A todos los miembros de Gamefowl desearles que tengan paz y disfruten estas fiestas venideras en unión a sus seres queridos y amigos y que el año entrante les traiga muchas bendiciones. Adelante con la cría de nuestros gallos de combate, muchos éxitos con ellos en el 2013.
Saludos cordiales
Pablo E. Jerves
Cuenca Ecuador
Pd. hagamos un esfuerzo con nuestra participación para levantar este sitio tan querido.
Announcement: ALERTA CON VENDEDOR DE RAZA PURA FRAUDULENTA.
Posted: chufas @ Wed Jul 11, pm711 6: 27 pm
Señores Aficionados:
Se están anunciando en varios portales,por un médico Mexicano que se hace llamar (Dr.Jose Maria Méndez Torres E.M.enC) egresado de la Universidad de Queretaro.,una "Raza Pura" de gallos Españoles,disfrazados de ciencia pura,pero con la finalidad de VENDER pollitos de 6 semanas a precios de oro ($1,000.00 USD) cada pollo.
Dicho dr. no es gallero,vive en mi misma ciudad.Nunca ha jugado una pelea de gallos.Promueve unas aves cruzadas INDOJEREZANAS que no han combatido desde hace 65 años que las dejó de recriar su original dueño:Fortino Mancera.Le quedaron despues a unos hermanos zapateros y de ahí los tomó el doctor fraudulento y les BORDÓ una historia fantastica para vender crías carísimas.Los gallitos estan bonitos pero ya muy degenerados por la consanguinidad desordenada de tantos años.
Este pillete se ha anunciado en EXPOGALLOS de Ecuador y en otra pizarra de Trujillo,Perú así como en Portal Gallero de México.
Con lenguaje técnico-cientifico muy rebuscado y enrredoso (tipo merolico),ha venido sorprendiendo algunos incautos.
La SMPGC,preocupada por la falta de respeto que el susodicho hace de la raza Española de Combate,denuncia ante la afición la trampa y el fraude que está preparando éste siniestro personaje.
Para que veán cómo cuidan su dinerio y prestigio los galleros que puedan sentirse interesados en dichas aves.,Con gusto daremos mas informacion a quienes la soliciten. Ojalá la Federacion Andaluza pueda detener a semejante estafador.
Gracias por su atención: Sociedad Mundial Protecra Del Gallo De Combate (SMPGC) Raul Chufani López.-Asesor Vitalicio-fundador
Me llama la atención sobre lo poco que se sabe de los gallos de Asturias y sus diferencias con el combatiente español jerezano y Canario. Y eso pese a que Fabres escribió señalando que "El gallo del norte, principalmente el asturiano... Tiene menos estatura pero estacas
mas grandes. Luce mayor violencia y mejor casta.
El gallo asturiano se crece al castigo no asi el andaluz que afloja al final
de la riña". Y Sierra Planells había señalado la existencia de una mejor y más cuantiosa afición a las riñas en Asturias que en Andalucía, hasta el punto de que en medio de la Guerra Civil se detenían las acciones militares cuando comandantes de uno y otro bando se citaban para echar gallos en el reñidero de Oviedo. ¿Cuándo llegó el gallo de pelea a Asturias? ¿Procede de los gallos que llevaron los fenicios a Cádiz en la antigüedad? ¿O fué llevado por los romanos cuando conquistaron el territorio de los astures?
Un amigo de Langreo me ha dicho que el gallo asturiano es el antiguo gallo ibérico que no se mezcló con los ingleses, y por eso tiene más fondo, es más fuerte y tiene un estilo de pelea diferente: no vá al frente como caballero medieval, a matar o morir, sino que tiene defensa, por lo que resulta más ganador.
También sabemos que Ramón Arias, criador reconocido con una muy definida línea de giros, ganó el campeonato español con aves de su propia cría en el año 2000, lo que fué todo un suceso, pues esto no es frecuente en España. Allá los frentes que participan se arman juntando gallos buenos de distintas partes y muy pocos participan con gallos de su propia cría. Las excepciones, segun mi amigo Gabriel Barrios, son Ramón Arias, Ismael Almodóvar, los hermanos Cabello y los hermanos Durán (Los zorros). De éstos sólo Arias ha ganado el campeonato. Otros criadores destacados de Asturias hoy son Vicente Barroso, Fabián Mendoza y un señor "llamado Javier" según referencia de Paco Quintero, sin que haya podido desentrañar de quien se trata.
Tampoco debe olvidarse la idea de Juan Pulido Ledesma, destacado colombófilo y también criador de gallos cubano, recientemente fallecido, para quien la base de los gallos criollos cubanos de pelea estaba constituida por los gallos que llevaron los emigrantes asturianos a la isla, en el enorme éxodo que se inició a finales del siglo XIX y culminó a finales de la primera mitad del siglo XX. Para Pulido los jerezanos fueron llevados por algunos criadores, como Mendieta, pero en los campos de Cuba siempre predominó el gallos de origen asturiano. De allí que la pelea del gallo cubano, pese a que siempre se mantuvo la tradición de pelear con espuelas de máximo 22 milímetros, sea diferente a la del gallo jerezano.
Tal vez Chufani, Espichán o algún miembro de la Asociación de Galleros Asturianos nos pueda ayudar con este tema.
Propongo un ranking de criadores españoles, bien para votar, bien para enriquecerlo, bien para diferir de él. Así:
Los mejores gallos de españa proceden de la cría de:
1. Ramón Arias de Asturias;
2. Fernando Salazar de Chipiona;
3. Sebastián Garrido de Jerez;
4. Ismael Almodóvar de Toledo; y,
5. Antonio Calvo Romero de Sevilla.
Por sugerencia de algunos colegas mexicanos, cultores de la cría del gallo americano, intentar ampliar las razones de mi convencimiento de que dicho gallo puede beneficiarse con el aporte de ciertos atributos propios de un buen gallo oriental.
Antes que nada debo confesar que mi experiencia con el gallo americano, se remite a la visión de diferentes videos y a la información que desde hace varios años recibo a través de las páginas de “Pie de Cría”, con estos elementos y un largo tiempo criando gallos argentinos, una especie de síntesis de diferentes razas de origen oriental, es que emitiré mi opinión sobre el tema.
Convengamos que el gallo americano, tanto el que nace en México como el que lo hace en U.S.A., es el mismo, y los diferentes nombres de fantasía que recibe, tienen un propósito más comercial, que la necesidad de poner de manifiesto las diferencias que pueda haber entre un gallo Hatch criado por un determinado criador, con otro Hatch pero criado por una persona diferente.
Lo interesante sería conocer las razones porque un elevado número de aficionados mexicanos, año tras año, se trasladan a U.S.A. o utilizan los servicios de personas que se dedican al tráfico de gallos, ya sea para competir o para lograr sus futuros pie de cría.
A la distancia, uno se imagina que las razones deben ser tan atendibles como contundentes, lo cierto es que si después de varias décadas, el entusiasmo por proveerse del otro lado de la frontera no ha decaído, tiene cierta lógica pensar que el gallo que se cría en U.S.A. debe estar algunos peldaños arriba de aquel que nace en tierras mexicanas. Podrá haber honrosas excepciones pero los hechos nos llevan a pensar que la realidad es esta.
Uno se pregunta ¿Cuáles serán las razones para que esa tendencia no se pueda revertir? ¿Serán de índole genético? ¿Utilizarán criterios más efectivos para enrazar? ¿Tendrán otra forma de criar y de alimentar? O los motivos son más profundos y están directamente relacionados con la forma en que los criadores gringos encaran esta actividad; dedicación plena, atención personal, ellos viven de y para sus gallos, generalmente todo el grupo familiar se involucra en la atención de los animales, en síntesis, profesionalismo puro.
Esta forma de llevar adelante la crianza inexorablemente hará su diferencia en el momento de competir.
El gallo americano o cualquier otro gallo que utiliza navajas largas o armas de similar agresividad, durante años viene siendo seleccionado para definir sus riñas en el menor tiempo posible; velocidad, agresividad y corte, son sin lugar a dudas los atributos mas buscados para desplegar en este tipo de pleitos.
Cuando los combates se resuelven en contados minutos, la fortaleza, el pulmón, la casta, seguirán siendo cualidades necesarias pero menos determinantes que aquellas. Cuando se observa que un número importante de animales sufren horrores para llegar enteros a los 15 minutos, es porque se están acercando peligrosamente a sus límites de resistencia.
Hace varios años atrás, el criador americano Ray Alexander, confesaba en la desparecida revista “Canta Claro” que los criadores de su país habían logrado un gallo comercialmente muy atractivo, pero que había ido perdiendo la fortaleza del antiguo gallo americano.
El señor Alexander es un veterano y prestigioso criador, convendría no perder de vista sus conceptos.
En la cría del gallo de combate, la sentencia del maestro Narragansett “la única certidumbre es la propia incertidumbre” a veces la utilizamos para maquillar una serie de decisiones erróneas que comunmente tomamos los galleros.
La selección equivocada de nuestros sementales o la inadecuada elección de los animales que llevaremos a reñir son los errores más comunes, pero no el más gravosoque tendremos que sufrir. Lo más dañino para nuestros intereses suelen ser los afanosos esfuerzos por dotar a nuestros gallos de ciertas cualidades, generalmente la espuela en desmedro de otras, aparentemente de segundo orden.
Pero que cuando se van diluyendo, se produce un desbalance que luego es muy difícil de restituir. Cuando cometemos este tipo de desatinos y después de mirar por los cuatro costados, encontramos algunos colegas que nos pueden echar una mano, quizá no todo esté perdido, pero cuando lo único que encontramos a nuestro alrededor son un montón de plumas tan ordinarias como las nuestras, el problema se torna mucho más serio y generalmente resuelto de manera poco original, es decir, buscando la forma de que aquello que supimos preservar, quede debidamente disimulado por otro reglamento, por otras espuelas.
Así como habrá aficionados que disfrutan de la estrecha relación con criadores americanos, hay otros que pretender desarrollarse dentro del deporte de los gallos con mayor autonomía, sin tanta dependencia. Para estos, el gallo oriental puede ofrecernos algunas alternativas interesantes.
