BASICS AND UNDERSTANDING OF POINTING

Basics Of Pointing Fighting Cocks

After the conditioning period, the next stage before the actual fight of a battle rooster is called Pointing fighting cocks.  This stage is very important and must not be overlooked by cockers.  All the efforts done during the conditioning stage will go to waste if proper pointing is not performed accordingly.

The kind or style of pointing fighting cocks will differ for every bloodline.  Though this kind of post-conditioning method is necessary, the approach differs with every breeder.  Those who are experts in this stage will tell you that every bloodline has its own demands for conditioning.  The kind of food and the exercises differ but all agree that it must be done to ensure that the game fowl will stay in its peak form immediately before and during the actual fight.

Pointing fighting cocks is done three days before the fight.  At this stage, the fighting cock must be fully conditioned and the main purpose of this stage is to make sure that they reach tip top shape.

Vitamins

Cockers agree that they still give their fowl vitamins during the pointing stage.  The usual is vitamin B12 and it could be in injectable form or caplets.  Normally, the vitamin dose must not be the same with the regular dose being given.  If the intake was .5cc during conditioning, it could be lessened to about half depending on the weight of the cock.  The same is true with other vitamins being used. A good number of cockers prefer Liquid B 12 w/ Vitamin K

There are cockers particularly small players who do not apply vitamins during pointing and there are also those that inject more than the necessary dosage.  At any rate, the results of the experiment will show in the performance of the rooster inside the pit.  It is a costly mistake to experiment on something new during the period of pointing fighting cocks so take care that no foreign substances are injected into their system before the fight

Carboloading

During the conditioning stage, lots of protein are given to the rooster.  But this must be decreased considerably during the stage of pointing fighting cocks so as to lighten up the weight and feeling of the game fowl.  They tend to build muscles during the conditioning stage and this can take away some agility in the process.  With more carbo and less protein, they can recover lost agility and can shuffle faster and effectively.
Some of the food that can be used to feed the fighting cock are apple bits, rice, banana, and corn grains.

 Watering

Water is an important part of a chicken’s diet.  This is also true when they are at the stage ofpointing.  Some bloodlines require more water while others must be given very small quantity of liquid.  Mixing electrolytes is encouraged in most cases.
The theory is with more water, moisture is high in the body and the cock will not be able to move very quickly and can have problems in terms of cutting.  Too much moisture can be seen when the rooster does not move much and also in their droppings.  There is also a way to determine excess moisture in the body and experts have a way to do this.  One is to feed them with a few bits of dry corn every 2 or three hours.
With too much moisture, the droppings are watery and when they don’t have enough moisture, the droppings are too dry. The face will also look pale than the usual and the eyes are not as black and fierce looking in most cases.  If you see droppings with green color, that means there is something wrong with your fighting cock and might need to be treated to prevent infection.

 Total Blackout

It is also part of pointing fighting cocks that they be introduced to total darkness one day before the actual fight.  This is to totally give them rest.  Total darkness will induce them to keep still and to sleep.
As mentioned earlier, breeders and trainers have different approaches to pointing fighting cocks. If you are a beginner, it is best to have a full understanding of your fighting cock bloodline and determine from there its conditioning and pointing requirements.

TIPS ON HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT OPPONENT FOR YOUR FIGHTING COCK

 After all the training and feeding, time must come that you have to bring your fighting cock to a cockpit to test its mettle.  You are confident that your gamefowl has what it takes to beat any opponent as long as the game is fair and square.  You have also consulted the lunar calendar and found that this is the best time to fight your rooster against a particular color.
But before you get too excited, there are some basic things to remember when you are already in the matching place (Ulutan).  Taking notes of the hackfight  tips here will give you better chances of winning in a hack fight.  It is also possible for your fighting cock not to sustain too much injuries if you know how to choose the right kind of opponent.  So read on…

 1.  Pale Face

The color of the cock’s face will readily tell you if it is ready or not to fight.  It may have deep gameness in its bloodline but if it is not trained properly and malnourished, the same can be seen in the color of its face.  If the size is just about even but the opponent seems to have a pale red face indicating dehydration or tiredness, then you can pick a fight with that kind of rooster.

 2.  Knock feet (Piki)

There are many first time sabungeros in hack fights and some of them unfortunately knows very little about conformation.  They just believe that they have a good bloodline and that is supposedly enough for them after seeing them a few times in sparring.  When you see a possible opponent that has knock feet, then try to arrange a match with that rooster. Even go to the point of mentioning faults about your rooster so you can get a fight going.
When a rooster has knock feet, the possibility of fatal injury when it strikes with a blade is not strong.  This is true even if the gaffer tries to adjust the placement of the gaff (tari).  In the same way with people, gamefowls are also not expected to have much strength in the legs if they are Piki.

3. Watery Discharge

Take note of the discharge of the other rooster.  If it has watery discharge, then it is not in tip-top shape.  It is also a sign that the owner does not know how to properly condition his ward.  If the opponent is not properly trained and conditioned, then you have better chances to win.

