Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-03-13
RAISING GAME CHICKENS
SECRET HANDED DOWN BY GEN
GRAFTON OF BREEDERS.

I 0ENnEt TANNED GONN Is GEN
GRAFTON OF BREEDERS.
Differs From the Poultry Business as
{ it Involves a Number of Finer
Points Which Are Known Only to
Few-Training the Birds.
| The raising eli game chickens for
the poultry show and for the pit are
two distinctly different industries, de
clares the New York Sun The former
requires only good knowledge of
poultry breeding, while the latter in
wolves as well number of finer points
which are known only to few who
have been long and closet yconnected
with the work.
These secrets have in many cases
been handed down from generation to
| generation, carefully guarded. Every
breeder of game chickens in the South
| feels that the success of his birds
is largely dependent upon these Sc
crets, and they are Without doubt
largely responsible for the success of
birds raised by Southern breeders. A
few facts concerning game birds and
their raising for the pit, secured from
a Virginia planter will be of general
| interest.
This gentleman says his ancestors
| brought their original stock of game
chickens to this country, and their de-
| scendants have been raising them ev
| er since. He is confident that this
| particular strain of birds can hold
| their own with the best the country
affords This is not all idle talk, for
his birds have won fights in the prin-
| ciple cities of the country.
First of all, the birds have been
raised only for fighting purposes, and
| then year after year of careful breed
| ing and selection has developed quail
ties which could be secured in no 9th
er way. Birds are raised only from
winners and sisters of winners.
The chickens are kept together from
| the time they are Matched in the
spring until the young cockerels, or
stays, begin to manifest fighting pro
clivities. That comes in the fall.
They are then separated, and each
stag is placed on a walk. That means
that a farmer or negro is paid to take
| the cock and keep him on his farm
with not more than six hens in such
a place that he will not come in con-
tact with any other cock for year.
One might think the bird should be
fighting all that time to develop his
mettle, but careful study has shown
that this is net the case. During the
year the bird sees no other cocks;
he is absolutely king of the little
realm in which he rules, and he re-
allies it.
He grows in stature, dignity and
courage. In a few months nothing
can encroach on his territory without
a challenge, and stubborn fight, be it
COW, horse, mule. dog or man.
At the end of the year these cocks,
sometimes spread over q territory
twenty miles in circumference, are
gathered in and cOoped up, prepare
tory to testing. The fancier holds lit
tie mains for his own and his friends
amusement, and in this way finds out
what qualities the cocks possess. A
fight means death to one bird, and in
consequence there is a thinning out.
Sometimes when two birds of ex-
ceptional worth are put together they
are separated after they have demon
strated their good qualities, because
they are too valuable to be sacrificed.
The best birds are then shipped to
various parts of the country to take
part in big fights.
A main, or cockfght. is an interest
ing affair. A couple of men, for in
stance fight twenty birds for purse
of 5000, $500 or $500, with $40 or $50
on each fight. If one man wins eleven
fights, he gets the purse, plus the
amount on each fight he wins, and the
loser gets the money for the fights
he wins. This helps him to pay ex-
penses.
Large sums of money are also put
I'D on the result Of the main, or on
each separate fight, by the company
assemble. Sometimes the fanciers'
friends come with him and back his
birds to their last cent, but generally
the money is placed by men on birds
they fancy, and which their educated
Judgment tells them will win.
The preparation of a game cock
for the pit, usually ring filled with
| tan bark to prevent the birds from
iniuring themselves when they fall, Is
nearly as elaborate as that Of prize
fighter. First, the cocks natural spurs
| are cut down to a short stump, per-
haps half an inch long, chamois strips
are wound around this and about the
| leg. and over this the gaff, or steel
spur is fitted and tied on securely,
Next, the wings and tail are crop
ped short, the former for the pur-
pose of making them hit harder, and
the latter probably because it makes
! the bird look fierce. The hackle featn-
ers are then cropped and the soft,
downy feathers of the breast are cut
| close to keep the bird cool.
The cocks are held together for
minute, and then dropped on the bark,
and in few minutes there is a blur
of feathers. The fight may last tlve
seconds or an hour, but twenty min
| utes is a good average.
When the birds get hung together'
they are separated for a moment, and
the owners blow down their threats
to revive them, but the rest is OF
short duration, and the cocks are set
at it again.
In many cases, the training of birds
! is elaborate. The birds are dieted and
exercised to toughten them for the
contest. Two birds are often put to-
gether. rugged out with muffs or nina
ture boxing gloxes for this purpose.
| They are exercised by tossing them
ND and down on padded table.
/ 4 M q