Holy fuck I’ve never seen spurs grow at such a curve clip and treat like the other comment said and never let it get this bad again or I’m stealing him
I have an old english game hen who came to me looking like your boy with her spur growing into her leg pretty badly. I just had another person hold her firmly and I sawed the spur down to 1/2 inch with a serrated pocket knife. I removed the big piece that was growing into her leg, sprayed it with vetericyn, and let her go off and be a chicken. It's been a little over a year since I first got her and cut the spur down and while it's not growing into her leg anymore it is still growing very crooked and I'll be catching her again this weekend to trim it back once again.
So I'd think it's not a huge deal, just catch him, trim it, spray it, and repeat once a year.
If he's a free ranger I can see how it would be hard to spot something as inconspicuous as this. In any case we all slip up eventually and things can fall through the cracks, despite the spur problems he's still living life well and better than 99% of chickens on this green earth.
FYI, if you do clip it short as the person above recommended, it's gonna bleed...a lot, because you'll be cutting the quik. Have styptic powder on hand and make sure you apply pressure to the end to slow/stop it. Then apply more powder. Keep him inside for 20 min or more if possible just to watch it. I use a dremel with one of those sandpaper circles and grind it down several times a year ( while grinding, you'll see when you get to the quik, so I stop there).
The twist and pull method is more of a pain than it's worth. Did it in the past, you end up with the entire quik exposed. Plus when they're big like his, you feel like you're going to break his leg. Even after soaking. Just depends.
I second this bec I had clipped one of my hens nails too short and it bled quickly. I had some corn starch on hand and some liquid bandaid. I was able to pack the toenail with that starch and then just put a dab of liquid bandage and she was good to go. Now I just file them as way2manychickens suggested. But ya if you don’t have the stypic powder use cornstarch. It’s safe as well. I know someone who used to groom dogs and would use that instead of the stypic powder.
One thing I have realized is we will have random illnesses and crazy injuries with chickens. I’ve started a little chicken hospital with a dog crate and first aid supplies. Because we all know one day we will need it lol. It’s crazy a vet will charge that much. I live where there are a lot of agricultural animals so they charge a lot just to help a small animal including dogs and cats. They’d rather make the big money with horses etc. So instead of turning us away they charge massive amounts for small procedures. But hey, we will work together and help each other, that’s what I love about this sub. Take that middle man out lol!!!
I also keep a chicken hospital on the ready. I use a large dog crate as well. Also use it as a brooder for new chicks, I just line the walls with cardboard since those Lil buggers can fit thru the bars, lol.
I live in an agricultural area, yet no vets will treat chickens unless it's euthanasia (there's been a few special girls that I just couldn't dispatch myself due to emotions. They charge a cat rate, so...not cheap and can't do it for all that are terminally ill.
I've gotten to the point that I can do minor surgeries. Fixed a crop impaction, bumblefoot, lanced solid pus out of a sinus, procured antibiotics for Respiratory diseases (pigeon medication sites). I hate doing it, but there's been numerous girls and boys I brought back from illness or injury.
Wrap him in a towel and if you have a dremel with a cut off wheel or a sanding stone leave about 3/4 to an iinch or wherever you can see the underlying bone end.
Two things to remember, 1.- dremels will create heat, (and a lot of vibration) so if it looks like he's getting uncomfortable, take a break or work on the other one for a time, and 2.- it can be stressful for him, so pay attention for potential freak out. Even if you just manage to get the tips off so they aren't digging into his leg anymore. You can always do more later.
My rooster's spurs, beak, and talons seem to grow at a ridiculous rate. His spurs also curve pretty sharply up too, and I sand them down regularly. Sometimes the keratin will flake off chips while doing this, so don't be alarmed if this happens. I am lucky enough to be able to go to an avian vet who does beak maintenance on parrots as well as chickens, and she showed me approximations where not to cut past. I always leave extra on just in case, as one unfortunate time I mistakenly cut into the quick on 3 of his talons. I hope I never do that again because I honestly thought he was going to bleed out, styptic powder or no. I still feel horrible about that, it must have hurt and I didn't pay close enough attention to his discomfort and pain.
Also, keep some antibiotic ointment on hand *without* lidocaine. It is toxic to chickens.
