On the legs of the rooster spurs grow, which are horny growths. These formations help birds during fights, protecting them from enemy attacks. What are the spurs of a rooster, whether they need to be removed and how to do it - a question that remains to be considered in more detail.
General information
So, the spurs of a rooster are special growths on the legs, resembling a nail, since they consist of horn particles, including. At the heart of the spur is the bony part, which grows to the leg bone.
The growth of the considered formations begins with the 3-month-old age of the bird. At first it is a small tubercle, then it develops and turns into a spur. By the age of one, it is clearly visible, the formation protrudes 90 degrees with respect to the leg. Then the spur grows by 1-1.5 cm annually, turning into a serious weapon.
Spurs in a rooster are a secondary sexual trait; chickens do not have such an appendage. It can grow only in some laying hens of old age.
Specialists who advocate the theory of sexual selection argue that spurs helped the strongest roosters to survive in the process of evolution, because their presence characterized the male as a vivid representative of a kind that appeals to females and is able to leave healthy offspring. As you know, females always choose the most attractive and strong “challenger” for procreation.
In any case, the spurs at the rooster (the photo clearly demonstrates them) help the male to show his superiority in the chicken coop and not only.
Functions of entities. Cock-fights
Spur helps males defend themselves in collisions with opponents, but can be inconvenient for other birds, contributing to their involuntary injury. An adult rooster with spurs can cause damage even to a man if he enters into a fight with the latter.
Fans of cockfighting attach special blades to the growths, with which bird fights turn bloody and end faster. Such blades can reach a length of 10 cm, are single-sided or dihedral. They are attached to one or both legs at once. In some countries, tying blades to spurs is considered humane - so a rooster, if it suffers, will not be tormented for long. And in other cultures, fans of cock cock competitions, on the contrary, forbid to tie blades, forcing birds to fight exclusively with the help of natural spurs.
Of course, not only growths play a role in such competitions. The owners of the petu [jd] choose the strongest and the most pugnacious of them; they set him up in a special way. In battle, roosters use their beak to peck at the enemy. And spurs can get directly into the eyes and then into the brain, thereby causing the instant death of the "enemy."
By the way, an interesting fact. It is believed that a fight is a natural need for a rooster. If the male refuses to fight, this indicates that he is unwell. And it happens that he dies - from an excess of adrenaline in the body, which needs to get out through a fight.
Removing the "horns"
The growths grow continuously, and therefore their periodic removal is required. This process is not easy, it scares inexperienced poultry farmers. You can trim the spurs of the rooster with a grinder, scissors for metal or any other tool that can do this. Although, when removed, for example, by an ordinary secateurs, the owners of the cocks say that the abundance of blood flowing out can create real problems. Therefore, it is better to prefer a slower method, but less traumatic for the bird.
When cutting, leave no more than 1-1.5 cm. After removal, the edges should be sanded so that they are even and not sharp. For this, a regular file is useful. In this case, you can cope with the cock together: one holds, the second "saws".
If there is no self-confidence, you can go to the veterinarian to remove the “horns”.
How to determine the age of a rooster by spurs?
Horny growths on the legs help determine the age of the bird, which is important when purchasing it. Given that the spur grows by 1 cm per year, and the initial thickening appears at the age of 3-5 months, in two years the length of the growth will be 2.5-2.7 cm.
Thus, the small tubercle will indicate that we have a young cockerel, and the formed large and hard horn characterizes an adult.
However, the formation of spurs directly depends on the breed. And not all representatives of the cockerel family can determine the age by growths. For example, bentamok spurs are similar to needles, and age cannot be determined by them.