All male birds are cocks

[urbpan]

The news of the bust of a canary-fighting ring in my home state has me thinking:

Firstly, how did investigators come to suspect a fighting ring? They must have had an "in" into the world of songbird fighting for gambling purposes. I'd watch an episode of that reality show.

More compelling, since this is the first I've heard of the sport of canary fighting, I wonder how much the practice has driven canary breeding over the years. Chickens are tasty, but owe much of their worldwide distribution and current genetic stock to cockfighting. You don't keep bantams around just for those tiny eggs.

Likewise, some of the most popular pet dog breeds (I almost said "best," but you know my bias) owe their existence to the Michael Vicks of the past. Not just American pit bulls (and the many dogs that look like them), but many of the currently popular Japanese breeds, and even the cute yoda-faced Boston terrier, were developed in the pursuit of superior fighting dogs.

I bet those bettas (you know, Siamese fighting fish) lingering in brandy snifters and plastic cubes in pet stores everywhere owe much of their prevalence and genetic make up to the legacy of fish-fighters.

Comments

[cdozo.livejournal.com]

Rescue?!?! Maybe I could get my chickens from the rescue people. Would this work? Do all girl chickens lay eggs?

I don't want any roosters. They are too noisy.

[rinalia.livejournal.com]

You can certainly inquire at your local shelter. Another option is seeing if you have a local pasture-raised egg farmer - they sometimes prefer placing/selling their "spent" hens over slaughter. The hens will go on to lay many eggs for quite a few years, just not at their peak production levels.

I have a soft spot for roosters (well, nice roosters anyways). :)