Spurs

[WickedChicksNH]

I have too many roosters. Amazingly they pretty much live peacefully
2 silkies
1 silkie mix
1 light brahma
1 polish frizzle

All pretty mellow and never has shown aggression to me
However, floyd my polish and Zeus my brahma are starting to get some good size spurs
Can I file them or anything before any damage might happen ?

 

[Folly's place]

Spurs are HARD and difficult to trim, but it can be done. It's best with one person holding the bird, and one person filing, cutting and filing, or dremeling the spurs. They can also be twisted off, although I haven't done that here.
I shorten them when they are long enough to interfere with the walking gait, or if they are curving up too much, usually in roosters who are two years old or older.
Mary

 

[Trevorusn]

It is easier with 2 people, we use dog claw clippers, just get the largest size you can as spurs get pretty thick. You can also use a light underneath to observe the quick and thus avoid cutting too much off. You will get the routine down soon enough with all them fellas lol, use a towel too if you are worried about a secure hold on the bird while trimming.

 

[Rooapalooza]

Are they all the same age? How old are they? So do you have 5 roosters and 6 hens?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can I file them or anything before any damage might happen ?

Not sure what kind of damage you are concerned about or what the spurs look like now, that might affect which way is best for you, but as Folly said there are many different techniques. I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish. I personally don't care for the twist them off methods but many people like those. Pet nail clippers, using a Dremel tool with an abrasive tip to grind them back, using a Dremel with a metal cutting disk are also popular. I'm sure there are many others.

When I work on a bird's feet I wrap it in a large towel or sheet around the body, covering the wings. I always hold onto one leg butt wrapping it immobilizes it enough that I can work on it by myself, no additional help needed. Nothing wrong with additional help.

A chicken's spurs and claws have a quick. It's like your fingernails, you can trim them with no issues as long as you stay out of the quick. If you get into the quick they can bleed. I've gotten into the quick a couple of times. Bleeding really wasn't that much and the bird didn't even flinch when I did, I'm not sure they even felt it, not like I would if I cut into my quick. Still, it is a good idea to have some flour or corn starch handy to stop bleeding. I've trimmed spurs and claws maybe three times in my life, only when I feel I have a reason to.

When you look at their legs, look at how many spurs they have and how sharp they are. Also look at how many claws they have and how sharp those are. That's why I questioned why you want to do this. The claws may be more of a risk than spurs. You can take the sharp point of the claws off but I would not try twisting claws off.

 

[WickedChicksNH]

Thank you all
Even though they all live peacefully now
I want to be prepared incase they decide to get into a scuffle

 

[Folly's place]

If they decide to really fight, trimming the spurs won't help enough to avoid injuries or possibly dead birds.
Mary

 

[Shadrach]

Roosters learn to roll with their walk as their spurs grow. I've not had a rooster here where their spurs interfered with their walk no matter what shape or length their spurs are.
I do file the points off some roosters spurs and sand/file down the spur shaft where sharp protrusions sometimes develop.
This isn't to stop the roosters damaging each other; as Folly's Place mentions above, they can do plenty of damage without points to their spurs, or even no spurs at all.
The point of filing the points off is to reduce the chances of damage to a hens side during mating. This happens very easily and should the skin on a hens side get broken, further spur catches later can rip a portion of skin away.
Any nail or engineering file (fine) will do the job.
It's easiest if you are not used to handling roosters to take them off their perch at night and file them then.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A few years back there was a thread on here with photos where an old hen's spur had grown so long and curled around to where the point was injuring that leg. It' not just roosters. There can be different reasons to trim or remove spurs, especially when the chicken gets older.

I certainly agree that there are other sharp things that can cause damage. That's one reason I mentioned claws in my other post. But hens and roosters can shred frogs or mice or other things into bite-sized pieces with their beaks. Beaks are that dangerous. In a fight they often try to peck each other's heads, they can shred combs and wattles into a bloody mess or even kill that way.

If you want to trim spurs to try to lessen potential damage when they fight, go for it. I don't see any harm. But don't think that has solved the potential problem.

 

[Abriana]

I have a rooster with huge spurs. I just wrap duct tape around them, it works really well and it’s an easy and safe alternative to trying to file or cut them.