Carabao Chicken Fights

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parrot
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Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by parrot » May 23, 2017, 11:33 am

On the Udon-Loei Highway, just past 21km from Udon, I've been told Carabao is building an arena for chicken fights. Not everyone's cup of tea, I understand, but for many people in Isaan, it's a tradition, like bullfighting in Mexico/Spain. The building (about 50% complete) is just past SaiJai's BBQ Chicken (my neighborhood favorite), on the left hand side of the highway as you're heading to Nongwahsaw.

Soon after we arrived in Thailand 20+ years ago, I saw a chicken fight in a small village......crowd of people slinging 20 baht notes as the fight went on. I was more interested in how the owners cared for their animals than the fight itself........cleaning up wounds with brews of herbs before a quick stitch up, some blew smoke from the herbs into the wounds, washing the animal to cool it down between rounds. A chicken that's not chicken in the ring can command many 10,000's or even 100,000's of Baht.

Occasionally, even in town (near the mosque), I'll see owners of fighting chickens in a sling across their shoulder as they travel to various fighting locations, especially on Sunday.

One day, just down from MaeYah Restaurant, while my wife was having her teeth cleaned, I watched a shop owner bath and preen his fighting chicken for easily 30 minutes in the front of his shop.

Not for everyone......but definitely part of the local culture.



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Re: Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by wazza » May 23, 2017, 11:45 am

Legal or not?

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camps
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Re: Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by camps » May 23, 2017, 1:01 pm

parrot wrote:On the Udon-Loei Highway, just past 21km from Udon, I've been told Carabao is building an arena for chicken fights. Not everyone's cup of tea, I understand, but for many people in Isaan, it's a tradition, like bullfighting in Mexico/Spain. The building (about 50% complete) is just past SaiJai's BBQ Chicken (my neighborhood favorite), on the left hand side of the highway as you're heading to Nongwahsaw.

Soon after we arrived in Thailand 20+ years ago, I saw a chicken fight in a small village......crowd of people slinging 20 baht notes as the fight went on. I was more interested in how the owners cared for their animals than the fight itself........cleaning up wounds with brews of herbs before a quick stitch up, some blew smoke from the herbs into the wounds, washing the animal to cool it down between rounds. A chicken that's not chicken in the ring can command many 10,000's or even 100,000's of Baht.

Occasionally, even in town (near the mosque), I'll see owners of fighting chickens in a sling across their shoulder as they travel to various fighting locations, especially on Sunday.

One day, just down from MaeYah Restaurant, while my wife was having her teeth cleaned, I watched a shop owner bath and preen his fighting chicken for easily 30 minutes in the front of his shop.

Not for everyone......but definitely part of the local culture.
Not sure Parrot but I think Carabao bought and sold the chicken "stadium" at the back of the Saturday market venue, where if you enjoy that kind of thing, still takes place every week. One of my friends,neighbour is well into it and spends at least 10 hours a day preening, cleaning, nursing his 20 odd chickens. His wife needs an appointment just to see him.....he travels most weekends to "events" around the country and like you said, these chickens can command big money depending on where and who's chicken they have fought. I've been to a few and not my cuppa tea, especially the sewing of the eyes together, but it is their culture and way of life.....

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Re: Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by Barney » May 23, 2017, 4:14 pm

Chicken fights, is that the PC way of saying it. :D
2 stories
When I lived in Khon Kaen for a couple of years the guy next door had a small children's size swimming pool area.
He always had heaps of visitors turning up at all times with their cocks. Some beautiful birds. They would only train there, not stage fights he must have been to village guru of cock fighting. Most had there feet covered for protection when training, but very occasionally one was not and a training sacrifice bird would be introduced. Blood every where. Any way one day I was sitting watching and they had what would be described as the best cock in town arrive. Beautiful young bird, big and looked the best I had seen. Every one was excited.
Any way got the best laugh one day when this bird young bird jumped the small fence and escaped into the sugar cane. About a dozen or more guys were running around smashing cane down for about 20 minutes trying to catch him. Finally a few Leos were consumed when they got him back, very ruffled up by this time. All had a good laugh.

While there I was asked if I was going to Vietnam again. Why, they wanted me to bring back eggs from Vietnam for breeding. Had a contact lined up for me. I naturally said no. The reason is they said some breeds of the Vietnamese cock birds are far better fighters than Thailand and they wanted to introduce new blood lines into the Thai birds.

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Re: Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by stattointhailand » May 23, 2017, 4:32 pm

"they wanted to introduce new blood lines into the Thai birds."

Half the expats in Udon have been trying to do that for years :-"

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Re: Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by parrot » May 23, 2017, 7:20 pm

15 or so years ago while in Pitsanulok, we saw a champion bird going for 400,000 Baht.

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Re: Carabao Chicken Fights

Post by Shado » May 25, 2017, 6:54 pm

CHIANG MAI - A 16-month-old fighting cock with a record of three straight victories has been sold for one million baht. Cockfighting enthusiasts on Wednesday flocked to Sum-an fighting cock farm in Saraphi district of this northern province to witness the sale of the rooster, said to be of the Phama Mahwing variety, a cross breed of Thai and Myanmar cocks.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... b1-million

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