[suziequeue]

We didn't heat them first but I will do next time so that I can compare the two approaches. I have to say - just using the plier method was remarkably easy.


This morning I can hear him cock-a-doodling away in the workshop as normal.

[graham-j]

Hi,I shorten the spurs on mine using pliers too it is very easy and causes very little distress to the bird.
It sounds a lot worse than it actually is,you just grip the spur and give it a little wiggle and it literally falls of,there is no comparison between doing this and pulling your finger nail off as some one has suggested.

Graham.

[suziequeue]

,there is no comparison between doing this and pulling your finger nail off as some one has suggested.

Graham.

Agreed - it certainly didn't feel anything like pulling a nail off - and he was not disturbed by the procedure 

[northfifeduckling]

I've had it with all this culling advice. It's lazy. I would have lost so many lovely and otherwise healthy birds too early had I given in to that advice I received for various reasons.
I trim my boy's spurs with a large file from OH's workshop until blunt (the spur  ). Should it bleed I use antiseptic spray. I tried the hot potato method but he was obviously in pain so not worth trying.

[suziequeue]

Well he's back out with his girls now and I feel much happier that no more hens will have their backs and sides cut up. He's now a year old. I have fantasies about him being like the cockerel in Chicken Run. The girls really look up to him.

[shygirl]

does anyone know what the various breed standards are for cockeral spurs? it would be interesting to see whether the problem spurs are infact too big and can be reduced by selective breeding.
i realise turkeys wear jackets - is it the spurs specifically that damage the turkey hens or the claws in general?

i find this thread quite uncomfortable reading.

here is defras guidelines - see p12.
 http://www.slideshare.net/kurdistanpost/defra-meat-chickens-breeding-welfare-code-standard

it does actually states it should be done at a day old or reduced by selective breeding. i dont think culling is being lazy. i think culling and breeding only the best birds is a time consuming activity and far from being lazy. i cannot see how de-spurring is humane but i do see why it has been done, and in all probability is on the same level as tagging ears of other species.

[suziequeue]

Sorry - tried that link and it took me to a slideshare site which just showed a paragraph about something to do with Ministers producing welfare codes. Was there anything else?

[shygirl]

Sorry - tried that link and it took me to a slideshare site which just showed a paragraph about something to do with Ministers producing welfare codes. Was there anything else?

its a booklet. click the down arrow until you get to page 12. i cant copy and paste it sorry.
we were given these books by seerad when we registered for livestock - we are in scotland but they follow defra guidelines.

[Clansman]

Its easily done at day old but i've done it in the past with adult birds when necessary.

If you can sufficiently blunt them and that works then al well and good.

If the spurs require serious work done then cauterising is the best method.

Not ideal but if prevents serious damage to the hens its worth it

[Steph Hen]

Thanks very much for this information. I used to use a bench grinder to sand the points off, but like the look of this, and the cockeral didn't seem too bothered - the reports of them being fine within hours are good enough for me.

What about showing birds - not something I've done - do they like them to be 'entire'?

[suziequeue]

Its easily done at day old but i've done it in the past with adult birds when necessary.

Oh - as far as I can see, none of my male chicks have any spurs..... But maybe I am missing something.

Can you describe how I can do that in a day old chick? I would much rather de-spur them at a day old than wait until they are bigger and more difficult to handle.

[Clansman]

I've looked on Google for quite a while now but can't find a picture of a day old chicks foot! 

If you look very carefully both males and females have the Metatarsal spur, it may be very difficult to see in some breeds, I have done it with commercial layers and show bantams.

its just a tiny bump you probably wouldn't notice unless specifically looking for it



We used a hot wire, basically it was a soldering iron with a very thin red hot wire and it was just touched onto the spur for a second to burn it away.

If any weren't burned properly the spurs still developed or half developed but it was rare to miss one. 

Like the beak trimming, the chicks don't appear to show any sign of distress from this and carry on as normal.?

But ideally you need to be working with sex linked or sexed chicks.

[suziequeue]

Cool. I'm definitely going to investigate this ready for next year. I guess I need to get good at sexing chicks!!..... or just do all of them on the basis that the intervention will be worthwhile in 50% of the clutch.

Do you sex the chicks first? Or just do all?

[Clansman]

The commercial ones were feather sexed or sex linked so easy to sex, males chicks are a different colour.

I vent sexed my own bantams

[suziequeue]

I didn't think you could vent sex bantams 'cos they're so teeny!!

Anyway - I will certainly be researching the feather sexing technique.

Thanks