Lo primero que debemos aclarar que esto no es nuevo, los Asiles de Bobby Boles, los Roundhead, avisos recientemente aparecidos en las páginas de “Pie de Cría” como los de “Roberto´s Game Farm” o el de “Horta de California” nos indican que hubo quienes tuvieron éxito con sus intentos, lo que llama la atención es si algunos demostraron que se puede ¿Porqué no se generalizó su práctica? ¿Prejuicios? ¿Desinformación? O simplemente porque al primer fracaso se resolvió no seguir adelante, vaya uno a saber.
Si tomamos en cuenta las innumerables críticas que recibieron las aves de orígen oriental, pretender encontrar alguna explicación, no parece tarea sencilla, pese a ello daré mi parecer sobre este asunto.
Si se pregunta a todos estos colegas, que no les fue bien en el intento, que tipo de animales usaron, veremos que la mayoría nos responderá que fue un Asil, y si le preguntamos que tipo de recaudo tomaron para asegurarse origen y casta, veremos que la mayoría no tomó precaución alguna y en el menor de los casos, escasas e inadecuadas. Y si les preguntamos las razones para confiar en animales que salvo en Puerto Rico, no se utilizan para combatir en ninguna región de nuestra América, pónganle la firma que nos dirán que las descripciones que alguna vez leyeron sobre el Asil son tan fascinantes que no tenían porqué dudar de su calidad. ¡Si señores! Todavía hay deslumbrantes historias que pesan muchísimo más que una apabullante realidad. Hoy es casi imposible ubicar los Asiles que describen esas historias.
Habría que preguntase de dónde nacen esas historias; no sé si todas, pero si una buena parte de ellas, tienen origen en mi país Argentina, tierra donde asiles y Calcutas, gallos del mismo origen y muy similares entre si, fueron durante años, amos y señores de sus reñideros.
Cuando la prestigiosa revista “La Chacra” convoca al criador e investigador Alberto del Campo Wilson para que haga una descripción de las razas que se combatían en Argentina, éste no se habrá imaginado nunca, la enorme repercusión que tuvieron sus escritos. Toda la literatura especializada que se editó por aquella época, reprodujo con puntos y comas sus magníficas descripciones.
Todo aficionado a los gallos, cualquiera fuera su país de origen, que accedió a esos artículos, se tiene que haber quedado maravillado por tanto virtuosismo, por tanta casta, por tan portentosa capacidad física.
Los que muy pocos se encargaron de aclarar, es que todo ese bagaje de fenomenales atributos no eran propiedad de todos los Asiles y Calcutas que se desempeñaban en tierra Argentina, sino de una selecta elite, que como sucede con todas las razas, representan una clara minoría.
Sería un verdadero desperdicio que el estupendo trabajo del señor Alberto del Campo Wilson, en vez de convertirse en un enriquecedor aporte a nuestro conocimiento, se transforme en un lastre, que nos confunde y nos condiciona.
Dependerá de nuestra capacidad para comprender que tratándose de aves de riña, no existen, ni los gallos ni las soluciones mágicas.
Si tuviéramos la posibilidad de conocer la cantidad de estas aves de origen asiático que salieron de sus países de origen con destino a nuestra tierras, veríamos que dede hace varias décadas la entrada fue nula o en el mejor de los casos ínfima. Estas situaciones quizá nos ayuden a entender que salvo honrosas excepciones que por suerte las hay, estos admirables reñidores, hoy sólo tienen cabida como aporte minoritario de algunas aves de riña que se crían en nuestra América Latina.
Con respecto a los Asiles ya refinados que se crían en U.S.A. debo aclarar que no tengo la suficiente información como para emitir juicio de valor alguno.
Por último, nos queda referirnos al otro oriental, al que se cría en Brasil y Argentina y que ya hace algunos años se fue incorporando a la gallística mexicana a través de la cría de combatientes enrazados para reñir en la modalidad de ¼ de redonda principalmente.
Lo primero que debemos puntualizar, es que tiene un estilo de combate diferente al del Asil, son más esbeltos, mas ágiles. Su forma de encarar el combate es muy similar al del Shamo japonés.
Como sucede habitualmente, a México llegaron gallos y gallinas de diferentes orígenes y calidad, algunos criadores tuvieron la fortuna de recibir los gallos adecuados y lograron rapidamente lo que buscaban, y otros, todavía siguen luchando para conseguirlo.
Lo concreto es que este tipo de orientales hoy se pueden ubican en importantes galleras de México. Creo que los simpatizantes del gallo americano, hoy tienen opciones lo suficientemente atractivas como para intentar lago diferente.
Poco importa la raza o el nombre de fantasía que reciban los animales elegidos, lo fundamental debe ser tratar de ubicar aves de casta debidamente comprobada. Tenemos que olvidarnos para siempre de las historias fantásticas, mientras no rompamos con ese mito, chocaremos con cuanto obstáculose nos cruce en el camino.
México es, sin lugar a dudas, el mayor referente de la gallística latinoamericana. Por su historia, por orgullo, merece tener un gallo concebido y forjado por su propia gente, sin tutelaje alguno.
Sería una grata noticia enterarnos que hay quienes están haciendo esfuerzon concretos para conseguirlo. A los otros, a los que no les fue bien cuando lo intentaron, les recuerdo que a un gallero de ley, ningún fracaso lo obligará a abandonar sus sueños. Hasta la próxima.
Afortunadamente, en nuestro ámbito, los que comparten generosamente sus conocimientos, son abrumadora mayoría, cada unos desde su lugar, diariamente, aportan lo suyo, si la calidad de nuestros gallos ha ido mejorando paulatinamente, tendremos que reconocer que la expansión de conocimientos es el principal impulsor de tan saludable acontecimiento.
En el turf, cada récord que se va batiendo no valoriza al individuo, pero si a la raza. A nuestro pesar, con los gallos no tenemos parámetros tan claros, tan contundentes, todo es mas subjetivo, nada parece inapelable, sin embargo se dan situaciones harto evidentes, como para caer en la necesidad de negarlo. En el caso del gallo argentino en particular, hace cuatro décadas, tiempo en que se empieza a formar nuestro actual gallo, las diferencias entre los animales que se reñían en esa época eran escandalosas, hoy hay una paridad absoluta. Esto no significa que el gallo que se crían en Argentina haya logrado un nivel de excelencia, pero si que se produjo una sostenida evolución en sus cualidades.
Algunas décadas atrás, el que hacía sus primeras armas buscaba los consejos de algún veterano gallero para no arrancar tan desprotegido, con tantas desventajas.
Ubicar la literatura especializada resultaba una misión casi imposible. Por lo tanto el único camino viable para comenzar a desenredar la madeja era pasar todo el tiemo posible en la gallera y asistir a cuanta competencia fuera posible. No había otra.
Hoy, las cosas han cambiado radicalmente, abundan los libros, las revistas especializadas, pero por sobre todas las cosas, están las computadoras e internet, mágico almacén de toda la información que necesita la raza humana para seguir funcionando, y dentro de ella, estamos nosotros los galleros. No hay tema que no esté abordado por múltiples especialistas, no hay información que no se consiga, no hay dudas que en algún foro no te la aclaren, puedes encontrar soluciones casi mágicas y la mayoría de las veces inviables por doquier, te puedes enterar de las bondades de todas las razas de gallos que habitan nuestro planeta. Hay que estar muy loco para cuestionar una tecnología que ofrece múltiples posibilidades, pero no podemos ser tan optimistas de pensar que sentados la mayor parte de nuestro tiempo frente a una computadora podremos reemplazar la información que sólo en contacto plano con nuestro gallos podremos obtener.
Se ha dicho hasta el cansancio que la llave del éxito depende de nuestra capacidad de selección, y ésta necesariamente deberá estar avalada por el conocimiento profundo de nuestros animales y eso lleva tiempo y paciencia, mucha paciencia. Administrar racionalmente el tiempo que disponemos para compartir con nuestros animales no es una cuestión menor a menos que nos resulte más atractivo convertirnos en respetados galleros virtuales.
En las últimas entrevistas realizadas por Rodolfo Guerrero a criadores de U.S.A les ha reiterado una pregunta muy puntual ¿Qué opinión les merece las cruzas con oriental? Las respuestas estuvieron bastante divididas, hay quienes lo consideran una pérdida de tiempo y otros como un hecho positivo, pese a desconocer el manejo del gallo americano, intentaré dar mi opinión. Si la mayoría de los combates se resuelven en el aire, no creo que el aporte del oriental resulte positivo, ahora, si los que se definen en el piso superan en número a aquellos, un buen gallo oriental puede contribuir a mejorar técnica y resistencia, factores demasiado importantes en este tipo de definiciones.
Cuba con la llegada de algún Asil, Argentina con diferentes razas de la India y Japón, en el norte de México con la entrada de orientales criados en Brasil y Argentina, Bélgica y Francia con la llegada de gallos del sudeste Asiático, son sólo algunos ejemplos que cuando el oriental es de calidad y usado correctamente, llega para quedarse, pese a quien le pese.
Es muy posible que algún criador mexicano habrá hecho el intento de introducir sangre oriental en sus gallos americanos, no tengo información al respecto, pero no tengo dudas de que el gallo que se cría en U.S.A. es factible de ser mejorado con la medida infusión de sangre oriental, por supuesto, no con cualquier oriental, casta y estilo adecuado deben ser condiciones indispensables.
En Latinoamérica tenemos un ejemplo contundente.
El gallo chileno, un gallo que tiene poca "prensa" y es proveedor de singulares cualidades, es capaz de sostener, con armas cortas, una contienda palo y palo con cualquier oriental, demostrando una fortaleza y recursos infrecuentes en gallos que utilizan armas largas.
Se preguntarán Uds. que relación tiene el gallo chileno con el gallo americano, la tienen, ambos fueron originados por animales de origen inglés e irlandés.