 4.  Not Showing Aggressive Behavior

Gamefowls are born fighters and aggressive when they see a possible opponent.  When you see a possible opponent that is not aggressive, then chances are it is a slow starter or one that is familiar with other cocks near it.  It could also be that it has not been trained well that’s why.
This behavior gives your cock the advantage of being able to hit the first strike in many instances.  A single hit is what is needed in most cases to cripple the opponent.

 5.  Short Legs

You must be able to tell a high stationed from a low stationed cock.  Most of the time, your opponent will try to make it appear that his rooster is shorter in terms of height.  Tell him to let the cock stand on its own for you to see how tall it really is.  If the opponent has short legs than your game cock, then you’re already at an advantage.

 6.  Half-Breed (Mestizo)

In hack fights, there are still mestizo fighting cocks.  Some breed mestizos for a reason.  They are naturally agile and avoids getting hit much(Mailag).  You should know this particular trait of a mestizo and decide if your rooster is capable of fighting that kind of an opponent.
You will not see mestizos in a derby but in hack fights they can still be found sometimes.  Most of the time, a mestizo cock owner knows what he’s doing and actually wants to fight a “texas”bloodline that is not expected to have deep gameness because of too much out-crossing normally happening in small breeders’ backyard.
Your opponent will not allow you to handle his game fowl and this is understandable because you would also not want him to touch your rooster.  You have to be familiar with the signs and hackfight tips in order to get an advantage.  Ultimately, sabong is about winning and not just for fun.

 (JSN Research on Egg Laying Problem)

Several Reasons Why Your Hens May Stop Laying Eggs

By A. Bruce Webster, Extension Poultry Scientist, University of Georgia - It is not unusual for the Extension Service to get calls from backyard flock owners wanting to know why their hens have stopped laying eggs. There are a lot of reasons why this might happen and all cannot be outlined here. However, some causes are more common than others and the flock owner should consider these in seeking the solution to the problem.

Declining day length

Hens are sensitive to day length, and particularly to the direction in which day length is changing, when it comes to laying eggs. Declining day lengths discourage egg production. It is not unusual for a flock owner to have hens go out of production in the latter part of summer and in the fall because the days are getting shorter. Commercial egg producers avoid this problem and maintain egg production year round by using artificial lighting to give hens a long day length no matter what the season.

A backyard flock owner can do much the same thing if the flock roosts inside a building by keeping lights on long enough to simulate an appropriately long day length. A good rule of thumb is that the total length of light per day, both artificial and natural, should be no shorter than the longest natural day length the hens will experience. Therefore, the amount of artificial light needed will be minimal in summer and greatest in winter.

Improper nutrition

Hens need a balanced and adequate diet to maintain egg production. Each egg contains significant amounts of protein and energy, which must first be consumed by the hen as part of its daily food intake. Too little dietary energy or an imbalance of amino acids can cause depressed egg production. Many backyard flock owners don’t realize how much calcium a hen needs. The shell of each egg contains roughly 2 grams of calcium.

Since the skeleton of a typical modern egg-laying breed of hen only contains about 20 grams of calcium, each egg represents 10% of the hen’s total bodily calcium. While the hen’s skeleton acts as a calcium reserve to supply the demands of egg production, this reserve is rapidly depleted in the absence of an abundant calcium source in the feed eaten by the bird. In such a situation the hen will stop laying eggs. To maintain egg production, flock owners should feed only a prepared layer ration balanced to meet a hen’s nutritional requirements, or at least provide a particulate source of calcium, e.g. suitably sized ground limestone or oyster shell, that the birds can eat selectively according to their needs. The layer ration or calcium source should be available from a local feed supply store.

Occasionally, a feed mixing error causes important nutrients like salt to be left out of the diet. Insufficient dietary salt will depress egg production. Conversely, in some regions, well water may have too much dissolved sodium, which also will depress egg production. If water quality is suspected to be a problem, a water mineral analysis can be obtained through your county extension office, but be sure to contact the office for instructions before drawing the water sample. 

Broodiness

Some breeds of hens are prone to become broody, meaning that they will try to incubate eggs to make them hatch. When this happens, they stop laying eggs. They are more likely to become broody if they are allowed to accumulate eggs in a nest. The problem is most prevalent during spring under natural daylight as the hens come into production due to the stimulating effects of increasing day length. To avoid this problem, it is best to pick up eggs at least once a day to prevent the hen from building a clutch. Daily egg gathering is also an important practice to preserve the safety and quality of eggs for human consumption. If the housing facilities permit, hens can be moved to different living quarters periodically to disrupt their attachment to specific nesting sites.

Molt

After a hen has been producing eggs for several months, she becomes increasingly likely to molt. Molting and egg production are not mutually compatible, so when molting occurs, egg production ceases. The rest from egg laying allows the hen to restore its plumage condition by shedding old feathers and growing new ones. At the same time, the hen’s reproductive tract is rejuvenated, allowing it to increase its rate of egg production and produce higher quality eggs when it returns to lay. Under natural day lengths, molting tends to coincide with the change in season so that hens molt in the fall after they cease egg production due to declining day lengths. In these circumstances, it is normal for all the hens in a flock to go out of production and molt more or less in synchrony. However, if artificial lighting is provided, a hen may molt at any time of year and not in synchrony with other hens. If this happens, she should return to lay in several weeks.

