Topic of the Week - Beaks, spurs and nails

[Lazy Farmer]

We added garden pavers scattered in our run. (12" X12") After we visited a friends farm and seen his birds he keeps in tiny cages originally for rabbits. Their beaks where grotesque and over grown from not being able to run free and scratch them in sand while ranging searching for bugs and what not.
Sometimes you can catch our birds bent over going back and forth on the pavers such as a barber sharpening his razor or like you sharpen your pocket knife on a sharpening stone.
Funny to see them do it. No over grown beaks on this farm.

 

[jbshorses]

tell it to my poor bared back girls. I treated 3 of them for wounds that got infected before I saw it. and I trimmed the rooster's spurs.

My experience with roosters has been unpleasant to say the least. Those spurs punched terrible holes in their sides before I saw it under their feathers. By then it was to late. Don't ask how, but I ended up with 10 roosters at one time. They were free range not penned but access to 2 acres of pasture and the yard, etc. I watched them decide on a designated, "hen" then procede to =%&#@ the poor thing to death. Those spurs are deadly. I thought that would be the end of it but they just picked a new "hen". The ad went into the paper then. Now many decades later I have 8 hens, should have been 10 but someone wasn't as accurate as they should have been. I gave one away and kept the other as there was a question about her sex. It's official now she is a he. He's got no spurs yet but my girls have a few more months before they will be old enough to start producing eggs. He is starting to jump them. Will that be bad for them or effect their ability to lay later on? Does anyone know? He's turned out to be a magnificent specimen of barred rock. I doubt any of my hens will turn out to be broody. Three are barred rocks (supposed to be five but no refunds). The other five are potluck. Feed store bought five hundred pullets from Purina and gave them away with a bag of feed. You don't get to pick and I have no idea what they are. Three appear to be Rhode Island Reds but wrong body type. Very slim and remind me of the road runner cartoon. The other has changed feather colors from white to a sort of golden here and there. No clue. Any guesses? Thanks. At 70 I don't think I have the strength or dexterity to do the spur removal. I really don't like him pulling their neck feathers out either.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

My experience with roosters has been unpleasant to say the least. Those spurs punched terrible holes in their sides before I saw it under their feathers. By then it was to late. Don't ask how, but I ended up with 10 roosters at one time. They were free range not penned but access to 2 acres of pasture and the yard, etc. I watched them decide on a designated, "hen" then procede to =%&#@ the poor thing to death. Those spurs are deadly. I thought that would be the end of it but they just picked a new "hen". The ad went into the paper then. Now many decades later I have 8 hens, should have been 10 but someone wasn't as accurate as they should have been. I gave one away and kept the other as there was a question about her sex. It's official now she is a he. He's got no spurs yet but my girls have a few more months before they will be old enough to start producing eggs. He is starting to jump them. Will that be bad for them or effect their ability to lay later on? Does anyone know? He's turned out to be a magnificent specimen of barred rock. I doubt any of my hens will turn out to be broody. Three are barred rocks (supposed to be five but no refunds). The other five are potluck. Feed store bought five hundred pullets from Purina and gave them away with a bag of feed. You don't get to pick and I have no idea what they are. Three appear to be Rhode Island Reds but wrong body type. Very slim and remind me of the road runner cartoon. The other has changed feather colors from white to a sort of golden here and there. No clue. Any guesses? Thanks. At 70 I don't think I have the strength or dexterity to do the spur removal. I really don't like him pulling their neck feathers out either.

I've heard of other roosters doing the same. One would go in and chase the girls out into a ring of waiting roosters.
Once the ring leader was removed the others stopped that behavior. I'm not one for culling because he hatched a rooster. That said you can't have a rooster who beats up on the girls.
I find it concerning he's already jumping them. He may turn out to be a little over amorous. The more girls you have the better chance they won't sustain rooster damage. He could also pick a favorite or more willing partner and she could have problems.
If your concerned now you may want to try and rehome him while he's young. I know I wasn't exactly helpful. It's sort of a wait and see at this point....

