How to Raise Gamecocks: Detailed Explanation of Breeding Methods and Technical Key Points

The gamecock is an ancient poultry breed in our country and a rare poultry resource. With the development of society, people have retained the fighting nature of the original chicken for entertainment and gambling, leading to careful selective breeding in upper-class society. So how do you raise gamecocks?

1. How to Raise Gamecocks

1. Chick Rearing and Management

Chick rearing and management is the most critical part of gamecock domestication. Newly hatched chicks must be kept in a suitable rearing environment. Generally, the room temperature for chicks 1-2 days old should be 35-36°C, then reduced by 0.5°C each day, and kept constant once it reaches 25°C. Initially, the humidity inside the coop should be 60-70%, gradually reduced to natural humidity. First, feed them clean warm boiled water with some white sugar or glucose added, and after 1-2 weeks they can gradually transition to drinking tap water.

On the 1st day after hatching, do not feed them. On the 2nd day, you can first feed a little sesame soaked in boiled water, then feed steamed millet or cooked eggs. From the 3rd day, start feeding a diet mainly of cooked eggs, millet soaked in boiled water, and fresh green vegetables, and appropriately feed a small amount of insects and coarse grains. At this time, attention must still be paid to keeping warm, appropriate exercise, and sunlight, which benefits their growth and development. They should be fed small meals several times a day. After half a month, they can be fed noodles, coarse grains, etc. After one month, for roosters, increase the supply of protein feed, such as chopped egg pieces and minced meat, and appropriately feed green vegetables.

2. Growing Chicken Rearing and Management

At 45 days of age, chicks can reach a weight of 0.5 kg, and female chicks are already easy to distinguish. At this point, males and females need to be raised in separate groups, which is beneficial for growth. Starting from 75 days of age, chicks grow rapidly, and especially for bone growth, mineral feed (bone meal) and insects need to be added to the feed. Folk custom is to feed cicadas, ground beetles, and locusts, etc.

At this point, male chicks begin to enter the growth stage. To avoid fighting injuries affecting growth, they need to be raised individually in cages. Folk practice mostly uses relatively wide and large cages woven from chaste twigs for confinement rearing, releasing them outside the cage for free activity at fixed times in the morning, noon, and evening, 3-4 times a day in total, but they must be strictly controlled not to mate with hens, and stronger fights between roosters must also be prevented. During this stage they grow rapidly, so nutrient-rich feed should be provided. Energy feeds mainly include corn, wheat bran, millet, sorghum, etc.; protein feeds include eggs, tofu, beans, meat, etc. In addition, green vegetables, sunlight, exercise, and clean drinking water are all indispensable.

3. Adult Chicken Rearing and Management

After molting 3-4 rounds and the old wing feathers growing in fully, they are considered adult chickens, generally at 9 months of age. Throughout the four seasons, cold and heat differ, so corresponding rearing and management measures should be taken according to the season. From the beginning of Start of Spring, meat should be removed from the diet, that is, artificial fat reduction, to make the chicken's fat firm, so as to prepare for fighting.

In the hot summer, measures to prevent heatstroke and lower temperature should be taken, less meat should be fed, vegetables and grain should each make up half, and beans or bean products can be appropriately fed. Autumn is when the heat gradually ends and the cold comes, adult chickens molt, and chicks reach physical maturity. Feed with higher protein content should be given; this is a very critical period. In winter, the main work is to prevent cold and keep warm, feed more cooked food and good food, and quickly build up fat to help them through the winter.

4. Regular Sampling Inspections and Epidemic Prevention

Diseases and chicken plague cause mass deaths of gamecocks and are the main reason for bringing major losses to farmers. To prevent outbreaks of epidemics in gamecock breeding, farmers should set about establishing a set of practical and effective gamecock sampling inspection and epidemic prevention systems.

Usually, attention should be paid to maintaining coop hygiene and promptly cleaning and clearing gamecock droppings. Spray with sterilization agents or other disinfecting liquids every week or every month. Vaccination work should also be done well.