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Removing Rooster Spurs

Discussion in 'Managing Your Flock' started by ROJOHOL, Nov 18, 2010.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Nov 18, 2010 #1
    ROJOHOL

    ROJOHOL New Egg

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    Nov 18, 2010
    I have three roosters in my flock and many of the hens are losing the feathers on their backs and tails. I suspect it has to do with the roosters' leg-spurs. What is the best way to remove these spurs?
     
  3. Nov 18, 2010 #2
    keith_m71

    keith_m71 Out Of The Brooder

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    Aug 7, 2010
    South Carolina
    Check this video out from youtube . I saw it and do my roosters this way. Lots easier than trying to cut them.
     
  5. Nov 18, 2010 #3
    spartacus_63

    spartacus_63 Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Aug 21, 2009
    Central Iowa
    It may or may not be from the spurs. I have a few slick back chickens in the crew but most of the girls are well feathered. It is my opinion that it is due more to the girls protestations to being surfed upon than to the spurs.
     
  7. Nov 18, 2010 #4
    shesaredroan

    shesaredroan Chillin' With My Peeps

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    May 7, 2010
    south of Fort Worth, Texas
    Keith M,
    Thanks so much for your video suggestion!!! And thanks so much to the guy who did the demo!!!

    A few years ago, I gave one of my fine roos to a 'friend'. She and her husband decided to 'de-spur' him, cause they thought he was hurting their hens.........loss of feathers on hen's backs.

    She told me how she helped hold the roo down while her husband cut off the spurs............BLOOD WENT EVERYWHERE!!! Her discription reminded me of de-horning a cow/steer.........but without cauterizing. Sounded mighty cruel to me and made me angry!!! It made me want to hold her down and cut 'too short/quick' her fingernails.

    Needless to say, I've never given them another roo.

    Thank you again for passing along this humane info!!! "You're a good man Charlie Brown. "

    Chris [​IMG]
     
  9. Nov 28, 2010 #5
    ROJOHOL

    ROJOHOL New Egg

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    Nov 18, 2010
    Keith-m71 -- Thanks for sharing the video-link. I looked at all 3 Spur-removal videos (1 - cutting & 2 twisting-off). Based on an article in BYC a few months back, I did two of my roosters using pliers and twisting the horny outer cover off. But I wasn't sure if I was supposed to also cut off the soft, inner "core". (I noticed that neither the "twist-off" techniques did that.) I'll do the third rooster now with more confidence! [​IMG]
     
  11. Nov 28, 2010 #6
    HorizonSon

    HorizonSon Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Oct 5, 2010
    Pacific NW
    I'll assume that none of you posting in this thread freerange? If it wasn't for my rooster's spurs, we would have lost all our chickens. Our rooster has "hooked" dogs and hawks on multiple occasions. It would be like me going camping out in the woods in bear and cat country without a firearm and expecting the wildlife to respect "pacifism".
     

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