Age

A hen can live for many years. It is not unusual for a backyard flock owner to keep several generations of birds and lose track of how old some hens are. Much as in other species, an aging hen eventually will lose its ability to be reproductively active and stop producing eggs.

Disease

Many poultry diseases will affect egg production. Often the birds will show symptoms of illness, but sometimes they will not. If a disease is suspected, it is important to consult a poultry veterinarian without delay. A timely diagnosis may allow effective treatment for some diseases. In the case of certain virulent diseases such as highly pathogenic Avian Influenza, a speedy diagnosis may prevent losses of whole flocks in entire regions, and minimize the risk of zoonotic transmission of deadly disease from chickens to humans, e.g., bird flu.

Consult your county agent for the nearest diagnostic lab to submit birds for disease evaluation. Further information on actions to take in the case of disease can be found in the November, 2004, Backyard Flock Tip published by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service entitled, “My Flock’s Health is in Question: What Should I do?” Copies may be obtained from your county agent or by accessing the UGA Poultry Science Department website at

       Basic Breeding Concepts and Considerations 
                                   ( Research by:    JSN )

      Breeding Game fowl is one of the many challenging aspects of the Sport of Kings. Numerous books and articles have been written on the subject and they all contain something of value. Over the past several decades, it my belief that the understanding of basic genetics has helped the modern breeder maintain and improve some of the great families of game fowl that have been passed down through the generations.

Maintaining and improving bloodlines is the primary goal of cockers. Some would say that cockfighting is practiced to provide an avenue for gambling or to satisfy a primitive blood lust. After 25 years with game fowl, I can say that the core of cockfighting is about the perpetuation of an ancient, noble and beautiful feathered gladiator by breeding the best to the best. Cockfighting is about holding in our hands the descendents of the same birds that our ancestors held in their hands while admiring the same qualities and puzzling over the same mysteries. Finally, cockfighting is about standing in awe of nature, which has instilled an incredibly deep survival instinct in every living creature.  

Just a few more notes before we jump into the subject… I am not a professional breeder. I have never created my own bloodline that whipped all the big boys, although I have bred some pretty good roosters. However, like all cockers, I have some opinions on the subject and a friend asked me to write them down. I have no chickens for sale and no axes to grind. I just enjoy getting some information out there for the beginners to think about.  My opinions are based on a combination of basic genetics, my own personal experiences with breeding gamefowl, and a little common sense.

An effective breeding program is a process that requires a systematic approach. I consider the process equivalent to a road that leads to a particular destination. A cocker can choose the vehicle (bloodlines) and the route (specific breeding techniques) to take. However, a map should be drawn out before the journey starts and it should be consulted from time to time to make sure the original destination seems to be getting closer. Sometimes the destination may change, so a breeder has to remain open minded and flexible. The road is definitely bumpy, but it can be very scenic and enjoyable.

I have identified some important components to any successful breeding program. The  following steps, hard work and a little luck will help a gamefowl breeder produce quality gamefowl.

 The 7 steps of successful gamefowl breeding

1. Establishing specific goals for the breeding program.                 

2. Identifying and obtaining foundation bloodlines

3. Selecting superior individuals within the bloodlines to breed

4. Setting up the broodpens: choosing breeding strategie       

5. Progeny testing: evaluating the success of the program

6. Managing the brood fowl to optimize their productivity and the health of  their offspring.            

7. Record keeping: keeping it accurate

Step 1: Establishing Goals

In my opinion, establishing goals or objectives is the most important part of the breeding program. Goals for a gamefowl breeding program are probably most easily measured in terms of the winning percentage of the offspring (progeny testing). Having a breeding goal that is quantifiable, or can be measured, assists the breeder when evaluating the success of the specific matings and the bloodlines used in the breeding program. However, there are many factors that contribute to the winning percentage. For example, age, conditioning, weapon used (style, set, quality of steel), the level of the competition and even luck all have a very significant impact on the outcome of a contest.  For this reason, I think it is important to include specific traits as goals in addition to a desired winning percentage. This is because certain traits (primary traits) are correlated to higher winning percentages, and if the fowl produced posses these traits, the chances of success in the pit will increase. Examples of primary traits linked to winning bloodlines include cutting ability, fighting style, strength, speed, body size and type, station, spur alignment, bone size, disposition, and gameness.  Other traits (secondary traits) such as eye color, feather color and condition, leg color, and comb type are important but tend to have a weaker or no correlation to winning percentage.

 In order to establish traits as goals, it is necessary to group the traits in order of importance. The most  important  traits should receive the most attention (selection intensity) in the breeding program. More rapid progress can be made by focusing the breeding program on one or few traits. However, this tends to cause a decline or lack of progress in other areas, so a cautious and balanced approach is needed. A breeding program that is balanced will tend to make slower initial progress, but in the long term will outperform a breeding program based on intensive selection for a limited number of traits.

