13/08/2018
How to enhance our gamebirds gameness.
One such study promotes enhancing the performance of the game fowl without administering Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED), though it accepts the use of nutritional supplements such as B12/Bcomplex, MVE’s, glucose and the likes for these substances are not classified as PEDs but dietary supplements.
Without doubt, with the kind of evolution game fowl breeding has undergone in the Philippines, the aspect of game fowl conditioning has assumed a much greater role in the outcome of a cockfight. Whereas, sometime ago it was rather breeding or quality of the game fowl that almost always told the difference between winning and losing, now, the situation could be a different story.
In the 1960’s when the American game fowl, then called Texas by Filipinos, started coming in from the US, they were so dominating that they virtually wiped our native fighting chickens—the Bisaya or Tagalog, Balulang or Batangas, the Bolinaos and the rest—out from the face of the earth.performance-drugs-4
A couple of decades later, the Negros breeders, most of whom were rich hacienderos and as such had access to expensive breeds from the US, took over and dominated the cocking scene. Who knows; if it was due to their having superior knowledge in game fowl genetics, or sheer advantage in bloodline and chicken quality?
Another couple of decades later, the situation had change. Imported materials had become accessible and available even to the not-so-rich and to the growing number of US based Filipinos. More and more Filipino game fowl fanciers had got hold of imported trios, brood c***s and hens. Subsequently the offspring of these imported materials found their way to relatives, friends and buyers. Thousands of Filipinos then was in possession of high caliber fowl.
Now it seems, at top level competition, game fowl are already created about equal. Therefore, some emphasis should shift toward discovering superior conditioning methods.
For answers, many look up to performance enhancing drugs—steroids, hormones, stimulants– available in the market, may they be manufactured for human or for chickens. Some, like us at RB Sugbo Gamefowl Technology, go as far as exploring non-drug Performance Enhancing Factors (PEFs), many of which are quiet natural and inherent in game fowl physiology. Note that vitamin supplements such as b12 and b complex, multi vitamins and minerals, glucose and the likes are not classified as drug but as nutritional supplements.
One of these non-drug PEFs, is the concept of stress management in pointing the game fowl. It is anchored on the principle that stress triggers adrenaline rush and adrenaline rush could do wonders if experienced at the right moment. Yes, very natural indeed.
In face of danger, the body has a natural defense mechanism. When faced with stressful and threatening situations, the body secretes the hormone adrenaline otherwise known as epinephrine. It will activate all the mechanism and instinct of survival in animals. It prepares the body for war. Secretion of adrenaline, or the so-called adrenaline rush, enhances production of energy, activates and alerts all the sensory processes and shuts down less important functions of the organs. It leads to high blood sugar levels, faster heart rate and higher blood pressure. It triggers energy production. It drives the body to optimum levels of energy to achieve greater-than-normal levels of physical capability.
How Epinephrine works
Epinephrine triggers the activation of a war machine in the body. Once epinephrine is secreted by the body in the endocrine glands, it flows in the blood stream reaching various organ centers. It starts its operation by activating some strategically placed receptors in the body. One by one, it activates the receptors which in turn trigger buttons for initiating many chain reaction processes. When epinephrine reaches the liver cells, it activates a receptor there which initializes a chain reaction that culminates into breaking down of glycogen, releasing glucose into the blood stream. At the same time, accelerates glucose production. Other receptors present in the muscles when activated by epinephrine cause the widening of blood vessels so that more blood can reach the muscles for efficient operation. The trigger also causes an increase in the heart pumping rate. This is how naturally produced adrenaline or epinephrine revs up the body engine, for enhanced performance The major physiologic triggers of adrenaline release center upon stresses such as physical threat, excitement, noise, bright lights, and high ambient temperature. All of these stimuli are familiar to the atmosphere in the cockpit. So, in the cockpit, there is no way we can avoid our fowl getting stressed at one point or another. We might as well make stress work to our advantage by managing it to occur at the right moment.
“Stress can help us get work done but the tension it builds in our body can lead to fatigue. Stress causes our body to produce adrenaline and tenses our muscles. It’s important to realize that engaging in activities that cause a release of adrenaline could cause fatigue afterward. In the short term, adrenaline makes you feel more alert. But in the long term, you become tired. Thus, the concept of stress management is introduced. We time stress to happen at the right time, not before, because if adrenaline rush happens early the rooster is tired when fight time comes. It is known to us cockers as the off syndrome.download
Factor in stress management
How does one manage stress in order for it to happen at the right time?
Foremost, there is the question of proper handling on the day of the fight. From travelling to arrival in the cockpit to the hours leading to actual fight, pitfalls abound. Mistakes in handling are waiting to happen that will cause premature stress and thus causing off syndrome. Too much heat during travel; too much anxiety of the roosters upon arrival; poor cockhouse management may all lead to premature stress. Finally care should be taken during the limbering, heeling and the heating up in the pit.
Then there is the matter of actual physical conditioning of the fowl. A physically fit fowl has the better chance of coping with stress and turning the subsequent adrenaline rush to advantage. A poorly conditioned rooster will not be able to sustain the physical metamorphosis that will take place during the resulting adrenaline rush. For these some supplement such as the protein creatine and sugar ribose will be helpful, as well as vitamins and minerals. Ample reserves of glycogen and glucose in the blood are also necessary.
Ribose, is a unique, sugar that occurs naturally in all living cells. It forms the carbohydrate portion of DNA and RNA, the building blocks of life. Ribose is also the sugar that begins the metabolic process for production of adenosine triphosphate (or ATP). ATP is the major source of energy used by cells including muscle tissue for normal function. In this regard ribose works in partner-ship with creatine. The reason ribose and creatine are so closely related is the way in which they do their thing. There is also a well defined synergy between the two.
Training exercise too is a must. “Regular physical exercise is a simple and effective means of preparing the rooster’s body to cope with stress and react positively. Exercise accustoms the rooster’s body to releasing natural chemicals such as adrenaline. Proper exercises also tone the muscles to efficiency necessary in doing battle.
When we rely on the wonder of adrenaline, or the flight or fight hormone, to propel our warriors to above normal physical capability, then it is incumbent upon us to do everything to equip our fowl with adequate physical and mental foundation. After all, we are banking on something very natural to achieve more than natural heights of physical activities.
Yet, there is no guarantee of what we can achieve. That is the beauty in cockfighting. No matter what we do, we cannot be assured of the outcome of the fight. Thus, good cockers aim for victory but they readily accept defeat.
