6-Week Postiza Keep
Submitted by Jim Fulton
As everyone should know by now , you cannot make a rooster a better fighter, but in the competition for the naked heel , postiza , and quarto, stamina and endurance play a big role, and this keep is designed for that goal. This keep takes 6 weeks total, and includes a 1 week rest for the last week before the fight. As an example I will give the dates to work, according to an upcoming fight in May. The things you will need for this keep are : 2 pairs of muffs, some thin medical tape (the cloth kind), a spray bottle( with water and about 2 tsp. of alcohol) for misting their feathers, some Vaseline, as good a grain mix as you can afford, and fresh water everyday.
You will be working your birds every 3rd day, with a "hard" workout every 6th day, and you will be working with 2 birds at a time. This WILL build stamina in your roosters, AND yourself. I will give a detailed description of the terms Run, Flirts, and Trim out, after the dates and routines. Before each " hard " workout you will need to put on their muffs, mist their feathers (misting keeps their feathers from breaking as easy), and tearing off a piece off the medical tape about 1/4 in. wide and about 5 in. long, you will need to tape their bills. Open their beak and put your finger crossways to hold it open. Next lay one end of the tape on the inside tip of the lower bill, and wrap a small end of it under the bill to hold it then make 3 full wraps , and then close the top part of the bill on the tape and finish wrapping the whole bill. The reasons for doing this are to keep them from pulling out feathers when they spar , and it discourages them from getting a bill hold. They will be able to breath fine and about half way through, they will work it off anyway.
4/7 Sat. ~ 5 min. run ~ 40 flirts
4/10 Tue. ~ 40 flirts
4/13 Fri. ~ 10 min. run ~ 50 flirts
4/16 Mon. ~ 60 flirts
4/19 Thu. ~ 12-15 min. run ~ 60 flirts
4/22 Sun. ~ 70 flirts
4/25 Wed. ~ 15 min. run ~ 80 flirts
4/28 Sat. ~ 100 flirts " Trim out "
5/1 Tue. ~ 15 min. run ~ 100 flirts
5/4 Fri. ~ 100 flirts
5/7 Mon. ~ 20 min. run ~ 100 flirts
5/10 Thu. ~ 100 flirts
5/13 Sun. ~ 5-10 min. run ~ 100 flirts
Rest For One Week
5/19 Sat. ~ Fight Day !
After each workout Rub downward on his breast and then each leg, about 15 times.
Put some Vaseline on their legs and a little on their heads and beaks. look for any "bad" spots
Run :
A run starts with allowing the 2 roosters to spar for about a min., then pick up one of the birds and " lead " the other with him. With a rooster in your hands and bending over low enough to keep the one on the ground eye level with the one in your hands, and lead him to the right, and then pass over him and move to the left, and back again for a min. then release or toss the bird a few feet away, let them "buckle" and then pick up the other bird and do the same with him for a min. Let them spar again for a min. then do it all over again. As the routines get longer (second "hard" workout) a move that you will need to work in is, passing the bird in your hands behind the one on the ground and make him turn round and round keeping his eyes on the other bird. Go round and round to the right , to make your bird spin to the right , and then go left. Do this for about 15 sec. each direction then run some more. By the time your up to a 15 min. run , you will be letting them actually spar for 2 to 3 min. between runs.
Flirts :
Flirts are similar to most except as you hold the bird with both hands, facing away from you, place your thumbs on his back, by his tail, and holding him 2-3 foot off the floor, push your thumbs down and "flick" him out of your hands. This will cause him to kick his legs forward and flap aggressively to regain his balance . Pick him up quickly and do it again. The second kind of flirt is opposite. Holding his breast in one hand , and placing your other hand under his tail or vent, move your hand up quickly from his vent(flick) and releasing his breast at the same time, causing him the sensation of falling forward, and making him "work" to regain balance. Do a equal amount of both ( example. 40 Flirts - 20 forward flirts + 20 reverse flirts)
Trim Out :
If you have seen Cuban or Spanish birds fight before , you might have noticed that it looks like their legs and backs are shaved. This is to aid in cooling, and the feathers are actually cut off with scissors, from the legs, abdomen and vent, lower part of the breast, and the back area up to the hackles. The hackles are sometimes trimmed also
Feeding :
Feed all they can eat at a time. On work days , don't feed at all until after the work . Twice a week put some boiled egg into their regular feed. The last feeding on Friday before the fight, mix the feed with some honey and cut in half with "Grape Nuts" or Granola. On fight day, take a banana with you and after the fight, clean him up real good , and take him were he can eat and just let him have some banana( if he's not beat up too bad).
Rest :
Rest is just as important as the workout ( for you and your roosters). Avoid the temptation to work or play with them on the rest week . If you have a hen with them ?, remove it a few days before the fight.( To make them a little more anxious ).
Well this is the keep I use, and It has served me well. You cannot go wrong if you follow it , and you will notice a marked improvement in you birds on fight day.