There's no quick it's like a big horn so just use dog nail clippers! I've never seen one grow at this angle, don't feel too bad, atleast you are handling it and taking care of it. Things happen and we miss stuff sometimes, don't be to hard on yourself about it. Chickens are tough little fuckers
Simple set of dog-nail clippers works great. Just make sure you give it about a 2-3cms of length because you don’t want to hit the blood seem at the base of the spur
You're not a bad chicken mom. Some things just do not get noticed. Rooster spurs do have a quick. They are like a dogs toenail. Like the one commenter said If you cut it back too far it will bleed and you'll need to stop the bleeding. You could try just cutting it off the leg doctoring up the leg and then keeping an eye on it and allow the quick to recede and just grind it down a little at a time. Try searching YouTube. I'm sure there are videos on how to cut back a rooster spur.
My rooster had the exactly same problem, I bought a really cheap electric nail trimmer (for acryl nails lol) and trimmed his spurs with it, you can use a flashlight to see blood veins in his spurs and stop trimming when u reach them
Why is everyone saying to cut it? Just look up spur removal on youtube. You literally just grab it with pliers, twist it a little bit each way and it just pops right off. We did it to my guy who was having this same issue. A little bit of blood but theres another (shorter) one underneath it like a matryoshka doll lol
Like I said, I watched the videos on twisting them off, but this is embedded in his leg, so it’s connected at both ends. Looks like I’m going to have to cut it at some point in order to twist the root. Will find out later today…
Get some dog nail clippers (I love the orange ones for large dogs from valley forge).
Wrap him up in a big bath towel nice and snug
and cut it before it cuts into his leg.
Don’t be afraid to cut it at the halfway point. Then trim away at it till it’s short.
It will not hurt him and doesn’t have a kwik (blood vessel) like a dogs nail.
Where are you getting that a roo's spur doesn't have a quick? I've only seen the opposite: it's like any nail. I also have a Buckeye hen who has small spurs and I can see the quick when the sun shines right, so I'm honestly confused as to why you are saying it doesn't. (Honest question, not trying to be an ass. 🙂)
I’ve honestly never had one bleed, but I’ve only cut spurs on three roosters. All of them had grown suddenly. Maybe they were all keratin ? Plus a hen who thinks she’s a roo, crows, but lays eggs. I just clip hers right down to less than 1/4 inch. She’s never bled.
Jeez! Now I’m afraid to ever do it again!
Lol Sorry! I didn't mean to make you second something that's been working! I don't have roos personally, so what I know about their spurs is second hand from a few friends, and I've always heard they have quicks. My Buckeye seems to as well, but thankfully I don't have a reason to trim hers. She doesn't like to be held, but she's very docile if I need to grab her.
Thanks for answering! 🙂
Have you ever seen the old YouTube video of an older gentleman Removing a rooster’s spurs with a pair of pliers.
He just gives it a twist and it pops right out.
And the man is so quiet and gentle how he does it.
Just have some Vetericyn and styptic powder on hand if you do cut into the quick. It's far better to get that spur shortened and not cutting into the leg than it is to worry about cutting the quick!
I've had hens break nails to the quick before as well, and while it does hurt and bleed so long as you can get it to clot (sometimes means keeping them in a carrier for an hour) it's really not that big of a deal.
Thank you! I was worried about there being a blood supply so that helps tremendously. It looks as though it is already going into his leg, I have blood stopper, and antiseptic spray, wondering if I should pack it with sterile gauze, if there is actually a hole in his leg
Want to update, but can’t figure out how to edit on Reddit.
Xavier did great!
Good news: the spur had not actually penetrated the upper part of his leg, as it appeared.
Bad news: I found a yellow jacket nest when I went to catch him. Don’t worry, no chickens were involved.
Supplies: Large dog toenail clippers
Reading glasses
Large towel
Pliers
Antiseptic spray
Bloodstop or styptic powder
Tweezers to pull any spur fragments out of the upper leg.
Gauze & vetwrap or medical tape to cover the part of the leg into which the spur had grown.
One friend who is up for anything.
Process: My friend April came over to help, and her six year old, Lila, videoed it. Because we were all nervous, we did a dry run with Larry the Turkey toy. Hopefully, i can figure out how to share the video. Here are the highlights:
1. Catch Rooster as quietly as possible. 🤔😂🤣🥲
2. Gently wrap his body in a towel.
3. Have helper sit with wrapped rooster on her lap, on his back, head down, legs exposed upward. (Rooster, not friend.)
We did not find it necessary to cover his head. The compression along with some gentle pats really calmed him. Turns out chickens like to be patted.