 In the following table, I will group traits according to their relative degree of importance in my breeding program, and the degree of selection intensity I feel is merited to each group. Although the groups are arranged by relative importance, all traits in groups A, B & C are important, and all require careful monitoring and consideration. Please keep in mind that these traits, in addition to a minimum winning percentage, are the goals I have established for my breeding program, and are based on  my personal preferences, observations, and experiences.  Breeding program goals for others cockers will likely be significantly different.

Group	General Trait	Selection Intensity	Specific Quality
A	Cutting ability	Maximum	Accurate; efficient; deep
A	Health	Maximum	Resistant to disease and stress
A	Gameness	Maximum	Tries to destroy the opponent 100% of the time
A	Fighting Style	Maximum	Intelligent, adaptive, head back
B	Strength	High	Capable of powerful blows
B	Speed	High	Able to overwhelm/avoid opponent
B	Endurance	High	Ability to give and take for long periods of time
B	Body size/type/conformation	High	Avg 5 lb/upright/football
B	Station	High	High
B	Disposition	High	Gentle
B	Winning percentage	High	70%
C	Bone size	Medium	Medium
C	Spur Alignment	Medium	Low on shank/aligns with prop toe
C	Eye color	Medium	Red or Orange
C	Plumage condition	Medium	Flexible, long feathers
D	Leg color	Low	Characteristic of the breed
D	Comb type	Low	Characteristic of the breed
D	Plumage Color	Low	Characteristic of the breed

Step 2: Identifying and Obtaining Broodfowl

 Finding and obtaining the broodfowl that will meet or exceed expectations is essential to success as a breeder. The fowl the breeder starts his program with are the foundation of the breeding program. A breeder should take his time before rushing out and buying fowl, because finding the good ones is not easy. There are several approaches that can be used, although some methods work better than others.

 Identifying a desirable bloodline is best determined by their offspring’s performance in the pit. Fight reports, recommendations from friends, and attending derbies are all ways  to get an idea of how they have performed for other cockers. The fowl should be very strong in the group A and B traits that were identified when planning the goals of the breeding program, and adequate or better in as many of the group C traits as possible. The closer to the goal we are at the beginning, the more quickly it can be reached.  A breeder must be completely honest in his evaluation of the merits and demerits of the prospective bloodlines. The purchasing of broodfowl is a lot like getting married… make sure you can live with what you bring home. If a breeder sees something he doesn’t like, and breeds these fowl, chances are that this trait will likely be passed into the future generations of his fowl.

The most certain way of obtaining good fowl is through friendship. Often a good friend is willing to share his best, compete in a combined entry in derbies, and to swap broodfowl in the future as needed. The advantage of getting fowl through friends is that the breeder has seen the birds compete and knows their strengths and weaknesses and can plan the breeding program accordingly.

 Another method is to attend derbies and watch for breeders that show fowl that consistently display the qualities the buyer is looking for. The key is to attend derbies at the same or better level of competition than the level at which the buyer plans to compete in the future (average cocks look good against mediocre competition, but look flat-footed and slow in fast company). Once the sights have been set on a particular bloodline, it would help the buyer to become friends with the breeder. The buyer should inquire how the cocks are bred, how long he has had the bloodline, the origin of the bloodline, and the breeder’s opinion on some important traits and qualities. The breeder may or may not be interested in selling any broodfowl. If not, the buyer may be able to purchase battlefowl instead, test the battlecrosses, and if they pass the test, continue to try to get some broodstock. A buyer should always be respectful and persistent. If the buyer can find out where this successful breeder obtained his fowl, he may be able to get similar fowl from the same source.

 Another method is purchasing through the magazines or from the internet. This is definitely the method with the highest rate of failure. There are excellent, legitimate breeders that advertise and those who are not; it is very hard from an advertisement or website to determine who will ship you the type of fowl the buyer wants. If hecan travel to the breeder’s farm, it would improve the chances of getting the good ones, but this, of course, is not a foolproof method.

 Step 3. Selecting Superior Individuals

 Once the bloodline has been identified and the breeder has agreed to sell some of his fowl, the selection of specific individuals is required. If the buyer order chickens though an advertisement, he must clearly specify his requirements to the breeder and ask if he has fowl that will meet the criteria (e.g., station, body type, fighting style). Once again, visiting the breeder at his farm is a significant advantage when selecting brood or battlefowl. There are often subtle differences between individuals within the same bloodline. For example, if the buyer has a choice between two superb physical specimens with one having a better disposition, it will assist the breeding program to start with the calmer, gentler bird.

