# Rooster lost a spur



## Willy

Went out on the porch the other day and blood was splattered all over it. Took me a while to find the source, but apparently one of our yard rooster's spurs got knocked off somehow. He had quit bleeding by the time we figured it out, but had blood stains all down his leg so he must have been bleeding pretty badly for a while there. 

I was just wondering if it will grow back? (never had one loose a spur before)


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## MatthewBK

Oh yeah, they'll grow back. As long as he's not profusely bleeding you don't have to worry about it. Occasionally, I purposely take the spurs off of my roosters. Sometimes they get a little too big and the rooster doesn't seem to realize this so he starts roughin' up the hens a little too much.
If you start worrying about it, or if it looks like he's bleeding too much, just put some corn starch on the spur and he'll be fine.


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## Lady_Alia

MatthewBK said:


> Oh yeah, they'll grow back. As long as he's not profusely bleeding you don't have to worry about it. Occasionally, I purposely take the spurs off of my roosters. Sometimes they get a little too big and the rooster doesn't seem to realize this so he starts roughin' up the hens a little too much.
> If you start worrying about it, or if it looks like he's bleeding too much, just put some corn starch on the spur and he'll be fine.


How do you take the spurs off?


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## oakwood

If you go to youtube , the have a very good video of how to take your roosters spurs off . 
I have used this method for many years . 
And i know my hens are very grateful that i do it . 
I would put a link to the video but do not know how , sorry .


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## Roslyn

I recently had one lose a spur. He leads a small band of hens up into the tree each night and a hen was injured either in the tree or coming out of it. Not much longer he lost his spur, and it bled like stink!!  I think he got it caught in the tree or fence somehow, but I never did catch him to Dr him up. 

However, it's now been about 3 months and he has a baby bump spur coming on. 

I'll have to check out that removal video, my boys' are getting a bit big!


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## MatthewBK

Lady_Alia said:


> How do you take the spurs off?


I'm not entirely sure of this YouTube video Oakwood is talking about, but it's very quite simple.
There are two main methods. The first, which I do not do, and I wouldn't suggest, is to clip the ends of your chickens spurs. Just like you do with their toenails if they get too long. Now, the reason I don't like this method is because it does cause unnecessary pain to the rooster. 
The method I use, is just grabbing the spur with your hand, or pliers if you can't do it by yourself, and just twisting it off. It may sound like it hurts more than clipping the spur, but I assure you it does not. All you're doing is taking off the tough outer skin. Whereas, if you clip it, you'll be clipping part of the inner, sensitive part of the spur.


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## Lady_Alia

MatthewBK said:


> I'm not entirely sure of this YouTube video Oakwood is talking about, but it's very quite simple.
> There are two main methods. The first, which I do not do, and I wouldn't suggest, is to clip the ends of your chickens spurs. Just like you do with their toenails if they get too long. Now, the reason I don't like this method is because it does cause unnecessary pain to the rooster.
> The method I use, is just grabbing the spur with your hand, or pliers if you can't do it by yourself, and just twisting it off. It may sound like it hurts more than clipping the spur, but I assure you it does not. All you're doing is taking off the tough outer skin. Whereas, if you clip it, you'll be clipping part of the inner, sensitive part of the spur.


So the spur remains? I can't quite get the mental image of it.


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## Energyvet

Is it the difference between loosing a nail and trimming one or trimming one too short?


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## MatthewBK

Yes, they do remain on the rooster. However, they are smaller, and less sharp. See, the spur has two layers. An outer layer that is, obviously, on the outside. That part is usually sharp and tough. The outer layer is also kind of dead. It's mostly just a shell for the inner part of the spur.
Then there is the inner part. This part is more sensitive and usually not very sharp as it is not exposed to air like the outer layer.
Usually the inner layer, once exposed, will eventually grow out again and become shell like, which would then make it the new outer layer.

It's kind of like nails. The nail that is exposed to air is like a hard shell for your finger tip. But there is also part of your nail inside your finger. As it grows out, the nail in your finger will replace the nail on the outside.


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## Energyvet

Cats nails are the same.


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