La diferencia actual es que el gallo chileno fue recibiendo pequeñas y reiteradas infusiones de gallos orientales y en menor medida españoles. Su peso, que en algunos ejemplares se acerca a las 6 libras, nos indica que es un gallo diferente a los criollos de origen español cuyos pesos generalmente están por debajo de las 4 libras.
En algún momento el criador mexicano debería intentar mejorar su gallo buscando diferentes alternativas, no se puede depender a perpetuidad de los vecinos del norte.
Hay materia prima, asesoramiento técnico, seguridad jurídica como para planear un proceso a mediano plazo.
Sería una verdadera lástima no intentarlo. Hasta la próxima.
Announcement: LOS GALLOS DE PELEA JEREZANOS Por Jeronimo ROLDAN
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Thu Apr 19, am419 8: 00 am
LOS GALLOS DE PELEA JEREZANOS
Por Jeronimo ROLDAN
SE afirma que los gallos de combate o de pelea descienden de dos lineas muy definidas: los Bankivas y los Sonneratti. Ambas razas datan, en su origen, de Asia. Se comenta que los gallos de combate empezaron en Media, pals frio y aspero, asi como muy accidentado por su montanosa orograffia, del Continente Atlantico, no muy jejano de la antigua Babilonia. Asimismo, en el reinado de los Faraones existieron estos animales, y en el siglo VII antes de Cristo, en Mesopotamia, donde se cree que los llevaron los pueblos iranicos. En China se afirma que aparecieron hacia el ano 1400. Tuvieron igualmente los griegos predileccion por estos animales, siendo los mas preciados, por su bravura, los gallos de Tanagra y Rodas. En Atenas existia una ley que obligaba a que una vez al ano se celebraran peleas pagadas por el Tesoro Publico. Se ponia en practica esta costumbrre, segun el texto de la ley, en memoria del discurso que pronuncio Temistocles antes de la batalla de Salamina, alentando con el ejemplo de dos gallos de pelea el valor del pueblo griego. Este gallo, con una palma, aparece en las monedas de la antigua Grecia, llamadas tetagracmas. Mas tarde, estos animales van pasando a Europa, a Francia, Inglaterra, Belgica, Espana y, ya despues de la Conquista de America por los espanoles, a todos los paises americanos de habla hispana y a Filipinas.
El gallo en el arte
En el terreno arquelogico, el gallo goza de gran fuerza en el arte cristiano. Muchas voooo co le ve entre las figuras de San Pedro y Jesucristo. Y se encuentra tambien en los sepulcros de los primeros tiempos del cristianismo, como simbolo de la Resurreccion. Los versos de Prudencio asi lo resaltan. En monumentos funerarios se ve el simbolo del gallo con la formula in Pace. Tambien en las catacumbas se observan grabados de nos ninos que excitan a dos gallos de pelea, significando que los fieles tambien luchaban bravamente por ser cristianos y conseguir la palma glorlosa. Por lo que respecta a la arquitectura, hubo remates con gallos en veletas y en campanarios, costumbre que estuvo muy en boga desde el siglo X.
En unos frescos que se descubrieron en Pompeya, hoy en el museo de Napoles, se ven dos gallos peleando. Una piedra grabada, de la coleccion de Stosch, representa al Amor presidiendo una de estas peleas. Donde tambien se encuentran peleas de gallos es en los vasos sagrados pintados, en los que el famoso historiador de Arte Genard ve estas luchas como alegorias de las peleas atleticas. En el Louvre hay varios de este tipo.
Entre los pintores modernos, el flamenco Frans Snyders es el que mas peleas de gallos tiono plaomodao on sus lienzos. De estas rinas hay dos cuadros en el Museo del Prado, uno en el Musep, de Berlin, y otro en el museo Balbo, de Genovo. Otras muestras pictoricas se conservan tambien en el Museo del Prado, con un cuadro de Juan Fyt, que se denomina Rina de gallos: en el museo de Turin, donde hay obras sobre este mismo tema de Houde Koter: otros lienzos suyos se guardan en la Academia de Bellas Artes de Venecia, encontrandose el cuadro mas famoso de este autor en el museo de Munich.
Analisis y crianza
Tras el proceso de incubcion, a los veintiun dias nacen y se les deja con su madre hasta el mes y medio o dos meses. De alli pasan a los {macheros}, lugar donde estaran solamente los machos que ya se distinguen por su formologia de las hembras. En estos {macheros} siempre existira un gallo adulto que se llama {padrote}, que es el que los separa si se pelean por culpa del cambio de tiempo o el celo, entre otros factores. Pueden permanecer alli hasta los seis meses y ya a esa edad pasan a la {galleria}, donde son encerrados individualmente hasta la edad de un ano, aproximadamente, que es cuando se preparan para la pelea. En ese periodo de tiempo son vacunados para combatir la enfermedad de Newcastle, la viruela, la tifosis y la difteria. Tras estas vacunaciones se {afeitan} o {descrestan}, que es como se denomina la operacion de quitarles crestas, barbas y mejillas. Ya curados, se pe lan o {atusan} y se preparan inmediatamente para la pelea.
Las denominaciones de gallo jerezano o gallo ingles
Es curiosa la denominacion que se atribuye a los gallos de pelea. En Hispanoamerica se denomina gallo jerezano al gallo de pelea espanol por haber sido exportado las primeras veces desde Jerez de la Frontera, siendo pioneros en esta actividad de llevar a los citados animalitos a Hispanoamerica Diego Fideito y Paco Prida. En cambio, en Espana reciben usualmente la denominacion de gallo ingles, porque se cree que desde las Islas britanicas trajeron estos animales. En cambio, hay varias controversias en torno a esta teoria, ya que el eminente erudito don Pedro Laborde-Bois, editor de una revista llamada Espana Avicola, ya extinguida, dejo bien sentado que los gallos espanoles fueran llamados combatientes espanoles, porque procedian de una raza bien definida.
Detalle de galleras importuntes en la zona gaditana
La provincia de Cadiz ha sido siempre semillero de las galleras mas importantes. Sus propietarios forman una amplla relacion. Las poblaciones mas destacadas en esta aficion son Jerez, el Puerto de Santa Maria y Sanlucar. En la primera destacan el famoso picador de toros Miguel Atienza, que figura en la actualidad en la cuadrilla del matador Angel Teruel, Pena Manuel, Alejandro Moreno, Francisco Moreno Pina, Manuel Barea Figueroa, quien ha llegado a conquistar seis titulos del Campeonanto de Espana y en la actualidad es presidente de la Federacion gaditana, Manuel Ruiz Menacho y E. Segura. En el Puerto de Santa Maria los mas acroditados son Juan Garoia Simon. Jose Brea Romero. Manili. Miguel Ortega y Diego Garcia, entre otros. De Sanlucar de Barrameda sobresale la familla Marquez, Manuel Galvez, Antonio Esteban, Rafael Jimenez, Jose Mejias, J. Bernal, Agustin Diaz, Francisco Marin y Antonio Esteban, Rafael Jimenez, Jose Mejias, J. Bernal, Agustin Diaz, Francisco Marin y Antonio del Castillo: en San Fernando, Rafael Sanchez, Baldomero Ortega ----extorero----, Jose Ruiz y Juan Sierra, entre otros. De Chiclana se distinguen Manuel Calderon y Carlos Collantes: en Rota, Joaquin Sanchez, Manuel Rodriguez y Eugenio Sanchez. Existen fuera de la orbita gaditana y con proximidad a Sevilla galleras importantes de la propiedad de Jose Gomez, Jose Hermoso, Hilario de los Reyes, Jeromo, Jose Matos, Joaquin Zapata e hijos. En esta relacion no se pueden olvidar las figuras muy destacadas de galleros, ya fallecidos, de gran relieve como fueron don Antonio Moreno Becerra, conocido mundialmente por el Chico Moreno, y don Jose Garcia de la Flor, fallecido en accidente de aviacion, cuando regresaba de ver pelear a sus animales en Colombia.
Proyeccion comercial y anecdotario
En el aspecto comercial, los gallos estan regidos por ciertas normas publicitaries en {Boletin Oficial del Estado} con fecha 31 de mayo de 1979. Existen otras normas anteriores, que datan de 1970. 1956 y 1940.
Los paises que importan mas gallos de pelea son Venezuela, con un 60 por 100: Puerto Rico, con un 30: Antillas holandesas. Republica Dominicana y Costa Rica. De Espana se exportan alrededor de dos mil gallos al ano, y se espera que al final de la campana 1979-80 la cifra sea superior a los tres mil animales.
Como detalle curioso del anecdotario que envuelve a los gallos, se aprecia que el 90 por 100 de los gallos son zurdos, puesto que en la pelea dan mas con la espuela izquierda que con la derecha. El presidente Calderas, de Venezuela, prohibio las peleas de gallos en su pais, ya que contemplaba con horror que dos animales se mataran. Entonces, en replica, un buen aficionado de alli, llamado Marcano, obsequio al presidente con una camada de ocho pollitos con su madre y le recomendo que los soltara en uno de sus ranchos. Esto le dio ocasion de comprobar lo que hacia la Naturaleza de los pollitos de pelea, debido a que a los pocos dias, todavia siendo muy jovencitos, apenas con dos meses de crianza, empezaron a pelear, cuando se barruntaba un dia de levante o una tormenta. Asi, algunos murieron de los golpes y el resto sigulo peleando, hastaquedar uno solo, con todo el pico destrozado y con muchas cicatrices en piel. Reacciono el presidente al var esto y a los pocos meses de haberle obsequiadola camada, dijo: {Si estos animales han nacido para pelear, pues que peleen}. Desde entonces siguen siendo las peleas de gallos Fiesta Nacional en Venezuela.
A proposito de la expresion Fiesta Nacional, se puede decir que en el anecdotario de las peleas de gallos, a traves de los anos, indiscutibles figuras populares, matadores de toros espanoles, mantienen esta aficion Entre ellos se puede citar a Miguel Baez {Litri}, Rafael Ortega, Luis Miguel Dominguin, {El Gallo}, el ganadero Perez Tabernero, Miguel Mateo {Miguelin}, Antonio Jose Galan, Jose Luis Paradas, {El Mangui}, {El Almendro} y Alvarito Marquez, entre otros.
