Putting Spurs On A Fighting Cock

[Ken]

In the thread now running about fighting cocks, a poster indicated that the spurs are attached by kids with a glue gun. That is certainly contrary to what I have seen. Where I have gone, the spurs were be attached by very experienced people, and they don't just stick them on with a glue gun.

First the natural spur is cropped. Then the cropped spur is taped to make a firm base for the steel or resin spur. The spur is attached and taped to the cock's leg to be sure it stays in place. You can see this process in these photos.

 

[Givadogahome]

I think someone on the other thread is second guessing how things are done and really has no clue or has even been to a professional tournament. Glue gun? I missed that one, how ridiculous. I say that but we have to remember where we are, some of the ignorance can be unbelievable at times. Glue gun, cement, welding, nothing would REALLY surprise me.

 

[Ken]

I think someone on the other thread is second guessing how things are done and really has no clue or has even been to a professional tournament. Glue gun? I missed that one, how ridiculous. I say that but we have to remember where we are, some of the ignorance can be unbelievable at times. Glue gun, cement, welding, nothing would REALLY surprise me.

You have a point, but with respect to attaching spurs to the legs of fighting cocks, I would be very surprised if there was not a process such as shown in the photos. Cock fighting, as you know, is a very serious business and there are rules and procedures that are pretty universal. Many cock owners don't just fight their cocks in one gallera, they go to others as well. When I was at the cockfights in Cangrejo a week ago, fliers were being passed out about cockfights in a number of different galleras.

And it is not just the owners of the cocks that know the rules and procedures, so do the bettors. They, too, expect the fights will be run right.

 

[Givadogahome]

You have a point, but with respect to attaching spurs to the legs of fighting cocks, I would be very surprised if there was not a process such as shown in the photos.

I agree completely.

 

[BILLYRAY]

OK something I know the answer too lol . Go to cock fights 3x a week. Have a few very good fighting cocks myself. They are put on with a glue gun or a wax with a candle and yes it is boys. Well men too. In the D.R. the spurs are NOT steel they are plastic and they will cut very good. .

 

[Givadogahome]

You tell me the wax of a candle secures a spur to a cocks leg? Really?

as far as material goes, I imagine there are many different types.

glue gun? So you have to cut the cocks leg to get the spur off, then allow callus to build up so that the spur can not be correctly attached?

im not saying this is not how it is done where you go, but they don't seem to care much for the birds, not as much as you claim anyway.

 

[PeterInBrat]

What I saw was the boy helped attached the spurs. The glue was to get the spur in the precise place and then an adult carefully wrapped it with tape to ensure that it didn't fall while the kid held the chicken. The kid also got the hot glue ready by holding a lit candle. This was in some remote arena in the hills between Sosua and POP and I was taken through the entire process behind the scenes by a Dominican friend who was there to fight two of his birds and was my host. Right or wrong, that's how they did it.

As you show in the picture, it's a two person job, but you only need one person who knows what they're doing. The kid went home with a chicken for soup, which is good pay for a rural 10 year-old working an hour or two.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[Givadogahome]

Yeh, I expect we're all right, I've even seen razor blades and nails directly attached.

 

[BILLYRAY]

You tell me the wax of a candle secures a spur to a cocks leg? Really?

as far as material goes, I imagine there are many different types.

glue gun? So you have to cut the cocks leg to get the spur off, then allow callus to build up so that the spur can not be correctly attached?

im not saying this is not how it is done where you go, but they don't seem to care much for the birds, not as much as you claim anyway.

I understand your thinking because the 1st time I could not understand how that would hold them on too. The area doesn't hurt the cock. If you look at a cock in the back of the leg there is a (don't know name) call it a long nail or toe what ever. they cut that off the 1st time a cock fights. It is where they put the spur. You can not put your spurs on your cock. So I stand there and I watch them put them on all the time..

 

[PeterInBrat]

The most complicated part was figuring out who was going to fight who. They wanted the matches to be as close as possible.

I watched the matches from outside of arena about 15 feet off the ground on some scaffolding with a bunch of locals. It was a real crappy building made out of wood scraps with a circular tin roof.

My friend was afraid that if I came into the actual arena where everyone else was, someone might say that I made a bet with them when I didn't and it could be trouble. Right before the matches, they'd spray the spurs of the cocks with disinfectants(?). The ring was lit up by about a half dozen bulbs hanging down from a scrap of plywood and the time that the match took was important. Wish I took more pictures now.

 

[BILLYRAY]

I will take pic. this week and try to figure out how to put them on this site. Hum can't spell, bad writer, and still can't figure out how to get pics. on a site. WOW..I know 2 guys that own the places the cocks fight they let me take pics. or I will take my ipad and make a little movie...

