We ran into Rocky by accident when the family was on vacation. Rocky asked us to come with him to his house to see his roosters. He said that he just kept a few exceptional ones since he can no longer take care of a lot of roosters as he was getting up there in years. In his backyard, I saw probably 20 roosters, a few hens and a few baby stags. He picked up two baby grey stags and gave them to me. They were a cross between Jay Goode Grey and a Billy Ruble Red. I was so elated to get those baby stags from him and was so excited to get back home to range the stags with the others. So excited that I tuned out the conversation between dad and Rocky, I already learned their bloodlines so I didn't need to hear anything else. I was quite young at that time so I just chalk this up to youth. So to make the long story short, one of the 2 baby stags died due to illness and the other one became one of the best roosters we had. Sadly, we were not into breeding at that time and we weren't able to secure any other bloodline from Rocky.
Fast forward to several years ago when I got interested in the different bloodlines of roosters. I was obsessed to know where some of these bloodlines came from, how they came to be and other facts about them. I stumbled upon an article written by Jay Goode, Joe Goode's brother. He wrote about the Jay Goode Roosters. I would like to share this with other cockers who find an interest in the different bloodlines and those who actually have this bloodline and maintain it until now.
AS “GOODE” AS IT GETS! By Jay Goode
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who had made this trip (Philippines) possible for my wife, Lillie and myself. Your hospitality is known by all that has visited this great country. I have had, over the years, the pleasure to meet and visit with some of the finest gentlemen from the Philippines.
You know, as I, that breeding your own game fowl and seeing them grow is somewhat a mystery. By this, I mean breeding is like mixing paint. You try and test until you find that some breed will do better than others. I guess that is why I have stayed with my “Frost Grey” and Kelsos. They have done real well for me over the years so I have stayed with these two breeds. There are other great breeds that are raised by some of my dearest friends. You know variety is the spice of life.
I will treasure this trip, and add these memories to the pages of my life.
Every man needs a God he believes in, a good wife, family, friends, and good game fowl, and I know that I have been blessed with all. I was born September 28, 1919, in Eastland, Texas, located between Abilene and Fort Worth, Texas. My parents moved to Trent, Texas when I was a baby. There I went to school and graduated from high school in 1936. My parents worked real hard as people had to do back in those days. My dad, John was a rancher, farmer and a carpenter. He taught me how to do it all. My mother, Birdie, was very religious and she raised all her children up going to church. We may have strayed at times, but with her spiritual leadership, we always returned to the love of our God.
My brother, Paul, was born August 18, 1922, in Trent, Texas. He grew up to be a land developer and builder and played a major part in the 1950’s through the 1970’s in the growth of Fort Hood, a well known military base in Killeen, Texas. He served on many committees to insure the success of this community. He was in real estate and into the banking business. He was a good judge in choosing a good rooster. He never really had a place to raise chickens or the time, but he had the relationship with many well known breeders and was able to acquire many good cocks in his lifetime. Paul passed away a few years ago and I truly miss him, not only as a brother but as a pal as well. We had many good times together.
My brother Joe, was born in Trent, Texas on January 13, 1932, and believe me his life was entirely wrapped around his love for his game fowl. I think at one time, he was the best selector of a cock on any given fight day. Joe did not do all of his breeding. He had different farms where people would raise them for him. Joe would come by home at the first of the year and would pick out some cocks and he would buy them from me. He paid me real well for these too.
I have many treasured memories from our earlier childhood together, although Joe was thirteen years younger than me. I couldn’t step backward that he was not trailing after me in the chicken yard. He was always hungry to learn more about how to feed, how to handle, and sometime I wonder if he was not part chicken. Some day I am going to sit down and finish the book that I have started, and share my memories over the last sixty plus years. I have had a good life. At times, I hear someone say, “If only I could relive my life, I would do this and that, I tell them that once around in this world is plenty if you handle it just right. I guess the only thing that would change would be to raise and fight more chickens.