Balance del ultimo Campeonato de Espana
El ultimo Campeonato de Espana se celebro recientemente en Jerez. Participaron gallos de las provincias de Valencia, Ciudad Real, Toledo, Madrid, Cordoba, Jaen, Castellon, Cadiz, Malaga y Guadalajara, El titulo de campeon fue para la provincia de Cadiz, al ganar, agrupados, los gallos de Manuel Barea Figueroa, de Jerez: Manuel Marquez, de Sanlucar: Francisco Andrades, de Algeciras, y Antonio Gonzalez, de Cadiz.
La provincia subcampeona fue la de Ciudad Real, y presento el gallo de mas raza Joaquin Aguilar, de Cordoba.
Prejuicios sobre las peleas de gallos
Mucho se ha discutido y escrito sobre la desaparicion o prohibicion de las peleas de gallos. Por ello hemos considerado de intes analizar la situacion con Manuel Barea Figueroa, presidente de la Federacion Provincial de gallos de pelea.
----Como criador y gran aficionado a las peleas de gallos quiero romper una lanza a favor de este maravilloso deporte, aunque muchos no lo crean asi. Tengo que lamentar que no haya un espectaculo tan calumniado aqui, en Espana, como este de las peleas de gallos. No se si es que los senores que hablan lo hacen por hacerlo o bien por un amor raso a los animales, como sucede en su Sociedad Protectora.
----? Por que existen tantos prejuicios?
----Existe gran cantidad de prejuicios infundados y otros muchos absurdos. Me explicare. Entre las opiniones mas generalizadas este la de que a las peleas solamente concurren personas incultas y groseras, en el mejor de los casos, o sin ninguna educacion. Craso error. Este es un deporte que se mueve sobre distintos niveles sociales, lo mismo que ocurre en masivos espectaculos como el tutbol o los toros. Mi oportuno consejo personal seria que estos senores que opinan asi vayan a ver una pelea de gallos, pero no en cualquier parte, sino en un club gallistico, donde se reune la aficion verdadera y donde se seleccionan los animales para la exportacion.
Hetereogeneidad
Es un mundo hetereogeneo el que rodea a las peleas de gallos. Se observa en su evolucion a traves de su origen. Manuel Barea, en defensa de esta aficion, ha terminado diciendonos:
----En realidad se mueve la aficion en Espana ante un mundo hetereogeneo y honesto. Como ejemplo puedo retlejar que es mas elevado el nivel de aflicion en America, aunque este haya sido trasladada por los aficionados espanoles. La muestra evidente la tenemos en ejemplos de presidentes de Estados, como Carlos Mendieta, de Cuba: senadores como Brin Guier o Francisco Caballero: vicepresidentes como el doctor Gonzalez, de Panama, y hasta el mismo general Torrijos tiene sus gallos y va a verlos pelear. Me gustaria hacer una recomendacion especial: que, a pesar de los muchos prejuicios y de las enormes dificultades que envuelven a nuestra afioion, que se tome en consideracion el argumento de que, siendo tan nuestra la fiesta gallistica, que llegue a tener el auge y apogeo que ye posee en Hispanoamerica, para que realce el esplendor que merece, en Espana, por ser su pais de origen.
Me gustaía tener información sobre los gallos jerezanos de Collantes Agûero, lo mismo que sobre los gallinos de "lolo" Molinos del Puerto de Santa María. Asimismo si hay un criador en Jerez de nombre Sebastián González. ¿Acaso se trata del mismo que fuè preparados de gallos de Miguel Atienza Burgos?
El ADN es el encargado de programar y hacer funcionar los procesos biológicos del cuerpo. Es el código que ordena la producción de moléculas de proteínas tanto estructurales como funcionales. Además, es el encargado de activar o desactivar los genes y sus interacciones. Esto sucede en todas las células del cuerpo; sean hepatocitos, neuronas, miocitos, eritrocitos, etc. en todas ellas se elaboran distintas moléculas funcionales.
En el cerebro unas de estas moléculas son los neurotransmisores. La concentración de estas substancias afectan el comportamiento, ya sea por exceso, deficiencia o balance adecuado. Pero, estímulos del medio ambiente también afectan la síntesis y liberación de estas moléculas; no solo en el cerebro, sino también en otras partes. Como ejemplo tenemos la reacción de las glándulas adrenales a un estimulo de susto o peligro.
La agresividad que es un patrón de conducta de los gallos de pelea está condicionada por la producción de moléculas neuroendocrinas. Las cuales a su vez son producto de la constitución genética del ave.
Desde la década de los cuarentas del siglo XX el zoólogo Dr. R. A. Fennell de la Universidad Estatal de Michigan, publico en el Volumen LXXIX de la revista “The American Naturalist” pp 142-151; que el valor y la agresividad son características heredadas. Los cuales están más acentuados en los gallos de granja.
Komai, Craig y Wearden han estimado una heredabilidad del 0.30 para la agresividad. Mientras que Guhl, Craig y Mueller estiman que va 0.18 a 0.22. Para el caso es lo mismo, se demuestra que es una característica heredada. Las diferencias en el comportamiento agonístico de diferentes individuos, familias y razas infieren una herencia poligénica.
Tanto en humanos como en gallos de pelea, las alteraciones en la homeostasis neuroendocrina son la vía por lo cual se alterna los patrones de comportamiento. Específicamente, variaciones en las monoaminas se asocian con la actividad agresiva. En la naturaleza está asociada a la esencia de la vida; la selección natural para la sobrevivencia, así como el número de receptores de esta molécula se relaciona con la agresividad.
En aves comerciales se ha demostrado que las más agresivas tenían niveles más elevados de Serotonina en comparación con lo más apacibles. El mismo resultado se obtuvo con la concentración de Dopamina y Epinefrina. Con referencia a la Norepinefrina no hay diferencia. Por lo cual la relación Epinefrina-Norepinefrina (E/NE) es mayor en las aves agresivas.
La evidencia científica indica que la selección genética que se ha llevado a cabo durante siglos en el gallo en sus diferentes funciones genéticas ha traido consecuentemente una reorganización del sistema neuroendocrino. Sus funciones fisiológicas y como resultado final de su comportamiento.
Su propia genética y por ende su fisiología son los que rigen el deseo de pelea del gallo. En codornices japonesas (Coturnix japonica) también se demostró una relación entre el nivel de Dopamina y la agresividad.
En síntesis: “El comportamiento y agresividad del gallo de pelea tiene origen genético”.
GENETICA Y AGRESIVIDAD DEL GALLO
Dr. Edsel J. Bixler Chanfreau
REFERENCIAS
•H. W. CHENG y W. N. MOIR, 2007. WPSJ. Mechanisms of Aggression and Production en Chikens: genetic variation in te functions of serotonin, cathecolamone and cortisone.
•R. A. Fennell. The american Naturalist. Volumen LXXIX. The Relation Between Heredity, Sexual Activity and Training to Dominance-sobordination in Game Cocks.
•A. M. Guhl., J. V. Craig y C. D. Mueller, 1960. Poultry Science. Pp 970-980. Selective Breeding for Aggresiveness in Chikens.
•J. V. Craig, L. L. Ortman y A. M. Guhl. Animal Behavior, XII, I. pp. 115-131. Genetic Selection for Social Dominance Ability in Chikens.
my breeding program ...I love many strains for their various characteristics and I do not like crossing strains with each other in an attempt to improve or preserve a line,it just does'nt make sense to me for instance, I like Hatch and Greys and their style, to infuse another strain into them to improve them is deleting the stamped traits that sets them apart from other strains...
...ALL gamefowl are from the same genepool,regardless if they be Clarets,Hatch or Doms,they ALL came from the same source..It took inbreeding and linebreeding to seperate them from other fowl in their genepool,I do not like inbreeding to the extremes,however I do like Linebreeding,inbreeding is breeding relatives together,if you breed a cock to his daughter? you have inbreed those fowl and have not established a stamp for your fowl and in most cases you have'nt improved their abilities either,inbreeding causes the good and the bad to show its ugly head and most times,its' the latter,inbreeding brings to the surface things like,genetic weaknesses,desiese that may have been hidden and in general gives "breed recession"(weak offspring)..
...Linebreeding is where an animal with ALL the traits that you desire in your stock is bred to multiple hens,then those offspring are blended together,if you use anything other than that one cock or one hen? you have not linebred as there will be more than one animal show up multiple times in one's pedigree..This is called "critical mass" and gives you uniformity in your offspring without weakening them or their traits..
...I breed unrelated Hatch to each other and also use one particular cock or hen in that family to breed to many Hatch that have the desired traits that I want.,then breed one side or the other back out,but do not do this by inbreeding father/daughter etc etc,why create a superior line of fowl then weaken it with inbreeding?...Some claim that this is the way to establish or maintain brood fowl,I say nothin is farther from the truth,Broodfowl in any breed of animal is an animal with superior traits above his perspective breed,Broodfowl that trace back to the same animal multiple times throught his/her pedigree are called Homozygous,meaning they've inherited their traits from the same animal and those traits ie genes come to them from the topside and the bottom side of their pedigree,those are the producers,they are homzygous in their genetic makeup,they have hybrid viogor and if we choose correctly they have everything we desire in a gamefowl family..
...Once I have my lines established,they will come uniform,in the breeder's circle,we call this "predictability" and "consistancy",,,a person could breed animals for a lifetime and never even scratch the surface of the true genetics in his gamefowl,that's what makes these fowl so great.. http://www.freewebs.com/flatwoodsgamefarm/mybreedingmethods.htm
(This is part of an article written by the author for Pit Games Magazine under his regular column "Secrets I learned from the Masters." The article is pubished in Pit games no. 27.)
Nature may have endowed animals with the instinct necessary in an environment of survival of the fittest, but no doubt human intervention did wonders to the remarkable improvement of breeds of many kinds of animals from horses to cattle to dogs and to fowl. As breeder of gamefowl, is there a way to have the best of both worlds?