 The goals for the breeding program should be consulted during the selection process. Every cock and hen should be evaluated with respect to the goals. Selected individuals must be extremely healthy, active and in good flesh. They should be balanced, proportional and represent the characteristics of the bloodline. Both cocks and hens should be relatively calm and good natured. Although mature stags and pullets from winning families are perfectly acceptable for breeding, I prefer fowl that are 2 to 5 years of age so that I have had a chance to test them and their immediate family before introducing them into the breeding program. Waiting until cocks and hens are mature also helps identify any desirable or undesirable traits that may not be readily apparent in stags and pullets (e.g., spraddle legs, nervous personality, late developing fighting ability).

 I consider what we do as cockers very similar to what happens in nature, where every individual is competing for survival each and every day. Individuals that can’t compete or adapt do not survive, thus their DNA does not get passed to the next generation. Consider how efficiently birds of prey hunt, pursue and capture their quarry. It stands to reason that the best hunters, those that can adapt to different prey, different habitats, adverse weather conditions and can win territorial disputes will have the greatest reproductive success, thus passing the good genes on the next generation. Likewise, cockers should try to select individuals that have proven their worth in the pit and/or whose brothers, offspring,  immediate family have proven themselves in the pit. Only through competition can we select individuals that have the mental and physical attributes to get the job done. These individuals should be the cornerstones of our breeding programs.

  Step 4. Choosing the Right Breeding Strategies

 Much has been written about breeding strategies and techniques that have been used successfully to produce ace cocks. Inbreeding, linebreeding, outcrossing, and crossbreeding are breeding strategies that all have their place in the overall breeding program. These methods, when used appropriately, offer the breeder the best chance to maintain bloodlines and to produce consistently competitive battlefowl. The breeder should keep in mind that the foundation of any breeding method is to breed physically and mentally sound cocks and hens that come from winning families.  

Before I discuss breeding methods, a quick discussion of basic genetics is needed. Genetics is a very complex subject. The inheritance and expression of DNA is subject to several known and unknown mechanisms of action, of which college textbooks cover in great detail. Complex genetic interactions, the inheritance of sex-linked traits, and traits influenced by multiple genes are certainly relevant to gamefowl breeding but are beyond the scope of this article.

 Genes are made up of pieces of DNA, which carries the information about a particular trait. The genotype is the sum of all genes present on the chromosomes. The phenotype is the appearance of the traits, a visual expression of the genotype. Genes almost always occur in pairs. This means that each cock or hen has two copies of any given gene for a specific trait, one derived from the father and one from the mother. A bird that has two different genes for a specific trait is said to be heterozygous for that trait. A bird that has the same two genes for a given trait is homozygous for that trait. 

 Some genes and their corresponding traits are dominant or incompletely dominant and others are recessive. A cock that is heterozygous for a particular trait (has one dominant gene and one recessive gene) will look the same as, or similar to (incomplete dominance), to one that is homozygous dominant (has two of the same dominant genes) for that trait. Recessive genes are hidden when paired with a dominant gene. When recessive genes are in a homozygous state (both are identical), they are expressed in the phenotype. An example of this with white and yellow leg color. The gene for white legs is dominant to the gene for yellow legs, meaning a white legged cock or hen could have one gene for white legs (W)and one gene for yellow legs (y), or two genes for white legs (WW). If two heterozygous white legged fowl were bred together (Wy x Wy), the offspring would be approximately 75% white legged [WW or Wy] and 25 % yellow legged [yy] because there is an equal probability that the parent will pass the white legged or yellow legged gene to the offspring. In this case, the ratio of genes in the offspring would be 1 WW: 2 Wy : 1 yy. Another way to say this is that 75% of the chicks would carry the dominant gene for white legs and 25% would receive a recessive yellow legged gene from each parent. In this case where the recessive yellow legged gene is in a homozygous state, it is expressed in the phenotype as yellow legs.

 Inbreeding is the breeding of two individuals who are related to each other. Typically all fowl from the same family of fowl are related to some degree, thus inbreeding is practiced whenever we maintain a “pure” line. Linebreeding is a form of inbreeding where particularly superior individuals are used in several generations, which tends to emphasize the genetic influence of the individual in the family.  Inbreeding increases the probability that the two copies of any given gene for a particular trait will be identical, or homozygous for that gene. If the cock and hen are related, there is a chance that the two genes in the offspring are both identical copies contributed by the common ancestor. Close inbreeding uncovers hidden, often undesirable homozygous recessive genes that are carried by both parent fowl. Inbreeding depression is a term used to describe the reduction in performance caused by the expression of  these recessive genes in inbred individuals. Some cockers will use this as a tool to test a new bloodline by fighting year old stags from a brother/sister mating, since this intensive form of inbreeding will quickly bring undesirable qualities to the surface such as lack of gameness. 

 Since mating related and phenotypically-identical individuals also tends to increase the number of homozygous dominant genes in the progeny, fowl become more uniform in those traits emphasized in the breeding program. Although true with any breeding system, additional care must be taken with intensive inbreeding (breeding closely related, inbred individuals). Only the very best physical specimens should be retained for maintaining the bloodline and crossing with other bloodlines. Producing these exceptional individuals requires hatching and raising a lot of chicks to increase the probability of the right genetic combination occurring in the offspring.

