Has anyone tried using cat or dog nail caps on a rooster spurs? My rooster is not intentionally rough with the ladies, but he is really big, probably 12 lbs. Even though I get someone to help me trim his spurs regularly I still have a few hens who look pretty bad. I have only the one rooster and 23 hens so you wouldn't think it would be a problem. The run is 100' x 40' so plenty of room for everyone. I was thinking of trimming then applying the caps. Any thoughts or suggestions??
Are you north or south of the equator? Since you are using feet and pounds I'd guess north but I hate to guess. I want to rule out molting.
Any way you could post a photo of the damage? Where is the feather loss, on the back of the heads, on their backs, around the vent area, or somewhere else? How old are they and how many of the 23 girls have this damage? If any of the shaft is still there the feathers won't grow back until they molt but if all the feather is out you should soon see some start to grow back.
Have you checked for mites or lice? Those can sometimes cause feather loss.
Look at one of his legs. See how many spurs he has and how long and sharp they are. Look at his claws. How many claws do you see and how sharp are they? When he is standing on the hen's back which is he standing on and gripping with, the spurs or the claws? Now, what do you think might really be causing the problem? You might do more good trimming claws instead of spurs. Just blunt the sharp points, you don't need to take them all off. They will sharpen again as he scratches and they continue to grow but you may get a reprieve.
I don't know what is going on. There could be different causes, not all of them because of your boy. Like feather picking by a girl. I hate to make too many suggestions without knowing a bit more on what's going on.
I have never used those caps so I can't comment on them. They might work better than trimming the claws if they will stay on. You can try them and see if they help, the spurs as well as the claws. Nothing wrong with experimenting.
Good luck!
