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When roosters are entered into a cockfight, they don’t wear any armor or shields to protect their bodies from attacks. The only things that they have to defend themselves from their opponents and attack in return are spurs or gaffs. This is why in most cockfights, the losing rooster ends up dying.
There are some that live to tell the day, but they acquire injuries that can render them unable to fight in the future or be the cause of their demise. Here are some of the most common injuries that a rooster can get after a cockfight.
Most Common Fighting Rooster Injuries
Fighting roosters are equipped with spurs or gaffs to subdue their opponents. Due to the sharpness of the gaffs, most roosters who get hit sustain injuries. Aside from the gaffs, roosters may also get injured if they get knocked against the ground or the sides of the cockpit.
Broken Bones
Roosters can suffer from broken bones which mostly occur as a result of a high-force impact or fall. As fighting roosters attack each other in the ring, they can butt heads hard, flap their wings against one another, or even shove against each other. Fractures can occur in any bone in the bird’s body.
Deep Cuts
Roosters have natural spurs on their legs but in cockfights, these are removed in favor of gaffs. Gaffs are made of metal and closely resemble ice picks with their curved blades. When roosters attack, they can make deep cuts on the body of their opponents. A lot of roosters die from getting stabbed by the gaff, but there are also those who survive.
Pierced Eyes
Eye injuries in roosters occur when something comes into contact with the bird’s eye. In cockfighting, this happens often due to the spurs that the gamefowls are equipped with. At the end of matches, a lot of roosters may have one or both eyes bleeding.
Punctured Lungs
Punctured lungs are one of the most severe injuries a rooster can sustain after a cockfight. Because it is so severe, most roosters that acquire this injury end up dying right away. There are those who survive the match with this kind of injury but those birds do not live for long either.
Final Note
No rooster in a cockfight exits the pit unscathed. Even winning roosters can sustain damage after a tough battle. While a lot of gamefowls can recover from minor ones, there are those who ultimately succumb to more severe injuries.
