Some breeds of hen can grow spurs too! For some breeds, this actually develops into a spur. The more common breeds that are known to have spurs are Anconas, Polish, and Sicilian Buttercups. They rarely use them in the same way at roosters if they do have them though. They are more common on roosters though. Plus, roosters are much more likely to use their spurs as defensive weapons when defending their flock from threats and fighting with other flock members.
Or, in extreme cases, they may have to be removed. If a rooster is good, he will always keep an eye on the sky and the perimeter leaving his hens with the ability to graze with no worries. Roosters have been known to fight to the death against a predator. In fact, some chicken owners will keep more than one rooster just in case the lead rooster is lost during a scuffle with a predator. As a rooster defends his flock it can lead to aggressive rooster behavior toward human caretakers.
Rooster spurs used against a human can cause major damage, especially if the aggression is aimed at a young child. Rooster mating behavior can also cause damage to a hen. As a rooster mates with a hen, he will climb onto her back and hang on using his feet and grabbing her head and neck feathers with his beak.
Even in the best scenario, roosters have their favorites and accidents do happen. If you have a rooster in your flock and start to find damage to your hens, you may want to consider outfitting your hens with saddles. For many roosters spurs, there is no maintenance required. Rooster spurs often curl as a rooster ages.
If the spurs curl too much they can actually curl back into the leg causing damage. There are some different techniques to get spur growth under control. Each chicken keeper has to make his or her own decision about the best technique to use. You have to avoid hitting the bone when you clip. I use guillotine style pet clippers.
Some use Dremel tools. Hi Simon, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I have a 6 week old that gets picked on by two other 6 week olds all are different breeds. Thank you for this post. Yours actually has diagrams. I love your pictures of the Light Brahmas. I have a LB who is about 13 weeks old. Is that a tell-tale sign of a cockerel in Light Brahmas? Keep an eye out for other signs — he or she will let you know soon!
Very informative. We have 4 chickens and I think one might be a rooster. Thanks for your help! I love chickens, and the food they make is always appealing to me. Thanks for your sharing. Thank you for this interesting article! I Googled asking if there are white roosters because I live on a lot on a farm and there is what I thought was a white hen but now I think it is a rooster.
But I guess I could ask the owner. I love chickens and the roosters are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your story and pictures! Great article! Very helpful with the photos. So I do have a question, though…. Will a Cockrell get them earlier? Is that how they may be used in sexing? I would lean more toward the other signs with your legbars in this case. Fingers crossed you get more hens than roos!
Under your picture of Jack, at the top, there is then pics of chicks and below a group of pictures, on the far right orange and spotted little rooster and hen. They are adorable. I have a hen. Also I had a pair of the same size with different shades of white.
The little rooster went missing a few weeks ago, mine always free-range. Both are hens in that picture. They are a super sweet breed! Sorry to hear your rooster went missing.
Thank you for your article, very helpful! I have 7 hens and about a week ago adopted 2 more from an acquaintance who had complaining neighbors. I heard him crow and I got SO excited! She is the friendliest, and until I acquired the rooster, was in charge of the flock. I love watching my chicken TV and am super excited to see how the rooster adds to the mix! Wow… so useful to me, finally I can identify my roosters and hens when they are younger Thank for this post.
Keep sharing! Hi Erika! This was so useful to me! I absolutely love chickens and have always had them ever since I was born. I was wondering if I could send you a picture of her to see what you think?
So fingers crossed! Hi Esther, sure you can email me — erika livingwellmom. We only have a night coop against predators so I trained him to picket. Now he roams happily as far as the rope allows and still protects his family. This is so helpful. Your pictures really make it easy to tell whether they are roosters or hens.
Thanks for sharing and love your site. How can you tell if they are males or females so well? Have you been practicing a lot with all your chickens and roosters?
Please answer me soon. Thank you. Can I have a dominant hen? All 6 almost the end of 5 mo old. Feathers on all 6 birds look the same. No crowing.
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