Removing Rooster Spurs

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.

Spurs are still too pointy

2. Grasp a spur with pliers, then rotate along the axis of the spurs while bracing the leg.

Grab spur and turn one way

3. Then rotate the pliers in the opposite direction.

Turn the other way

4. Pull the spur off. Note that it may bleed.

Pull straight off

5. Blot the bloody spurs with cornstarch.

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.

Spurs from 1 year old rooster

The hens can thank us later.

Cowboy Loses His Spurs

Mr. Big has come a long way from the days when he did not know which end of a hen to mount. Now he does his "Hey Baby" dance whenever I am out of sight and the hens are looking good. And they look good to him all the time....

Mr. Big, being a healthy Texas rooster, has a sharp set of spurs. Last year, when his they were small and blunt, it was no problem when he developed a favorite girlfriend. Now that his spurs are pointy, "Ride 'em cowboy" carries a high price.

Vo has been his very special friend for some time now and is starting to look the part. When you compare De and Vo, you can see that De lacks the oh-so-attractive bald spots that Vo is sporting.

De, Vo. Feathers, Bald.

Spur damage on Vo

 I guess you could say we were spurred to act.

Dr. Dolittle and I waited until nightfall and collected Mr. Big from his roost. He complained about being caught at first. Then he saw the clipper and became very still, as if he were preparing himself for his journey to the freezer. Sparing his life, we clipped 1/8 inch off the tips of his spurs. Mr. Big was not very impressed with this treatment and fluffed his feathers discreetly when returned to the roost. I pretended not to notice the stink eye he sent our way.

Mr. Big in an undignified position, showing spurs

Making the spurs less sharp

I hope blunting the spurs was enough. If this does not work, then I will have to take the spurs off entirely with pliers. This creeps me out because it seems to me like pulling out fingernails. Eeeeeew!

UPDATE: Still too sharp five days later. Here is how we removed the rooster's spurs.

Handling Rooster Aggression

I have a wonderful rooster. He protects the flock from predators. He guides the hens to tasty food. He provides them with all the chicken whoopie they can handle.

However, he sometimes challenges me for dominance. This seems silly since he is so overmatched, but it is what roosters do.

Since I don't want to make him into a delicious meal, I need to assert my rank when he gets feisty. His "about to attack" signals are:

• rush for the food
• crazy chicken eye
• stretch and flap wings
• fluff up his neck feathers
• crow at me
• move toward me quickly
• flog with wings
• kick with spurs
• mount a hen in front of me (another form of dominance display)

Most of the time I haze him using these techniques:

• point, call his name, and warn him not to try anything
• speed walk, following him around for a while
• step toward him
• wiggle my fingers
• raise my arms over my head
• stand between him and the food
• stand between him and the hens
• follow him around with a big green pole used for guiding the flock
• point and yell "Get a room"

Usually this puts him in his place. Once, he flogged and kicked so I isolated him in the tractor out of sight from the flock. They were briefly perturbed, but he was seriously distressed. The poor boy cried all night. Next morning I let him back with the flock, to everybody's relief. Especially mine.

Since then he only makes token challenges and backs down at any response. Even so, I never turn my back on him.

Update: Here is a link to Mother Earth News with another viewpoint & technique, posted by Sorin174 on BackYardChickens.com.

Update: Here is a post (#45) from BackYardChickens.com where member Beekissed quotes another member's summary of an animal imprinting study.

Update: BYC user KlaHaYa Gardens advocates stalking an aggressive bird at a quick pace. This idea came from observing how peacocks stalk aggressive birds in a mixed flock. Seems like a great idea, and may be why the "step toward him" mini-chases I did were fairly effective. I plan to add this to my bag of tricks.

Update: Since the deaths of two hens upset the pecking order the other day, he has been testing me. I maintain the status quo by calmly stepping toward him until he steps back, or pointing at him. When he crows by me I wave and say "I hear you Mr. Big" and he backs down.

