Chicken Update: Sharp Rooster Spurs


Flock of chickens in Puriscal, Costa Rica
Virginia, Blackie, Mini, Brownie and Junior mating with Grey Neck in the background.

Raising chickens continues to challenge me. Several weeks ago, I noticed Grey Neck had lost all the feathers underneath her wings and a lot were missing from her back. It's a little disturbing to see the naked skin of a living chicken. I also saw what appeared to be dried blood as if she had been scratched. A few days passed and I spotted a fresh wound bleeding from her naked skin. It finally dawned on me that Junior's super sharp spurs were puncturing her when they mated. Grey Neck is Junior's favorite and he mates with her the most. The other hens have all their feathers and no wounds. Once I realized what was happening, I felt incredibly bad for not detecting the problem sooner. 

Brahma hen in Costa Rica
Grey Neck with feathers missing on back and sides.

I researched rooster spurs and watched many videos on how to trim them and even how to remove the tough outer shell. The second method seemed extremely barbaric to me. I was curious what method our worker would recommend. The following morning, I greeted Alexis with the dog nail clippers in my hand. I explained the problem and midway through I realized he was having a difficult time understanding me. I was finally able to get the message through and he understood Junior's spurs needed to be clipped. 

Trimmed rooster spur
Junior's spur after trimming.

Junior is a large bird weighing around ten pounds. I expected this would be a two-person job and was ready to participate. I was relieved when it was clear Alexis could do this on his own. First task was to catch Junior, that wasn't very difficult. He held him upside down and confirmed the spurs were extremely sharp and long. He continued to hold Junior and moved him down onto the ground and gave me a lesson on spur trimming. Alexis took the clippers in one hand and held both rooster feet in the other hand and cut the spurs. About 3/4" was trimmed and there was no blood. Chickens have a quick in their claws, similar to dogs. The entire process was easier than I had anticipated. Junior's spurs are now blunt stubs.

Two eight week old chickens
Eight week old chickens.

Alexis left to begin other work and I went out of the chicken palace to get the poop bucket and start my chores. I returned to the chicken palace and wanted to retrieve the spur pieces for a photo. Just as I had that thought Junior began making the sound of "hey, there's something interesting here!" The ladies came running over and two of them ate the spur pieces. Now I was feeling bad all over again! I should have picked the spur cuttings up immediately after being clipped. For the next few days, I worried that the sharp pieces would cause internal injuries to the hens.

Brahma mix chickens in Puriscal, Costa Rica

Enough time has passed that I feel comfortable reporting that nothing happened from the hens eating those sharp spurs. Grey Neck's feathers on her back and sides are growing back and there are no more bloody wounds. That was quite the lesson on rooster spurs. They will grow back and need to be trimmed again, hopefully not for many months. 

Brahma mix hen in nest box
Mini in a nest laying an egg.

In other chicken news, last I wrote about Mini she had just taught her cockerel to roost at night. A few days later she began laying eggs again. This was a clear sign her hormones changed from being a mother back to a laying hen. I didn't want the cockerel to be alone so I kept them together until the third day an egg was laid and someone ate it. I decided it was time for the young rooster to go to another home and for Mini to return to the flock.

Eight week old brahma mix chickens and hen
Blondie and her young chickens.

Currently, Blondie is still with her two young ones. I am pretty sure one is a pullet and the other a cockerel. As of this writing she is still letting them sleep under her wings, on the ground. I hope she teaches them how to roost like Mini did. I have seen great improvements with the new feed. Egg production has increased. No one has gone broody lately. I will revisit hatching more chicks in April but I have a feeling that maybe it for this year.