[woodburner]

Sorry but I didn't really understand your method for removing spurs.  :oops:
Do you need a hot potato AND pliers? If so what does the potato do? Sterilise? Cauterise? both?

I need to trim the spurs of my biggest cockerel. While plucking a Cobb hen, I found (along with a lot of small scratches) a two inch gash! It was only skin deep but had opened quite wide and had scabbed like that. I am totally amazed that neither I nor the boys saw any blood. Being due for the pot, if I had known about it I would have culled her straight away, or, if she was a keeper, I would have been trying to tape it closed and dashing to the feed merchant's for purple spray!
I'm not 100% sure which cock was responsible but as two are for the pot anyway and the other one's spurs are too small and I really don't want this to happen to any other hen, I need to remove his spurs ASAP.

[Aunt Sally]

Potato / pliers sounds like an either or to me woody

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?p=32505#32505

[Bodger]

I simply use a hacksaw to cut off the sharp pointed end of the spur. I rub the saw in a wet piece of soap and this helps the saw go through more easily.
The hot potatoe method sounds as though it will remove the whole of the spur. :shock: Fancy having a toe nail pulled out with pliars yourself ?
The end of the spur is dead, like your finger nails. There's no need to hurt the bird. I've used this method for decades. :thumright:

[pushrod]

I need to trim the spurs of my biggest cockerel. While plucking a Cobb hen, I found (along with a lot of small scratches) a two inch gash! It was only skin deep but had opened quite wide and had scabbed like that.  I need to remove his spurs ASAP.

I have had a buff orpington hen sustain similar (probably worse) injuries from two different cocks (separate pens) and both birds were young with spurs that were really nothing at all. I came to the conclusion that it was actually the claws in my case that had done the damage. Amazingly the hen recovered completely. I isolated her and then put her with some much younger birds who she dominated. Unfortunately for her they have grown considerably and just yesterday the young cock in there decided that he was going to be the boss and really made a mess of her and so she is isolated again but i suspect that this time she might not recover. I guess some are just born to be unlucky.

[Aunt Sally]

There are a number of methods including the baked potato method mentioned here:

http://www.fowlvisions.com/?p=39

http://www.the-coop.org/wwwboard/discus/messages/5103/3432.html

http://groups.msn.com/LimitedPoultry/roosterspurremoval.msnw

http://www.geocities.com/KelliAnn293/healthproblems.htm#toenail

I have never had a cockerel but these references are writted by experienced keepers.

[muntjac]

iu agree with bodger old chap .but i tried that one couple large RIR  n they just bruised my best hens to hell and even then made tears .i use the spud as i was showed years ago . the trick is making sure the spud is hot and then applying soem iodine or such stuff..even werks with turks and the old fighting chucks ...

[woodburner]

So it's both? Hot spud then pliers to finish off?
Also, how long should I hold the potato on the spur before twisting it?

[Bodger]

You should have been in Tenko !      

I'll try and get some pictures of me cutting the spurs on one of mine in the next few days. I've got 59 trees to plant tomorrow. :shock:

[woodburner]

You should have been in Tenko !      

Oi! If you'd got the mad knife slasher in your flock you'd want to make d****d sure that he was stopped too!  :shock:

But seriously, as I don't fully understand munty's method, I'll have to settle for a little trim, and hope that's enough. :?

[Aunt Sally]

http://www.fowlvisions.com/?p=39

According to Stromberg’s Book of Poultry is the following: Place a hot baked potato on the spur and hold it there for a few minutes. Remove the baked potato, twist the spur and you will find it comes right off. There is no blood or mess. Use another freshly baked hot potato for the other spur. This technique really works well.

[woodburner]

Thanks for posting those links Aunt Sally, I somehow missed them before :?

The potato and plliersmethod does seem preferable to many of the methods, as it is permanent so the bird only suffers once, but I am chary of doing anything to living flesh, so have decided to go with Bodgers method which although it's not permanent, it is at least painless.

Edit is in blue

[nnbreeder]

I've found that dog toenail clippers work great. I just nip the end and round off with some sandpaper. Here is a link to the trimmers I am refering to.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750636

 If you use clippers like this it's fast and makes no sound to scare the bird. Like on a dog's nails if you trim too far back they will bleed. On a light colored spur you can see the inner core that is fleshy. The outer part is like our fingernails.

[woodburner]

I've found that dog toenail clippers work great. I just nip the end and round off with some sandpaper. Here is a link to the trimmers I am refering to.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750636

 If you use clippers like this it's fast and makes no sound to scare the bird. Like on a dog's nails if you trim too far back they will bleed. On a light colored spur you can see the inner core that is fleshy. The outer part is like our fingernails.

Those are the bees knees, unfortunately well out of my price range, but ordinary ones are quite cheap, and still much better than seceteurs or pliers, so will get some, hopefully tomorrow. Thanks.