Update: Many people suggest letting him attack my foot or letting him attack a broom as an alternative approach. The problem is that this is no solution at all, just a passive defense. Unless aggressive behavior is prevented, you risk getting hurt if you let your guard down and you risk getting other people or children hurt. It is much better, in my opinion, to train the rooster to be Beta rooster instead of Alpha rooster. Likewise, everybody that comes near the flock should behave as Alpha.

Update: Mr. Big attacked me yesterday after I let them out of the coop later than usual. I had just let them out and turned my back. Doh! I chased him into the coop and stuck him in chicken jail for a while. That only got the chickens riled up, so I took him out and held him under my arm, stroking his neck, and pushing his head down. I did this for 10 minutes in front of the hens, who clucked their disapproval. He looked so humiliated, I thought he was going to cry.

Update: Mr. Big did not approve of my carrying a broody hen off the nest and tried to jump me. One day of quickly stalking him followed by preemptive admonitions when handling the broody kept him in line. By the time a chick hatched he was more interested in breakfast than defending her virtue.

The Amazing Male Performance of "Mr. Big"

My rooster, "Mr. Big", had problems with sexual performance. He tried everything he could think of. He provided delicious food, but they were ungrateful. He tried his "Hey Baby" dance, but they were unimpressed. He even tried to surprise them as they were bending over to pick up some spilled sunflower seeds. The ladies turned him down again and again.

But now "Mr. Big" is a big hit with the ladies. He has turned into a sexual tyrannosaurus. Just today he had sex with three different ladies, one right after the other. What is his secret to amazing male performance?

In a word, nutrition.

The flock had been eating 16% Layer Pellets. I switched them to M-G 20 Layer Crumbles and a week later -- look out ladies!

Hmmmm, I think I'll pick up some vitamins....

Update 1: Mr. Big is not shooting blanks....

Update 2: Mr. Big starts a family

Pandora's Free Range Box

My flock has decided that they are free range chickens. This is not at all what I had planned!

My coop and run were designed to keep the chickens safe and happy. Unfortunately, my (relatively) smart chicken has had a taste of freedom.

Every day now she slips out the gate or flies over the fence. Then she roams the yard eating yummy bugs, seeds, lizards, and unidentifiable delicious things. Within a few minutes the rooster, a strong flier, joins her and together they promenade about near the house.

This enrages the rest of the flock! The little red hen is not such a good flier. She usually makes it up to an altitude of few inches below the chicken wire, which she smacks at full chicken velocity. The others race back and forth along the fence line and squawk as if I were eating ice cream in front of them.

To preserve my sanity, I let them out until early afternoon. Oh the chickeny joy! They strut and cluck and scratch and poo and run and have a great time.

Once they stretch their legs (and/or wings) a little, they chill out enough to come back to the run for a drink. About an hour before sunset I can tempt them into the coop and lock them up safely.

I was warned. But noooooo, I had to open Pandora's Box. *sigh*

Now I have free range chickens.

De, Vo, and Buffy

Earning his keep

My rooster was acquired at the same time as my chickens. They are all just 8 months old.

I do not care about eating fertilized eggs. I do not currently want little chicks.

I allow him to pleasure the ladies. That is his reward, along with food and shelter, for doing his job. My rooster has one job and I have been waiting patiently for him to do it.

I expect my rooster to keep the flock alive. He can fight predators, intimidate predators, warn me about predators, or be a target for predators. I am not too picky, so long as the girls keep laying delicious eggs.

Today I was out in the chicken run when I heard a hawk overhead. I saw it land in a tree right over my chickens. I ran over and hassled the hawk away while the ignorant fowl continued to chow down. One more check in the "useless" box for the roo....

Later that day, the rooster got up on the fence and started crowing. I was out in the yard and about as far from the chickens as I can be on my land. As I watched, he strutted up and down the fence line and crowed every few yards while the hens kept under cover. Next, he hopped down and took cover with them. Then I saw the hawk as it gave a cry and flew off.

I was so proud of the cockerel that I gave him black oil sunflower seed for a treat. He graciously shared it with the girls.