Removing spurs with a potato? Update- It didn't work!

[herefordlovinglady]

Quote:
Yea, that is one of the videos I watched.

 

[eenie114]

OK people, what did I do wrong?

I held the potato onto his spur for about 7 minutes, and then tried to twist/pull it off. Nothing! Hard as ever.

Was it because the potato wasn't hot enough? I did wait about an hour after baking the potato to try, things got crazy around here. But the potato was in the oven during the wait, so it stayed pretty hot.

Input? Anybody?

 

[speckledhen]

You can burn your rooster's leg with a hot potato. It's not the spurs but the toenails that hurt the hens. If the rooster is not human-aggressive, the spurs don't really need to be removed. You can use a dremel tool to cut them blunt on the ends and that should suffice--the whirring blade cauterizes the spur as it cuts through. You can also take pliers and grip the spur at the base and work it back and forth and it should snap off the outer sheath. The inner one is softer, but very pointy and will harden and grow back, though.

 

[eenie114]

Quote:
Oh, really?

Oh. I thought it was the spur.
I heard it can eventually cause walking problems for the rooster, though... Is that true?

 

[silkiechicken]

I don't worry about spurs. Over the course of time, they will grow long and he'll probably break them off on his own. I know my big old rooster breaks off his spurs every year or so. Yes there is blood but I don't do anything about it.

He's about 7 or so and has lost about 4 sets of spurs over the years that I can remember.

The idea about a baked potato is that it is hot hot that it "cooks and kills" the tissue holding the spur on, kind of like scalding a bird in hot water to remove feathers.

 

[spook]

I remove the spurs after they get long, I've seen some spurs grow around back into the leg. What we do is for the bantams (my bantam Cochin roo) is hold his leg firmly, gently twist the spur back and forth and soon it will pop off. The bleeding should stop on its own in a few minutes, if it doesn't, cornstarch sprinkled on with help it.

This does cause the rooster to be in pain. I only do it when the rooster gets hung up on feathers mounting the hens (he is a Klutz)
I do see him limping after a procedure and will only do it out of necessity. You also have to watch for infection, you just did something that would be like us pulling a finger nail off us. Its fine, will stop bleeding etc.

If your showing your bird, make sure to look up if the spurs are important. Also, do not pop the spurs off just prior to going to a show, as it don't look so great!

A demonstration from club president took a pair of small pliers to remove a standard roosters spur. It took two people, one to hold the rooster still, then carefully twist, like with the bantam. Only thing is, hold that leg firm, you don't want to break it!
Spurs do have a purpose, to use when a predator comes knocking on the door. Good luck!

 

[gmendoza]

Ive never had a problem removing spurs with a potato.Its the outer shell of the spur that gets removed,not all the spur. The inner spur then gets clipped so there wont be a sharp end. The plier meathod works good to,but you need two people to do it.One with a potato. Just the thought of pullin a spur with pliers is like pulling a fingernail out of your finger.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

A spur is not like a fingernail or claw, but instead more like a calloused growth of skin. I do remove them from my roos when they get really long or pointy or curvy. Otherwise they're more abrasive to the hens' backs, rubbing off more feathers than necessary. They also can hamper the rooster's ability to walk around, they look like cowboys after a long ride.

I've found the plier method to be the most efficient & effective. Grasp the spur near the base, gently rotate it a few degrees back & forth until you feel it loosen, then slide it off. Then take a pair of sharp shears to snip the pointy tip off the soft inner spur.

Often I can do it all by myself, sometimes I need a kid to help hold the roo still. Those YouTube videos claim that it's a bloodless method, but my birds do usually bleed some. I do the procedure with some blood stop powder, or flour or cornstarch, handy. I also prefer to do it right before they go to roost, so they're not moving around as much before the bleeding stops.

 

[speckledhen]

Certainly, if a spur is growing around and back into the leg, trimming is warranted. I used to think all my roosters' spurs had to be trimmed, but since they on occasion do free range, I don't want to take their best method of protection away from them. I don't keep human aggressive boys here so the spurs are not an issue for us here.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use the Dremel tool when necessary. Whether the spur is like a callous or toenail, as long as you do not cut into the quick it does not bleed. I only cut the sharp tip off of the spur or the toenails. I see no reason to go too deep. I also think the toe nails, not the spur, is the worst of the problem as far as barebacked hens.

I wrap the rooster in a towel, putting it around the wings to keep it calm and under control. I've never had to wrap the head. I've never had a rooster flinch or look at all upset during or after the procedure.