by When you read a story about “chicken boxing”, you immediately check the date to make sure it wasn’t April 1st. At least, that is what I did. Turns out it was a legitimate story about a bill going through the Louisiana State Senate that would ban possession of cockfighting paraphernalia such as razor spurs and leather spur covers. Louisiana was the last state in the union to ban cockfighting which it did in 2008.
Opponents of the bill such as State Sen. Elbert Guillory (R-Opelousas) said the bill would shut down the sport of chicken boxing, a non-fatal version of cockfighting minus the razor spurs. Guillory’s opposition to the bill at a hearing before the Senate Committee for Judiciary C took its chairman State Sen. J. P. Morrell (D-New Orleans) by surprise as he was as ignorant of chicken boxing as the rest of us.
“Wait, wait, wait … chicken boxing?” Morrell said.
“Yes, chicken boxing,” Guillory replied.
At that point, it took Morrell a few stops and starts before he could articulate his point. A moment later, he was able to muster: “I appreciate your passion for your constituents, (but) I have no knowledge whatsoever on chicken boxing, so I cannot speak to that.”
Morrell continued, “If chicken boxing … I can’t even speak on chicken boxing. Honestly, I have never heard of that. It sounds like something to circumvent cockfighting.”
It was at that point that Guillory explained chicken boxing.
“No, no. Let me explain to you, senator,” Guillory said. “Just as dueling is a blood sport, two men fighting each other with swords is a blood sport that is illegal. Similarly, two men with boxing gloves on can box each other as a sport that is legal. This is the same distinction between chicken boxing and cockfighting.”
Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, was perplexed over the mechanics of chicken boxing.
“I would be very interested to find out how some chicken stands on two legs while it boxes,” Adley said. “I understand how humans do it, but I’m trying to figure out how it happens with a chicken. That would be interesting to determine.”
Chicken boxing notwithstanding the bill advanced to the full Senate on a 4-2 vote. I guess the majority just didn’t have an appreciation for the intricacies of chicken boxing.
They are making two animals fight for the entertainment of humans, and that is sick. I am no PETA type. I raise hogs, chickens, geese and ducks. We are adding heritage turkeys next week. I also slaughter and eat my share of the same, by my own hands. Everyone else gets them from me via a USDA processing plant.
That this bill puts in place "protections" for animals is bullshit regardless of whether you cover their spurs. Fact is a chicken can hurt another just fine with beaks and just wings alone. My birds free-range, and during Spring I have seen male birds pummel each other (this includes other species of bird) with nothing but wings. It's rare because they all have lots of space and we keep sex ratios to limit male competition. But I have had to split groups a few times. When they fight it's vicious and I don't find it entertaining and find people who enjoy it to be demented. I would not want such people near my kids or my family.
I raise animals for food and that means I know the circle of life. I would not torture any of God's creatures for fun. The way we see it around here our animals all have, "one great life and one bad day."