How to Despur Roosters

Roosters are equipped with large spurs that grow perpendicularly off their legs. These spurs are the bird's most effective survival tool; they're capable of delivering wounding blows to predators. If a rooster is a pet or farm animal, its spurs can injure an owner or be lethal to hens and other roosters. It's best to remove the spurs so that the rooster isn't dangerous to people or animals.

Things You'll Need

  • Two potatoes
  • Pliers
  • Towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cook your first potato in the microwave for seven minutes. Let it cool for about five minutes.

    • 2

      Wash the rooster's legs with warm soap and water.

    • 3

      Place the rooster on its back in your lap with its head farthest from you. Hold it in place with your thighs. Make sure the rooster's head is lower than its body; this will help keep it calm during the procedure.

    • 4

      Insert the rooster's spur into the hot potato for one minute. Wrap a light cloth around the leg of the rooster by the spur so that it isn't burned by the hot potato. The heat will loosen the bond of the spur's hard outer shell from the quick (the small softer base of the spur).

    • 5

      Clamp your pliers to the base of the spur and rotate them back and forth. Make sure not to bend the spur in any direction; this can damage the quick and injure the rooster. Pull off the spur shell completely after it loosens from the quick.

    • 6

      Cook your second potato and follow the same steps to remove the rooster's second spur.