Rooster spurs????

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Hi everyone! I have some silkies that I'm going to be breeding in the near future to raise and sell chicks. I was wondering what I should do about the roosters spurs. Just so the girls don't get hurt or me anytime. Thanks to anyone in advance!

 

[Shadrach]

Hi everyone! I have some silkies that I'm going to be breeding in the near future to raise and sell chicks. I was wondering what I should do about the roosters spurs. Just so the girls don't get hurt or me anytime. Thanks to anyone in advance!

File the points round with a nail file. You don't need to do any more than this. Do not be tempted to cut them off, or cut them at all in fact.
If you are not confident about handling them, take them off their roost at night and do it.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

File the points round with a nail file. You don't need to do any more than this. Do not be tempted to cut them off, or cut them at all in fact.
If you are not confident about handling them, take them off their roost at night and do it.

Awesome! Thanks so much!

 

[MysteryChicken]

How long are the spurs?

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Well, I have a rooster pretty much a year old. They are about half an inch nubs right now. Nothing to worry about currently, but I wanted to know what to do in the near future.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Well, I have a rooster pretty much a year old. They are about half an inch nubs right now. Nothing to worry about currently, but I wanted to know what to do in the near future.

If I get wickedly long spurs, I trim, blunt, or pull them.

Yeah, half inch isn't much a worry.

This is one from on of our Silkie roosters.

 

[Shadrach]

If I get wickedly long spurs, I trim, blunt, or pull them.

This is one from on of our Silkie roosters.View attachment 3041465

Why would you do that?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Why would you do that?

To prevent damage to the hens. It's not harmful, they grow back within a few weeks.

 

[Shadrach]

To prevent damage to the hens. It's not harmful, they grow back within a few weeks.

I'm sorry, I don't understand. Roosters have been mating hens while they have spurs for centuries. It's usually the roosters toe nails that do damage rather than their spurs.
You may have noticed that roosters spurs generally curve upwards. When a rooster mates with a hen he puts his feet on the hens shoulders. His spurs are above her body. It's when he dismounts that there is a possibility of catcging the hen under her wing and ripping her skin. Young roosters in particulalry are prone to doing this. All that needs to be done is file the point off the roosters spurs. I can see absolutely no need to remove the entire spur.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm sorry, I don't understand. Roosters have been mating hens while they have spurs for centuries. It's usually the roosters toe nails that do damage rather than their spurs.
You may have noticed that roosters spurs generally curve upwards. When a rooster mates with a hen he puts his feet on the hens shoulders. His spurs are above her body. It's when he dismounts that there is a possibility of catcging the hen under her wing and ripping her skin. Young roosters in particulalry are prone to doing this. All that needs to be done is file the point off the roosters spurs. I can see absolutely no need to remove the entire spur.

I've had hens slashed badly down their sides from hip to leg, & wing pit to hip. Not all rooster spurs curve upwards, some grow straight, some grow down at an angle.

Since I've started managing spur length I haven't had any more slashed hens.

I've only seen claw damage from claws right on top of their back if there's broken feathers.

I don't remove every Rooster's spurs, most of them I just blunt with clippers. Only certain ones I pull.