Why control cock's body moisture for fight
Hydration is important in game fowl conditioning. With the right balance of water and moisture containing proper nutrition, the body receives the fuel it needs to perform at its very best
Too much water increases the rooster’s weight which is not necessarily good for combat where power and body weight ratio counts. On the other hand, dehydration weakens the rooster. So how much water is too much and how much is too little?
Fighting action produces heat. In humans prevention of overheating occurs by transfer of heat to the skin by vasodilation of the skin heat circulatory system, and by the cooling effect of evaporation of sweat. Game fowl do not have sweat glands. They cool the body by vasodilation and evaporation through breathing or panting.
Evaporation through panting causes body fluid losses from moisture in exhaled air. Unless these fluid losses are replaced, evaporation will result in progressive depletion of circulating blood volume, leading to dehydration, one effect of which is thickening of blood.
Many cockers believe this is advantageous and they intentionally dehydrate their rooster in advance of the fight to avoid too much blood to flow when the rooster is wounded. But, dehydration strains the cardiovascular system, and increases heart rate in order for the thick blood to circulate to and from the heart to the muscles and other organs. As blood volume depletes, blood flow is reduced. Thus, during drag fights, heat dissipation from the body is impaired, causing body core temperature to rise. In turn, this will result in heat stress that will cause the rooster to pass out, collapse or die prematurely.
Too much water leads to too much body weight. On the other hand dehydration weakens the body. This is a cocker’s predicament.
Most game fowl handlers withhold water from their roosters as the day of the fight nears. They have been doing this without necessarily knowing the exact reason. Some say to reduce body weight. Others contend it will avoid blood from flowing when the rooster is wounded.
The best scientific explanation, however, is that too much water will result in hypotonic conditions inside the body that will cause the cell to lyse (burst) resulting in a phenomenon known as hemolysis. Hemolysis is the breakdown of the red blood cells that contains hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen within the body. Breakdown of red blood cells hampers distribution of oxygen around the body, muscles and vital organs, and thus affects performance.
For best game cock hydration, look for hydrophilic or plant derived minerals. A poor alternative are the minerals found in the common MVEs or Multivitamins with elelectrolytes water soluble powder for game fowl available in the market. The minerals these products contain ar the ordinary metalic minerals.
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