The most seasoned pros will tell you that winning a fight takes a bit of luck but a large part of it is in how well you prepare or condition your gamefowl.
What is conditioning and why is it important?
Much like our athletes, gamebirds undergo a lot of preparation or conditioning before battle day. Early on, gamebirds are conditioned for battle to ensure that they grow healthy, as healthier birds have the upper hand on winning in the pit over sickly battle stags.
Pre-conditioning is a process where we prepare gamebirds both physically and mentally before the actual conditioning stage. This daily routine can be very demanding: exercises from the cord, fly pen, and scratch box, sparring, then finding time to rest. A high-protein diet, nutritional supplements plus processes like deworming, delousing, and bacterial flushing are also part of the pre-conditioning routine.
The 21 Day Gamefowl Conditioning Program
Handlers have different approaches when it comes to conditioning gamebirds but the ultimate goal is to put the birds in their best shape possible and psychologically prepare them for the fight.
Here we have a 21-day gamefowl conditioning program that you can apply to take your fighting cock to its maximum potential:
- Choosing a bird that will undergo the program
- Reddish shanks – A sign of a healthy and well-conditioned rooster
- Wagging of tail – A sign of confidence
- Calm but alert
- Preening or stretching
- Feet, toes, and body are not too cold and not too hot
- A fighting cock that head knocks due to partial dehydration is a well-pointed rooster and ready for battle.
- Shiny and smooth feathers – an indicator of adequate moisture in their body
- Day 1: Deworming (Pagpupurga)
- Do not give feeds in the afternoon, on the day before deworming.
- It is advisable to deworm between 4 to 5 AM.
- After giving medicine, place bird back in cage and provide clean water.
- Observe if the feces contain worms.
- Put them on a soft diet between 9 to 10 AM, then go back to regular feeds at 5 PM.
- Day 2: Bacterial flushing
- Do antibiotic flushing with Vetracin Gold Capsule.
- Inject bird with Bexan XP Injectable,which contains high levels of B-complex vitamins for optimum muscle development and better nutrient utilization.
- Bathe gamefowl with medicated shampoo to remove harmful external parasites.
- Day 3: Rotation day and administration of injectables
- Record each bird’s weight before starting rotation.
- Start rotation at 4 or 5 AM at the scratchbox.
- Give morning feed at 7 AM.
- Administer injectable B-complex + amino acid one hour after morning feeding.
- Allow birds to rest at cording area.
- Day 4: Rotation day and first sparring day
- Perform rotation as usual.
- Give oral supplements and electrolytes in their drinking water.
- Around 4 PM, allow gamefowl to spar. Record their performance and rate accordingly.
- Feed at 5 PM and allow to rest.
- Days 5 – 7: Rotation days
- Perform rotation as usual.
- Day 5: Provide calcium lactate before perming rotation and give oral supplements after morning feed.
- Day 6: Give them multivitamins to boost immunity.
- Day 7: Give them ascorbic acid to help ward off colds.
- Allow gamefowl to get sun only around 6 AM to 8 AM.
- Day 8: Rotation day, 2nd sparring day, and fasting
- Perform rotation as usual.
- Give supplements and electrolytes in drinking water (AM and PM)
- Do sparring around 3 PM. Record their performance and rate accordingly.
- No afternoon feed to prepare for deworming the next day.
- Day 9: Deworming, delousing, grooming, and administering of injectables
- It is advisable to deworm between 4 to 5 AM.
- After morning feed, apply delousing solution on gamefowl. After bathing, allow them to dry under the sun.
- Administer injectable B-complex + amino acid.
- Regular feeding at 5 PM.
- Day 10: Rotation and bacterial flushing
- Perform rotation as usual.
- Reconstitute water-soluble antibiotic and administer in the morning and again around noontime with a new solution.
- Days 11 – 13: Rotation and 2nd sparring day
- Days 11 and 13: Perform rotation as usual.
- Day 12: Do sparring around 3 PM. Record their performance and rate accordingly.
- Give them multivitamins to boost immunity.
- Day 14: 3rd and last sparring day
- Allow bird to rest and give morning feed.
- Give oral vitamins and electrolytes in drinking water.
- Do sparring around 3 PM and record their performance and rate accordingly. This is where you choose the gamefowl you will be entering in the fight.
- Give afternoon feed plus anti-stress medicine.
- Day 15: Rotation day and delousing
- Perform rotation as usual.
- Give morning feed at 7 AM plus vitamins.
- After morning feed, bathe thoroughly with a delousing solution. Allow to dry in the sun.
- 3 days before fight day: Mild exercise
- Give morning feed and vitamins at 7AM.
- Allow 5 minutes of pakaskas around 3PM.
- Feed at 5PM and give anti-stress medicine.
- Days 17 – 18: Keeping and carbo loading
- Limber the birds at 6 Am, then wash their feet.
- Record their weight.
- Give morning feed.
- Administer injectable B-complex + amino acid one hour after AM feeding.
- Around 12 PM, allow them to limber and defecate.
- Give feed at 5 PM.
- Day 19: Keeping and carbo loading
- Record weight.
- Give morning feed.
- Around 12 noon, allow them to limber and defecate. Allow fighting cocks to talk walks.
- Give ripe banana for merienda.
- Around 4PM, let out to defecate.
- Day 20 (or Fight day): Keeping and carbo loading
- Allow to limber and defecate at around 6AM.
- Clean the bird’s face and feet.
- Give 20 grams of feed at 7 AM.
- Give anti-stress medicine if travelling.
- Allow bird to defecate every 1-2 hours.
- Know what time the match starts to see if bird needs feeding again.
For more tips on how to keep gamefowl healthy and prepared for fights, feel free to browse the UNAHCO website
