Out here in the boondocks of northern California, it is not uncommon to see large yards with little rooster houses. Most are in pretty remote locations, but I know at least one that is visible from the interstate. They look like this:
The roosters, you will notice, are tethered at the leg.
We recently had a cockfighting ring busted here in Glenn County. I had always wondered what those little rooster houses were for – roosters are otherwise pretty worthless – and recently wondered aloud if these rooster farms had anything to do with cockfighting. A longtime county resident of my acquaintance responded, saying yes, anytime you see a rooster farm with those little teepee houses, you can be sure the roosters are being raised for cockfighting.
Can anyone else confirm this? It makes sense, except that some of these rooster farms are so easy to find it would seem they are just begging to be discovered by law enforcement. Perhaps there is some other reason for them?
New Sherwood 
I suppose that (1) there is nothing illegal about a rooster farm per se and (2) they keep the farm a safe distance from where the [illegal] cockfighting is taking place.
I’ve never seen one of these; I’d imagine they’re more common in rural areas with more Hispanics than we have in MI.
A couple of weeks ago, we reintroduced a rooster to the flock after having kept him for several weeks in a chicken tractor with just hens. He and the other roosters fought like crazy and bloodied themselves up for a full day, re-establishing their pecking order. It was fascinating to watch, actually.
I guess we’d only have gotten in trouble if we’d sold tickets.
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Is it possible that they are capons (castrated roosters)? There is a legitimate market among gourmets for capons.
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I have had people stop by looking for roosters, as have friends of mine. And they get sold quite off at the small animal auctions in the area. While we haven’t sold any, I am told that you can sell them for more than a hen ready to start laying-only one purpose for that.
I haven’t seen a rooster farm like the one pictured, but I am sure they exist around here too in some form.
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Well, and deliberately armed the roosters with artificial spurs on their legs, right? I mean there’s more to it than just ordinary fighting. Or so I’ve always thought.
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I’ve never seen this before. I suppose it could be a capon farm but they’re probably being raised to sell to the cockfighting market.
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there not just used for fighting they are also show birds iv got roosters and there are game they fight they dont just stop
becease some peple say its wrong every one will fight
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Roosters are also farmed for their plumage.
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Rooster teepees aren’t just for cockers. People who exhibit everything from Australorps on out – including the various game fowl breeds – have found them a cheap way to house large numbers of birds while they are growing out. Teepees are cheaper than additional coops, and the entire flock can be moved to fresh ground with less effort. Sometimes you’ll see these surrounded by one of those portable electric mesh fences similar to the sort used for goats.
That said, many people breed game fowl for exhibition or pleasure, NOT for fighting. The birds must be separated by a certain age or warfare breaks out. BTW – game breeds aren’t the only ones where from time to time the cocks try to kill each other.
The birds themselves are very good to their hens, protect them well, and are usually gentle with people. For many, many years cockers culled “man fighters” because in the days of cockfighting the birds wore blade on their legs. A mean bird with a blade could kill you.
Had there been one more vote, the game cock, not the eagle, would have been our national symbol. The Revolutionary War Colonial troops often brought game cocks with them and fought them in camp. Abe Lincoln was known as “Honest Abe” for his cockfight judging. The fighting breeds, now used for exhibition, and as pets, are an important part of our heritage, dating back to very early colonial days. The Scots, English, Spanish, and even some of the Germans and French attended the mains.
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