Increasing homozygous genes in a family through inbreeding increases the probability of producing “prepotent” individuals. Prepotency is the ability of an individual to pass their desirable dominant genes to their offspring. For this reason, prepotent individuals are extremely valuable in linebreeding systems to improve and maintain bloodlines. Although inbreeding will increase the probability of producing prepotency, in my own experience an ace crossbred battlecock was prepotent. Nearly all of his stags were virtually identical to the cock, including fighting style, body shape and station, leg color, a plumage color. They even sounded the same as they all had his distinctive voice.

Outcrossing is the mating of individuals within the same bloodline but having no close ancestral relationships. For example, a trio of Clarets was single mated producing a dozen stags from each hen. When the stags matured into cocks, they were fought and the best multiple time winners were selected for breeding purposes. The original hens were bred to their best sons, and the original cock was used once in the third year in each family. For the next 7 years, the two lines were kept separate, and the original hen and her exceptional son were bred several times in the following generations to increase their genetic contribution to each family. After 10 years, the lines were bred together, resulting in an outcross. The offspring from this mating were tested and the best individuals were bred back to the separate lines. This method of breeding, along with careful selection and progeny testing, can be used to maintain pure families without introducing outside blood. Using linebred, prepotent individuals is highly desirable when outcrossing.

 Crossbreeding occurs when two unrelated fowl are mated. Crossbred individuals have many more heterozygous dominant genes present in their genotype. In a heterozygous genotype, dominant genes mask the influence of undesirable or desirable recessive genes. Many of the most successful battlecrosses are produced from crossing two or more unrelated, inbred families of fowl. In fact, the primary reason for maintaining inbred families of fowl is to produce individuals that can be used in crossbreeding systems. This is because crossing two unrelated, inbred bloodlines often results in hybrid vigor in the offspring. Hybrid vigor, or ‘heterosis,’ is the term used when a crossbred individual outperforms the parent fowl. Crossbreeding is widely used in commercial animal production and has proven successful. Hybrid animals and plants tend to grow faster, be more productive and more resistant to stress and disease.  Once again, it must be emphasized that the greatest degree of heterosis is seen when inbred, prepotent individuals are used as the parent fowl.

 So how does one select the breeds to cross? Some gamefowl breeders advocate crossing fowl that complement each other, such as breeding a power cock over speed hens, in hopes of producing the ultimate combination of desirable qualities. Others advocate breeding fowl that are similar in type and action, contending that the resulting offspring are more likely to be consistent and predictable.

 In my opinion, both schools of thought are likely correct because both have proven to be successful. For example, the popular cross of various Hatch and Roundhead families  clearly indicate the theory of  complementary families is valid. Highly competitive crosses made up of similar families like the Kelso and Albany fowl prove that crossing families that have similar attributes is also effective. The success and failure of any cross is dependent upon the compatibility of the genes and the only way of knowing if the fowl will “nick” is to breed them together and test their progeny.

 Crossbred fowl can be used in the breeding program. Many breeders will use superior crosses to add new blood into one or both of the parent lines, especially if the parent lines are intensively inbred  and showing signs of inbreeding depression. After the initial introduction, the new blood is bred out in succeeding generations. The introduced family should be of unquestioned quality, as the introduction of inferior genes into an inbred family is an irreversible process. Recently I was given a trio of Regular Greys from a great friend. The fowl have an excellent winning percentage in the gaff and fight a smart style that would be effective in any weapon. They are deep game, deadly cutters, have great bodies and are good natured.  Their major shortcoming is that the old cock and his two daughters are medium stationed. Since my goal is to produce high stationed cocks, I have developed a plan to increase their station. Since all three of the adult fowl are medium stationed, I am not hopeful that any of the stags and pullets out of this trio will be high stationed. However, there is a possibility that a recessive gene for high station is being masked, so I am breeding them pure to see if the recessive genes will pair up and produce some high stationed offspring. As an insurance policy, I bred a high station Claret broodstag out of a solid Claret bloodline from the same breeder to one of the Grey hens this year. From the stags and pullets I raise from this mating, I will keep the best overall individuals with the highest station to breed back to Greys next season. Since the pullets of any mating often more closely resemble the broodcock, I expect several of the ½ Grey ½ Claret pullets from this mating to be high stationed like the Claret stag. Like wise, the best performing high stationed ¾ Grey and ¼ Claret cocks (which should be carrying the genes for high station from the ½ and ½ pullets) will be bred over the pure Grey hens. If the pure Greys I’m breeding this year produce any high stationed stags or pullets, they will also be bred to the high stationed Grey/Claret crosses and back to the parent fowl. The goal is to eventually breed the Claret contribution down to a 1/16 or 1/32, while retaining the genes for higher station.

