Rooster spurs look restrain and can do damage not only to mass but also to hen . This can search unsightly if you ’re trying to take pic of your pile and it can result in scrapes and cuts that require care . Here ’s why this happens and how to protect your hens .
Rooster Spurs: How Damage Is Caused
It ’s not thatroostersintend to bruise their hen ’ cover . It is a result of mating . To twin , a cock has to climb onto the hen ’s back and then run along up his reproductive part with hers — all without opposable thumbs .
To not continually slip off while mating , the rooster has to hold on to his partner ’s cervix with his snout . However , that ’s only enough to keep his top dog and body steady . His lower half is in peril of devolve off to the side , thus preventing the alignment necessary tofertilize eggs.rooster spur
To keep steady a rooster uses his gad to “ step ” the hen ’s back . It ’s standardized to tread water . A cock continually steps on a biddy ’s back to keep himself from falling off .
The result , unfortunately , is that the roosterspursbreak or yank out the piteous hen ’s back feathers . By mid - summer , the “ popular ” girl looks like she ’s been through the wringer . The extent of the harm to a hen ’s plume invariably variegate . I ’ve had blue giants who very courteously mount a biddy , quickly do their business , and then leave as the hen stands and shake herself out with nary a plumage out of piazza . I ’ve had new guns who are so wrapped that they go wrong to realize they ’re practically flaying the female .
Rooster Spurs: Stopping the Damage
I ’ve test various remedies to the bare - back situation over the years . One of the worst glide path was to keep the roosters separate from the girls and only put them together to mate . That did n’t work out at all .
Not only did the boys continually fight , but they much all - out assaulted the hen when they were reunited to mate .
Some people recommend increasing the proportion of rooster to hens to share the love more evenly . This does not lick . Having more hen only think having more hens to protect . More available hens to the rooster is like spreading a mixture in front of them .
rooster spurs
Two Solutions to Protect Hens
The two methods that actually help hens are far less expensive and far less nerve-racking for both humans and the razz .
Hen apronsare trivial outfits consisting of a back piece that completely covers the unnatural area , plus elastic loop that cross in front of the hen ’s neck and loop around each offstage . The aprons fit snugly and stay on securely , protecting the damaged field by placing fabric between the rooster and the hen .
I ’ve yet to have a biddy remove her proscenium .
Some seem to care their proscenium so much that I pull up stakes them on even after the feathering have all grown back . It does take a hen a bit of adjusting time to become wonted to the apron . This usually certify by a biddy walking awkwardly backward and sitting down accidentally . This usually hold out only a couple of days .
The other root to a spur - raked back is to remove the cock ’s goading . Or rather , the outer sheath that covers the spur .
A rooster ’s spur is in reality skeletal . It ’s part of the leg bone . Cutting off entire spurs would be barbarous , not to bring up disabling , to your cock . The case , however , is made of ceratin — the same protein find in a poulet ’s pecker , claws and feather .
This cocktail dress can be easily removed by the potato method acting :
Without his pointy urging , a romantic rooster will not tear up a biddy ’s back to the level that he did with urging on . However , the downside is that he will also not be capable to face off against a predator as efficiently , since his principal arm has been hit .
Should you hold out in an area patronize by raccoon , weasels or other carnivorous animate being , a bare - backed biddy might be the swop - off for your roosterkeeping your flock safe .
This article about cock spur was written for Hobby Farms online . Click here to take .
