Alot of people are so closed minded, and assuming people are automaticly going something wrong harmful or illegal is just wrong as a person. I own 26 Gamefowl birds all are dubbed completely. For all of you who don't know, in 2003 the national poultry council announced that dubbing your bird can cause short term stress but creates a long term welfare for your poultry flock. Combs if you don't know can grown excessive and cause the head to permanently sink into the chest to where the bird can't longer raise its head. My reasons for dubbing 1 it can very cold here to temps like last week of -15 with wind chills and so creates lots of possible chances for frost bites ( which can lead to gangrene) deceases etc. Second its a standard for showing their breeds in a poultry show or fair.
People need to learn how not to quickly judge others or jump to a conclusion. And obviously if its not a fighting bird or bred for fighting your neighbor wasn't doing anything illegal or wrong with him.
There is no logic mixed up in all of this. It is 100% emotion.
There is nothing wrong with people that do not like the idea of dubbing, and that some do dub their birds does not make them evil either. These birds do not feel sorry for themselves the way we do.
I liked the two suggestions to take the bird back and kill it. I think the bird would prefer not having a comb, LOL..
You cannot train a bird to be mean. They are or they are not. It is genetic, and when a bird is a "man fighter", there is something wrong upstairs and their is not a whole lot you can do about it. The last thing that you want to do is allow this bird to breed, because he will make more like him. The irony is, concerning people, the game breeds are often the most mild mannered of all of the breeds.
Since these birds were Jungle Fowl, male birds fought male birds, for territory and rights to the "flock". That is why they crow. They are "marking" their territory. Gamecocks have been bred for this trait (that is there naturally), and as a result of domestication many breeds have lost this trait. These are instinctive behaviors, not behaviors that were manipulated out of the birds.
I do not dub, and would not like having to. If I lived farther North, I would dub or have a breed that I did not have to dub. I had a discussion with some one not long ago about dubbing and frostbite on her bird's combs. Her reply that dubbing was cruel. I was kind of thinking that allowing them to have frost bitten combs was cruel. That is were the logic and emotion get mixed up.
I have no interest in, or do I condone cock fighting. It still exists but it is a dying sport. A few hundred years ago, a lot of people did it. Including the forefathers that is quoted in a signature on this thread. The Gamecock was second to the Eagle for the national animal. Shakespeare mentioned the gamecock as one of the few animals to be most admired.
Most people that keep these breeds today, keep them because they admire the breed. Many keep them in a manner in line with how they were historically kept. I do not think this makes the keeper or the birds evil. I do not have any, but I do admire the breeds. I admire their health, vigor and spirit that cannot be equaled by any other breed. The smartest, most vigorous, and most spirited birds I have ever been around have been game breeds. Some of the best keepers of fowl I have ever met, have been people that kept game breeds. The most well kept birds I have ever been around were game breeds.
I have seen many more poorly kept laying flocks or pet birds than otherwise. By people that are emotionally attached but have no clue what is best for the birds, or just irresponsible people in general.
What I am trying to do in this emotionally charged topic, is appeal for some reason. I guarantee if the dubbed bird was watched over a couple weeks, it would have been noticed that the bird never missed a beat. He was just as healthy and proud as he was before. The way a male bird should be. Vigorous, proud, and healthy.
I hope that we do not lose our game breeds, and we will unless the knowledgeable experienced keepers of these birds are continued to be allowed to do so in peace. Most of them do not fight birds anymore. It is still around, but it is a dying past time. Lets just not judge the majority over the minority.
And if someone's beliefs and philosophies differ than your own . . . give them some space. What I do is make a judgment based on the birds themselves. If they are vigorous and healthy, I feel good about what I see. If they are poorly kept, weak, and sickly, then I have a problem with how they are kept. These birds do not look in the mirror. They do not care if they have a comb or not. Make a judgment on the quality of care the bird receives. Not on a single moment in time. After the act of dubbing, the birds go back to doing what birds do. They do not lay up in bed feeling sorry for themselves like we would.
This is coming from someone that does not dub, doesn't like the idea of it, and prefers large combs. Also someone that is no fan of cockfighting.
