Grey Gamefowl Fighting Style and the Top Grey Rooster Breeders

March 31, 2024 by Lauro Braganza

The grey gamefowl or grey rooster (Talisayin) is a popular fighting rooster color in the Philippines. Several bloodlines come from different breeds and crosses, but few stand out.

Gamecock is about winning and having reliable fighting roosters with bloodlines that stand the test of time. These breeders are well-known owners and developers of grey gamefowl bloodlines.

If you are into cockfighting or even online sabong and your favorite color is grey, you should know the origin of the fighting cock before you put your money into a grey hatch rooster.

The following are some of the most popular and successful owners and breeders of grey gamefowls.

Rafael “Nene” Abello – Bacolod City

If you are into sabong, you know who Nene Abello is. He is among the most successful and popular breeders in the Philippines and abroad.

Abello’s Regular Grey combines three grey families: the Law Grey, the Sweater Grey, and the Plainhead Muff Grey. Regular Greys come green-legged, sometimes with yellow, silver duck wings and straight comb. They are medium to low-stationed and are known for power and gameness. Breeders note that they are as powerful and dead game as the Bluefaced. Because of these, many breeders have made Regular Grey their foundation line.

Joel Lacson – Circle L Gamefarm, Mambukal, Murcia, Negros Occidental

Not far from Nene Abello’s farm is the Popeye Hatch Grey gamefowl developed by Joel Lacson. It is said to be the cross of Regular Grey x High Action Mclean Hatch. It is known for its athletic ability and powerful fighting style on and off the ground.

The original Regular Grey from Harold Brown (Harold Brown grey gamefowl) can withstand years of inbreeding and line-breeding, which is why, after a series of breeding processes, the Popeye Hatch Grey still has the ability of the Regular Grey from Harold Brown.

Mayor Jesry Palmares os Passi City, Iloilo

Palmares got his grey from Bobby Fairchild of Clear Creek Farms in Hulbert, Oklahoma, USA. The Bobby Fairchild Grey once dominated the US gamecock world and is very popular after winning world championships for years.

JGA Farm – Bacolod City

Former Bago City Mayor Juancho Aguirre and his JGA Farm developed one of the most popular grey gamefowl bloodlines called Duke Hulsey Grey. Duke Hulsey Grey possesses good timing and is a powerful ground fighter. Many Filipino breeders use Duke Hulsey Grey as their base breeders due to the bloodline’s popularity.

Boy Jiao of Rk Patrick Farm in Silang Cavite

Boy Jiao got his greys from Johnny More and Oscar Akins. Jiao used these greys to cross with Sue Wilson’s greys, resulting in a formidable grey bloodline that became his main product. Boy Jiao’s grey is one of the most sought-after greys in Luzon.

Tonio Mica GF Romulo – Muntinlupa City

Tonio Romulo is a popular breeder, and his Frost Grey is one of the best greys. He developed his grey from Bobby Joe Manziel Greys. Tonio’s greys are available in two variations – the yellow-legged grey and the green-legged grey.

Grey Gamefowl Fighting Style

In most gamefowl fights in the past, the ‘Texas’ or the red gamefowl, often an imported American bloodline or cross, was the llama in betting circles. When matched with a Texas, the odds were always against the white-feathered rooster or the so-called Talisayin. Urban legend states that a Talisayin is the stronger fighter ONLY during a Full Moon (snicker) and the month’s First Quarter Moon. And that one should avoid fighting bright red gamefowls because the power levels are evenly matched for both gamefowls. Yeah right. Other nonsense included fighting only with green or black-legged gamefowls because yellow or white-legged gamefowls were lazier during this time.

Some of the biases against the Talisayin have been expressed by pundits, like a slur against the bloodline:

“In general, off-colored birds are weaker because there are fewer of them.”

“These gamefowls are chosen and bred by those new to the sport, and their breeding methods lack the solid foundation of proven and pure bloodlines which are the base of most red birds.”

“Off-colored birds are like regressive offspring and mostly unpredictable (hence the full moon superstition).”

“Kung manalo Talisayin sa iyo, SUWERTE mo!!”

“Uniformity of traits and genome stability is rare in off-color birds.”

Now everything is different. No matter the match-ups, the Talisayin is always the sure bet, especially if the game-farmed fighting one already has a winning tradition. More often than not, the Talisayin also gets lucky wins like the so-called last hit. You now get good fighting gamefowl and more than a sure chance at winning with Greys.

Greys or the Talisayin (talisayon) have had a resurgent winning streak to become the current dark horse sure bet in most gamefowl circuits. Maybe it is because they now have Sweater and Hatch infused to make them stronger and more relentless. The infusion into pure stock Law Greys and Harold Brown Greys as the foundation, already known for power hitting, created a new kind of Talisayin with speed and quickness to boot to fight even better.

Questions Related to Grey Gamefowl

Where did GREY gamefowl originate?

Greys are beautiful game fowl that originated in Ireland and were probably brought to the United States in the late 1800s.

What is sweater Gamefowl known for?

The sweater is that winning breed that brawls its opponents into submission. They have excellent gameness and power, and their relentless attacks overwhelm their opponent. Sweaters used to lack endurance, but infusions into their bloodline made them the most feared opponents they are today.

How long do grey chickens live?

They are known to be adaptable and friendly. They are excellent egg layers, producing 200-300 large eggs yearly. The Pekin chicken has grey feathers with undertones that create a tone of a light lavender color. They are usually between 3-6 pounds with an average life span of 7-8 years.

What is the toughest rooster breed?

The Thai Game Fowl is considered the most aggressive breed of chicken. This bird originated in Thailand and was initially bred for cockfighting. Thai Game Fowl are known for their enormous muscular bodies and sharp claws.