Each animals have different races, including chicken. A rooster is a male chicken, with strong physical body compared to other chickens. If we want to breed a chickens there are some short of tips to start breeding a chicken and to choose which chicken to breed. Since the outcome will be determined by the original breed used for cross breeding.
People getting more interested on cockfighting for a long time. These game has been existed since the ancient time and spread across the world. Fighting rooster are a bit different from broiler, ornamental, and layers chickens. Usually fighting rooster must have strong build body, tall, and medium weight since their purposes is to fight other roosters. There are many breeds of rooster that met this requirement but among those breeds here are top 5 fighting rooster breeds we should know.
1. Asil or Aseel Breed
It is a chicken’s breed orginating from Pakistan, South of Punjab. This rooster breed become more famous lately across the South Asia and Western country. This chicken were originally kept for the purpose of cockfighting.
The physical body of Asil chicken was strong, they have a nice structure body. They have wide chest, and long legs and neck. Their feet are strong build and sturdy, make them stand firm and not easily lose in a battle of cockfighting. Compared to other chicken they have a prominent body posture. Like they were born to fight other chickens.
If you want to have more than one Asil chicken you must be aware that they were easy to fight each other till death. They highly aggressive toward each other including the hens. But they quite tame towards human and trusting, which are good to be made a pet. You may also want to know on how to take care a sick chicken, since even rooster breed like Asil chicken is strong but they susceptible of illness.
Asil chicken have many varieties madras, bantam, kilimookku, kulang, reza, java asil, and so forth. Some varieties such as kilimooku is intend to be an ornamental chicken. Kilimooku unlike other asil has a long tail, and very beautifull since their body are huge and muscular.
Commonly the colour of feathers can be red, black, brown, white, and some are mixed depend on their varieties. They have an average 50 – 75 cm tall, with an average weight of 3 – 4 kg, other varieties may reach a weight up to 8 kg like a Java Aseel.
2. Sumatra or Sumatera Breed
The fighting rooster breeds is a native of the Sumatra and Borneo Island in Indonesia. This breed has been exported to US and Europe in the middle of 18 century. Unlike Asil chickens which have an aggressive character most of the time, this chickens is more seasonal. In Indonesia they were catch during the beginning of breeding season for cockfighting but will be release after the seasonal aggression decreasing.
Their physical body is sturdy and looks fierce. They have a pretty shaped body with mostly black with a green sheen body and quite sweeping tail. It has small comb, small earlobes, black legs, and yellow skin. With an attractive feather and weight for 2 – 3 kg, nowadays this types of roosters became a great ornamental chicken. The chicken also rare to be found, and it also available in other different colour.
This type of rooster was born to life in the wild and not good with a cage or confinement. If you want to have one, you must provide them with a spacious place to avoid stress for the rooster. This rooster is very active, aware of surrounding, a great jumper and they also have a strong ability to fly. For a fighting rooster this breed quite aggressive and strong and they have a high tolerance of all climates.
3. The Old English Game Breed
It is a British breed of domestic chicken which originally breed for fighting. It is one of the oldest breeds for fowl and bring to England by Romans in the 1st century. Like all fighting rooster breeds, they have a muscular and compact body. They have many colour variants, with a sparky and glossy feathers.
The average weight of old english game is around 1,8 – 3 kg. They also can adapt to almost all type of climates. Since they were originally a strong indomitable chicken’s breed. An old english game is a bit aggressive even for the hen as a mother. They have a great stamina and also have a flying abilities.
But nowadays the old english game was raise for an ornamental chicken or for exhibitions.
4. Shamo Breed
Shamo breed was originated in Thailand but in the 16 century was brought to Japan. Their name Shamo came from the word of “Siam” which means Thailand. In Japan Shamo used for gamefowl, and for hundred years was selectively bred in Japan and are much different from the original Shamo in Thailand.
Shamo has a different body posture compare to other fighting rooster, their body is strong and sturdy, but rather than muscular it looks compact for a fighting rooster. They have short feather and an upright posture. It often used to be an ornamental or show chickens.
There are seven Shamo breeds that recognised by Natural Monuments of Japan, which are :
- Ehigo Nankin Shamo
- O-Shamo
- Kinpa
- Ko-Shamo
- Nankin-Shamo
- Yakido or Ygido
- Yamato-Shamo or Yamato Gunkei
They also have other variants like Chu-Shamo and Chibi Shamo. The best fighter breeds among those are O-Shamo and Chu-Shamo. Both mostly their variants have the spirit of a fighter and rather temperamental.
5. American Game Chicken
It is a game breed that originated from United States. As other game breed it is used for fighting. American game chicken breeds is consisted of Irish Game, Oriental, and Old English Gamefowl and sometimes contain of Sumatera and Spanish breed. After cockfighting became illegal in most of the country American game chicken used for ornamental chicken or for exhibition.
Their body is muscular yet beautiful and have many variety of colors. The usual colors are black, brown red, gold, blue, white, silver, pumpkin, and so forth. They have a small comb and it color is red along with earlobes and wattles.
As other fighting rooster, American game rooster have a strong and muscular body, they are very active and not get along with confinement or cage. They have a behavior of a fighter and do not put roosters together since they will fight to death. Both for rooster and hens have an aggressive temperament especially if it come out for obtaining their territory. They are a good jumper and flyers and tolerance towards all climate but a bit noisy. Their average weight would be 2,5 kg (male) for standard size and 850 g (male) for the bantam size.
Regulation of Cockfighting
In most country cockfighting has been an illegal action. Since it will harm both chicken’s party. Those top 5 fighting rooster breed nowadays has been swifted to be an ornamental chicken or used for showbiz. Some of the breeds can not be found easily in the market. So if you want to kept one of these breed you must find it in the certified breeder. You must be very careful on how to take care of fighting rooster and learn a tips of how to raise a healty rooster.