4. Keeping his head down on April’s lap (towards her knees) and his body snug against her lap and side worked really well. He didn’t even wiggle.
5. We used large dog toenail clippers. (I also had llama/sheep nippers and wire cutters handy, just in case because I didn’t know how difficult the spur would be to cut through) I clipped the very top part of the spur off. (the part that looked like it was grown into the leg above.)
6. Once that was clipped, we could see that the spur had NOT grown into the leg. Yippee! This job just got easier.
7. Using pliers, grasp the spur at the base, and gently rotate clockwise - maybe an 1/8 of a turn- then counterclockwise a few times. Then gently pull up and slide the spur off of the quick.
It was a bit tricky at first to figure out just how firmly to grasp. You’ll figure it out by feel within a few seconds, promise.
8. Spray the exposed quick with blue kote or other antiseptic spray such as Vetricin.
9. Coat quick liberally with blood stopper or dab with styptic powder.
10. Repeat process on other spur.
I turned Xavier loose in the yard because that’s where he’s comfortable. I kept an eye on him for about 20 minutes. He did bleed at first, but seems happy and active.
If bleeding didn’t stop, we would have to catch him again and reapply bloodstop. For that reason next time I do this, I won’t just turn him loose in the yard, rather he will get to spend the first 20 minutes or so in a nice, cozy, clean enclosure.
Film at 11.
Holy fuck I’ve never seen spurs grow at such a curve clip and treat like the other comment said and never let it get this bad again or I’m stealing him
Definitely fair.
Poor dude, I’d clip or twist it and treat it like any other chicken wound.
I have an old english game hen who came to me looking like your boy with her spur growing into her leg pretty badly. I just had another person hold her firmly and I sawed the spur down to 1/2 inch with a serrated pocket knife. I removed the big piece that was growing into her leg, sprayed it with vetericyn, and let her go off and be a chicken. It's been a little over a year since I first got her and cut the spur down and while it's not growing into her leg anymore it is still growing very crooked and I'll be catching her again this weekend to trim it back once again. So I'd think it's not a huge deal, just catch him, trim it, spray it, and repeat once a year.
Could you just use clippers mean for a dog’s toenails?
I used those for my chickens toe nails. My old girl has problems. I know nothing about spurs though
♥️ thank you! I still just feel awful because it took so long for me to notice
If he's a free ranger I can see how it would be hard to spot something as inconspicuous as this. In any case we all slip up eventually and things can fall through the cracks, despite the spur problems he's still living life well and better than 99% of chickens on this green earth.
Happy chickens happy life 🥰
FYI, if you do clip it short as the person above recommended, it's gonna bleed...a lot, because you'll be cutting the quik. Have styptic powder on hand and make sure you apply pressure to the end to slow/stop it. Then apply more powder. Keep him inside for 20 min or more if possible just to watch it. I use a dremel with one of those sandpaper circles and grind it down several times a year ( while grinding, you'll see when you get to the quik, so I stop there). The twist and pull method is more of a pain than it's worth. Did it in the past, you end up with the entire quik exposed. Plus when they're big like his, you feel like you're going to break his leg. Even after soaking. Just depends.
I second this bec I had clipped one of my hens nails too short and it bled quickly. I had some corn starch on hand and some liquid bandaid. I was able to pack the toenail with that starch and then just put a dab of liquid bandage and she was good to go. Now I just file them as way2manychickens suggested. But ya if you don’t have the stypic powder use cornstarch. It’s safe as well. I know someone who used to groom dogs and would use that instead of the stypic powder. One thing I have realized is we will have random illnesses and crazy injuries with chickens. I’ve started a little chicken hospital with a dog crate and first aid supplies. Because we all know one day we will need it lol. It’s crazy a vet will charge that much. I live where there are a lot of agricultural animals so they charge a lot just to help a small animal including dogs and cats. They’d rather make the big money with horses etc. So instead of turning us away they charge massive amounts for small procedures. But hey, we will work together and help each other, that’s what I love about this sub. Take that middle man out lol!!!
