***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

Betsy, Will send you some seed then. Glad the reds are showing for you. The seed will be a mixture since I failed to separate them this year. Should be two shades of purple, pink and a magenta with a few reds too.


So looking forward to a break in the temperatures and lots of chances for rain.

 

[BetsyOK]

thank you!

 

[allenw]

Sorry for the double post, but I got a message (both times) in red, that said there'd been a problem with the system and my posts failed, or something like that.

Allen, that's interesting about accidentally twisting them off by catching them in something. However, he apparently lost BOTH of his spurs at about the same time. Might it have something to do with his advanced age?

Could be, I've seen roosters loose their spurs before just never thought much of it.

 

[allenw]

Anybody interested in some setting hens? They are half game, a quarter cochin bantam and a quarter leghorn. They set from April till early this month and most are setting again, they are a year old this spring. I haven't hatched any thing with them. I have plenty of Muscovy babies running around also..

 

[CLSranch]

Anybody interested in some setting hens? They are half game, a quarter cochin bantam and a quarter leghorn. They set from April till early this month and most are setting again, they are a year old this spring. I haven't hatched any thing with them. I have plenty of Muscovy babies running around also..

If you was a little closer I'd love a few. I HAD a dog who just disposed of 3 good laying/setting Dark Cornish and a good rooster.

 

[limited25]

If you was a little closer I'd love a few. I HAD a dog who just disposed of 3 good laying/setting Dark Cornish and a good rooster.

Sorry to hear about your hens, rooster, and your dog.

 

[Tika75]

Anybody interested in some setting hens? They are half game, a quarter cochin bantam and a quarter leghorn. They set from April till early this month and most are setting again, they are a year old this spring. I haven't hatched any thing with them. I have plenty of Muscovy babies running around also..

I don't need sitters, just layers. It would be this weekend before I could get with you though.

 

[limited25]

Several ways to shorten those spurs!
1) use the band saw or dremel cutter about 3/4 of an inch from the leg. Then file the cut edge to dull the cut. This makes a nice rounded stump..
2) use wire cutters to crimp the spur about 3/4 inch out from the leg. Then twist off the end of the spur with pliers. The spur should come off in one piece leaving the "nail" intact. Trim the end with a pair of nippers and file if necessary. This can sometimes draw a little blood. Stop bleed does a good job. or you can use talc or flour.
3) cut the tip off with your nipper then file.. This will leave a longer spur that will need attention more often.

Put an apron on your hen if you don't cut the spurs.


I need to research a technique for despurring roosters similar to debudding a goat's horns....that is done by burning off the horn bud. I wonder if something like that would work on our roosters. We used to dehorn our calves until we started using a polled bull. Of course...that might be too stressful for those young cockerels.

Decided today was the day to suck it up and just do it. Bought a new hack saw blade and dremel cutters and go with method 1. Caught the rooster, wrapped him in towel, and I held him still while DH used the hack saw blade. It did bleed and we used corn starch to stop that. Decided to try the dremel tool for the second one, but that was worse as it kind of went up and down, not staying in one place for a neat cut. Went back to using the hack saw blade and got it done. Then using a dremel file thing DH took the sharp points off his other toenails which didn't seem to bother the rooster at all. He did struggle while we were doing it and it did seem like it hurt him but it is a done thing now and am really hoping it takes a long time before it grows back. He is currently in a large dog crate indoors where we can observe him to make sure it doesn't start bleeding again.

Thank you NanaKat for your advice.

 

[NanaKat]

You are welcome. I use a dog nail clipper on the other toe nails. My caged birds need attention more often than the free ranging birds.
Best time to cut toe nails is at roost time when I'm worming with Ivermectin. I clip nails, threat and replace bird on the roost. I know who hasn't been wormed by who still needs the pedicure.

 

[allenw]

If you was a little closer I'd love a few. I HAD a dog who just disposed of 3 good laying/setting Dark Cornish and a good rooster.

Sorry to hear about your birds, too bad you aren't closer.

I have my dogs mostly broke from killing birds, but that is part of having a couple of young prey driven dogs around.