It is said that when chickens are left alone in the wild, the male will pick from among the flock a few favorite hens to mate. Likewise, hens, when allowed to roam freely in a yard of corded roosters, will also have preferences. Meaning, chickens, when left on their own, rely on instinct to choose their own mates which they believe are best to insure the continuity and improvement of their genetic line. This is part of what is called natural selection process.
When it is man who picked which broodcock to mate with which hen, it is called controlled selection process in forming, improving and/or propagating a bloodline.
Naturalists believe that nature endowed cocks with the instinct to determine which hens,and vice versa, possessed the right genes to combine with their own in order to produce better offspring in the succeeding generations. In short, they believe in the theory that nature knows best.
On the other hand, others believe that man can always improve on nature. They maintain that human intervention is paramount in improving breeds and producing superior individuals, as science proved true, time and again, through the years.
We, at RB Sugbo Gamefowl Technology, believe in both. We recognized the evidence of remarkable progress that abound in the various fields of breeding as result of man’s intervention. However, we also acknowledged that nature might have endowed chickens with deep instinct that man can never fathomed.
Thus,we experimented with what we called “controlled natural selection” mating method. We used this method in breeding some of our battle pures, particularly of the ponkan bloodlines. For those who were not familiar or who had heard of the ponkans for the first time, here is a short backgrounder:
RB Sugbo ponkan is not a color but a bloodline. The ponkan is one of the two bloodlines RB Sugbo has developed. The other is the blakliz. The ponkan is a blend of a sweater line, the lemon 84 and Lance’s roundhead. Ponkan, the original came from Doc Ayong Lorenzo, through our common friend Art Panuncillo. Ponkan’s blood constitutes 5/8 of the ponkan bloodline, thus, the name. The 84and the roundhead came direct from the originators themselves, Mr. Paeng Araneta and Mr. Lance de la Torre. I got ponkan the original in year 2000. The 84 and the roundhead two years later from the two distinguished breeders and gentlemen. It was during the time I went to Negros to research on the “History of the Philippine Lemon” which I wrote for Pitgames. Thus, I owed to my publisher, Manny Berbano, my introduction to theoutstanding lemon breeders and my initiation to the world of serious gamefowl breeding.
The ponkan is RB Sugbo’s commercial line. The blakliz is personal. It is named after my wife Liz. The blakliz is black. Though, Liz is not.
The ponkan caters to ordinarycockers and the small- big timers. Among the loyal ponkan customers are AlanYaplito of Ozamis, Franklin Tan of Iligan, Simy Irigon, a cockpit operator and derby promoter in Calbayog, Western Samar, and his townmate Ronnie Rosales; Lemuel Go of Tacloban; Manalo brothers and Mison brothers of Clarin Bohol. Some politicians-- a couple of mayors in Cebu; and one in Sorsogon; and Dennis Aguilar, a councilor of Las Pinas. There are also Roy Abian and his friends from far-away Palawan; Adolp Lee as far south as Basilan and Dr. Delizo as far north as La Union. Among the recent converts are kamana Teofilo Morando of San Pedro, Laguna and Jayson Fajardo who is abroad. There are others but no super big-timers. The real big timers don’t buy cheap chickens. And, the ponkans are a bargain for its class and today’s standard.
Now we go back to controlled natural selection. The process involves putting a number of broodcocks, say three or four, in the same yard along with a number of hens, say a ratio of five hens or more per broodcock. The broodcocks are corded far apart from one another. The hens are let loose in the yard. The hens will now have the choice of which broodcock to go for mating. The broodcocks may also have the pick of which hen to mate among those who came nearby. In this sense, it is natural selection process at work. However, we see to it that the broodcocks are full brothers coming from one family of ponkan. And that all the hens belong to another ponkan line that is as far related to the broodcocks as possible inorder to avoid inbreeding. Therefore, whichever broodcock mates with whichever hen, the outcome or the genetic composition of the offspring is the same. In this sense, it is controlled.
We only apply this method to produce some of our battlefowl, not all. Some lines do not result in uniformed offspring if mated this way. Because some lines are not characteristically pure as the others. We never do this to produce our broodfowl. We only single mate to produce broodfowl.
We have considered our experiment with this method a success. The offspring out of this method performed as good in the pit as the other sugbos. It is noteworthy,however, that chickens out of controlled natural selection had a higher survival rate as chicks and in the free range than the others. This could be because nature indeed gifted the chickens with the instinct necessary in the survival of the fittest environment. Well, I have to consult with a real master on this. I will find time to discuss this topic with Dr. Andrew Bunan, the breeding and genetic expert.
The process of forming a new bloodline we can call our own invariably involves inbreeding at some point but maintaining said new bloodline calls for out breeding, no longer inbreeding. The process advocated by Dr. Andrew Bunan is as follows:
· Cross breed until you hit a cross that possesses the qualities you desire for a new bloodline.
· Inbreed in order to purify the desired traits and promote consistency.
· Separate the inbred into different families. Over time or after six generations these separate families will become unrelated to one another.
· Mate or outbreed individuals from one family with individuals from the other families in the process maintaining the bloodline’s composition but avoiding inbreeding.
This is the best process, a model on how to form a new bloodline. Individuals produced in this manner are not only pure as far as traits are concerned but also pure as far as bloodline composition. The process will, however, take time. It may take at least seven years, often more-- too long for practical purposes. Traditional breeders do this. They would say “to protect the integrity of our bloodline.” Another phrase oft-repeated by traditional breeders is “I have kept this bloodline for so many years without any infusion.” As a practical breeder, I doubt if it could be done without severe deterioration or breakdown of the line. But true or not, right or wrong these phrases always add significance to their bloodlines to the eyes of a potential buyer or newcomers to the game.
But again, for practical breeders, what is important is to purify the desired traits, not the bloodline. If purifying attributes and characteristics will do the trick, why bother doing for so many years what you could achieve in one or two? My personal opinion is that what Dr. Bunan presented was a perfect model for traditional and serious breeders. In RB Sugbo, we came up with some sort of a happy compromise. Our brood fowl are at least twice inbred. But we don’t go to the extent of going the full route of five to six generations of inbreeding. The longer you inbred, the higher the risk of depression and the lower the increase in the degree of being pure.
After two or three generations of inbreeding we already consider our fowl practical pure as far as the genetic composition is concerned. But we will not use or pass them on as brood fowl unless we are satisfied that they are also practical pure as far as our purifying traits and characteristics is concerned
Infusion is the bringing in of a new blood and then slowly breeding it out. Say you will introduce a kelso blood to your bloodline of sweaters the resulting generation will be ½ kelso ½ sweater. You will then breed out the kelso blood by mating the ½ kelso ½ sweater generation to a pure sweater. The next genera-tion will then be ¾ sweater ¼ kelso. If you breed an-other pure sweater to this generation, the next generation will only have 1/8 kelso blood. This generation will have individuals with blood composition that is almost back to the original. Some breeders will go as far as 1/16; or even 1/32 left of the infused bloodline.
Traditional or preservationist breeders find in-fusion a useful technique. But, to practical breeders infusion is very time-consuming. And the idea of spending for a new bloodline that you will breed out eventually, sounds silly from the point of view of a practical breeder.
The purpose of infusion is what is called shot in the arm. After generations of keeping a bloodline pure, the genetic variation will become limited and dormant, such that an injection of new genes will awaken the bloodline. By slowly breeding out the new blood, the original bloodline will be restored. This idea is very enticing to dogmatic breeders but unappealing to practical breeders.
The difference between upgrading and infusion is that in a series of upgrading the old bloodline will eventually be phased out, while in infusion the object is to restore the old bloodline with a little change in the genetic composition.
Intervention
Intervention is another word we coined at RB Sugbo Gamefowl Technology for another sort of a breeding-in-breeding-out technique because we did not know what the proper genetics term is, if any. There might be times that we will desire a new look in a bloodline we want to maintain. For example we have a family of hatch that we want to keep, but at the same time we desire to make them black in plumage. What we do is breed the hatch to a black family. The off-spring will have 1/2 blood of the hatch but will be black in plumage. If we breed these blacks back to the hatch family we will get some blacks that are ¾ hatch.
Continuous back breeding to the hatch side will produce chickens that are almost pure of the hatch family but are black in plumage. Intervention differs from infusion in purpose. In infusion, we want the new blood to perish without trace. In intervention we want to keep in the old bloodline the new trait we introduce.
Like infusion, intervention would not be tempting to practical breeders as it is likewise time consuming and will not serve any practical purpose.
At any rate, however, it is fund to give it a try someday
¿Quién conoce el origen de los gallos gitod de Ramón Arias, de Asturias, en España? En varias partes he leído que son los mejores gallos de España. Me gustaría saber quien sabe de ellos. Y si alguien tiene algún gallo de éstos en América.
Announcement: NEW PRESIDENT SMPGC : DR. GABRIEL BARRIOS ICAZA
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Tue Mar 06, am306 10: 00 am
During the 10th to April 16th next, in Panama and the presence of our distinguished cockers as Lic.Guillermo Bustamante, Dr. Exler Bixler and Eng. Raul Chufani., Will be handed the baton of the new President of the SMPGC our friend Dr. Gabriel Barrios Icaza.
Congratulations to our distinguished friend and breeder Dr.Gabriel Barrios Icaza. AS NEW PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD SOCIETY OF COCK FIGHTING PROTECTIVE
We invite all members can participate SMPGC this event.
Announcement: Nuevo Presidente SMPGC Dr.Gabriel Barrios Icaza.
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Tue Mar 06, am306 9: 52 am
Durante los días 10 al 16 de Abril próximo, en Panamá y con la presencia de nuestros distinguidos galleros como el Lic.Guillermo Bustamante,el Dr.Edsel Bixler y Ing. Raul Chufani., se hara entrega de la estafeta del nuevo Presidente de la SMPGC a nuestro amigo el Dr.Gabrioel Barriops Icaza.
Felicitaciones a nuestro distinguido amigo y criador Dr.Gabriel Barrios Icaza. COMO NUEVO PRESIDENTE DE LA SOCIEDAD MUNDIAL PROTECTORA DEL GALLO DE COMBATE - SMPGC
Invitamos a todos los miembros de la SMPGC puedan participar de este magno evento.
