A lot of fellow cockers called and sent text messages after the Fightingcock magazine featured my fowls twice on the front cover. Some thanking me for the informations therein, some really glad to read about Manong Mamie Lacson and his cocking career.

On my part, these queries from fellow cockers promt me to write more and be published in this magazine again. Most of the iquiries revolved around Grey broodcock “Bonito” which was on the cover a few issues ago. What I can say is this: of all the roosters of Manong Mamie, this color is favorite. Whenever he would have his picture taken holding a gamecock, the rooster will often be a grey. But when it comes to lineage he loved his Hi-Action and the Blueface lines. He rotates three lines of these fowls because these produce super fighters, ever since. They have style, power and everything you would like a fowls to have.

However, Manong Mamie’s problem came when buyers take gamecocks from him. Most of them are not familiar with conditioning these Hatches. So, here now is my experience in conditioning the Hi-Action and Blueface Hatches originated by Manong Mamie Lacson. With the help of veterinatian friends, first and foremost, Dr. J.B. Trinidad (Doc JBT) of Lakpue Drug, Inc., I learned a lot from him, and he opened my eyes to scientific facts, which are very helpful in conditioning the Hatch fowl.

Hatch fowls may be classified as a heavy breed, among gamefowls. Some cockers think that they are just like other strains and sometimes, even as light fowls. It’s the other way around. With light fowl, we can pack the body full, and fight then wet or with high body moisture. The Hatch would like the keel bone a bit prominent and their body, dry. Hungry and dry. That’s the time their cutting ability comes to fore.

One secret in conditioning Hatches is on the part on injecting vitamins B-12 supplement. Some advise that we inject them three (3) days before the fight. This can be dangerous. My experience before is that the fowls get hit on the neck because they charge gungho, “Sugod Marino”. What happens is that he delivers a lot of shuffles but they hit shallow. What does it mean?

This showns that the Hatches cut short when we injected Vitamin B-12 three days before the fight. I asked vets why this happens. Finally, Doc JBT showed me the explanation. He showed me that this short cutting must have something to do with cell regeneration whenever we inject Vitamin B-12 or cyanocobalamin.

Vitamin B-12 promotes cell regeneration. When the cells divide, the nuclei become small, but their number multiplied. The cock will cut short during the fight, too many punches but they lose their cutting ability.

There are two (2) things we can do to come up with good cutting and smart Hatch gamecocks. One is to fight them dry. The other is to inject Vitamin B-12 seven (7) days before the fight. The cells mature eight days after you inject the vitamins. Cutting cunning and smart fighting style of the Hatch will come out, not to mention their power.

We made a test. During conditioning, we inject three roosters with vitamin B-12 seven (7) days before the fight, and another two roosters, 3 days before the fight. Those injected 3 days before; all lost their fight, while those injected 8 days before the fight, all won. These proved that our theory must be right.

Now let me tell you nore about the Grey of Manong Mamie. I first acquired this Grey when I repaired Manong Mamies’s incubator in Zaragosa where he bred his aces. He gifted me with an Oscar Akins Grey. I can’t forget how this fowl looked like: he was straight combed; green legged and had a wound on his side due to a recent fight. Whenever he breaths, the air would escape from this wound. Manong Mamie told me to cure and nurse the fowl, which he eventually gave to me. I bred the rooster, and then fought his son in our place in ilog. The stag won unscratched. That’s the time I got interested in cockfighting. I can’t forget it.

When Manong Mamie died, joey (his only son) and I went up to Mambucal. We thought of what to do. Now that everything is left with joey, we were at a lost on where to begin. I told him “Joey you handle all the feeds and feeding. Find a way to lessen the expenses on feeds.” During that time, feed cost was up to 60 thousand per month. “How come, Joey? Your father has only a few heads, why does feed cost P60,000 ?” I added, “I’ll take care of the sick…. With authory to kill or cull those which should be eliminated.” To these, Joey agreed.

Manong Mamie’s problem with his chickens by the time of his death was worms. He seldom dewormed and relied mainly on “bunga” which killed only tapeworms. Joey handled the feeds well. He was able to cut the expenses by alomost one-half (P30,000). He talked with the caretakers one by one and asked them the actual amount of the feeds they have to give to specific number of fowls. He eventually cut the cost down.

Now comes the broodfowls. We were surprise to know that Manong Mamie har 125 broodcocks. We cut this down to 60. The stag out of these 60 broodcocks followed. We attached slashers on them and fought them among themselves. The winners proved that the blueface lines are great. Some won three times, even when afflicted with CRD or roup. The broodcocks were narrowed down to 30 heads. These are super. Thet are good cutters, flyers, with nice fighting styles. A lot of were Blueface. Maybe 20 out of the 30 broodcockd were Blueface or Mclean. From this, I proved to myself that Hatches are good bloodlines……

..…to be continued…