Sabong:The Sport of Kings

Sabong(Cockfight) : The Sport of Kings
Game fowl industry experts answer the million-dollar question: Is there a sure-fire way to breed a champion?

It is believed to be the world’s oldest spectator sport, dating back about 6000 years in Persia (now Iran). Great men in history have been known to participate in it. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson were all cockers. Alexander the Great staged cockfights on the night before a battle to impress courage and valor upon his soldiers.

Today, this sport has been outlawed in most European countries as well as the United States. But breeders of noble feathered gladiators of this sport cannot be dispirited. In fact, they come in droves, even to migrate, in a country that still holds this ancient sport in reverence as history itself- the Philippines.

Thus raising the Philippine Gamefowl Industry into its pedestal as a Php10 Billion industry, generating employment from the caretakers in breeder farms to handlers in derbies to inventors to office employees in multinational companies.

Currently there are two national associations of breeders, the National Federation of Gamefowl Breeders (NFGB) and the United Gamefowl Breeders Association (UGBA). These national associations compose of regional associations all over the country.

Total breeders in the Philippines today is estimated at 6 million. It prods some people to say, the best place to launch any campaign is at the cockpit, where you can reach 6 million heads of families in one congregation.

In November 2007, the First Gamefowl Technology Congress sponsored by Purina was held at the Araneta Center. The congress was graced by both big time breeders and backyard breeders alike. They came to convene in a brotherhood shared in their enthusiasm and to share with each other the knowledge to breed and raise the best, worthy of becoming the next derby’s champion.

So is there a sure-fire way to breed a champion? Is there one breed that is guaranteed to be a winner? If only it was that easy.

Dr. Jose Jesus Trinidad, Technical Director of the Philippine Cockfigting School: “Gameness, cutting ability and style of fighting are three essential attributes to gamefowl breeding.”

Table 1: Recommended Medication/Vaccination
for Breeders 1 Month before Breeding
1st Day Deworm
Ligo
Anti-Anemia
3rd Day Anti-Malaria
5th Day Vaccination
14th Day Vaccination
21st Day Vaccination
30th Day Vaccination

Experienced breeder Mayor Jesry Palmares of Iloilo validates what most breeders say: “There is no such thing as a pure-blood winner.” The search for a champion is a process of breeding bloodlines that have been known to win. It is a breeder’s vocation, to breed along the way in the quest for the King of the cockpit.

A champion stag can be of any breed. To win, it must come from a good bloodline, and it should be well-cared for. This is why sabong has earned the moniker “Sport of Kings.” To win, a stag must have it in its blood to be a winner and should be treated as King in the breeding farm.

Dr. Jose Jesus Trinidad, Technical Director of the Philippine Cockfighting School, specifies the three essential attributes to be considered in breeding gamefowl fit to be king of the arena: gameness, cutting ability, and style of fighting.

The secret is in breeding bloodlines with these attributes to produce a stag with optimum performance. Breeding can be done in two techniques: a 2-way cross and a 3-way cross.

A 2-way cross is done by breeding light weight fowl with a heavy weight fowl. A 3-way cross is done by breeding the 2-way cross bred fowl with a heavy weight fowl or any blood-line that’s deemed most advantageous.

However, Dr. Trinidad emphasizes, that each stag has his own potential to become champion. Not all stags that come from the same breeding materials can all be champions. Dr. Trinidad says it is the intrinsic value of genetics. He likens it to two boxers that are brothers. While both may have qualities that can make them winners, ultimately there is one who will emerge as champion.

Table 2 : Feeding Formula for Breeder Fowls

Standard Feeding Breeder Layer - 50%
Ordinary Conditioner - 50%

2 weeks before breeding Breeder Layer - 50%
(breedcock is being introduced Ordinary Conditioner - 30%
to hens or pullets) Crack Corn - 20%

Start Laying Breeder Layer - 70%
Ordinary Conditioner- 30%

With Average of 9 Laid Eggs Breeder Layer - 50%
(feed for 1 week) Ordinary Conditioner - 20%
Crack Corn - 30%

During Hatching Breeder Layer - 60%
Ordinary Conditioner - 20%
Crack Corn -20%

And this is where science comes in. Dr. Trinidad developed the study on Sabong Sports Physiology to determine the blood values of gamefowl that can affect its performance in the arena. Dr. Trinidad says they are also now conducting studies on which bloodline can perform better based on their bone structure. Technology has permitted the use of x-rays for this study.

A Filipino inventor and breeder, Engineer Rolando Gaden, also has a significant contribution in the advancement of technology in breeding- one which starts from the egg, so to speak. Engr. Gaden invented the incubator with the automatic turner. This invention ensures that the stock of possible stag champions get the necessary care even before they are hatched. Engr. Gaden ventured into this business as an inventor, because he says he’s been fond of gamefowl even as a child. He says he is in breeding as a hobbyist, not as a businessman. He adds,

“It’s not easy to maintain 500 heads, and sometimes the profit can only be meager. Pero ang kaligayahan mo pag nanalo ka, hindi maipaliwanag. It’s the prestige of being among the best. You feel like you’re on top of the world. It’s psychological income.”

Dr. Trinidad recommends that would-be breeders of champion stags employ feeding systems of the basics. Protein level should be fed a few weeks before the fight. Midway to the fight, fiber must be added to ensure that the bird lightens. A week before the fight should be devoted to carboloading.

Sanitation of the farm is also a great priority to keep disease causing elements from the birds. Most diseases that afflict stags can be prevented by maintaining cleanliness in the breeding farm.

Likened to athletes, stags require training, medication, supplements and proper feeding and nutrition to maintain their optimal health prior to a fight. “If you think about it, much of cockfighting now is patterned after sports physiology. Even the terminologies are the same. The fighting weight and the blood profile,” says Dr. Trinidad.

Table 3 : Feeding Guide For Growing Birds
AGE FEED TYPE
Day old - 1 month Chick Booster
1 month - 4 months Chick Starter
4 months - 7 months Stag Developer
7 months and above Maintenance
Pellet - 50%
Conditioner - 50%

Table 4 : Feeding Guide on Consumption
AGE Average Feed
Consumption per head per day (in grams)
1 week 9
2 weeks - 3 weeks 16
4 weeks - 5 weeks 25
6 weeks - 8 weeks 45
3 months 60
4 months 70
5 months 80
6 months and above 90