After ten years of keeping chickens, I just found this out.
I've had a total of seven roosters over the decade. I've removed spurs and the rooster has shown no reaction, one often falling asleep in my lap during the procedure. Usually, there is no bleeding, and if there is, it's been a drop and nothing more.
Not so with this present roo. His name is Strawberry and he's a three-year old Cream Legbar. Three days ago, I removed his spurs for the third time. I was prepared for the bleeding because his spurs have continued to bleed after the outer sheath was removed. This time I bandaged them so he wouldn't bleed all over the hens when he mated them.
As it turned out, he didn't feel like pursuing the hens because he was in pain. He would stand around with one leg drawn up under his belly. Or he would bend down and peck at his leg. He's been noticeably subdued for three day, and this morning, he didn't want to come out of the coop.
I have been giving him an aspirin at bedtime, and this morning I gave him one and lightly wrapped a strip of vet wrap around the still-wet spurs. I had left the bandages off last night to try to get the spurs to harden. I'll do the same again tonight, and he will eventually heal. It's taken a week in the past for his spurs to harden. This is the first time I have noticed my rooster was experiencing significant pain from it.
This is the last time Strawberry gets his spurs removed.
I've had a total of seven roosters over the decade. I've removed spurs and the rooster has shown no reaction, one often falling asleep in my lap during the procedure. Usually, there is no bleeding, and if there is, it's been a drop and nothing more.
Not so with this present roo. His name is Strawberry and he's a three-year old Cream Legbar. Three days ago, I removed his spurs for the third time. I was prepared for the bleeding because his spurs have continued to bleed after the outer sheath was removed. This time I bandaged them so he wouldn't bleed all over the hens when he mated them.
As it turned out, he didn't feel like pursuing the hens because he was in pain. He would stand around with one leg drawn up under his belly. Or he would bend down and peck at his leg. He's been noticeably subdued for three day, and this morning, he didn't want to come out of the coop.
I have been giving him an aspirin at bedtime, and this morning I gave him one and lightly wrapped a strip of vet wrap around the still-wet spurs. I had left the bandages off last night to try to get the spurs to harden. I'll do the same again tonight, and he will eventually heal. It's taken a week in the past for his spurs to harden. This is the first time I have noticed my rooster was experiencing significant pain from it.
This is the last time Strawberry gets his spurs removed.