The spikes you are talking about are called gaffs. They are used on both of the chickens feet. The knives are called slashers and are used on only one foot.
A game chicken’s life is wasted if he doesn’t get to fight. A storm can upset their pens and they will fight to the death during the storm if they can get at each other. They do not have to be trained to fight at all.
Yep. You can drive down the highways of Tennessee and if you keep your eyes peeled, you will see where people raise the fighting cocks because they are all in little cages separated from each other. A friend’s dad used to raise them and I would occasionally watch when he fought them against other breeder’s roosters.
The losers became a chicken dinner!