Cockerell with long spurs: would you trim? WWYD?

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

As title really.

Our bantam cockerell must be getting on now....... now idea how old he actually is; but of late he seems to have got really long spurs, and we're wondering what we should do about it.

They don't seem to get in his way when he's walking, or cause him any noticeable mobility problems; and at the moment he doesn't seem to be "treading" any of the hens to cause any damage that way (poor old boy, perhaps he's past all that??? ).

But we keep looking at the length of these spurs and wonder if we should be doing anything about it. Not sure what these spurs are made of, whether there's a "quick" to them, or whether they're just made of "dead" nail-like substance so that it wouldn't hurt him to trim them?

If he DID need trimming back, we'd obviously take him along to the vets to have it done.

WWYD chicken peeps????

Sorry can't post photo on here (way toooo complicated).

 

[Dry Rot]

No need to go to the vet. Take a Junior hack saw and run it though a candle. Then simply have someone hold the bird while you cut the spurs off leaving about 1/4 inch. It is common practice. The wax seals the blood vessels.

 

[Nettle123]

They do have a quick and bleed heavily if you nick it. I just take the tips off my boys spurs a bit at a time for the girls sake. I haven't tried it but have heard of putting the spur tip in a hot baked potato, apparantely it removes the spur painlessly. Must admit, it sounds a bit of a weird one to me, lol.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

the hot potato one sounds ghastly IMO, plus it still leaves a long pointy bit! you can use suitable dog nail clippers and rasp the ends or just rasp the ends before they get too long in the first place.

 

[Nettle123]

I agree about the potato. I use a simple pair of sharp garden secateurs to take the tips off, job done quickly and painlessly.

 

[Clodagh]

Sometimes the spurs curve in such a way that they do less damage to the hens than if you trimmed them, in which case I would elave be.
I use dog nail clippers to take the ends off any that need it. They bleed like mad if you go too far but don't panic, dunk the cut end in wound powder and count to ten! They soon stop as well.

 

[Dry Rot]

Sometimes the spurs curve in such a way that they do less damage to the hens than if you trimmed them, in which case I would elave be.
I use dog nail clippers to take the ends off any that need it. They bleed like mad if you go too far but don't panic, dunk the cut end in wound powder and count to ten! They soon stop as well.

Use the hack saw and candle method and they don't bleed at all.

That method was shown to me sixty years ago by a 70yo poultry keeping priest!