The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-04-26
RAISING GAME CHICKENS.
Secret Handed Down by Generations
Of Breeders In the South.

The raising OF game chickens for the
poultry show and for the pit are two
distinctly different industries. The for
mer requires only good knowledge of
poultry breeding, while the latter In
wolves as we'll number OF finer points
which are known only to a few who
have been long and closely connect.
ed 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 secrets,
and they are without doubt largely re-
sponslble for the success OF birds rails
ed by Southern breeders. A few facts
concerning game birds and their rails
ing for the pit. secured from a Virgin
Ia planter, will be Of general interest.
The gentleman says his ancestors
brought their original stock OF game
chickens to this country, and their
descendants have been raising them
ever since. He Is confident that this
particular strain of birds can hold
their own with the best the country
Affords. This IL not Idle talk. for his
birds have won fights In the principal
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
tiles which could be secured In no
other way. Birds are raised only from
winners and sisters OF winners.
The chickens are kept together from
the time they are hatched in she
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 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-
tance with any other cock for a year.
One might think the bird should be
fighting all that time to develop his
mettle.. but careful study has shown
that this Ia not the case. During the
year the bird sees no other cocks; he
is absolutely king OF the little realm
In which he rules, and be realizes it.
He grows In stature. dignity and
courage. In few months nothing
can encroach on his territory without
challenge and stubborn fight, be 1t
cow, horse, mule, dog or man.
At the end of the year these cocks
sometimes spread over a territory
twenty miles in circumference, are
gathered In and cooped up. prepara-
tory to testing. The fancier holds
little mains for his own and his
friends amusement, and in this way
finds out what qualities the cocks pos
sess. A fight means death to one bird,
and In consequence there Is 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 cociShght, is an Interest,"
ing affair. A couple of men, for In
stance. fight twenty birds for a purse
of 5000, $500 or $500. with $40, $50 oil
$50 on each fight. II ono man wins
eleven fights. he gets the purse, plus
the amount on each fight he wins, and
the loser gegs tho money for the
fights he wias. This helps him v
pay expenses.
, Large sums OF money are also pu
up on the result the main, or on
each separate hs BY the compan,