Cocks
Cocks are known for their distinct call, usually sounded early in the morning. The cock is often (accurately) pictured in art as crowing at the break of dawn. He can often be seen sitting on fence posts or other objects, where he crows to proclaim his territory. However, he will also crow during the rest of the day, and even sometimes on a bright moonlit night. He has several other calls as well, and can cluck the same as a hen.
Castrated Cocks
A capon is a cock whose testicles were removed at a young age. Typically the castration is performed when the cock is between 6 and 20 weeks old. The benefits are a non-aggressive cock that can serve as a mother for babies. They also produce ample, tender meat when butchered and as such are a choice piece of meat in some locales. Castration of cocks is banned in the United Kingdom - though the meat itself is not illegal - on animal welfare grounds … Click here to learn how to castrate a cock »
Cockfight
A cockfight is a contest held in a ring called a cockpit between two gamecocks. Gamecocks are not typical farm cocks. The cocks are specially bred and trained for increased stamina and strength. The comb and wattle is cut off of a young game cock because if left intact, it would be a disadvantage during a match. Sometimes they are given drugs to increase their stamina or thicken their blood, which increases their chances of winning. They possess an inherent aggression toward all males of the same species, and do not have to be trained to fight. It is a natural instinct and they will fight to the death with no training. Some people refer to conditioning as “training” and this has caused much confusion. Conditioning is giving an especially healthy diet and strengthening exercises to the gamecock before a contest. Cock fighting is considered a traditional sporting event by some, and an example of animal cruelty by others. Usually wagers are made on the outcome of the match, with the surviving or last-cock-standing being declared the winner.
Cocks as a food source
They provide two sources of food frequently consumed by humans: their meat, and eggs. With a population of more than 24 billion in 2003. Because of its relatively low cost among meats, cocks are one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat is cooked in many different ways around the world. Popular cock dishes include fried cock, cock soup, marinated cock wings, tandoori cock and buttered cock. Cock has a fairly neutral flavour and texture, and is used as a reference point for describing other foods; many are said to ‘taste like cock’ if they are indistinctive.
Pet Cocks
Cocks can make loving and playful pets. Most cocks like to played with by their owners on a regular basis. Some have advised against keeping certain breeds around young children, as the cocks can become territorial and violent. In Asia, cocks with striking plumage have long been kept for ornamental purposes, including feather-footed varieties such as the Cochin and Silkie from China and the extremely long-tailed Phoenix from Japan. Asian ornamental varieties were imported into the United States and Great Britain in the late 1800s. Distinctive American varieties of cock have been developed from these Asian breeds. Cock fanciers began keeping these ornamental cocks for exhibition, a practice that continues today.
Headless Cocks
Mike (The Headless Cock) (April 1945 - March 1947) was a Wyandotte cock that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off. Thought by many to be a hoax, its owner took it to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and had it examined, which confirmed that it was legitimate.
On Monday September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, USA, failed to completely decapitate the five-and-a-half month old bird named Mike, leaving one ear and most of the brain stem intact. Not quite sure what to do with his by now loose head, on the first night after the decapitation Mike slept with it under his wing; it was this touching tenacity to life and the now redundant organ that convinced Olsen to reprieve Mike from the cooking pot. Mr. Olsen continueed to care for Mike, feeding him a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper; he was also fed small grains of corn.
In March 1947, Mike choked to death in the middle of the night. As the Olsens had inadvertently left their feeding and cleaning syringes at the sideshow the day before, they were unable to save Mike. Post mortem, it was determined that the axe blade had missed the jugular vein and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was severed, most of his brain stem and one ear was left on his body.
Cock Manipulation
A cock can be hypnotized, or put into a trance, by holding its head down against the ground, and continuously drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at its beak and extending straight outward in front of the cock. If the cock is hypnotized in this manner, it will remain immobile for somewhere between 15 seconds and 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line. This technique is useful for farmers who need to slaughter a cock and do not have help immediately available. It is also useful in feeding large pet reptiles who are too slow to catch a moving cock. The first known written reference for this method came in 1646, in Mirabile Experimentum de Imaginatione Gallinae by Athanasius Kircher.
Courting a Cock
When a rooster finds food he may call the other chickens to eat it first. He does this by clucking in a high pitch as well as picking up and dropping the food. This behavior can also be observed in mother hens, calling their chicks. In some cases the rooster will drag the wing opposite the hen on the ground, while circling her. This is part of cock courting ritual. When a hen is used to coming to his “call” the rooster may mount the hen and proceed with the fertilization.
Cock links
