why would you Dub a chicken???

[wolftracks]

I've had Games with both. The combed ones looked cool, but I also like the way the dubbed ones looked.

They don't grow back. Once it's done it's done.

If you want birds that don't need dubbed to show, then just pick a breed. Not many need this done.

 

[Pele]

This is an interesting topic, and there is no one single answer as to why it is done.

Yes it was a traditional thing that stemmed from cockfighting, but it does have a couple of real-world applications that are pertinant in this day and age.

1.) Roosters with very large combs are VERY prone to frostbite. Frostbite can turn into gangrene, which can turn into blood poisoning and death. If you live in a cold area, and have expensive purebred birds, that might be of great concern to you.

2.) Some breeds of chicken are more aggressive and flighty than others. I have seen several people post on the forum about one of their roosters pecking at and maiming another rooster's wattles when they weren't around to intervene. If your rooster has an excessively big comb and wattle, that bright red is a screaming target to other roos.

3.) Some breeds have HUGE combs that eventually end up flopping over under their own weight. This looks excessively silly, and also puts the bird at a disadvantage against spotting predators since it often covers one eye. You can also see where some people would be very upset if their show quality bird suddenly had his comb flop, and now you have an extremely expensive purebred bird that the judges would just laugh at.

Just some food for thought. It's actually not just only done out of cruel human vanity (though admittedly, sometimes it is).

 

[thegreatfandango]

Modern Game is one of the most commonly dubbed for show. Modern Game are a breed that descended from cockfighting roots, but is used completely for show (since they are otherwise useless, they are cool though). My family is from Indonesia and cockfighting is still legal in many places there and is a big gambling sport. All of these birds are dubbed to avoid life threatening injury from infection as many of the owners make their living on fighting them. I completely understand peoples view of cockfighting as an act of cruelty, however I won't judge people who have so little. They do what they can to scrape by and feed their kids. FYI if in Indonesia avoid cockfights as it is a nasty event, like bull fighting, completely not for the faint of heart or squeamish. Just as a point of history for you Cockfighting and Dog Fighting were very common American pastimes until they were outlawed.

 

[Gladiator]

Quote:
I think Pele gave basicaly all the answers, I would like to add however the fact that in areas infected with mosquitoes, the comb could represent a bridge for sickness to the bird as I have already experienced. I would like to enfacice the fact that for us who free range for part of the day, a dubed comb is a most in orther to give the bird a much verer panoramic vew of the suroundings against predators. And the one reason that many sometimes feel afraid to talk about; Show purposes. I would like to acnowledge, that what I'm about to discuse now is just something that I feel I need to express my self about and I'm not picking on anibody, we are among friends here and inteligent people. The standards of certain birds like American Games, call for the cock to be dubed at one year, and when we say that, with all respect, we tend to say it some times like if it is the fault of the breed organisation who make the rules; my friends, we the fanciers are the reason for the organisation standards. we the fanciers prefere to have our cocks dubed not only because all of the good reasons mentioned by Pele, but also because we feel and is our personal opinion that gamecocks look much more handsome dubed and in accordance with their proud personality, we like it that way and is also our right to act acordingly. I'm also of the oppinion than certain breeds have awesome combs, including american games and we respect the oppinions of them who would preffere not to dub. I've heard sometimes coments of not dubbing advocates, as if they would like to change certain rules of show to satisfie their oppinion as to what they feel is right. I feel oppinions shoul be respected, not tried to shange; for example, if you feel you want to show your american games with comb, do the same that us who prefere to dub have done, that is, get together, and create your own organitation of combed gamecocks. I'll be the first one to show mine with comb with you and them, as soon as I finish there, go ahead and dube them and show them again how I realy like it, among them who preffere to dube as I'm one of them. As to dubbing been inhumane, I have to totaly desagree with such statement. In the first place, dubbing is a good husbandry practice for all the practical reasons already mentioned. When it comes to looks, is also acceptable. Dubing do not cause any trauma to the chicken or health problems to its long termn existance, is a very fast process and healing is astonishingly quick with out even living scars. Is very veneficial to the bird in many ways. On the other hand, animal psicohology is totaly different in many ways to that of humans. You can not aply certain human feelings to animals simply because they just dont aplay. For example: Humans loose an ear, and they become so petifull about it that it will cause them serious psicological traumas in some cases. A cock or a dog is not self concerned about their look, so, they would not care if he still hava its comb and watles or not, or if a peace of ear or tail is missing. Firstly the missing of this body parts will not afect the animals health or ability to performe their daily business and second, they dont care if they have it or not, so why should we be over concerned with this ? It is ironic sometimes how certain good concerned citicens that are against the practice of dubbing, ducking and crooping, are also strong supporters of the practice of neutering and spaying. Wile dubing, ducking and crooping will not afect the animals health in any way, the practice of neutering and spaying, however, becomes responsable for the lack of important hormonal functions with in the animals body that end up as I have seen many times, in serious health problems like ovesity for example. My friends, I'm a strong veliver of the idea of living and letting others live.
Sometimes I feel we get to passionate about our oppinions to the point of loosing a little of reason and, with all respect, falling into ciliness.
Wen talking about inhumane, I'll tell you what I velieve is inhumane from the buttom of my hart. I velieve to be inhumane that in years to come I have the police bringing my front door down with guns in hands, endangering my hole familly as to if they were coming after a very dangerous criminal, because a neigbore reported me dubbing a comb, putting a chicken comb value over that of the safety and life of a human been. That I think, will be a very sad day in the history of this country and I hope I never see it come.

My regards to every one who have participated here and my respects for everyones oppinions

 

[kyeschicks]

My rooster would get really bad frostbite so we decided to dub him

 

[bald k9]

Silly question But I thought the comb was kind of like a cooling system to help regulate their body heat? If this is correct, then if dubbed does it affect the birds [cooling system]? Yes silly question I know

 

[Gladiator]

Quote:
Yes, it is a coling sistem, or so its been said before, but I think you miss the poin. It does not afect the animals health in any way. I've been around chicken for as long as I can remember and there is not a single difference in the way a cock will act in the hot sumer with or with out a comb. What about the chicks an young cock that dont even have a comb or that take longer in developing one like it is the case of pea combed birds? How do they get afected by not even having a vestige of a well developed comb? I dont think you can compare that with the efect of stoping important hormonal functions with in the body of an animal as it is the invasive practice of neutering and spaying. I apreciate your input.

 

[kyeschicks]

Quote:
Yes, it is a coling sistem, or so its been said before, but I think you miss the poin. It does not afect the animals health in any way. I've been around chicken for as long as I can remember and there is not a single difference in the way a cock will act in the hot sumer with or with out a comb. What about the chicks an young cock that dont even have a comb or that take longer in developing one like it is the case of pea combed birds? How do they get afected by not even having a vestige of a well developed comb. I dont think you can compare that with the efect of stoping important hormonal functions with in the body of an animal as it is the invasive practice of neutering and spaying. I apreciate your input.

 

[bald k9]

Oh I dont disagree with dubbing, its like docking certian breed of dogs tails etc, I just didnt know if it affected the way they cool down ,

 

[centrarchid]

Another reason behind dubbing my birds with single combs is that it protects toes when winter conditions extreme. Dubbed birds seem less prone to loosing toes than those with intact combs. Otherwise dubbing is a pain to do. I wish it was not needed.