Some Real Facts About The Gamecock​

 

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The Real Facts About Cockfighting

 

Myth #1: Many believe that chickens are “trained” or “taught” to fight through various methods.

 

Fact: Chickens cannot be “trained” to fight nor “taught” not to fight. There are over 100 different breeds of chickens that will fight and many of those breeds will do so instinctively, unto death!

 

Myth #2: People who raise Game Chickens will start “training” them, as soon as possible.

 

Fact: As mentioned chickens cannot be “trained” for combat. It is either a specific trait of their genetic makeup and a natural born instinct, or it is not, and so this behavior will not be manifested. In all cases however, due to hormonal influences at sexual maturity (around 6-8 months), all roosters will begin chasing hens. At this time their own natural instincts for domination begin to flourish. This is a time when a rooster is more concerned with proving his virility, than he is in even feeding himself! This is a process only nature can dictate. Gamefowl breeders can’t accelerate this process, nor “train” a rooster to become “dominant.”

 

Myth #3: There is no need to fight them, why not just raise them without combat?

 

Fact: This is not an impossible task, but certainly not an “advisable” route, for anyone interested in MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF A BLOODLINE! You can raise Gamefowl and never fight them. However, without that “Test” you risk the compound error of allowing inferior specimens to reproduce. This not only weakens the genetic pool overall, but also encourages a downward spiral in the general health, fitness and survivability of future generations within that family line. Now as mentioned, it is possible to keep Gamecocks from fighting, and here’s how to do it: 1. As they reach the age of maturity you must separate all males, as they cannot remain together after this point or they will kill each other. 2. Females may be kept together but never separated then reintroduced. This is because Game Hens have many of the same genetic traits as the roosters do. Though they are tamer and somewhat less aggressive, game hens will still very often fight with any new hen they are exposed to. And yes, this can often even be to their deaths!

 

Myth #4: Instead of being fought, they could be raised on farms for meat and eggs, just like other chickens.

 

Fact: Not possible. These are not ordinary “domestic” chickens, but rather an ancient and more genetically “natural” strain then today’s “Broilers or Layers,” and so Gamefowl cannot be raised or housed the same manner as their domesticated cousins. Currently there are zero egg and/or meat producing companies using Gamefowl in this way. As their application for these purposes cannot be accomplished “cost effectively.”

 

Myth #5: Gamefowl left free will learn to live together without fighting.

 

Fact: This is exactly WRONG! A false belief and myth created by Animal Rights “Theorists” with NO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION IN POULTRY BREEDING OR SCIENCE! PeTA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) are notorious for perpetuating this type of fallacy. However, a few years ago when PETA tried it with over 300 Gamefowl chickens. The result was a lot of dead chickens with the ones surviving being so mangled by one another, they were put to death by these “experts,” as well! PeTA just did not want to take on the responsibility for caring for them separately as they require!

 

Myth #6: The owners of Gamefowl find it necessary to abuse their chickens by hitting, kicking or torturing them in order to make them “mean.”

 

Fact: Nothing could be FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! If you kick or hit a Gamecock you will turn him into a man hater that would rather fight YOU, than another rooster. Think about it. If a person shows chickens with either a razor sharp knife or a gaff attached to their chickens legs, is he going to want one of those roosters to be carrying a “grudge” against him? No, a Cocker has to handle a rooster several times during a match and he sure doesn’t want to handle a rooster that either resents or fears him. Not a chance! As a matter of fact, before a match the roosters are often just as calm and gentle with their owners as a parakeet, or favorite pet Cockatoo. By nature, roosters usually only hate OTHER ROOSTERS!

 

Myth #7: Fighting roosters are abused and cruelly cared for.

 

Fact: Gamefowl are some of the most pampered creatures on earth. Just one visit with a Gamefowl Breeder would convince you that Gamefowl have superior conditions, nutrition and care to that of any other species of poultry! You might literally be amazed by the individual care given to every single chicken. In many cases these birds probably receive better treatment than most other people’s beloved pets!

 

Myth #8: Metal “spurs” aren’t natural for a rooster so attaching them for fighting, is cruel.

 

Fact: Roosters grow a natural spur on their legs and they can be, and often are fought only using those alone. However, this method of “Naked Heel” fighting is actually considered a more inhumane way of fighting these warriors by many Cockers. Why? Well, because a natural spur (averaging 3 inches long), will do a a great deal of damage, however a death can take considerably longer than with steel spurs. In the natural spur, an average fight might be in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 hours in length. In the past some have gone on as long as 16 hours before a death occurred. (Please note, the chickens determined the length of these fights, not the spectators.) So, it seems that in reality the roosters are definitely much more inhumane to each other, than any human sponsors would ever be!

 

Myth #9: Fighting roosters eventually stop fighting when they get tired but are “forced” to continue. I have seen the handlers keep picking them up to get them to start fighting again.

 

Fact: Roosters can become exhausted during a match. Therefore, it is natural for them to stop struggling for short periods of time in order to catch their breath. However, this in NO WAY indicates surrender, defeat or submission! Because, as soon as he sees the other rooster again, he will try to hit him. This behavior will continue until either he or his opponent is dead. Roosters are never “forced” to fight. It’s not only “impossible” but totally contrary to a Cocker’s basic philosophy. A Cockfighter would NEVER want a chicken he needed to encourage to stay in a fight. A bird like that is totally useless to the Cocker for anything else but STEW! However, a rooster may be picked up several times during a match, but only to provide care, comfort and rest, not because the rooster wanted to “quit!” After all, when two roosters are put together and one will not peck the other? The match is OVER!!! (BTW….Often, fights are not even to the death, either!)

 

Myth #10: There has to be a better life for them than fighting?

 

Fact: NO! In fact, the ancient instincts built into these chickens are so powerfully manifest in their everyday behaviors, that only by DENYING them the ability to act out their own need to establish dominance, do we treat them “inhumanely.” It is the denial of their NATURAL INSTINCTS that constitutes the GREATEST CRUELTY OF ALL!!

 

Myth #11: gamecocks are bred to make them as aggressive as possible. The ones that are not aggressive enough are culled.

 

Fact: Gamecocks have been bred for 10,000 years to maintain the natural genetic trates displayed by their wild cousins, the Wild Red Jungle Fowl…

 

“A certain amount of aggression between chickens is normal and chickens from different genetic strains or breeds do show different levels of aggression; for example commercial Broiler- Layer types do show much less male to male aggression than game-type roosters, However male to female and male to male aggression is much more pronounced in the broiler breeder roosters. In addition to animal welfare concerns associated with hen injury and mortality, rising levels of aggressiveness by broiler breeder males present several problems for producers, relating to management and to profitability:

 

1. Hens become fearful of aggressive roosters and avoid them by remaining on the raised slatted areas of the house. As a result, flock fertility can decrease dramatically.

 

2. Avoidance of roosters by hens exacerbates the problem so that when hens move off the slats and into the scratch areas, groups of roosters “mob” and attempt to mate with them. During these forced mating attempts, hens are injured, and sometimes killed.

 

3. Hen productivity is likely to be reduced as a result of stress and injuries due to avoidance of aggressive roosters.

 

4.Injured hens are more prone to infection and disease, since their wounds quickly become contaminated. This can make them more likely to be condemned by processing plants.

 

Sorce: Animal Welfare Dilemma of Broiler Breeder Aggressiveness by Suzanne T. Millman, Ph.D.”