Most breeds only exist today because they are exhibited, not because they were developed for egg-laying, meat, utility, fighting, or beauty. Most breeds of birds today do not look anything like what they did 50 to 100 years ago if they existed at all. Before the birds are placed in the ring, the weapons are strapped to their natural spur, a boney point that has been filed down and blunted. Isn’t it hypocritical, however, that Vietnam’s cockfights are under such scrutiny by many of the same people who enjoy boxing or WWE Smackdown? People from New York to Los Angeles lined up to pay 25 cents to see the beakless wonder. We had a rooster that attacked people once, and it met the soup pot pretty quick.
Here’s one you don’t hear every day; a police officer in the Philippines died during a raid on an illegal cockfighting event when one of the roosters with a blade attached to its leg attacked the cop and caused a fatal wound. The Philippines have hosted many a World Slasher Derby. We also select because the bird wins shows, and we forget about other traits that may have been important. This trait may only be expressed when both recessive traits occur in the same bird but can http://45.64.128.187/ be carried for many generations. Very quickly, after just a few generations, one ends up with a bird looking more like its game fowl counterparts. I could see a bird had just been slaughtered.
Once upon a time, farmers came from a long line of farmers. Allow a breed of show birds to be naturally selected for survivability, and supposing that they are not wiped out totally by the elements and predators; they will evolve to something different in a very short time. This must be remembered if there is sufficient genetic variation in the birds to allow for the changes necessary to survive. Change in the physical appearance can only happen if there are alternate genes or mutation of the gene spontaneous changes in the trait the gene expresses, and under normal circumstances, this is rare. This may not eliminate a trait from a population but may reduce its percentage in the population.