Love the roosters, hate the spurs

by Judema
(In the yard)

Love the roosters, hate the spurs: Beautiful roosters, ouch! those spurs. Cap them, lots of things can be used.


We tried a few, valve stem caps, rubber things we found laying in a parking lot and the latest is a thing called a screw protector, they come in all sizes and colors, you can find them at a hardware store.

First you may have to groom and shape the spur. I can handle my boy but if you have trouble wrap them in a towel or t-shirt.

I shape the spurs carefully with a small garden shear, I cut at an angle, shaving off a little at a time, flatting the tip, I also use pedi paws pet nail groomer.

Then I stuff a little cotton ball in the cap and super glue, I put it on the spur and hold in place for a few minutes.

One of my roosters has had his cap for 6 months, they don't always last that long but they do keep them from cutting the hens and you.

Also, roosters can still kick, bite and scratch, we have tried cutting the spurs but it was awful and bloody, you have to put the spur in a vise and saw through it.

Some people cut them off with a shear but that can crack it to the leg.

The hens will thank you. Another thing I find helpful, is carrying a spray bottle with 10% vinegar to water and aim for the eyes, it will sting but wont damage them, after a while all you have to do is show them the bottle.

I hope this helps you and keeps that rooster out of the soup.

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starstarstarstarstar 		Love the roosters, hate the spurs
by: Anonymous

I fortunately have never dealt with an overly aggressive rooster . I will definitely keep the spur cap idea in mind if ever needed.

To date I have just stomped my feet and swiftly walked towards them when they showed the slightest bit of attitude or were chasing the hens for a rendezvous.

I tower over them and march them ahead of me around the yard until they were in a better mood. It seemed as though they respected me, my 9 yr old daughter, and the hens more after this.

I got a bit dizzy but it seemed to work.
They allow me to pick them up and put them in the coop at night if they choose to roost in the barn when it is time to tuck everyone in at night.

They never seem to mind when I am in the coop after they are roosting to refill the feeders. They seem to do very well with this daily routine.

My time of day or evening may fluctuate but they know people not out to hurt them. They know we are their steady food source.
(Best not to bite or scratch the hand that feeds them).

This is the same training technique I have use with my young horses. If you flush them away (as a dominate mare will do in the wild for discipline)- they beg to join-up with the group (asking for forgiveness) when they finally realize they are better off together than alone.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Hate the (attitude) spurs
by: Anonymous

Hate the (attitude) spurs: I never keep aggressive roosters. If they free range they could hurt a small child and cause problems with visitors and neighbors.

For every 1 aggressive cock, I've probably met 200 easy-going respectful ones.

I was caring for my neighbor's miniature sheep while they were on vacation once; it was lambing season.

I went to check everyone first thing one morning to find their rooster in a small pasture connected to the barn, with a ewe and her 2 new born lambs (about the size of 6 month old kittens).

The rooster had been people aggressive since he started crowing (they told me before they left they didn't care what happened to him).

The ewe was calmly standing between the rooster and her lambs, there were no hens around, and the rooster began flying in the ewe's face and spurring at her eyes.

I was able to corner him, catch him, and stop his attacks.

This rooster had been free ranging all his life on 5 acres, was a cross bred bantam and very beautiful.

His owners were gentle with animals as the day is long, so he had no real reason to show such aggression to people or other animals.

I don't recommend keeping such a rooster, unless you can be sure he can't hurt anyone. (But I like all your great ideas for making spurs less dangerous.)
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you
by: Brenda

Thank you: I had contemplated a post asking advice on how to deal with a quarrelsome Barred Plymouth Rock rooster. He wants to 'bow up' on any visitor to his chicken yard.

This aggression has escalated the older he's become. So far, all he's done is ruffle his neck feathers and flown into our thighs, but those spurs are developing and we're concerned.

He's the size of a small turkey and could do an unsuspecting person some harm. We've tried leaving a long stick outside to push him away so we can gather the eggs.

We don't want to hurt him, but we don't want to be hurt either, so now we're using a kitchen broom. We wondered about removing his spurs but had no facts on that procedure.

The vinegar will be our new option and hopefully be 'the' answer. Your post was very helpful. Thank you!

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