It is not true that inbreeding is not done in Peru

(Beautiful specimen of the Peruvian on photo is owned by Jayson Garces)

Rafael Bazan is a champion breeder of Peruvian Navajeros, having won grand championships in Peru twice. In the following article published in Roosterman No. 41, he says it is not true that inbreeding is very seldom done in Peru. He reveals that most good Peruvian breeders inbred to maintain their bloodline.

Here's the article on Roosterman

by Rafael Bazan

The Peruvian is a breed that has been built over centuries which was intended for fighting with the knife. The characteristics of the Peruvian rooster such as its strength, size, and speed are not seen in other roosters of the world.

There have been many breeders that have formed a huge part in the bloodlines that exist today. To mention a few are Manuel Wong (Chino Chico), Fernando Graña, Abraham Wong, Manuel Barrenechea, the Rizo Patron brothers, Mariano Ramos, Chucho Grimaldi, Jose Luis Perez among many others. The majority of these breeders were active from the 60’s to the 80’s and their breeding farms were in different parts of Lima. The bloodlines of these breeders can be found in many of the roosters bred today.

Today there are many names of popular breeders. There is not one I can say is especially good because they compete differently. The truth is that there are many good breeders that have more than 30 years in breeding and maintaining their own bloodlines.

It is not true that in Peru inbreeding is not applied. The majority of prestigious breeders that I know maintain their phenotype and characteristics of fighting through inbreeding. Obviously, though, many refresh their lines with other lines but only a percentage until they see a positive effect or new crosses.

Peruvian breeders basically they look for power and speed. As for the style of fighting whether it is more air, or lower on the ground, or more intelligence really depends on each breeder and the development of their own bloodline in regards to their likes.

The majority of breeders put a rooster with a hen to evaluate each animal. Many times they are of the same family to continue the bloodline.

I breed the same rooster to the same hen 3 times a week until she starts to incubate her eggs. I choose to breed individuals in this manner as to know exactly what roosters and hens are giving good results. I don’t like mixing the eggs of various hens.

The majority of breeders usually hatch eggs the natural method and do not use incubators. Sometimes the mother does not become broody and lay on her on eggs so they use smaller hens to aid in hatching.

Each hen lays anywhere from 8 to 12 eggs. They are not always good at hatching out their eggs due to their large size. There are some breeders who are known for their large sized hens and roosters. In these cases, a smaller hen is used to hatch out the eggs or an incubator.

There are different companies that produce feed balanced from chicks until adulthood. A large percentage of breeders use as a base diet for roosters in training: corn, wheat, vitamins, minerals, and a probiotic supplement. An adult rooster usually is given 120 grams daily of feed as well as a little fresh alfalfa. A good diet should contain 16% protein with a good level of carbohydrates.

During the growth stages they are normally left free to roam depending on space each breeder has. There are breeders that have larger properties and others that have less space and breed in their yards or small pens. At around 6 or 7 months of age, they are enclosed in a cage of 1 square meter. This is for two reasons: space and tradition of what we have seen from generation to generation.

I have a few breeding pens 1.50 meters long and 1.20 meters wide that I put the rooster with the hen. In this same pen, the eggs are hatched and around 2 months later after being banded or marked, the chickens is move to a larger pen approximately 5 meters long by 5 meters wide. The chickens stay there for around 2 months and then are moved to an even larger pen of around 600 meters squared. Generally every year around 200 chickens (male and female) are hatched out. Right around 6 or 7 months of age, the males are removed and put in cages of 1.20 meters long by 1 meter wide. (More on the Peruvian on next issue of Roosterman)