Skip to main content

Trimming a rooster's spurs

Poor Wilbur doesn't particularly appreciate being picked up, but we noticed that he had injured a couple of the hens with his spurs, so we decided it was time for a pedicure.  This is required every year or so, depending on how fast the rooster's spurs grow, this was the first time we had done Wilbur, but we've done plenty of other roosters.

Wilbur looking unhappy - you can see it too, can't you?
There are various methods involving pliers and even a hot potato, but our preferred method is to use the angle grinder.  Although the noise is a bit scary, the process is very quick and the heat seals the spur so there is very little blood loss.  Its easier with two people, one to hold the rooster (me) and the other to operate the power tool (Peter).  I usually hold the rooster so that his head is under my arm, and his wings are secure, then Peter grabs the rooster's leg and holds that tight before quickly taking off the sharp point of the spur.

spur before

after angle grinding
 Peter then quickly files the spur so there are no sharp edges and after a quick cuddle (completely unappreciated by the rooster), he is released back to his hens.

after filing

me and Wilbur

Do you trim your rooster's spurs?  What method do you use?





By the way, my chicken eBook is now available if you want to know more about backyard chickens and using chicken tractors.  More information over at the chicken tractor ebook blog.  Or you can get it directly from my shop on Etsy (.pdf format), or Amazon Kindle or just send me an email eight.acres.liz {at} gmail.com.




What's the eBook about?
Chickens in a confined coop can end up living in an unpleasant dust-bowl, but allowing chickens to free-range can result in chickens getting into gardens and expose them to predators.

 A movable cage or “chicken tractor” is the best of both options – the chickens are safe, have access to clean grass, fresh air and bugs. Feed costs are reduced, chickens are happier, and egg production increases. 

 But how do you build a chicken tractor? What aspects should be considered in designing and using a chicken tractor effectively? In this eBook I aim to explain how to make a chicken tractor work for you in your environment to meet your goals for keeping chickens. 

I also list what I have learnt over 10 years of keeping chickens in tractors of various designs and sizes, from hatching chicks, through to butchering roosters.


Reviews of the Design and Use a Chicken Tractor


Comments

  1. Interesting :) I am dreading the day we have to do ours. I have a thought in my brain that I might be able to use our dog nail clippers? Mo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suppose it depends on the size of the spurs and the size of the clippers! You only really need to take off the pointy end, so it might work. We just find that the grinder is good because its hot and seals the spur so there's no blood loss.

      Delete
  2. Our rooster The Big Yin, has spurs that are now too long and we are going to have to tackle him as well. I am NOT looking forward to that prospect, he is a big boy! Hopefully you don't have to do this very often because both Yin, Steve and I will probably be traumatised by the event. The dog STILL doesn't trust us (checks treats MOST carefully) since we had to wrestle him and force him to take a worm tablet (It took almost an hour!) and next time he is off to the vet's to be sedated first! And people think that life on a farm is "SO quaint darling!" ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our rooster is getting fairly old and his spurs grow out and eventually break off after awhile and leave a small cone like area that grows back into another 3 inch spur over time. I have 3 of them that I have found. His kind of curve back out of the way so he doesn't seem to hurt the hens but then he is a gentleman about the whole thing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You learn something new every day! I never knew you should do that! I'm new to chicken breeding, so thanks. Trouble is we have three of them (all kept separate). It's no wonder the hens try to run away!

    ReplyDelete
  5. At least you only need to do it once a year from when the rooster is about 2 years old and the spurs are just getting too long.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Liz for the info. Red Rooster is now in for a bit of a shock, I've noticed he's injuring the hens with his big spurs. Now, I just have to catch him...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks, I appreciate all your comments, suggestions and questions, but I don't always get time to reply right away. If you need me to reply personally to a question, please leave your email address in the comment or in your profile, or email me directly on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com

Popular posts from this blog

The new Eight Acres website is live!

Very soon this blogspot address will automatically redirect to the new Eight Acres site, but in the meantime, you can check it out here .  You will find all my soaps, ebooks and beeswax/honey products there, as well as the blog (needs a tidy up, but its all there!).  I will be gradually updating all my social media links and updating and sharing blog posts over the next few months.  I'm very excited to share this new website with you!

Chicken tractor guest post

Sign up for my weekly email updates here , you will find out more about chickens, soap and our farmlife, straight to your inbox, never miss a post!  New soap website and shop opening soon.... Tanya from Lovely Greens invited me to write a guest post on chicken tractors for her blog.  I can't believe how many page views I get for chicken tractors, they seem to be a real area of interest and I hope that the information on my blog has helped people.  I find that when I use something everyday, I forget the details that other people may not be aware of, so in this post for Tanya, I tried to just write everything I could think of that I haven't covered in previous posts.  I tried to explain everything we do and why, so that people in other locations and situations can figure out how best to use chicken tractors with their own chickens. The dogs like to hang out behind the chicken tractors and eat chicken poo.  Dogs are gross! If you want to read more about chicken tractor

How to make soap with beer (and tallow)

I may  have mentioned this before.... soap making is addictive!  Once you start, you just want to keep making more soap.  And not the same soap, you want to try all sorts of different soaps.  I made the mistake of joining a facebook group called Saponification Nation  and now my facebook newsfeed is full of glorious soaps, in all colours and shapes, which makes it even harder to resist the urge to experiment.  One soap that kept popping up a few weeks ago was soap made with beer. I generally prefer not to use ingredients just for the sake of it, I like to know that they are adding something to the properties of the finished soap.   As you know, I don't like to use artificial ingredients either (colours or fragrances).   When I read about beer in soap I found out that beer adds sugar to the mixture, which increases lather.  I use tallow in my soap, which has limited lather, so anything that adds lather could improve the soap.  It also contributes a tan or brown colour to