How do you trim a rooster's feet?

Answer 1

trim their feet???? hmmmm-i am assuming u mean SPURS? as marcy said u dont! if u have other roosters ur going to need them to have their spurs so when they do their " i am the man" routine each has a fair chance. their scratching the ground should suffice. also remember spurs tell u the age of the rooster :) itd be like dying ur gray hair-cant cover up Honor :) Good luck! Rooster's feet shouldn't be trimmed. That's usually what gravel in their pen will do. They will often go around mashing their nails into the gravel. I'd leave well enough alone unless you want a fight to the death. My bets on the rooster! LOL Marcy

Answer 2

This must be done very carefully otherwise you can damage or even kill the rooster from infection. Dog nail trimmers can be used to cut the last quarter 1/4 of the spur being careful not to cut the blood vessel that feeds the nail/spur. If you cut too close it will bleed and you should apply pressure until it stops or apply a silver nitrate stick to the wound to help it stop bleeding.

Answer 3

You can use a regular human or dog nail clipper. Be careful not to take too much off as it will cause bleeding. To cut the claw, trim off the last quarter inch or less of the nail. Be careful not to cut the "quick" the blood vessel that feeds the claw.

Answer 4

Do this very carefully otherwise you can damage or even kill the rooster from infection. Dog nail trimmers or a set of large wire cutters will work if you don't have hoof trimmers. Try to cut only down to the last quarter 1/4 of the spur being careful not to cut the blood vessel that feeds the nail/spur. If you cut too close it will bleed and you should apply pressure until it stops or apply a silver nitrate stick sometimes called Quick-Stop at feed stores, to the wound to help it stop bleeding.

One widely talked about method is using baked potatoes. This is done by grabbing 2 medium sized potatoes and cooking them as if you were going to eat them yourself. Using gloves, insert the rooster's spur into the center of the potato and keep it in there for a couple of minutes while being careful not to touch the rooster's leg as burning will result.You can also wrap the birds leg with cloth first leaving only the spur sticking out. Remove the potato and gently twist the spur with a pliers. There will be a small amount of blood but do not be alarmed as this is natural. Then the tip of the new spur may be trimmed just a little to be blunted. A large human trimmer can be used for this or a dog trimmer if you are careful. After you are finished, apply an antiseptic and feed the cooled potatoes to the rooster as a treat.

Answer 5

The best way to catch a chicken is to corner it somewhere. Be sure you have on sturdy clothes with long sleeves and thick pants or even boots. Grab the rooster around its body so that you pin the wings down against its sides. If you miss, and it flaps its wings, just hang on and tuck it under your arm. If you are not afraid of the rooster, it will calm down quickly. They can't really hurt you, even with the spurs, because once you pick them up, they can't spur!

Answer 6

You only need to trim your rooster's spurs for a few reasons:

* Your rooster is aggressive and uses his spurs to attack people, other chickens, or other animals

* You don't desire for your rooster to have large spurs

* Your rooster's spurs have grown so long that it makes it difficult for him to walk

* Your rooster's spurs have grown to a point that they are injuring hens while mating

* Your rooster has a cracked or otherwise damaged spur and you are worried about infection

There are many ways to trim a rooster's spur. Keep in mind that spurs, like the claws of a dog or cat ( or your chicken! ) have quicks, which means that if you cut the spur too far at once, it may bleed. I have found that filing my rooster's spurs or nails, and using the dust from filing to press on a quick helps stop the bleeding. I usually use nail clippers for a dog to trim my chicken's claws and spurs. However, one method I have heard for annually removing a rooster's spurs is a "hot potato" method where you put a potato in a microwave for about 8-10 minutes, then slice it in half and stick the potato on the spur right up to the shank. Leave it for a couple of minutes, and the heat and moisture should loosen the spur shaft. Take pliers and pinch gently on the base of the spur near the shank and gently twist back and forth until the spur releases, then slide it off, and underneath is the soft "quick" of the spur. Between a few days and a few weeks, this will harden up, and you will have a small spur once again!

Answer 7

There is a special tool available called secateurs They are available in most feed and grain stores. You can however just use large dog nail trimmers. Clipping just the first 1/4 inch off will suffice but it will grow back. Any bleeding can be stopped by using a styptic pen ( used for shaving cuts) or dip the end of the bleeding spur into flour.

Answer 8

The safest and most humane way to do this is to file the spur down. If the spur is very long you could clip it with a rounded clipper (the kind used for clipping dog nails). However, before you start filing (or clipping) you should have good lighting to identify the "life" of the spur (i.e., where the nail is dead versus where the spur is embedded and shows arteries). If you file or cut beyond this point the rooster's spur will start bleeding profusely.

Answer 9

You can trim the roosters spurs however long they are, but I would certainly wait until they get longer so it would make it more worth your time.