On the way home to Cotabato from Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay passing through Narciso Ramos Highway this afternoon, I saw this handsome Aseel rooster by the roadside in Matanog, Maguindanao.
I got off my vehicle and took a few shots of him as he proudly strode by hardly intimidated by my presence.
Aseels are vicious Oriental fowls used in naked heel fighting in the Southern Philippines.
As meat chicken, they are tasty when young but the meat, including the skin, could be tough when they are over one year old.
The hens are stingy egg layers which is why it is difficult to breed them.
But they grow fast and the roosters could weigh up to 4 kilos.
They are believed to be the progenies of the huge Oriental fowls which Islamic missionaries brought into the south sometime in the 14th Century.
Local Muslims have kept the breed for Centuries which they use for naked heel fighting called “Paoakan.”
Why am I fascinated with the Aseels?
Well, it is simply because they are the base blood I used in developing the modern Philippine free-range chicken called Manok Pinoy.
Compared to their parents, the Aseels, the Manok Pinoys are docile and the hens are prolific egg layers.
While the Aseels are mostly red with yellow legs, the Manok Pinoy has become blackish with dark legs.
How I transformed the ferocious Aseel into a tasty free-range, grass eating meat and egg producing Manok Pinoy is a breeder’s secret.
(First two frames show the pure Aseel while the last two frames show Manok Pinoy roosters and hens )
More Stories
Kapehan With Pareng Gob
Bignay Wine, Vinegar Maker: Ito Dapat Bigyan Ng Ayuda!
OFW’s Feeding Technology Could Boost Cattle, Goat Farming!