I checked out the tomato plants and found a big hornworm that had eggs laid on it from a parasatoid wasp. I used her camera and took a bunch of photos. She'll e-mail them to me on Monday and then I'll post what happens to a hornworm in a pesticide free garden.

Stay tuned, fans of Nature!

Oh hey send those wasps my way! I've done tomatos for two years and haven't seen not one of these.

I don't use pesticides either....I use the pickoff method. LOL