 

[BILLYRAY]

Yes tape too..

 

[Ken]

I understand your thinking because the 1st time I could not understand how that would hold them on too. The area doesn't hurt the cock. If you look at a cock in the back of the leg there is a (don't know name) call it a long nail or toe what ever. they cut that off the 1st time a cock fights. It is where they put the spur. You can not put your spurs on your cock. So I stand there and I watch them put them on all the time..

I did some reading so that I could put captions on a collection of cockfight photos and learned that the natural spur that is cropped to make a base for the artificial spur will grow back over time. So in the future, if the cock keeps fighting, it may have to be trimmed again.

The cocks must not be bothered by having their natural spur cropped. The ones I've watched lie still while this is being done and don't seem bothered.

 

[BILLYRAY]

The most complicated part was figuring out who was going to fight who. They wanted the matches to be as close as possible.

I watched the matches from outside of arena about 15 feet off the ground on some scaffolding with a bunch of locals. It was a real crappy building made out of wood scraps with a circular tin roof.

My friend was afraid that if I came into the actual arena where everyone else was, someone might say that I made a bet with them when I didn't and it could be trouble. Right before the matches, they'd spray the spurs of the cocks with disinfectants(?). The ring was lit up by about a half dozen bulbs hanging down from a scrap of plywood and the time that the match took was important. Wish I took more pictures now.

Your friend is correct it is crazy the way they bet..It took me some time to figure it out. It is the weight of the cock and how many times they have fought to macth them up..That gets very crazy some times..

 

[Ken]

Closer Look At Cropping The Natural Spur

This gives you a better look at the process of cropping the natural spur to make a base for the fighting spur.

 

[BILLYRAY]

I did some reading so that I could put captions on a collection of cockfight photos and learned that the natural spur that is cropped to make a base for the artificial spur will grow back over time. So in the future, if the cock keeps fighting, it may have to be trimmed again.

The cocks must not be bothered by having their natural spur cropped. The ones I've watched lie still while this is being done and don't seem bothered.

Hum could be correct about growing back..We fight our cocks every 3 weeks or so..They never grow back in that little of a time..

 

[Ken]

or I will take my ipad and make a little movie...

I suggest being careful about posting a movie. In 2011 I made a video of cocks fighting. Pretty graphic and showed what you see at a cockfight. I uploaded it to YouTube and immediately put the link on DR1. That same day the video was removed from YouTube and I was put on 6 months probation. Complaints had been made about cruelty to animals.

That is why when you look at videos of cockfights on YouTube, you just see roosters running around,

The collection I am putting together now is being "sanitized", no blood or blood spatter visible. Hopefully I will get that slide show past the YouTube censors.

 

[PeterInBrat]

I think someone on the other thread is second guessing how things are done and really has no clue or has even been to a professional tournament. Glue gun? I missed that one, how ridiculous. I say that but we have to remember where we are, some of the ignorance can be unbelievable at times. Glue gun, cement, welding, nothing would REALLY surprise me.

I think someone on this thread is making assumptions of what I actually said and actually saw. I never said I've been to a "professional" tournament or that some kid was in charge of attaching the spurs. I said they "helped." Holding a chicken is helping. Sorry if that is somehow confusing. As for the chicken being on growth hormones and all kinds of other chemicals, maybe in the city arenas, but I don't know if this is practice in the backwater arenas. The kids took the dead chickens home on strings on the end of sticks. Call me crazy, but I'm guessing they were eaten and not given to the pigs.

This was some backwater place 10 or more miles from the nearest paved road surrounded by sugar fields with a crowd of 100% campesinos. Somewhere between 300-400 guys in the arena building at anytime. Dried mud everywhere and there was some kid shining shoes. Crazy experience altogether.

 

[PeterInBrat]

OK something I know the answer too lol . Go to cock fights 3x a week. Have a few very good fighting cocks myself. They are put on with a glue gun or a wax with a candle and yes it is boys. Well men too. In the D.R. the spurs are NOT steel they are plastic and they will cut very good. .

That is what I saw too..

 

[BILLYRAY]

I suggest being careful about posting a movie. In 2011 I made a video of cocks fighting. Pretty graphic and showed what you see at a cockfight. I uploaded it to YouTube and immediately put the link on DR1. That same day the video was removed from YouTube and I was put on 6 months probation. Complaints had been made about cruelty to animals.

That is why when you look at videos of cockfights on YouTube, you just see roosters running around,

The collection I am putting together now is being "sanitized", no blood or blood spatter visible. Hopefully I will get that slide show past the YouTube censors.

OK thanks for looking out..I hear you some people DO NOT live in the real world lol