Has anyone ever trimmed the spurs of their rooster to limit damage from an agressive attack?
We inherited a rooster, had him quarantined for a few weeks, seems to be fine. Introduced him to the rest of the flock Saturday, including 16 laying hens of various breeds, 3 remaining 10 week old CX (2 hens and a roo), and two BBB turkeys that are 10 weeks old. All went well Saturday and yesterday, but today when I got home the 2 turkeys had received quite a flogging, with some bleeding on their heads, plus a few puntures. They have been treated and are doing well.
The rooster was bleeding from his spur, looks like he chipped it, and the turkey had given a little back as he had a few dings of his own.
The 2 turkeys and the 3 CX (all 5 were purchased the same day and were raised together) all retreated in a different direction from the roo and the other birds when I let them out of the run, so the roo probably beat them up in their side pen, based on the blood I saw.
I know that some animals have teeth trimmed, and others have things done such as neutering them, but I want an active intact rooster. How would you trim spurs if you did do it? Dremel tool with a cutting wheel, or maybe a pair of pet "nail trimmers"? Just thinking of trimming them 0.25-0.375" to square them off.
He isn't too happy with me right now, as I caught him in one of my salmon nets, flipped him upside down on his back wrapped in the net so he was completely defenseless, and growled at him, along the lines of how I maintain dominance with my dog. (luckily there was no video of this) He was in the net for about 5 minutes.
This was the first act of aggression by any of my birds, other than basic sparring, so I'm looking to nip it in the bud if possible. If all else fails, I'll separate the CX and turkeys from the rest of the flock, as they will be harvested in the upcoming months. It was interesting to see the CX run as fast as they did, though.
Thanks in advance.
We inherited a rooster, had him quarantined for a few weeks, seems to be fine. Introduced him to the rest of the flock Saturday, including 16 laying hens of various breeds, 3 remaining 10 week old CX (2 hens and a roo), and two BBB turkeys that are 10 weeks old. All went well Saturday and yesterday, but today when I got home the 2 turkeys had received quite a flogging, with some bleeding on their heads, plus a few puntures. They have been treated and are doing well.
The rooster was bleeding from his spur, looks like he chipped it, and the turkey had given a little back as he had a few dings of his own.
The 2 turkeys and the 3 CX (all 5 were purchased the same day and were raised together) all retreated in a different direction from the roo and the other birds when I let them out of the run, so the roo probably beat them up in their side pen, based on the blood I saw.
I know that some animals have teeth trimmed, and others have things done such as neutering them, but I want an active intact rooster. How would you trim spurs if you did do it? Dremel tool with a cutting wheel, or maybe a pair of pet "nail trimmers"? Just thinking of trimming them 0.25-0.375" to square them off.
He isn't too happy with me right now, as I caught him in one of my salmon nets, flipped him upside down on his back wrapped in the net so he was completely defenseless, and growled at him, along the lines of how I maintain dominance with my dog. (luckily there was no video of this) He was in the net for about 5 minutes.
This was the first act of aggression by any of my birds, other than basic sparring, so I'm looking to nip it in the bud if possible. If all else fails, I'll separate the CX and turkeys from the rest of the flock, as they will be harvested in the upcoming months. It was interesting to see the CX run as fast as they did, though.
Thanks in advance.
