How to improve the modern fowl by breeding in old traits

By RB Sugbo Gamefowl Technology

Some famous modern bloodlines are slipping away or deteriorating. The reason: too much concentration of traits for the slasher or LK fighting. Yes traits for the LK such as defensive maneuvers, keeping the opponent at safe distance, and flicking, jabbing blows tend to sacrifice equally important fighting traits as gameness, power and endurance. RB Sugbo bloodlines are no exception. That's why we acted before it's too late. We brought in imported bloodlines for the purpose.

Among RB Sugbo’s breeding objectives is to make available to the common sabungero quality bloodlines at affordable prices. We have done it, and we continue doing it through Scorpion Ox Gamefarm.

Nonetheless, we have kept a few bloodlines exclusive for our own use, because prudence dictates that we do so. It is not that we keep them to ourselves because they are very good, but because they serve special purpose to our breeding programs, and maybe not to those of others. Yes, we have None for Sale (NFS) bloodlines and one of them is the Steel Magnolia shuffler.

The Steel Magnolia shuffler originally came from Chet Layne. Subsequently, Chet got a trio from Steel Magnolia and produced nine males. The first two that Chet fought lost. But the remaining seven won four derbies in gaff, short knife, and long knife. This showed the versatility of their shuffler.

Chet won a 5-cock derby in Mcdowell, Kentucky using cocks from the same trio. He had two entries in that derby. One entry scored five straight wins, the other had 4 wins and a loss.

Steel Magnolia also won a couple of 4-cock derbies in Mississippi using own bloodlines. Those were the days when cockfighting was still legal in the states.

Steel Magnolia has three main bloodlines—the roundhead, the Albany and the shuffler. Obviously, the shuffler is the favorite as, according to a common friend, 80-90% of roosters at Steel Magnolia farm are black.

We brought in to RB Sugbo all three main SM bloodlines--the shuffler, Albany and roundhead-- to make these bloodlines available to the common game fowl raisers who otherwise might find it hard to access these magnificent but not so commercial bloodlines.

We will be selling the Albany and the roundhead through Scorpion Ox, but not the shuffler as is. The shuffler brood cock and hens we got were handpicked and matched by the breeder himself, and we have made a commitment to a friend that we will not be selling the offspring out of these materials. RB Sugbo will try to make the produce from these original materials as a foundation stock of the SM shuffler in this part of the world.

We will however, be making available our own version of the shuffler as soon as we can develop some. After all we are aiming to produce versions of the shuffler that are better suited for slasher fighting as we consider the SM shufller, as is, as an old bloodline.

Old bloodlines are not beautiful enough, and not good enough for today’s long knife competitions, but they have uncompromised gameness and extreme endurance which most new bloodlines lack.

Why? Because these oldies were bred for the gaff, whereas our new bloodlines in the Philippines were bred for the long knife. As we said too much LK traits and too less gaff traits may spell disaster.

So, maybe it wouldn’t hurt if from time to time we go breeding back to old reliable lines and give our lines the much needed dose of gameness and endurance. These two attributes of old gaff bloodlines are always necessary in winning closely contested fights even in the LK.

Another theory in favor of breeding back to the old reliable is that the genetic composition of these old bloodlines, are very much different from the new ones we have today. If we breed one new bloodline to another new bloodline the genetic make up of the resulting offspring is not much different. On the other hand, breeding new to old will result in more genetic diversity. Breeders and geneticists would tell us that greater diversity in a gene pool is desirable. This increases the chances of a nick. Remember inbreeding and crossbreeding?

For more about advantages of cross breeding and genetic diversity read the E-book “Simple Ideas on Breeding That Work” and other publications in Suregain Library which are free to members of Suregain Club.