Texas Fighting Chickens, in the Cockpit.

[chris49]

Disclaimer (1). Some people don't approve of blood sports. I'm here to relay a story.

Disclaimer (2). The topic might be better placed in Philippines Culture, if so it might be moved.

Back Story.  We do live on a farm raising chickens, goats and cows. Pigs but not currently. We grow a small amount of rice and Gina and her sister harvest some additional palay. Some of it is profit sharing or in the case of the cows, a custodial arrangement.

Since I came here 5 years ago, brother in law has had custodial care of up to 70 Texas Fighting Cocks. The owner lives in California and visits here one a year on an extended stay. Nutritional supplements come from the USA and food is premium, purchased locally. Brother in law trains the birds and sets up "matches" here at home. This is done without the leg blade attached, but is done under lights at night, to simulate conditions in the arena. We have top birds and have an overall winning record. They also have the privilege to have a few also top breed females and they will collect the eggs and hatch them. The owner likes to have about 40 full size birds for a 6-8 weeks season. The rest can be sold younger....on our side. No chicken is eaten and we don't cook the eggs. A small chicken, male, can be sold for 1500. Bigger birds, of course are not for sale.

A lucrative business? Maybe, but the season is short and when the owner is not here, he sends only the money for food and a small allowance. On selling young birds and eggs, maybe 5k a month, but that's their salary also. And rent on the land, which we give free as part of the business deal.

The owner came about 2 weeks ago and started putting birds in the arena immediately. Not in this area, he will select other areas, because he is too well known here. Hard for him to get big bets accepted, but in the bigger arena he can, to a point.

He put 13 birds in the ring. My other brother in law is the handler, while first bro in law is the trainer, so he has to stay here most of the time especially now in season. He got 9 winners from 10 birds and 3 are out this afternoon, no results yet. Trainer gets 1000 per win an the handler gets something per win, which depends on the bets laid. Gina had a few small bets and we also won. But since the owner is having trouble getting his own bets accepted, he cannot currently handle our money.

His bet is 40k pesos and up. 40k wins 30 k for MERON...favorite, or 40k wins 50k, for WALA. All our birds are MERON. From 5 years this is his best year so far, including one previous very good season. and 3 were break even or losing.

Our guys have from time to time entered there own birds here locally with less successful results and quite often the loss of the bird.

It keeps them busy and keeps things ticking over around here. Not that we get anything extra, because they will tend to pay off their credits with the winnings. But it is quite a good time.

It takes about 18 months to get a bird up to full strength including a few months training. So it's not without effort.

Edited April 3, 2016 by chris49

[Dave Hounddriver]

Interesting story.  Thanks for sharing.  I see lots of cock fighting on undeveloped lots beside the road but never went to an event.  I don't have a bad word to say about this cultural phenomenon, but its not something that would bring me pleasure to watch or bet on. Its good to learn new things. For example. I have never seen or heard of a cock fight at night, under lights.  All the ones I have passed by are in the afternoon and all events are finished by twilight time.  I often see people walking home with dead birds under their arm.  The losers I suppose?

Edited April 3, 2016 by Dave Hounddriver

[Queenie O.]

3 hours ago, chris49 said:

Disclaimer (1). Some people don't approve of blood sports. I'm here to relay a story.

Disclaimer (2). The topic might be better placed in Philippines Culture, if so it might be moved.

Back Story.  We do live on a farm raising chickens, goats and cows. Pigs but not currently. We grow a small amount of rice and Gina and her sister harvest some additional palay. Some of it is profit sharing or in the case of the cows, a custodial arrangement.

Since I came here 5 years ago, brother in law has had custodial care of up to 70 Texas Fighting Cocks. The owner lives in California and visits here one a year on an extended stay. Nutritional supplements come from the USA and food is premium, purchased locally. Brother in law trains the birds and sets up "matches" here at home. This is done without the leg blade attached, but is done under lights at night, to simulate conditions in the arena. We have top birds and have an overall winning record. They also have the privilege to have a few also top breed females and they will collect the eggs and hatch them. The owner likes to have about 40 full size birds for a 6-8 weeks season. The rest can be sold younger....on our side. No chicken is eaten and we don't cook the eggs. A small chicken, male, can be sold for 1500. Bigger birds, of course are not for sale.

A lucrative business? Maybe, but the season is short and when the owner is not here, he sends only the money for food and a small allowance. On selling young birds and eggs, maybe 5k a month, but that's their salary also. And rent on the land, which we give free as part of the business deal.

The owner came about 2 weeks ago and started putting birds in the arena immediately. Not in this area, he will select other areas, because he is too well known here. Hard for him to get big bets accepted, but in the bigger arena he can, to a point.

He put 13 birds in the ring. My other brother in law is the handler, while first bro in law is the trainer, so he has to stay here most of the time especially now in season. He got 9 winners from 10 birds and 3 are out this afternoon, no results yet. Trainer gets 1000 per win an the handler gets something per win, which depends on the bets laid. Gina had a few small bets and we also won. But since the owner is having trouble getting his own bets accepted, he cannot currently handle our money.

