“Come on,” “Go for it,” onlookers screeched once it began, the cocks flying at one another in rage.
“You have to train the cocks like they are boxers, so they are prepared,” says Basilio Gonzalesm adding they must also be groomed, scarlet legs sheared and feathers clipped.
Some, like cockfighting enthusiast Jorge Guerra, dream of making more money in countries where betting is legal.
“I’d like to go somewhere with big competitions and bets like Puerto Rico,” the farmer said. “I’d like to show someone how much money I could make for them breeding cocks.”
Click here to see a related photo essay: http://reut.rs/2pCDa3B
(Editing by Christian Plumb and; Toni Reinhold)
A pig peers out from its pen at a house yard used to grow roosters (not pictured) in Villa Nueva, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A rooster is seen before his fight at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Roosters check each other at a house yard in Villa Nueva, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A rooster sculpture is seen in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A stuffed rooster is seen at a farmyard at the outskirts of Sandino, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A handmade case used to transport a rooster is seen at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts pose with their rosters by a vintage car at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Sandino, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Rooster are seen during a fight at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Roosters fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
An injured rooster is checked by his owner after a fight at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A cockfighting enthusiast uses his tongue to clean the blood of his rooster during a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A cockfighting enthusiast holds money during a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts watch a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts react during a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts watch a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts write the results of fights on a wood board at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts check a rooster weight prior to a fight at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A cockfighting enthusiast shows spurs made from tortoiseshell at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts attach spurs made from tortoiseshell prior to a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A cockfighting enthusiast brings his rooster to a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Chicks are seen inside a cage at a farmyard on the outskirts of Santa Barbara, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A rooster is seen at a cage in a house yard in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Corn used to feed roosters is seen at a house yard in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Yusiel Fernandez, 33, shows a rooster to his one-year old daughter at a house yard in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
A rooster washed at a house yard in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Vintage cars are parked under a tree at a cockfighting arena on the outskirts of Santa Barbara, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Cockfighting enthusiasts show a rooster through the window of a vintage car on their way to a cockfighting arena at the outskirts of Ciro Redondo, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