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Wed Feb 22, pm222 4: 53 pm
The main players:
Jim Sanford - an ex- (bare knuckles) prizefighter. Who was on the run, from an eastern state, after an opponent died in the ring. He had been raised in the crescent city as a youth fresh from England. Now he was breeding and pitting cocks for Judge Claiborne.
Judge Claiborne - It's unclear if the "Judge" was a court Judge or simply a justice of the peace. However what is recorded is that he was one of the greatest sportsmen of his time.
John Stone - A dairy farmer from some where between Marblehead and Swampscott, Mass. He was also a sportsman and breeder of game fowl. It would do him an injustice to simply leave it at that. He may be responsible (if not directly certainly indirectly), for many if not most of the breeds of game fowl in the U.S. today. The list of the stains of fowl that contain at least some of the blood of his breeding would take more room than allowed in this one posting.
The story:
Jim Sanford was an Englishman and an ex-pugilist who left the East following a prize fight which resulted fatally to his opponent. He was brought up in New Orleans, bred and pitted cocks for a number of years for Judge Claiborne of that city. The judge was one of the greatest sportsmen of his time and in fighting a main in the Old Spanish pit, an English Earl of Derby lost by having a heel broken off in his back. Jim Sanford got the broken heel out and bred him to a Spanish hen, as Jim could see the good points in this cock. This cross proved to be the equal, if not the superior, to anything wearing feathers in the chicken line at the time.
Here is a few simple words we have on the makeup of the smooth head Claiborne’s bred and originated by Jim Sanford and named in honor Judge Claiborne 18 or 20 years before the war between the North and the South.
The smooth head Claiborne got into the hands of John Stone in this way. Stone and Saunders made a main to be fought in Richmond, Va. Stone took his Irish Brown Reds there to condition them. About the same time Judge Claiborne happened to be in Baltimore and was the main advertised on the billboards of the city. So the judge went to Richmond to witness that main. He was introduced to Stone and Saunders and expressed a desire to see the Brown Reds. He looked the cocks over, examined them, and said they were as fine a lot of cocks as I have ever seen, but they are looking too beefy and I think that you will lose the main, which they did.
Mr. Stone was living on a farm and the judge asked him if he would breed chickens for him. If we can agree said Stone. The agreement was that Stone was to kill all his pullets and ship all stags to Judge Claiborne in New Orleans, which he did till after the war broke out.
After the war began Stone could not hear from Judge Claiborne and as he had taken on a bride who wished him to dispose of his games he then sold them to John Mahar, of Marblehead, Miss., the Jim Sanford Smoothhead Claibornes, stipulating that is Mahar ever heard from Judge Claiborne, that he, Mahar should ship stags to the Judge as he had done.
Mr. Stone also let John Daniels have a trio and Tom Heathwood a pair. Mr. Mahar, being a cocker, they made a name and fame that will live for generations to come, all through the United States. Mr. Mahar had good success raising stags the first year and the next winter took a main of ten stags to Boston and won every fight and fought four of them the second battle and won. The Boston cockers were amazed at their success so made another main with Mahar, to show 13 stags, nine pair fell in. Boston had forty of the best to be found to pick from.
Mahar won seven straight battles. The other two were not fought as Boston had enough. Boston then challenged Mahar to fight seven cocks, they were winners, but the great Claibornes were again victorious and won six out of the seven battles. This established their well-earned reputation.
Jim Sanford was also an admirer of the Baltimore Topknots, a fame and winning strain of Bright Reds, which were originated in Maryland and were almost invincible in long heels. Jim procured six full sisters of the Baltimore Topknots and bred them to the same Earl Derby cock he used on the Spanish hen. Jim bred both strains as long as he lived, the Topknot cross proving to be as good as the smoothheads and a little larger.
A few years later Lewis Everett, of Benton, Ala., went to New Orleans and brought a stag and three pullets of the plain heads, but the Topknots Everett carried to Ben Grisset's, Camden, Ala., did not pan out satisfactorily, so he sold them to Major Felix Tait, of Rock West, Ala., and Tait with his brother bred them as long as he lived, the remnant going to his daughter, Mrs. Sally Tait Bragg, of Camden Ala. We also made note that Grissett, Everett and Tait crossed the plain or smooth heads on the Topknots.
Sanford and Everett bred together later at Mobile, Ala. In Everett's last years we find him at Joe Pickins, Sulphur Springs, Texas with his smoothheads where they were bred pure by Mr. Pickins. Major Tait said he got out first from Sanford, then from Everett who sent smooth heads and Topknots and we have bred them together always.
Both strains are a beautiful fowl and both show white in wing and tail, both strains showing some spangle, some having a red breast and some black, yellow and white legs and beaks, red and daw eyes, ranging from low set to medium. The Spanish showed some dark legs, as one may crop out. Everett called the "nigger foot".
This history comes from many friends who were personally aquatinted with Jim Sanford, Judge Claiborne, Everett, Trait, John Stone and John Mahar and is as old as true as the strain itself.
When I was a very small boy about 45 years ago, I could visit an estate where the Earl Derbys were bred. Some were black red, some brown red and some light red, the light reds having a shorter head than the black reds and color eyes and bill as mentions above.
Announcement: CN YLH Sweater Strain By Carol NeSmith, Blackwater Farms, Al
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Wed Feb 22, pm222 4: 51 pm
CN YLH Sweater Strain
By Carol NeSmith, Blackwater Farms, Alabama
While complying with the request of my friends in the Philippines, Mexico and here at home, I would like to give some history of the Sweater strain of game fowl since they came into my possession. The story starts about 49 years ago when I first fell in love with the game fowl. Now I am 60 years old and still, I love game fowl as much or more than I ever have. I have bred, fought, fed, bought, healed and handled cocks of many different strains and crosses and have done (probably) as much breeding experimenting as many man my age. It’s my opinion that there is no “one best strain fowl” and not one best feeder either. There are many of both in class “A” and when you go to a derby nowadays for real money, you are sure to meet both of them. The days of a monopoly in the cocking game has passed away because of money and brains in the cocking game.
I don’t claim to have originated the best strain of pit fowls in the world or even in Alabama, but the fact that Black Water fowl have won the majority of their fights in hard competition and have kept pace with the best of the cocking people for the last 15 – 20 years under all rules and lengths of gaffs and knives in the Philippines and Mexico is very gratifying. For the last six years I have been out of the game and breeding, but my son Chris has had the honor of carrying on the breeding and fighting the Black Water fowl, and may I say he has done a wonderful job. Our fowl passed the experimental stage and have characteristics bred into them. I fell that with our system of breeding we can hold them at their present standard for years to come. We have several breeds of game fowl at Black Water Farms, now I would like to tell you about the Sweater strain and how they came into my hands. For years I attended the fights at Clear Creek and Pumpkin Valley pits in Alabama and saw these Sweater cocks fought by man named Sonny Ware and anybody who is anybody in the cocking game, know this gentleman from Alabama.
Sonny and his father were in the game fowl business all of their lives and have had some of the best bloodlines of game fowl. Sonny and I fought against each other at these pits and I had to ask Sonny for some of these yellow leg Sweaters. Because of the fact that we competed against one another, he would not let me have a drop of Sweater blood.
Then one day several years later, a good friend called me and said he would sell me a trio of the Sweaters because he was getting out of the game fowl business and that Sonny had let him have an old Sweater cock and two hens to breed and he would sell me young trio of these chickens. The mans’ name was Odis Chapell, he said he had to return the cock and hens to Mr. Ware but he had several young chickens out of these and he would sell me a trio of my choice. So I bought a trio of young sweaters and that’s how I came into possession of my first Sweaters.
Odis had other friends that he let have or sold these young Sweaters to. Newton Wade and George Lay were two of them that I know of. Mr. Lay was already known for his Lacy Roundheads and Newton Wade was known for his Albany’s. Both of these people were good friends of mine and in later years I did use some of their Sweaters to infuse into my Sweaters, but let’s get back to the trio I got from Odis.
When I purchased the Sweaters from Odis, he said that Sonny thought that the Sweaters were bred out and could not longer compete in the tough competitions anymore, but the young trio matured into a wonderful looking fowl. The cock, a light red with white streamers in the tail, pea comb and yellow legged and very good station and good conformation with lots of plumage. The hens, a buff and straw color with black trail feathers looking a lot like a Roundhead but with better station and more plumage.
I didn’t want to breed brother and sister, so I sent the Sweater cock to Mr. Brown of Oak Grove Farms to breed to his yellow leg Hatch since at that time I was fighting with Mr. Brown and his son Gene in a partnership. I had the two hens left to breed at my farm and so I went to Mr. Jumper to get something to breed to these two hens. Everyone knows this wonderful gentleman and while I was there Johnny gave me some information about these Sweater chickens. Mr. Jumper said that Sweater McGinnis (from whom these chickens got their name) needed some cocks to fill a main at the pit in Hot Springs, AR. I forgot the year that Mr. Jumper said this main was fought but anyway, he said the late Mr. Harold Brown of Red Fox Farm let Mr. Sweater have or sold him cocks that were half Boston Roundhead and half Mclean Hatch. Some of these were yellow leg and some were green leg.
He said that Harold Brown liked the green legs better and that he let Sweater have the yellow leg ones to fight in the main. Johnny told me that the cocks were sensational when Mr. McGinnis fought them. At that time, all the big time cockers (Mr. Law, Mr. Kelso and Duke) bought one of these cocks for $500.00 each as Mr. Sweater would fight them and bring these cocks out of the pit. He also said the cock that Mr. Kelso had bought was sent to Mr. Cecil Davis to breed to his Kelso hens. At the time, Cecil was breeding a lot for Mr. Kelso and he did what Kelso had ask him to do, but each year he also bred the cock back to his daughters to get back as close as possible to the cock’s side.
That was the Sweater strain that I had got from Sonny. Johnny had some of the Sweaters from Cecil and having been friends with him for years, I got one of these Sweater cocks from him to breed to the hens that were part of the trio that I got from Odis. This was a very beautiful cock and the offspring were very good pit fowl.