His bet is 40k pesos and up. 40k wins 30 k for MERON...favorite, or 40k wins 50k, for WALA. All our birds are MERON. From 5 years this is his best year so far, including one previous very good season. and 3 were break even or losing.

Our guys have from time to time entered there own birds here locally with less successful results and quite often the loss of the bird.

It keeps them busy and keeps things ticking over around here. Not that we get anything extra, because they will tend to pay off their credits with the winnings. But it is quite a good time.

It takes about 18 months to get a bird up to full strength including a few months training. So it's not without effort.

I agree Chris49--that was interesting to hear about that enterprise from your first-hand experience. Not interested in cockfights, and haven't gone to an arena, but realize that it's part of the culture and a popular obsession for many:)

Are those roosters located close to your house? I know when one big rooster starts crowing, all the others want to follow suit. That would make for quite a racket I would think:)

I once asked my father-in-law if I purchased a pretty and big trophy rooster just to parade around the neighborhood could I do that? He said it would be no good because a fancy rooster has to be tested all the time:) I also asked him if the Rhode Island Red roosters from my home state in the US would make good fighting cocks and he said no because they had a reputation for being really "chickens" in the arena. What a bummer.

[Queenie O.]

53 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

 I often see people walking home with dead birds under their arm.  The losers I suppose?

As far as I know Dave the losers always get to take their bird home to eat. 

When we first moved here to the province I had no experience yet on where to get good chickens to cook. A lady that I had recently met from the neighborhood told me that in her nearby barrangay they raised some native chickens for sale. I said great I'll buy two. A few days later she brought them and although they were kind of small, I made them into a soup. I realized that they must have been "loser" chickens from the cock fight, because they were so muscular and rubbery that they were truly inedible. Live and learn I guess:)

[Dave Hounddriver]

31 minutes ago, Queenie O. said:

As far as I know Dave the losers always get to take their bird home to eat. 

I guess that makes sense because the guys I saw with dead birds were not smiling.  I guess they raise these birds to be their pride and joy so when they have to eat one, it gives a new meaning to swallowing their pride.

[OnMyWay]

Chris, that was interesting.  I had no idea how the whole money thing works.  "Texas Fighting Chickens".  Is that a breed that is common here?  I googled it and a lot comes up about fighting in TX, but nothing about a breed.

There are quite a few areas near Subic where you see them being raised in the open area with their individual A-frame shelters.

I have no interest in "bird" fighting.  It seems like many small towns have an arena and down in Laguna they started early evening and into the night, so they were under lights.  I think the nearest one to Subic is over in Pampanga.

What cracks me up is when I see the guys in the city holding their "pet" "birds", cuddling and stroking them like babies!  They look like they are in love!  If they ever end up fighting them, those are the guys going home with the down faces, carrying their dead "birds".  I would think that if you want your "bird" to win a fight, you would train him to be mean and nasty to everyone, not just other "birds".  Like a bull, in bull fighting, or pit bull, in dog fighting.  It seems like if you just sit around stroking your "bird" all day and expect him to fight, you are setting him up for failure and certain death.  If I was into it, I would be poking my "bird" with sharp objects, etc., all day long, to make him a killer.

I used "bird" like Dave did to avoid this ending up in the X-rated joke forum.  

[Gratefuled]

My father and uncle took me and my cousin along with them to a cockfight in California when I was about 10 years old. It is still illegal there but I guess enough people knew about it because there were many there. My cousin and I stayed near uncle's car while dad and uncle went to watch and gamble. Some guy drove up in his truck near us and when he got out he was approached by 2 men who shot him point blank in the head. It was ugly. Dad and uncle came running and we all got in the car and quickly drove away. Everyone was heading to their cars to get away before any cops came. I'll never forget it and I've never been to a cockfight since even tho I have been invited here by a good friend, retired PNP.

[chris49]

On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 6:03 AM, Queenie O. said:

Are those roosters located close to your house? I know when one big rooster starts crowing, all the others want to follow suit. That would make for quite a racket I would think:)

We must be immune and I have my deaf ear. "Cock a deaf un" our British friends will be familiar with that expression.

Visitors will immediately comment on the noise, from about 4 30 AM onwards, crack of dawn as they say. A gradual crescendo which increases over about an hour.

Edited April 4, 2016 by chris49

[Jack Peterson]

24 minutes ago, chris49 said:

Visitors will immediately comment on the noise, from about 4 30 AM onwards,

Then I guess those around us cannot tell the Time, they never seem to STFU. I Like Chris, really don't hear them anymore except when they wake the Dogs up then it starts 

Edited April 4, 2016 by Jack Peterson
correcting a little Fooo Par LOL

[Queenie O.]

4 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

Then I guess those around us cannot tell the Time, they never seem to STFU. I Like Chris, really don't hear them anymore except when they wake the Dogs up then it starts 

I agree Jack--I've heard roosters start crowing at all hours of the day, not just early morning. When one starts, there goes any other rooster nearby until they get tired or bored, and stop. Early morning we hear them in the distance, and they wake up our dogs too. Not too bad a sound for unless they were situated nearby.