Rooster owners - how long to let spurs grow?

[gritsar]

I have no intention of ever removing Thor's spurs. He is in charge of my free range flock and those spurs may come in handy some day.
However, after not getting spurs for the longest time his spurs are finally getting pretty long.
At what point or length should I consider trimming his spurs so they are not an impedment to him?
TIA

 

[canada-goose]

Not sure. Maybe when he starts tripping on them?!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Well that would be one way to tell for sure

I'm kinda worried that they will start to curl under and irritate his feet.

 

[lakeshorenc]

If you do it be careful. I tried doing Big Boy and he bled and bled. I thought I had killed him. He ended up ok but it was scary. I do my dogs nails and tried to be careful not to hit the quick but I did.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

They never seem to get much longer than a tooth pick...

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
k, then his must be about finished growing. Funny thing, he didn't get spurs for the longest time. I think he was almost a year old before they started to really take off. Also, they are different sizes, the one on his left foot much longer than the other.
He gets to keep 'em regardless.

 

[onthespot]

I just nub the tips off rounded with a dog toenail trimmer. Maybe go back a quarter inch or so, just so no one gets hurt. I also nip the tips of their toenails off too if it is breeding time, to help make the hens more comfortable. If they got so long they were a problem, I would not hesitate to twist them off and let him start over.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Get your dremmel tool out, and take them off even with the leg, think of the hens. If he ever gets in a fighting situation, unless a rogue rooster happens to wonder into your yard, the spurs will not help him anyway.

Spurs will continue to grow till he breaks them off on something. Think broken fingernail, as long as it does break back to the quick he will be fine, but if it gets to the quick think bleeding fingernail.

I cut mine if they get around an inch long. I dont bother with rounding off the tips, its just as easy to take them back to being flush.

 

[australorp_breeder]

Normally I would just let my past roosters' spurs grow as long as they wanted, because eventually they did stop growing. But then I also noticed roosters with long spurs tend to take the feathers off of hens' shoulders and backs when they breed

 

[gritsar]

Glad y'all mentioned that. I hadn't thought about the spurs effects on the hens. Okay, DH will be getting out his dremmel tool soon.