 Although breeding crossbred fowl to each other is usually unsuccessful, some two-way crosses nick with a third bloodline. Some of the best fowl I have ever raised were out of a ½ Butcher ½ Lacy Roundhead cock and a Hatch hen. If all three of the original parent fowl are from inbred families, the 3-way crosses can be very consistent in appearance and style.  When breeding crosses to crosses, a few excellent individuals may be produced but the pairings of the thousands of possible genetic combinations tends to produce predominantly average or mediocre individuals. An exception to the rule might be a four-way cross produced by mating a two-way cross cock out of two unrelated inbred families (e.g., Hatch and Kelso) to a two-way cross hen out of two unrelated inbred families (e.g., Butcher and Roundhead).  Some animal experiments have indicated an additional boost of hybrid vigor is possible from the resulting four-way cross. This is something you may want to try if you have four inbred families.

 All modern breeders acknowledge that the fowl used to develop today’s bloodlines were crosses. However, the successful bloodlines the great breeders in the past developed from these crosses were refined over many years through selection of superior individuals, inbreeding, testing and extensive culling.  

No discussion of breeding is complete without addressing single mating, flock mating and yard breeding. The most haphazard and careless way to breed could be called ‘yard breeding.’ This is when the cocker lets his hens runs loose on the yard with cocks on strings. Yard breeding will result in chicks out of several different cocks and hens, as hens will often lay in the same nest, and the breeder will have no idea which hen and cock produced the dunghill or what combination produced the ace. Likewise, another questionable method is flock mating, when one cock is bred simultaneously to several hens of different breeds. The breeder may get some good chickens, but without trapnesting, it is impossible to know what hen laid the golden eggs. A somewhat better flock mating method is to breed a cock to full sisters. However, there are some hens that are much superior producers than their sisters, and with this system it is impossible to know which hens are the best. I recommend for the serious breeder of inbred families, single mating a cock with individually penned hens. In this way, the best individuals are rapidly identified. Their offspring can be single mated and the best retained from those future generations. Once the best hens are identified, they can be used in a flock mating system to produce battlecocks.

 Single mating can be a lot of work even if the breeder has just a few cocks and hens. It requires moving the cock every 1-3 days to each hen pen. This year I used a chain link dog kennel 12’ wide and 16’ long to single mate three hens. I built a tee-pee shelter in three corners with a roost and nest box in each one, and tied the hens out on tie-cords. I covered the pen with 2” poultry netting and turned the cock loose among the hens. The hens laid in their individual nests and I didn’t have to move the cock, as he visited each hen several times per day. Based on my hatching rate, he did a fine job, and I know exactly what hen and cock produced each chick.

 In summary, consider these key points:

·        Inbreeding is a long-term breeding strategy. It is most useful as a way to strengthen and preserve valuable genetic information in a bloodline. Individuals from these inbred bloodlines are valuable for producing hybrid battle crosses.

·        Inbreeding increases the number of homozygous genes. Remember that this applies to desirable and undesirable genes equally. If inbred fowl are mated and the progeny display undesirable traits, both parents and offspring should be removed from the breeding program because the parents are carriers for the recessive, undesirable gene expressed in the offspring. These individuals could be retained for crossing.

·        Line breeding is a form of inbreeding in which superior individuals are used multiple times in several generations in the development and maintenance of a bloodline. Line breeding increases the probability that desirable genes from the superior individuals are passed on to the subsequent generations. Care must be taken when line breeding apparently superior fowl to other closely related individuals because of the potential for uncovering and passing on undesirable genes.

·        Out crossing is the mating of unrelated individuals within a bloodline. It is a valuable strategy to maintain a bloodline with minimal effects from inbreeding depression. This strategy requires the maintenance of two or more families within a bloodline.

·        Crossbreeding is the mating of unrelated individuals from two or more separate bloodlines. When compatible bloodlines are used, crossbreeding often results in hybrid vigor, which occurs when the offspring exceeds the performance of the parent fowl.

Step 5. Evaluating the Progeny

The ultimate measure of success of any breeding program is the quality of the resulting offspring. The relative success of the matings is determined by the ability of the offspring to meet the criteria defined in the goals of the breeding program in Step 1.  When breeding inbred families to produce broodfowl, it is only possible to initially evaluate  their outward appearance, body structure, health and disposition; the ultimate test for the worth of broodfowl is their ability to produce winners and future generations of top quality broodfowl. This can make mistakes very costly considering the time and money required to determine the quality of their offspring.

Competition in the pit tests the offspring of the broodfowl and skill of the breeder.  Information learned about fighting style, speed, cutting ability and other important traits should be gathered, analyzed, and used to guide the breeding program in future breeding seasons. Only through experience and being present at the pit when his warriors are doing battle can the breeder learn the weaknesses and strengths of his fowl and make adjustments to the breeding program.

It is true that superior battlecocks don’t always make superior broodcocks. However, history has proven that superior battlecocks make great broodcocks frequently enough to consider breeding a few great winners every year. I like to use great battlecocks over inbred pullets from another breed to make three-way crosses. Some of the greatest breeders of the past bought spectacular crossbred cocks at the pit and bred them into various ‘yards’ or families. They had to discard many of these yards after the offspring were tested, but some of these crossbred yards produced lines that are winning today.

