Ilonggos and Negrenses are known widely
as the pioneers of scientific breeding and the fowls raised in these
parts and fowls coming from here are sold to all parts of the country
at prices higher than those locally grown there. We also have the
reputation of having the knack for selecting the better fighters and
this had added to a reputation of excellence among breeders big and
small.
Aside from the ubiquitous gamefowls,
there are many other income earning sub-industries within the large
industry system that when studied closely would show that the game
fowl industry is one that should be promoted enhanced and preserved.
Game fowl raising needs support sub-system players like the makers of
tie-cords so that the roosters are anchored in place and makers of
tepees or the structures that shade them from the harsh elements.
There are also those who make other paraphernalia like gloves for
chickens, tapes, scabbards and knives. These artisans are otherwise
unemployed and their income derived from these livelihood activities
are their only means to support their families and send their
children to school.
Take the case of two small scale
breeders in Brgy. San Nicolas, Oton, Iloilo. Nelson “Tandok”
Tingzon had been growing gamefowls for more than 20 years already. He
recalls that even as a child he helped his father take care of their
chickens which when sold provide food and some extras for other
necessities. Rommel Planta has an almost the same story. He also grew
up around chickens and he loved the selling aspect because he and his
friends can sell their chickens at several times the price of
chickens intended for meat.
Nelson and Rommel have no other means
of livelihood except raising game fowls. Being already well-versed on
the breeding aspect, they make sure that their breeders are well
selected and often, they come from known breeders or from their
buyers who want them to breed a certain type which they will
exclusively buy from him. And they don't simply take the word of
others when it comes to selection. They have their own set of
criteria developed through their long years of hands-on breeding.
Breeding for true to type individuals
and for performance.
One breed that they both maintain are
the Sweater fowls, said to be originated by Mr. Sweater McGinnis, an
American breeder of the 1930s to the 1950s. These fowls are light
red, bordering on pumpkin color and are well liked by many because of
their fighting style and is said to be one of the outstanding breeds
in the Philippine cockfighting scene. Nelson and Romel have their own
version of the Sweaters and they say that each year they sell more
than 100 each for this type of fowl. What they breed it with is their
secret though. They say that they mate their outstanding Sweater
brood cocks with hens whose brothers have also performed in the pit
as fought by their buyers.
They also have other breeds like the
High Action Hatch crossed or tinted with Mc Lean or Gilmore blood,
both of which are green or blue legged types which are said to
provide speed, power and gameness. Nelson says that he bred his High
Action Hatch hens to a Gilmore Hatch brood cock provided to him by
Dr. Pepe Sullano. He is very happy with the offsprings since he has
already sold more than 60 heads at a good price of not less than
P4,500.00 each. With that sales alone he said that he has already
recovered ;his feed expenses for this year and expect that the more
than 150 stags that are still maturing will somehow bring him more
than what he expects.
Rommel on the other hand had been
supplied by his customers and friends with top rated brood materials.
“I would not like to divulge the friends and customers who provided
my brood stocks because they want it that way. They also have
exclusive right to my stags that is why every stock that I raise is
considered sold already. I cannot produce enough because it gets sold
anyway”, says Rommel. Both he and Nelson are still breeding this
off-season (May to September) because there are buyers who still buy
those late produce since cockfighting is non-stop especially in
Manila.
Game fowl raising as a way of life.
“Breeding game fowls have been my
main occupation since I got married from which I have raised my
family. My eldest son had graduated and is already on board a ship as
a sailor and I have high hopes that like the other seamen who had
prospered, he will also help us economically as he progresses in his
career. My second son is graduating from the Hotel and Restaurant
Management course. My youngest is still in the elementary grades.
With tuition fees and their daily school needs so expensive these
days I culd not have afforded their schooling had I just taken manual
labor which pays minimum wage”, says Nelson.
Everybody in the family helps. His wife
being very supportive tends to the incubator and the chicks that is
why they can hatch more than 500 each year and on a 50/50 ratio of
males to females, they can easily mature 250 or more stags or
cockerels every year. Nelson and his children tend to feeding and
other chores. We use only the best feeds available to other breeders
and feeders of game fowls. “We don't scrimp on feeds because it
shows on the health, size, height and conformation of the stags and
cocks we produce. Since cockfighting is competitive and there is only
one bottom line which is to win, our buyers demand value for their
money”.
Both Nelson and Rommel provide
employment indirectly to others in the neighborhood. Their tepees are
made by laborers who charge them P120.00 per unit and Rommel said
that the materials cost about P50-60 and the rest is labor for the
makers. A maker he said can make 5-6 units daily with some help,
often from their own children. They also need 500 or so tie cords
which they use to anchor the legs of their chickens. A tie cord costs
P8.00 per unit so between the two of us, we buy about P8,000 worth of
tie cords every year. A family making these can produce this in two
weeks' time and their cost of materials is just about P3,000 thus
making for them an income of about P5,000.00 in two weeks.
Game fowl breeding provides food
directly and indirectly. Indirectly, when the choice stags and cocks
are sold at a good price and used to buy rice and other food items.
Directly, when undersized and culls are slaughtered for the table.
Extra eggs are also eaten, often hard boiled and brought by the
children to school as snacks. “Our children are healthy and active
because they get to eat high levels of protein from chicken meat and
eggs”, says Rommel.
The game is now competitive. With two
major federations of breeders nationwide and an almost non-stop
competition, the demand for quality stags and cocks have increased.
We are often visited by buyers who say that they were referred by
their friends who have bought from us and want to buy the same types
as those bought in the previous years because they said that they saw
them win. We cannot refuse them and they just added to our list of
customers.
“We don't fight our roosters anymore.
Our buyers do it for us. We just sell and somehow these buyers come
back year after year because they are satisfied with the stocks they
bought. Since we also improve our breeds according to their
suggestions, they usually buy the new offspring where they had a hand
in selecting the brood stocks.
“This is our livelihood and our
passion. While some may say that this is gambling, for us this is
survival and our chance for a better life. We have not finished
school and we don't have other means to support our families. We
cannot leave this industry that has provided us with a decent life”,
both Rommel and Nelson concluded.
