Cockfight

History

The cockfight is as old as the domestication of the wild cock. The wild cock gallus gallus would have been domesticated in Asia for its quarrelsome qualities. That dates from the sedentarisation of the first farmers in these areas. From Asia, the practice was spread in Europe thanks to the Greeks, with the Romans and Phéniciens. It had much success in Great Britain, in Ireland, in Spain, in Flandres (Belgian and French). It was so popular in England, in particular in the aristocracy that Cromwell decided to prohibit it to avoid the gatherings of the royalists around the " pits" , arenas. From Europe, it was exported in the United States by the English and Irishman, in Brazil by the Portuguese and in the remainder of the Latin America by the Spaniards. In the USA, it was practiced by the first presidents and was so popular that the American eagle was preferred of accuracy to the fighting cock like national symbol. Some reproached him for pointing out the English colonizer since good number of stocks of fighting cocks came from England. Africa less knew it, put aside Madagascar where it was brought by Mérinas of Malaysia and the Arab tradesmen. In Asia, there remains very practiced except of course by the wandering people. In France, it is authorized in the localities where the tradition is uninterrupted, i.e. in a score of gallodromes of the departments of North and Pas-de-Calais and in those of Dom-Tom. It should be noted that the word " gallodrome" used in the law, is translated by " pitt" in the Antilles and " rond" with the Meeting. The same law regulates the bullfights.

Cocks

The fighting cocks are of an infinite variety. According to the rules employed and areas, they can have a going weight of 1 kg to 6 kg. All the colors exist. And they can be catalogued in three types. The cock of the speed type is selected for the engagements with artificial metal pins, that is to say a blade or a point. The combat resembles a duel with the sword. It is very short and expeditious. The cock of the endurance type is selected for the combat with the pin blunted or covered with bands of fabric or a cap. The combat resembles a boxing match. The combat is long and the exit is usually the abandonment or the KB. The third type is the intermediate type. The combat is done with the pointed natural pin or an artificial pin resembling to him. The cocks speed are very emplumés cocks whereas the cocks of endurance have feathers short and stuck to the body. With the Meeting, the engagements are done with the natural pin. The cocks weigh of 2.8 kg to 4 kg. In Polynesia, also with the natural pin but the cocks are lighter: around 2.2 kg. In the Antilles, either with the natural pin, or with the metal pin. Weight around 1.5 kg. In Flandres, very mainly with the metal pin. Weight of 4kg to 5 kg. Marginally with plastic caps at the time of combat of cockboxing. Weight from 3 to 4 kg. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FIGHTING COCKS: all the fighting cocks have like common quality, tenacity with the combat. This capacity to resist the allied pain with the will to beat its adversary, exists at their wild ancestor but by selection, it is marked at the races of combat. It is however variable from one race to another, stock to another and subject to another. In the combattives stocks, it appears in chickens as of 6 weeks and hens. For the fighting cocks speed, other qualities are qualities of a fencer: explosiveness and coordination. The style of combat more the current is the combat of face without row, the rising cock highest having an advantage. Another style, more careful, consists in dodging by some steps on side the unfavourable load and risposter at the time when the adversary touches the ground. Whatever the style, in combat speed, the main target is the body. For the combat of endurance, qualities are those of the boxers: the force, precision, the endurance, resistance to the blows, coordination. The styles are varied and depend on the regulated size of the arena which can vary from 1.5 m to a few tens of meters. Big spaces make it possible certain cocks to fight by skirmishes: they strike some blows then move away. Others fight of face either while being stuck to the adversary, or without sticking itself and then the blow can be given without row or or while moving back slightly after each blow. In the styles of body-with-body, certain cocks pass either under the wing, or under the legs. Others test while fighting to circumvent the adversary or to push at the base of its neck to tire it. The goal is usually to give a maximum of blows and not to receive some. COCKFIGHT AND SOCIOLOGY. The domestication of the wild cock (gallus gallus) appeared as soon as the man sédentarisé himself in Asia. Of gatherer-hunter, he became farmer. Of nomad, it became sedentary. It required for proteins that hunting did not get to him any more. The domestication of the poultries was going to provide him eggs and meat. But especially that enabled him to be identified with this animal which resembled to him so much. Like him, it is biped. It has a sexual dimorphism marked good. He appreciates cereals while being omnivorous. It defends its family against the predatory ones. And finally, it fights with the similar ones of its sex to adapt a territory and one or females. By organizing cockfights, the first farmers found a means of controlling the conflicts between them via their cocks. Agriculture had made it possible the man to have an abundance of food but to also forced him to live numerous on a reduced space. The virile conflicts inside the community could present a danger. It was necessary to direct, to sublimate this aggressiveness without it not harming the community. The men of a community could not entretuer. A solution was a ritualized sport, such as the fight. A solution even more effective was the cockfight which made it possible to the owners to clash whatever their physical force or their age, and without risking of estropier a member of the community. PREPARATION OF the COCKS TO the COMBAT the fighting cocks begin their career at an age which depends on its stock. In general, more the cock is small and more it is early. Moreover, one cock of endurance will have a maturity slower than a cock speed. Practically, a Spanish cock of 1.5 kg will be with the combat in 10 months and an Indian cock of endurance of 6 kg at 2 years. The physical preparation will be also different according to its use. For the endurance, the preparation will be definitely longer. This preparation is with that of a boxer. That starts with race and muscle-development exercises, and is followed by combat of drive with the pins covered with a material absorbing the shocks, to avoid the useless traumatisms. The base of food consists of cereals and differs according to the areas: the Americans use it but, Europeans the oats and the corn, the Indians the millet and Asian rice. HOUSING Traditionally, the eggs are brooded by a hen. The chicks are high in freedom under the control of the incubator. The males are separate more or less early according to their stock, sometimes as of 6 weeks whereas for other less quarrelsome stocks, that can wait 7 months while keeping, nevertheless, an adult cock to put order in the group. Each young cock is isolated in a birdcage, a crate, or a basket braided in claire=voie and the shape of bell. In these two cases, each cock is slackened in more a big space the every day. According to the local habits, the cock will be without hen, with a hen or an small group of hens.

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