Cockfighting in Puerto Rico

Cockfighting in Puerto Rico
by Felix Cruz-Lopez

For many years, Cockfighting has been the major sport in Puerto Rico. It is a sport widely indulged and appreciated by the population of Puerto Rico. During the Spanish occupancy of the island, there was bull-fighting there, as there still is in some Latin-American countries, but this was abolished when the United States Government took over control. Cockfighting was permitted to continue and is still a popular pastime among the Puerto Rican citizens. Though barred in most sections of continental United States, where such fights are conducted illicitly and under cover, cock-fighting is not only perfectly legal in Puerto Rico, but is considered an honorable exhibition.

There are cockfighting rings in operation in every city in Puerto Rico where outstanding fights are held, accompanied by the most enthusiastic and numerous public which forms the adepts. The big days are Saturdays and Sundays, however any day of the week you can find a Cockpit open for your entertainment. On the weekends there is continuous fighting, starting at 12:00 o’clock and lasting until midnight. Sometimes as many as 40 or 50 battles are staged during that long session in any particular Cockpit.

The Recreation Commission of San Juan, Puerto Rico has complete charge of cock-fighting and sees to it that the sport is handled in the best possible manner. Several breeders have constantly in mind improving their birds by importing specimens of other blood like the Spanish, the Cubans, and lately the Orientals (Asil and Brazilian Shamos). By cross-breeding these imported fowls to the local production these breeders have succeeded in their efforts to improve their breeds, presenting a high percentage of birds with extraordinary fighting skills and endurance. They are also faster, stronger, and more violent.

Feeding

The Gamecocks are fed top quality corn, little balls made out of Alpo (Dog Food), corn meal, and raw egg. They are also fed raw liver, fish, and once or twice a week they are fed one cooked egg yolk, with not more than 12 dips of water daily. If you have strong game cocks, that is enough. Some people give their cocks two hours before fighting one tablespoonful of strong black coffee and one teaspoonful of good brandy. They believe this substances increase the speed of the cocks while fighting. Of course while training, try this because some cocks do not respond. The majority do. It is cheap and effective. I personnaly believe that as soon as breeders all over the world will feed to restore hardness of bone and feather and to increase the vigor and stamina in their strains, they too, will again glorify as fine pit birds as ever graced the pits. Incorrect and unscientific feeding reduce the vitality of most breeds which causes birds to wilt after being cut.
Some few crosses have attained distinction by reason of having been bred and fed by those fully equipped in the art and science of breeding, feeding, conditioning, heeling, and pitting. Lack of knowledge and experience has ruined many fine birds, and the cycle will continue long after we leave this earth if we don’t do anything about it now. There are absolutely game cocks that fight with vigor during a few minutes of fighting that lose their fights by reason of their loss of strength and are heralded as quitters, etc. Cocks with an infusion of cold blood are not included in the above, for many careless breeders are confronted with the spectacle of showing runners caused by daring infusions of blood not sufficiently known to the breeder, according to the causes for physical deterioration as mentioned in the forgoing.

Conditioning

Four weeks before the start of the conditioning program the Cocks are dubbed close, comb, wattles and ears, then the back and leg feathers are either all removed or left an eight of an inch long. The tail is trimmed up nicely, and where the feathers are removed are rubbed with alcohol, which turns the skin a rich red. Their wings are left full length. As to work during the keep, they work them once a week and give them rest the remainder of the time, with sunshine whenever in the early morning or late afternoon whenever available. This method has proven excellent in Puerto Rico, provided that your cocks are good. Their coops are kept clean, or, if not cooped up, they are tied out where they can’t fight or pick up anything harmful. The training takes from 2 to 3 months. One training session is done as follows:

a) Put on a rope to balance.

b) Picked up by the tail to put the wing muscles in use, then tossed around in the air.

c) Putting them through a figure eight around and between the trainer’s legs.

d) And finally sparring with another cock of the same weight for about 10 minutes.

After he has been trained in this way, he is as hard as a rock and can fight for a long time without breeding hard.

Weapons used for fighting

As a general rule and all over Puerto Rico, fights are carried on with artificial spurs called postizas, aluminum spurs or those supplied by nature, the bird employing natural spurs to overcome his opponent. This makes the fights last longer, as the postizas or natural spurs are not so keen and deadly as the knives or artificial steel ones, which are usually used in the United States. This in no way renders the fight less bloody, for unlike other countries where artificial arms are employed, the fight does not come to an end almost immediately, but is prolonged and thereby made more interesting. No steel gaffs are permitted.

I believe that If all breeders could discard the gaffs and the knives in their fights and fight their cocks with postizas or natural heels, they all would agree that their cocks must be conditioned better and have unsurpassed gameness in order to win, thus making the fight more interesting. The outcome of most fights will not be decided by conditioning and gameness and not pure luck. This would start a new era of improvement and, of course, the sport as a whole would prove much more interesting.
It is wonderful to see a cock kick and ground on his feet ready to kick again. To turn this trick breeders should start a search for naked-heel fowl and breed them on the fast-scoring American breeds. Our game fowl is small compare to American breeds, but can produce good sized cocks when crossed to American or Oriental breeds.

Gamefowl arenas and fighting day

The Game fowl Arenas are permanent and handsome structures, with an imposing entrance. To reach the arena itself, spectators walk through a long narrow room, with glass-fronted cages on either side, each a well-bred rooster, with price mark as to his value, which ranges from $50.00 to $1,000.00 and sometimes in the thousands of dollars. The fighting arenas has a carpet floor in the center, about 20 feet in diameter, which is where the execution takes place. This is surrounded by several tiers of cushioned seats, giving all spectators a clear and unobstructed view of the vicious battles. In another part of the building is a cantina, or saloon, and a restaurant, for many cockers remain in the place all day and through the evening.

The fighting cocks are matched early morning the day of the fight. They are matched by weight, so that neither has an advantage in the way of extra poundage. After armed by the handlers with their respective weapons before the fights begins they are brought to the arena by handlers assigned by the Cockpit.

The cocks appear to be quite tame until they are placed face to face in the center of the pit. Then having been bred for this purpose, they instantly rush into action, battling ferociously with beaks and spurs. During the fights when the first c--- that starts to stagger starts the natives get going and a chant goes up, One Hundred to Twenty! One Hundred to Twenty! or Twenty to One! Twenty to One!. And they probably have their whole paycheck already bet on the fight. Once in a while they make a beautiful comeback and occasionally a blind cock, after being kicked around for a while, will come back and win after being breasted eight or ten times. Each battle continues until one of the birds is either killed, badly crippled that he can no longer carry on, or the time expires. The maximum time for the fights is 15 minutes at which time the fight is declared a draw or tabla!.

Felix Cruz-Lopez/ cruzlopez61@juno.com

The Ultimate Gamecock Articles, (C) Copyright 1998
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