Hen with spurs

[President_ChickenGirl]

Hi! So I have a fully grown egg-laying hen who seems to have spurs. Is this normal?

 

[arwoon]

A picture would be helpful. How old is she? I have a 3-4 yr old Wyandotte who has spurs, they are not very large though. What breed is she?

 

[Angel07]

Do you have roosters in your flock? Without a rooster the most dominant hen will grow spurs and even crow.

 

[President_ChickenGirl]

A picture would be helpful. How old is she? I have a 3-4 yr old Wyandotte who has spurs, they are not very large though. What breed is she?

She is a 3 year old red sex link.

 

[President_ChickenGirl]

Do you have roosters in your flock? Without a rooster the most dominant hen will grow spurs and even crow.

I do not have roosters. That is very interesting! I never thought she was the alpha either! Thanks!

 

[Angel07]

I do not have roosters. That is very interesting! I never thought she was the alpha either! Thanks!

Just a thought. We had one this year. We were hoping to experiment with her and see how close to rooster like behavior while still laying but sadly she got too close to the goose nest and the ganders dragged her in the water.

 

[Amer]

Spurs are normal, even in a flock with roosters. Hen spurs are definitely genetic, for example, Ancona hens commonly have spurs. Spurs are controlled more by genetics than dominance though it might have a factor.

 

[President_ChickenGirl]

Just a thought. We had one this year. We were hoping to experiment with her and see how close to rooster like behavior while still laying but sadly she got too close to the goose nest and the ganders dragged her in the water.

Aw I’m sorry but thank you!

 

[President_ChickenGirl]

Spurs are normal, even in a flock with roosters. Hen spurs are definitely genetic, for example, Ancona hens commonly have spurs. Spurs are controlled more by genetics than dominance though it might have a factor.

Thanks! I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong so this is very reassuring.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes, it's quite normal. Lots of hens grow spurs. The spurs are not normally as pronounced as a roosters but I've had hens sporting a decent halfinch or so.