I think that this cock from Mr. Jumper contained a little more of the Kelso blood because the offspring came with yellow and white legs. I discarded the white leg pullets and only bred the yellow leg ones.
After breeding the Sweater cock at Mr. Brown in Mississippi, I brought him home to breed the daughter of the Jumper cock. I would like to tell a story about the cock I got from Mr. Jumper. We had a flood in some bottom land where we kept about one hundred cocks. We only lost one as fate would have it; it was the cock from Johnny. I told Mr. Jumper and he knew how upset I was about losing the cock. Mr. Jumper is the closest friend that I have in this cocking game and he understood about how you can lose game fowl in strange ways (that was why I only got to breed that cock one year) After breeding the cock from Odis back to the daughters out of the Johnny cock (I did this each year until they were only 1/8 of the Jumper cock) this is the family of Sweater we call our right outs.
The Odis cock that we bred to the yellow leg Hatch of Mr. Brown was almost unbeatable. We fought these cocks in all the big pits in the circuit, Sunset, Texoma, Clear Creek and all the ones in between. I like the Sweater cock so much that I went back to Odis to find out if he knew which of the hens from Sonny the mother of the cock was so that I could breed this cock back to his mother. Unfortunately, he had not single mated the two hens so he didn’t know which one was the mother. He said that one of the hens had spurs and that he liked that one best. When I went to Sonny’s farm and asked for the spurred hen that Odis had told me about. Sonny already knows about how we were winning with the yellow leg and Sweater crosses. He saw them fight at Clear Creek and I had fought on that and had an impressive fight, he had asked for the cock and I let him have him. I also fought one of my Gilmore Hatch cocks and he won a wonderful battle after having titled, he also asked for this cock and I let him have him, out of friendship, no money involve. He knew he could not refuse me the spurred hen because he owed me a favor for my letting him have the two cocks. Besides I had told every body that the Sweaters I was fighting came from Sonny. Sonny let me have the hen and I bred the son back to his mother (or aunt) not knowing which one she really was. I do know one thing, she was the mother of the possum pullets of our Sweaters and everyone know how good these cock and hen are in the breeding of the Sweaters at Black Water Farm. If you don’t know the story about the possum, I am about to tell it.
When she as a pullet she was very beautiful. She had a high fan tail, very good station and body like a football. We let her run loose on free range at the farm and one day at feeding time, I missed her. Not wanting anything to happen to her, I started to look for her. Bruce Barnett was doing a lot of breeding at Black Water Farm at that time and had been for years. Bruce and I located the possum pullet under a root of a large oak tree. She had stolen a nest off under the root and was setting on her eggs. Not thinking anything would happen to her, we left her there and planned to catch her in a few days and put her in a pen. In a few days we returned to the place where she had been under the root setting. We only found feathers and all her eggs had been eaten by a possum and we thought we had lost her too. A few days later while we were feeding, she showed up with no tail feathers and very badly bitten in her back from the possum. After a little doctoring, she was ok and we put her in a pen. From that time on, the name just stuck we would say “go feed and water the possum hen” We bred her back to her father and the possum side of the Sweater.
I had been breeding these cocks for a few years and fighting them continuously each year. It gradually became apparent to me that they were being bred a bit too close to cope with the rough cocks they were having to meet. It was my experience from the past that because of the fast starting side stepping and phenomenal cutting abilities in the air and on the ground, these cocks could beat most of the cocks they met in the early stage of the battle. I think this was their greatest quality, but in the latter stage of the battle when it came down to give and take, I never thought that they excelled. I was convinced that to stay in the game and to fight down to a “tug of war” they had to have new blood. I made several unsuccessful attempts with this end in view.
I have a very good partner in the Philippines by the name of Nene Abello and Nene is one of the best in the Philippines. Nene and I had already won the World championship in the Philippines and lots of other big derbies with the Sweaters. I told him what I thought and that I was looking for some new blood to put in them. He said when he came to visit the next we would look for something that could help improves the Sweaters. Nene and I were always looking for new blood to improve our strains of gamer fowl. Nene always said that out of all the cockers he know I was the only one that he had met who was always looking for something to improve the stain of game fowl. He thought that I would always have great game fowl because of this. I never let them go to nothing before adding new blood.
On his next trip from the Philippines, we went to see Mr. Ray Hoskins of TX. If anyone has ever been to Ray’s farm they can tell you that he has some very impressive game fowl. He has green leg Hatch which is what I was interested in. All of the chickens at Ray’s farm were in very good health and uniform in every way. I know that Ray was a good breeder and that he never let too may people have any of his bloodlines. If not for Nene I would probable not have gotten any of the yellow leg Hatch, but with Nene being friends with Ray for many years, he agreed to sell me a cock for $500.00 and I bought it.
The yellow leg cock had good station and was black breasted with the same type and color as the Sweaters, but the plumage was longer and much improves. He consisted of very broad feathers and a quill of whale bone toughness. Such plumage enables a chicken to be fought several times during a season. The first crosses were strong, tough and desperately game. I bred back to the Sweater side, fighting and testing them. Each year’s breeding showed improvement over the year before. I kept this up until they were back to type, showing improvement over the year before, showing all the old fighting qualities of the Sweaters, but they were now back with strength and endurance making them more efficient cocks at any stage of the battle. Ray said he got this yellow leg Hatch from a very wealthy man from Chicago and that’s all he told me about them. That was the blood that put the Sweaters back on the map.
In my hands, as well as many of my friends such as: Dink Fair, Ronnie Justise, Jeff Hudspeth, Jerry Atkins, Ray Boles, Bruce Barnett, Charley Abley and many other people, who through friendship or for good money, they have been winning for the past 15 years and are still wining today.
Nene Abello and my son Chis have just won the World Championship in the Philippines again this year. These Sweaters all come a light orange with pea comb and white streamers in their tails. They have good station and are very good to look at. The hen comes looking like an orange straw or straw and buff color. All have good station and conformation. Sometimes we get a green leg hen but never a green leg cock. For the past six years, my son and Nene have been doing all the honors in the cock house and pits, I consider Nene a fine judge of a cock. He is among the best feeders and I know he is one or the best breeders in the Philippines. He knows what to expect from a cock and if they were not right in every respect he would have found out several years ago and passed them up. He tests almost every loser and they have to be right for him or he has no use for them.
Nene as help Chris and I by selecting brood fowl from the pits that we have sent to him to fight. He lets us know from which mating we have sent him which is performing the best. He has conditioned and fought more of these Sweaters than any one man. He knows them through and through and I just want to say thanks to him for staying a true friend to Black Water Farms. For the last 15-20 years he has never looked for any other fowls. I hope that I have not hurt anyone’s feelings by mentioning their name in this article and I hope I have answered most of the questions about the strain of Sweaters we have at Blackwater Farms. I am very proud of having something to do with this strain of game fowl which has taken over the ads in the magazines and the pits around the world and in keeping them as good as or maybe even better than when I came into possession of the Sweaters.
Announcement: THE LINEAGE OF LEMON 84 by Paeng Araneta
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Wed Feb 22, pm222 4: 48 pm
The Legend Of The LEMON 84
by Paeng Araneta
Perhaps, no other gamecock in Philippine cockfighting history has been surrounded by so much mystique as the Lemon 84.
There's the story that the 84 in its name comes from the fact that it has won 84 times! Then there's another that says its owner, Paeng Araneta, simply borrowed it from unknown breeder and claimed it as his own. And then another, that Paeng Araneta stayed with American breeder Duke Hulsey in the States for an entire six months in order to acquire all the Duke's secrets in breeding Lemons and to cajole him into giving up the Lemon 84.
Amusing. Amazing. But nothing can be farther from the truth. I should know, I am Paeng Araneta. But first, let me state the reason why all the attention on the Lemon 84. Well, for one simple reason. This fantastic bird sired the first locally bred cocks that beat their imported opponents. The Lemon 84 line's impressive record started in the early seventies.
In 1970, at the International Derby (at that time, only one was held each year) in Araneta Coliseum, a team of early offsprings of Lemon 84 won second place. It would have been just an ordinary derby victory except for the fact that the locally bred cocks fought and won against all imported cocks. It must be recalled that during those years, only imported cocks were being fought in International Derbies. No Filipino cocker, as yet, has dared enter cocks of local breeding.
The next year, other Lemon 84 offspring won second again in the International - and again, beating the imported. But in 1972, a magnificent team of offspring of Lemon 84 won the championship of the derby, the first time a team of all Philippine-bred cocks was able to do so. And though it shared the top berth with two other champion cocks as it was a three-cohered victory, the feat was nonetheless staggering it marked the first time that locally bred gamecocks bested the field of imported.
Thus the mad rush of almost all breeders and cockers to acquire the Lemon 84 line. Now, let me take you to the beginning of the legend.
THE LINEAGE OF LEMON 84
From 1963 to 1967, the major competitions in Manila's cockpits were dominated, more or less, by the "Thunderbirds" of Jorge Araneta. The "Thunderbirds" were imports from Duke Hulsey of Louisiana.
Specifically, they were what Duke called his Lemon Hackles or, as they eventually became better known: The Lemons.
The Duke Hulsey Lemons were straight-comb, yellow-legged, reds, with the distinguishing Lemon hackles. Occasionally, some birds would come out dark red with a narrow lemon ring around the hackles. (These, in my opinion, were the better ones.)
No matter which, the Lemons were all tough, averaging about seventy percent to eighty percent wins. This was, impressively, a formidable statistic at the time, considering that these locally bred birds were fighting all imported chickens from the United States. As I have earlier mentioned, it was the custom then of Filipino cockers to fight only imported chickens in the big league fights.
Several mains were held annually from 1963 to 1967. They were billed as "U.S. versus Philippines". The "U.S.", of course, was Duke Hulsey in partnership with Mr. J. Armado Araneta and his son Jorge. And "Philippines" referred to the field composed of the United Cockers Club of Messrs. Peping Cojuangco, Esting Teopaco, Mayor Lacson, Johnny Velos, Eddie Araneta, and others who were all the cream of Philippine cockfighting.