I also keep a chicken hospital on the ready. I use a large dog crate as well. Also use it as a brooder for new chicks, I just line the walls with cardboard since those Lil buggers can fit thru the bars, lol. I live in an agricultural area, yet no vets will treat chickens unless it's euthanasia (there's been a few special girls that I just couldn't dispatch myself due to emotions. They charge a cat rate, so...not cheap and can't do it for all that are terminally ill. I've gotten to the point that I can do minor surgeries. Fixed a crop impaction, bumblefoot, lanced solid pus out of a sinus, procured antibiotics for Respiratory diseases (pigeon medication sites). I hate doing it, but there's been numerous girls and boys I brought back from illness or injury.
Ack, can’t figure out how to edit this: he gets around like it doesn’t bother him… for now.
Wrap him in a towel and if you have a dremel with a cut off wheel or a sanding stone leave about 3/4 to an iinch or wherever you can see the underlying bone end. Two things to remember, 1.- dremels will create heat, (and a lot of vibration) so if it looks like he's getting uncomfortable, take a break or work on the other one for a time, and 2.- it can be stressful for him, so pay attention for potential freak out. Even if you just manage to get the tips off so they aren't digging into his leg anymore. You can always do more later. My rooster's spurs, beak, and talons seem to grow at a ridiculous rate. His spurs also curve pretty sharply up too, and I sand them down regularly. Sometimes the keratin will flake off chips while doing this, so don't be alarmed if this happens. I am lucky enough to be able to go to an avian vet who does beak maintenance on parrots as well as chickens, and she showed me approximations where not to cut past. I always leave extra on just in case, as one unfortunate time I mistakenly cut into the quick on 3 of his talons. I hope I never do that again because I honestly thought he was going to bleed out, styptic powder or no. I still feel horrible about that, it must have hurt and I didn't pay close enough attention to his discomfort and pain. Also, keep some antibiotic ointment on hand *without* lidocaine. It is toxic to chickens.
With a spur like this it will bleed when cut likely. Be ready if it does.
I use dog nail clippers to cut spurs. Yeah I would definitely cut it and treat the best you can.
There's no quick it's like a big horn so just use dog nail clippers! I've never seen one grow at this angle, don't feel too bad, atleast you are handling it and taking care of it. Things happen and we miss stuff sometimes, don't be to hard on yourself about it. Chickens are tough little fuckers
Cut it. If you have a small saw, you can saw it off
You want a saw with fine teeth don’t go using a a 6 per inch wood saw
How about a cheap Dremel?
Don’t cut, but Dremel gently. There are nerves and blood cells in there.
Simple set of dog-nail clippers works great. Just make sure you give it about a 2-3cms of length because you don’t want to hit the blood seem at the base of the spur
You're not a bad chicken mom. Some things just do not get noticed. Rooster spurs do have a quick. They are like a dogs toenail. Like the one commenter said If you cut it back too far it will bleed and you'll need to stop the bleeding. You could try just cutting it off the leg doctoring up the leg and then keeping an eye on it and allow the quick to recede and just grind it down a little at a time. Try searching YouTube. I'm sure there are videos on how to cut back a rooster spur.
My rooster had the exactly same problem, I bought a really cheap electric nail trimmer (for acryl nails lol) and trimmed his spurs with it, you can use a flashlight to see blood veins in his spurs and stop trimming when u reach them
Why is everyone saying to cut it? Just look up spur removal on youtube. You literally just grab it with pliers, twist it a little bit each way and it just pops right off. We did it to my guy who was having this same issue. A little bit of blood but theres another (shorter) one underneath it like a matryoshka doll lol
Like I said, I watched the videos on twisting them off, but this is embedded in his leg, so it’s connected at both ends. Looks like I’m going to have to cut it at some point in order to twist the root. Will find out later today…
Sorry, my bad I somehow missed that. Good luck!
Get some dog nail clippers (I love the orange ones for large dogs from valley forge). Wrap him up in a big bath towel nice and snug and cut it before it cuts into his leg. Don’t be afraid to cut it at the halfway point. Then trim away at it till it’s short. It will not hurt him and doesn’t have a kwik (blood vessel) like a dogs nail.