The level of competition is an important factor to consider when evaluating battlefowl. It is a good idea for the breeder to compete a few times each year at the highest level of competition that he can afford. In this way the breeder can get a better idea of how his fowl measure up to the big boys.

  Step 6. Managing Broodfowl

 It is often said that if two cockers were given identical bloodlines, it would take just a few generations for the descendents of the original parent fowl to look and act completely different. Most of this phenomenon may be related to a different emphasis on specific traits when selecting broodfowl, and it is also related to differing environments (soil, water, climate, feed). However, another significant effect is due to management.

For example, one management technique is to supply artificial lighting to stimulate early egg production. Early eggs mean earlier chicks, which tends to produce larger adult fowl than those hatched in late spring. This simple management technique can have a significant impact on body size. Another example is the effect of the health of the broodfowl upon the health of the offspring. Since health is one of the most important traits we select for, we must manage the broodfowl to maximize health.

The following generic recommendations should be considered to optimize the productivity and performance of the broodfowl. Specific management techniques should be employed in certain situations (e.g., disease; predators; environmental conditions, etc.).

1.   Employ a regular de-worming and de-lousing program.

2.   Control the body weight of the broodfowl through diet and exercise. Fat broodcocks tend to produce a lower percentage hatch. Likewise, fat hens lay fewer eggs. Trim the feathers around the vent of each cock and hen to maximize the mating efficiency.

3.     Provide enough pen space to minimize stress from overcrowding. In my experience, the minimum floorspace for a single mating broodpen (one cock and hen) is 4’ x 5’ or 20 square feet.

4.     Provide a round roost pole, approximately 2.5 inches in diameter. In flock mating system, adequate roost space is an important detail, as the dominant hens will force the submissive hens off the roost until it is nearly dark. This is stressful on all of the fowl.

5.     Provide clean, fresh and dry bedding material in the pen. 

6.     Provide a nest that is big enough so the hen can turn around freely and is protected from the weather. Use clean straw, shavings, or other material in the nest.  In a flock mating system, use one nest per 3 hens if the eggs are picked up daily.

7.     When using an incubator or a surrogate mother to hatch the eggs, eggs should be picked up at least once per day, kept clean and stored between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

8.      Discard undersized, oversized and odd-shaped eggs.

9.     Wash dirty eggs soon after gathering. Use hot water and soap or plain hot water and dip in a diluted bleach solution.

10.   Feed a breeder pellet if available. The breeder diet is balanced to promote optimum fertility and hatchability, as well as good egg shell quality. Laying pellets are formulated for the commercial production of eggs without consideration of the requirements of the developing embryo or newly hatched chick.

11.   Provide oyster shells free-choice for strong eggshells.

12.   Feed fruit and vegetables to penned fowl.

13.   Always provide clean fresh water and use a high quality vitamin/electrolyte product 1-3 days per week or more often during extreme heat.

14.   During the off-season when fowl are not breeding, allow them access to grass.

15.   Practice biosecurity. Keep visitors to a minimum, and require shoe disinfection for those who do visit.

16.   Minimize the introduction of new fowl onto the premises. New fowl are potential disease carriers. Isolate new fowl for at least two weeks before introducing them into your breeding program.

 Step 7. Record Keeping

To keep track of the specific individuals and matings used in the breeding program, it is necessary to keep accurate records. This will help when the breeder needs to go back and figure out exactly how specific fowl were bred or to determine the degree of relationship between certain individuals within a family or bloodline.

Records should identify the individuals used in the brood pen, including their bloodline, toe mark and wingband number. The toemark and wingband numbers for the chicks produced from this mating also needs recording in the record book. I also record the  number of eggs set, chicks hatched, and date hatched.

During the growing period, I also record mortality caused from predators, disease, culling or other reasons, and note the broodpen number.  If I use medication or vaccinate, I record what, when, and why it was used and the results.

Summary:

Most cockers probably breed a family of fowl 5 or 6 years before they lose the ‘pure’ individuals and can’t maintain it or the fowl do not measure up to their standards and are discarded. Probably most gamefowl families out there don’t measure up to the requirements of a serious, top-level competitor. However, numerous stories exist of cockers discarding or losing families of fowl only to realize later that they were, in fact, a great bloodline. I have had this experience and I’ll bet most cockers with some breeding experience have also had this unpleasant realization.

Recognizing ‘diamonds in the rough’ is a challenge. If the breeder is starting with deep game cocks, he’ll have a great foundation and with some luck and intelligent breeding decisions, he’ll have something to be proud of. A breeder has to have patience and stick with it. He must breed as many as he can, cull them hard, keep accurate and detailed records, and spend as much time as possible just observing the fowl. Over time, some cockers even develop a ‘gut feel’ for mating individuals or crossing specific bloodlines. Regardless if you become a legendary breeder or stay down to earth on the backyard level, the point is to enjoy the process of creating extremely competitive, awe-inspiring, and absolutely beautiful feathered warriors.

                   ALWAYS AIM FOR THE GOOD ONES