The Philippine "team" was just as tough. They used the very best of the American cocks from such breeders as Billy Ruble, Spec McLaughlin, Grady Hamilton, L.L. Love, Ray Hoskins, and others who were not any less formidable.
These mains, which preceded the derbies as we have now, were all held at the Araneta Coliseum of J. Armado Araneta. For the most part, the Lemons prevailed. And if my memory serves me right, they were all won by the U.S. team.
ENCOUNTERING THE DUKE
I had already met Duke Hulsey through Jorge Araneta in 1964 when he first came to Manila to fight in the International.
In 1967, however, I made my first visit to the Amicizia Farm of Duke in Tangipahoa, Louisiana. Duke, by the way, is an honorary title that Southerners dubbed this respected breeder. His real name is James Henry Hulsey.
In my first visit, I stayed with Duke for four to five days. Then in 1969, I made my second visit, staying shorter this time for about two days.
But such encounters have already convinced me about the formidability of the Lemons of Duke Hulsey. According to him, the breeding of the Lemons consisted of Mixture of Hatch - Claret - Butcher in proportions he had set for himself and which he had established as a family.
And he was right. The Lemons indeed acted as such, fighting uniformly through the years. They were high-headed, smart, and possessed great cutting ability. On top of all these, they were also very pretty.
THE BIRTH OF THE LEMON 84
During my first visit to Amicizia Farm of Duke Hulsey, I came upon an unusual Lemon. He was pea-combed. Duke shipped it to me in Manila.
People kept asking me its name but I didn't have any. But once, when somebody again asked, I simply looked at its leg band and read: Lemon84. I guess, it sounded romantic. Whatever, it was that Lemon with the leg band 84 that started the winning line.
I bred Lemon 84 to two Lemon hens which I had also bred from a battle-scarred winner acquired earlier. I got some pullets.
I bred back the pullets to Lemon 84, their daddy, and from the clutch, picked two outstanding individuals. These two I bred back to each other, brother to sister.
Again, from what came out of the brother - sister breeding, I chose two of the most vigorous pullets and bred them back to the great grand daddy, Lemon 84. This time, a pair of the pullets showed up with green legs.
I bred this green-legged pair and came up with what I thought was the best of them all. Meanwhile, I kept on breeding the ones that looked like Lemon 84.
From all the breeding, I was able to produce two families: one typically Lemon with yellow legs; another, dark and looking like pea-combed Hatches.
These two families were continuously bred on - some by me, the other by some friends to whom I had given them. Two good friends, however, to whom I had lent Lemon 84 himself in 1968 for a good half season were Nonoy Jalandoni and Tony Trebol.
But the breeding of these two families of Lemon 84 resulted in a good average for everybody and would win either bred straight or crossed on other strains.
Unfortunately, as with all inbred families that had been bred indiscriminately, some later Lemons began to act-up and quit in the fights. I anticipated this. But I knew, and still do until today, where the good ones were and these were the only ones that I made sure I bred on.
THE LEGEND LIVES ON
Today, the mystic surrounding the Lemon 84 persists. It cannot be helped, it is an excellent strain.
Articles have been written about it; some breeders have been coming up to tell me their stories. One of them said he was able to build a house from the winnings he got out of a Lemon 84. Another said his Lemon 84 was able to feed his family and tide them over some very rough times.
In Bacolod, during the dark years when the sugar price went down, affecting the sugar-dependent region, cockfighting became a major source of revenue. And most of the winning cocks for the Bacolod breeders was the Lemon 84 line.
Even today's champions, like the outstanding "Millionaire Cock" of Cito Alberto, comes from the Lemon 84 line. Cito Alberto said so himself, that his winning cock is a grandson of a Lemon he got from me.
Cockfighting has not seen the last of the Lemon 84. The good ones are still around. And with correct breeding, I believe, one perfect cock will be born to once again carry on the legend of the Lemon 84.
Announcement: The Breed Standard for The Old English Game Fowl
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Sat Feb 18, pm218 8: 39 pm
The Breed Standard for The Old English Game Fowl
This text was copied from the Oxford Old English Gamefowl Breeders Association of Australia.
The following is the Oxfordstandard, taken from the publication ‘The Old English Game Fowl` , by Herbert Atkinson- 5th edition.
Below is the standard of perfection as set out by the oxford club
STANDARD OF PERFECTION.
Head- Small, and taper, skin of face and throat flexible and loose. Note A:- A loose skin to the throat, to enable the cock to breathe freely when distressed in a long battle.
Beak- Big, boxing, crooked or hawk-like, pointed, strong at the setting on. Note B:- Boxing means the upper mandible shutting tightly and closing over the lower one, a long under beak lacks holding power.
Eyes- Large, bold, fiery and fearless.
Comb, wattles & earlobes- of fine texture, small & thin, in undubbed chickens & hens.
Neck-large boned, round, strong and of fair length. Neck hackle covering the shoulders.
Back- short, flat, broad at the shoulders, tapering to the tail.
Breast- broad, full, prominent, with large pectoral muscles, breast bone not deep or pointed. Note C:- An important point. Strong big pectoral muscles give the cock power to fly with strength & force, & furnishes the maximum amount of breast meat for the table.
Wings- large, long and powerful, with large strong quills, amply protecting the thighs. Note D:- Long and strong wings impart additional force to the blow when the cock strikes.
Tail- large, up & spread, main feathers & quills, large & strong. In the hen inclined to fan shape, and carried well up. Note E:- A high strong tail acts as a rudder, supports and balances the cock when striking , or springing backwards, and indicates courage, the first act of a coward is to lower his tail.
Belly- small & tight.
Thighs- short, round, & muscular, following the line of the body or slightly curved.
Legs- strong, clean-boned, sinewy, close scaled, not fat & gummy like other fowls. Not stiffly upright, or too wide apart, & having a good bend, or angle at the hock. Note F :- Legs, the bend of the hock, or rather the juncture of the metatarsal bone with the tibia, may be compared to the bent hocks & muscular thighs of the hare & kangaroo, in furnishing them with such wonderful propelling power. In cocks of this perfect conformation there is nothing wasted in these bones, which are constructed to enable him to move with force & velocity commensurate with their distance from the centre of the action, this is the reason the stork-legged bird has no force in his blow; & the cock with legs set wide apart and straight thigh bones is dry heeled, his blows do not wound or kill his adversary.
Feet- toes thin, long, straight and tapering, terminating in long, strong curved nails. Hind toe of good length and strength, extending backwards in almost a straight line.
Spurs- hard, fine, set low on leg.
Plumage- hard, sound, resilient, smooth, glassy and sufficient, without much fluff.
Carriage – Proud, defiant, sprightly, active on his feet, ready for any emergency. Alert, agile, quick in his movements.
In Hand- clever, well balanced, hard, yet light fleshed, corky, mellow, and warm, with strong contraction of wings & thighs to the body.
JUDGING TABLE
– thin thighs or neck; flat sided; deep keel, pointed, crooked or indented breast bone; thick insteps or toes; duck feet; straight or stork legs; in-knees; soft flesh; broken, soft or rotten plumage; bad carriage or action; any indication of weakness of constitution.
THIS STANDARD WAS PUBLISHED IN 1924 IN THE AFORE MENTIONED BOOK. THERE ARE OTHER MORE RECENT REVISIONS OF THE OXFORD STANDARD, HOWEVER THE DIFFERENCES ARE VERY MINOR. http://vegepatch.wordpress.com/oeg/
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Sat Feb 18, pm218 8: 27 pm
I copied this from a gamefowl forum. The topic of breeding true to colour often comes up and I think this poster answers the issue correctly with respect to gamefowl.
“NoCurs wrote:
I have read many times about GOOD breeders in the 1800′s that really valued their birds coming uniform in type and color. It makes sense, for when you inbreed you set TYPE and part of TYPE is color and structure as well as game – or dunghill. Having a set color or type doesn’t mean a breeder doesn’t care about game.
If you inbreed you are going to get uniformity. So I see it as a mark of clever breeding IF I know the breeder is on the same page as me.
Just a t hought!
Hi No Curs,
You are right to a certain point… a good game fowl family that also has a fixed color denotes good breeding BUT you need to have first what makes a good game fowl family.
1st – Gameness – this is what makes the difference between a game cock and a dunghill.
2nd – Style and ability – this makes you win
3rd – Type – the correct type allows the bird to boost point 2
4th – Color – this is the cherry on top of the pie
If you miss any of the first three, color is pointless.
By the way, type and color are different things as you can see above. Type is the structure/conformation/ balance of the bird… color is just the pigment in its feathers.
I also enjoy watching families bred true to color that still exist today like they did in 1800′s.”
Announcement: Japanese domesticated chickens have been derived from Shamo
Posted: gamefowloftheworld @ Sat Feb 04, am204 10: 21 am
Japanese domesticated chickens have been derived from Shamo traditional fighting cocks.
Komiyama T, Ikeo K, Tateno Y, Gojobori T.
Source
Center for Information Biology and DNA Data Bank of Japan, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.
Abstract
With the aim of elucidating the evolutionary origin of Japanese domesticated chickens, this study evolutionarily analyzed 85 chicken mtDNA sequences. Thirty-four various ornamental chickens, 42 fighting cocks (Shamo), and nine long-crowing chickens (Naganakidori) were included. Of the Shamo, 18 were sampled from Okinawa, while the remaining 24 were collected in other islands around Japan. In addition, three Southeast Asian Junglefowls were used as a reference to determine the common ancestor of Japanese domesticated chickens. A phylogenetic tree was constructed for the 88 mtDNA sequences revealing that the Shamo group from Okinawa clearly diverged from the other Japanese domesticated chickens studied. This strongly suggests that all Japanese domesticated chickens, including the ornamental varieties and Naganakidori, derived from the ancestors of the Shamo in Okinawa. To create novel varieties of ornamental chickens, intensive artificial selection is imposed on ancestral Shamo populations, resulting in profoundly differentiated Japanese domesticated chickens.