Let me tell you how I got my first gamecock. John Howell and I were having a little friendly dice game, we were shooting a penny a shot. I busted John and he said, loan me some money. I said, No, I’m not going to loan you money and let you play back at me. He said, I’ll sell you “Old Dobbin” for a dime. I said, I’ll give you a nickel (five cents) for him. He sold him to me. I won that nickel back a penny a shot.
“Old Dobbin” was an Ewing Walker Blue Falcon. It was late in August. He was naked as a jaybird with no feathers and was one-eyed. I carried him home and turned him loose at the horse barn. That fall he molted out had a tail as long as your arm and was pretty as a picture. I bought two blue Falcon hens from Pete Howell. They were snow white. I raised a bunch of stags out of them and “Old Dobbin”. They could fight like hell, but they would run off. If they decided to stay they could win without any problem. I think the hens were white leghorn.
The next cock I owned, I bought from L.C. Murray for $5.00. Mr. Murray got him ready to fight. I picked him up on fight day and carried him to the fight. I matched him a hack fight against Arthur and Ed Bushell of Anson, Texas. I had no gaffs. Tom Burns from Colorado City, Texas, heeled him and handled him. We won this fight and I got $5.00. This paid for me buying him. Uncle Bill Seastrunk gave me two hens and a rooster and I raised some stags out of this trio. I got Mr. O.C. “Hogg” Nations to feed them for me. He was running a brush pit at Eskota, Texas. We won three out of four fights. At the time, I thought I would do nothing but fight roosters. I won $18.00 that day. I figured I would never see another poor day.
After I graduated from high school at Trent, I moved to Waco, Texas where I got a job as a carpenter. Then I went to fighting roosters at the “Dripping Springs” pit. At the time Dripping Springs Pit was the largest pit in the south. I was fighting with and against some of the toughest cockers in the world. I will name some that come to my mind: Henry Wortham, Sweater McGinnis, J.D. Perry, Jack Walton, Harold Brown, Curtis Blackwell, Bobby Manziel and Sam Bigham. Jack Walton told me and brother Paul, I can see that you two kids are not going to quit so I am going to give you some chickens that you can win with, and he did just that. He gave us a brood yard, four hens and cock (Walton Red). He said, “Boys listen to me, don’t fight these chickens as stags, let them make cocks.” The year that they were cocks, he brought us a brand new pair of “Orr gaffs” and gave them to us. They were made off a pattern from Cantell in England. They were skeleton gaffs. I still have the original pair in my possession.
The next good chickens that I had were out of my Frost Grey hens and a Hatch Claret cock that J.D. Perry gave me. I was always trying to learn as much as I could and I asked a northern feeder that fed for Mr. Madigan if he used eggs in his keep. He replied to me. I have two every morning for breakfast.
I saw Mr. Madigan fight a Claret cock at Dripping Springs Pit. He fought this rooster and got them hurt pretty bad. Joe Bowlin was feeding for Mr. Madigan at this time. He told Joe to destroy the cock. I started out that day with $10.00 in my pocket and with luck ran it up to $100.00. After I heard Mr. Madigan tell Joe what he did, I said Mr. Madigan, I will give you $100.00 for that rooster. That was all the money I had in my name. Mr. Madigan looked up at me with his little beaded eyes and replied, “Son, I wouldn’t sell you a feather off this rooster for $100.00.” I thought at the time, I will whip one of your cocks one of these days, and I did.
Sweater McGinnis was feeding for Mr. Madigan. I had a show of Sam Bigham Reds. I met Mr. Madigan and Sweater for their money fight. They came in with the prettiest, green legged grey that you ever saw. Mr. Madigan was a 100 to 65 the favorite. Bob Basham was the referee. We billed them up, they went together and when they hit the pit floor, his grey had a broken leg. My rooster whipped him easy. My rooster never got his tail dusty. After the fight I wanted to go and tell Mr. Madigan, “you old rascal, I got even with you”, but I didn’t.