 

[jbshorses]

Thank you for your reply. I do have a home for him. I have 8 hens but I'm not sure that is going to be enough for him. Because he's such a handsome fellow and he hasn't grown his spurs yet he's still here. Very nice to look at with all his girls. Since you indicated even without spurs he could be hazardous to the girls health he's gone next time my friends stop by. I am not very tech savvy but will try to take a picture of him with my Kindle and post it here. Should any of my hens decide to be broody. I'll borrow him back. It would be fun to see mama and chicks running around. I kept these chicks and my friends chicks in my living room until they were all feathered out. In this case it took awhile because we live on the east side of the mountains and it would freeze again! Our neck of Oregon has highly active weather! Summer today, freezing tomorrow. No spring this year. :>) It also turns out I'm allergic to feathers. I had the tests done years ago but had forgotten that little fact. Couldn't imagine why I kept getting headaches. Chicks... no feathers. Duh... until they started to feather out. LOLOLOL I'm okay out in the open fortunately. The living room survived but no more chick raising. I wish you all a wonderful day.
.

 

[jbshorses]

Thank you for your reply. I do have a home for him. I have 8 hens but I'm not sure that is going to be enough for him. Because he's such a handsome fellow and he hasn't grown his spurs yet he's still here. Very nice to look at with all his girls. Since you indicated even without spurs he could be hazardous to the girls health he's gone next time my friends stop by. I raised the 15 chicks in my living room until they feathered out and it was no longer freezing. No spring this year. It would warm up one day and then freezing the next day. No spring this year! While we were waiting for the weather to cooperate, I started having worse and worse headaches. Then the light bulb went on. Years ago I'd been allergy tested. Duh... allergic to feathers. Chicks no feathers... chickens feathers. Fortunately out in the open no problem but no more baby chicks. Wish you a wonderful day dear.

 

[CiceroXY]

I was thinking about taking off my roo's spurs which have been growing a lot.
At what age the spurs should be removed (if there is a better age for the roo..) ?
My BA roo is almost 2 years old now.

 

[aart]

Thought I'd add this pic for reference.
This is a spur sheath from a 3yo cockbird I slaughtered.
I had never trimmed his spurs,
but had filed down the sharp point a tad.
The black mark is where the 'quick' ended.

Camera wouldn't focus way down inside, but still an interesting view.

 

[tigger19687]

I have never had a Roo, well none that I kept anyway.

What happens if you cut the Quick down to the leg ( as in surgery type of cut off) ? Would it still grow back correctly or would it be 'damaged' and not grow out much?
If you damaged your own finger nail bed and took off the nail, many times it doesn't grow back at all because you damaged the nail bed and that is where it is generated.

I wonder if there is a way to take it all off like they do Dew claws on a dog. Like banding it.

 

[Silexian]

I trim my roosters spurs with a small set of cable cutters. When the spurs get about an inch and a half long. I nip off about a half of an inch. Then take a file and round them over.

 

[WoDia]

- How and when do you trim your chickens' beaks and nails?

I trim nails as needed (before they get way too long). For beaks, I trim and file when they begin to curve downward too much. I have one hen that needs regular lower beak filing. For crossbeak, I trim and file as needed. A little at a time until they look more in-line.

- Do you remove your roosters' spurs and how do you do it?

I’ve removed my roosters spurs in two ways. Sometimes by trimming them down. I‘ve also used the plier-twist method. I feel a little bad when I do it that way (for obvious chicken mama reasons), but it’s quick and effective. Once they are twisted off, I apply pressure with paper towels until the bleeding stops. I then apply Blu Kote to protect while the under-spurs heal and harden.

- How do you manage beak problems, such as cross beaks, broken/cracked beaks?

Broken or cracked beaks require trimming/filing where there are sharp edges/edges that may catch on something (I use my fingers to hold the beak in place to avoid adding to the damage). Then, allow them to heal on their own. Depending on the severity, I quarantine, feed soft foods, and give extra vitamins.