Cape Breton's Magazine

these mutts on--they can't hurt themselves that bad. So, they'd always be sparring-- I'd watched them sparring ever since I could remember. So I knew what was going to happen at the fight. (Do you remember whether you enjoyed it or not?) No, I never did really enjoy it. No. I liked it, but I didn't really enjoy it. (Now, make that more clear for me. What do you mean by you liked it but you didn't really enjoy it?) I liked the company and I liked being there, but--and, like I say, I didn't even like my uncle losing a bird. I used to think there might be a better way, but there didn't seem to be at the time, so I'd go along with it. But that's--when I went back into it, that was the understand? ing I gave those fellows, that I'd do the breeding, they'd do the fighting. I didn't want to get back into it. But I had to, be? cause I'd bred a bunch of birds. What was I going to do with them? I couldn't sell them. They weren't proven. Once they were proven, everybody wants them. But nobody's going to buy a bird they don't know if it can fight or not. So you've got to prove the bird. So I had to fight them. Once I got them proven, I sold them all. But I really like--I like breeding them. They're fantastic birds. It costs money, though, to raise them--costs quite a lot of it. Some of those little buggers only about 5 weeks old when you've got to part them. Jim: Five weeks, yes, and 3 weeks. They'll kill each other at 3 weeks old. (Oh. So you really do mean it when you say they're born with it.) Oh, yeah. Nothing to start fighting at 3 weeks. And it's a funny thing, you know, you take two little chickens like that, and they'll beat each other till they can't see--their eyes'11 be closed. You take them and you put one in a pen, one in another pen, and leave them in there for a week till they heal up. And let them out. And they'll go right by every other bird till they hit each other, and they'll go right back at her, right where they left off. That's what happens. They fight. They start killing each other off. When they get a little bigger--3 months old, 4 months old--two of them will get in a fight. You might have 10 of them there. and two of them will get in a fight. The others'11 stand there and watch, till one of them gets cut, starts bleeding. They'll pile on him. They'll kill him. You'll end up with one rooster by the time they're 6 months old. (If you leave them live to? gether.) Yeah. So what you do: when they're 3 or 4 weeks old and they're out, you throw a cock out to them. That's where this old saying-- "cock of the walk." They throw a cock out. They grow up with him. When any of them get in a fight, he goes over and shows them who's boss right now. As long as he's over them, he'll break up every fight. They're cowed under him. He's the boss. You wait till they get 5 months old. And take him away and throw another cock (in). They'll kill him stone dead. They'll all gang up on him. (So, for awhile then you keep this "cock of the walk.") Yeah, to give them range ''Glace Bay YMCA I Enterprise Centre "TURNING YOUR IDEA INTO BUSINESS" A NEW SPIRIT is BORN in GLACE BAY ARE YOU UNEMPLOYED? DO YOU NEED CONSULTATION? DO YOU NEED SUPPORT SERVICES? W 1 Glace Bay Enterprise • You may be eligible for our free Entrepreneurial Training Program. • We can help you devebp and implement your business plan. • We provide rental space, pho? tocopier, computers and printers, typing, answering services, etc., below market cost. P. O. Box 250 YMCA 100 Reserve Street Centre Giace say, N. S. 849-1794 EXCELLENT DINING PATIO OR INDOORS Beverage Room & Grill D.J. 6 Nights a Week Live Matinee Every Saturday 458 CHARLOTTE STREET • DOWNTOWN SYDNEY MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED '; ''* Experience the Nite Life DOWN UNDER" ' Sydney's Hottest Dance Club ~