Well, it had to be done....
I previously wrote about
trimming Mr. Big's spurs. We did not trim enough, because today Doc noticed that
De has started looking raw like Vo. We immediately began waiting for nightfall when the chickens would be snoozing on their roost.
We crept into the coop and snatched Mr. Big from the roost. He was not pleased and communicated his displeasure. The girls argued for his immediate release, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Here are the steps used to remove the rooster's spurs:
1. Hold the rooster by the feet, upside down.
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| Spurs are still too pointy |
2. Grasp a spur with
pliers, then rotate along the axis of the spurs while bracing the leg.
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| Grab spur and turn one way |
3. Then rotate the pliers in the opposite direction.
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| Turn the other way |
4. Pull the spur off. Note that it may bleed.
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| Pull straight off |
5. Blot the bloody spurs with cornstarch.
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| Put a little cornstarch on bloody spurs |
Doc and I restored Mr. Big to his roost. Oh the chickeny joy! Well, joyful enough. We collected our stink eyes and left.
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| Spurs from 1 year old rooster |
The hens can thank us later.
I"m glad you posted this as I need to do this myself and have been too chicken( sorry couldn't resist!) to try LOL. Your instructions and pictures are a great guide. Now all I have to do is grab my husband and laptap and tow it all out to the coop. Oh and pliers and cornstarch...
ReplyDeleteMost back damage to a hen is done by the roosters toenails. The spurs should be angled up so that they do not touch the mated hen.
ReplyDelete~~Matt~~