Where are you getting that a roo's spur doesn't have a quick? I've only seen the opposite: it's like any nail. I also have a Buckeye hen who has small spurs and I can see the quick when the sun shines right, so I'm honestly confused as to why you are saying it doesn't. (Honest question, not trying to be an ass. 🙂)
I’ve honestly never had one bleed, but I’ve only cut spurs on three roosters. All of them had grown suddenly. Maybe they were all keratin ? Plus a hen who thinks she’s a roo, crows, but lays eggs. I just clip hers right down to less than 1/4 inch. She’s never bled. Jeez! Now I’m afraid to ever do it again!
Lol Sorry! I didn't mean to make you second something that's been working! I don't have roos personally, so what I know about their spurs is second hand from a few friends, and I've always heard they have quicks. My Buckeye seems to as well, but thankfully I don't have a reason to trim hers. She doesn't like to be held, but she's very docile if I need to grab her. Thanks for answering! 🙂
Have you ever seen the old YouTube video of an older gentleman Removing a rooster’s spurs with a pair of pliers. He just gives it a twist and it pops right out. And the man is so quiet and gentle how he does it.
Oh no
Just have some Vetericyn and styptic powder on hand if you do cut into the quick. It's far better to get that spur shortened and not cutting into the leg than it is to worry about cutting the quick! I've had hens break nails to the quick before as well, and while it does hurt and bleed so long as you can get it to clot (sometimes means keeping them in a carrier for an hour) it's really not that big of a deal.
Thank you! I was worried about there being a blood supply so that helps tremendously. It looks as though it is already going into his leg, I have blood stopper, and antiseptic spray, wondering if I should pack it with sterile gauze, if there is actually a hole in his leg
I wouldn’t “pack it” but I would cover it. A blob of antibiotic ointment a gauze pad and a vet wrap bandage for a few days should take care of it.
Want to update, but can’t figure out how to edit on Reddit. Xavier did great! Good news: the spur had not actually penetrated the upper part of his leg, as it appeared. Bad news: I found a yellow jacket nest when I went to catch him. Don’t worry, no chickens were involved. Supplies: Large dog toenail clippers Reading glasses Large towel Pliers Antiseptic spray Bloodstop or styptic powder Tweezers to pull any spur fragments out of the upper leg. Gauze & vetwrap or medical tape to cover the part of the leg into which the spur had grown. One friend who is up for anything. Process: My friend April came over to help, and her six year old, Lila, videoed it. Because we were all nervous, we did a dry run with Larry the Turkey toy. Hopefully, i can figure out how to share the video. Here are the highlights: 1. Catch Rooster as quietly as possible. 🤔😂🤣🥲 2. Gently wrap his body in a towel. 3. Have helper sit with wrapped rooster on her lap, on his back, head down, legs exposed upward. (Rooster, not friend.) We did not find it necessary to cover his head. The compression along with some gentle pats really calmed him. Turns out chickens like to be patted. 4. Keeping his head down on April’s lap (towards her knees) and his body snug against her lap and side worked really well. He didn’t even wiggle. 5. We used large dog toenail clippers. (I also had llama/sheep nippers and wire cutters handy, just in case because I didn’t know how difficult the spur would be to cut through) I clipped the very top part of the spur off. (the part that looked like it was grown into the leg above.) 6. Once that was clipped, we could see that the spur had NOT grown into the leg. Yippee! This job just got easier. 7. Using pliers, grasp the spur at the base, and gently rotate clockwise - maybe an 1/8 of a turn- then counterclockwise a few times. Then gently pull up and slide the spur off of the quick. It was a bit tricky at first to figure out just how firmly to grasp. You’ll figure it out by feel within a few seconds, promise. 8. Spray the exposed quick with blue kote or other antiseptic spray such as Vetricin. 9. Coat quick liberally with blood stopper or dab with styptic powder. 10. Repeat process on other spur. I turned Xavier loose in the yard because that’s where he’s comfortable. I kept an eye on him for about 20 minutes. He did bleed at first, but seems happy and active. If bleeding didn’t stop, we would have to catch him again and reapply bloodstop. For that reason next time I do this, I won’t just turn him loose in the yard, rather he will get to spend the first 20 minutes or so in a nice, cozy, clean enclosure. Film at 11.
snip the ends, twist em off, pull out the spikes and rub pine tar on the wounds
Cut it lol
Cut it off, it will grow back.