When Mr. Millo Frost quit fighting, he called Bobby Manziel on the phone back when money was scarce. He told Bobby he was going to quit and that he could have all his chickens for $10,000. Bobby said, “I’ll take them”. Bobby called Johnny Dodd in Waco (as good a friend as I have ever had in this world) and told him to bring his truck and pick him up in Tyler. They went to Houston and picked up all the chickens. I asked Johnny when they got back if they got all of the chickens. He said, “Jay, we got the sitting hens and the eggs that were under them.”
About two years later, Bobby fought an entry in Dripping Springs Pit and he got one of the grey cock hurt pretty bad. He did win the fight though. I asked him for this cock and he gave him to me. That was the last fight of the season.
The next fall, the first derby Mr. Clay had at Dripping Springs, there was a bunch of us sitting at the table having coffee, Mr. Clay, Jake Engle, Sweater, and myself. A fellow came up to me and asked me if the cock that Bobby gave me had lived? I said, “Yes, he lived.” Sweater asked me if he was one of the Frost Grey cocks. I said I didn’t know. He told me if he was a Frost Grey he will have a “F” tattooed in the web of his left wing cause I put it there when I worked for Mr. Frost. If it is one of these cocks, he is a “damn good one.” When I got home that night after the fights, I grabbed a flashlight and hurried to the fly pens, stumbling over everything that got in my way. I didn’t pull the feathers apart, I just went to picking him and I found the prettiest little “F” just where Sweater told me it would be.
Bobby Manziel gave me another Frost Grey cock. One he called the Squirrel cock because he climbed his opponent.
When we started fighting at Oaklawn, Mr. Walter Kelso fought a rooster. I asked him if I could have him and he gave the cock to me. Lun Gilmore had told me that I should get one of these from Mr. Kelso. Next year, Mr. Kelso gave me a present of another cock. I bred one over the other one’s daughter until I got them down to 15/16. This is how I came up with the two families that I still have today.
The “Frost Greys” are excellent cutters. This is their best asset. The “Kelso’s” have a tremendous amount of fight and are real strong. I cross these for my battle cocks. These are the only two families that I have. I don’t need anymore.
Before I close, I was asked to explain how I met my wife. So here it is. Back in the early seventies, I had gone to a fight down at Brenham, Texas. This was the going pit at this time. A lot of name cockers came here to fight. One Sunday in March I had fought a cock and he got killed real quick in the main pit. I didn’t really know where he got hit or when. After the fight I took him out to the car and was on my knees doing an autopsy on him. All of a sudden someone said to me, “Excuse me, but are you one of the Goode brothers?” I looked and the first thing I saw was a pair of small western boots in front of me. I then looked up and there she was. I got to my feet and said, yes, I am Jay Goode, just who are you? She replied telling me her name which at the time my mind went blank and I couldn’t remember her name. I asked her if her husband fought roosters. She said, “I don’t have a husband.” Then I told her as pretty as she was that she should have two husbands.
We dated for quite sometime, and then got married. At this time, we have been blessed with six children between the two of us and have thirteen wonderful grandchildren. I did not know that life was going to be so good to me.
I would like to add, this is only my personal opinion. I think that J.D. Perry was the best all around cocker in my lifetime. The reason I say this is because he was a dedicated breeder, super feeder, and a very talented handler in the pit. He always kept a sober head and he was a true gentleman.
You fight these cocks a lifetime and it’s not how many you have won or lost, what really counts is the way you played the game.
Writer’s Note: I would sincerely like to dedicate this to the great people of the Philippine Islands, who by their love, devotion and support have kept this sport alive and active. May you always have the freedom to enjoy this great sport of cock fighting.
Cover Stags: These Jay Goode Grey stags are from WhiteOak Gamefarm. These are fantastic specimens. Our thanks for sharing these wonderful stags with us.
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