Game fowl History: Unveiling the Legacy of Mahoney's Gulls

To find out what a Gull is, all we have to do is get the encyclopedia or dictionary. To find what Mahoney’s Gulls were( or are) all we have to do is read what the different men who worked with horses or fought cocks along with Mahoney had to say about them. There were only 20 or 30 who gave their opinion and, so far as I know, none were alike. That’s the bad part about trying to write a history of strains. It fatigues the writer and confuses the reader, who may have heard only one or two versions of his favorite strain so he picks the one he likes and that’s it. As far as he is concerned he knows what his fowl are, every drop of their blood. The other who wrote the other version was just off a little, cracked, ignorant or maybe just wrote the wrong one for spite to hurt the fowl, BUT when we see where, instead of one, we have many, many different versions we begin to have doubts, not only about the authenticity of ours but, of ALL versions.

Mahoney stated in letter to his friend Ed. Carea of the“ Game Breeder” in Nov. 1892:“ Gulls and Ross are same strain.” He bought a cock called“ Gull” from Tom Baird of Toronto, Canada. He was a brown red, white leg cock and Mahoney never asked Baird his breeding. He bought cocks from Baird from about 1867 to 1871.

William McNiell, Mahoney’s helper, named a cock“ Charley Ross“. The“ Gull” was the grandsire of the“ Charley Ross” cock. The Ross and Gull fowl were b.b, red with white and yellow legs. A few showed willow legs after later crosses were made.

E. R. Carpenter said:“ In 1870 Mahoney crossed a cock from Baird( Medcliff claimed Baird brought these over from England in 1862) over Irish Derby hens( McCarthy had brought this blood from Ireland in the fifties). A cock from this cross was the first named“ Gull” and the first named“ Ross“. Medcliff and Kilcourse both bred cocks for Mahoney and they took turns breeding the cock until he died and then passed his progeny back and forth until 1884. All of his get were called Gulls… Mahoney practically never bred fowls but gave stock he secured to his friends and then fought the cocks they raised.”

Hank Deans was a very close friend of Madigin. Mahoney lived with Deans the later part of his life. Madigin stated in a letter that neither he nor Deans ever recollected Mahoney fighting any fowl called Gulls. He said Mahoney bred few fowl as he was more of a feeder than a breeder. One writer stated they were a cross of Gilkerson fowl from Lohman over Mahoney Ross fowl. Another writer says an English Jockey known as II Little English George” came to Hamilton, Ont., to ride for John Martin, bringing with him some pure’ Derbys. A cocker named Reid fought some in a main and afterwards Mahoney bought a cock known as the II Old Fairy Cock II and two hens for $50.00. That was the start of the Gulls, he says.

In 1912, a writer stated in Grit& Steel that the Gulls did not contain a drop of Whitehackle blood. A late historian disclaims all knowledge of their blood origin except that he is sure they contain White hackle blood.

Long ago in the Featherd Warrior a writer had this to say of the Gulls:“ About 1860 John Mulholland imported from the North of Ireland two strains of fighting fowl, one gray and the other black-red. He gave the latter to Mahoney and they were the ancestors of the Gulls. n He goes into the matter to great length, however, and says that about a year before his death Mahoney told him II in the course of our conversation•••‘ the Gulls came from Dromore, County of Down.’ n Then it is conjectured whether they were bred as imported or crossed with other fowl. Finally reference is made to the Reid stock. Here is what was II said II to have happened. Denny rented five cocks from Reid for $5.00 apiece if they won, and’ nothing if they lost. Three of them were impressive winners. Mahoney wanted some of the stock to breed and so he bought a hen for $15.00. She was bred to one of the Reid cocks, but she laid nothing but soft-shelled eggs that season, therefore no chicks were secured. At this point where n the memory of the man runneth not to the contrary” no further facts were available, so it was” presumed he bred her to the Irish cock, and from them the gulls were obtained as the hen was known as a‘ Gull hen’.”

Then the writer discusses the name and its origin. It is considered probable that the cocks as cut out for battle bore such a resemblance to the gulls flying up the Genessee river toward Rochester, N.Y., from Lake Ontario that the appropriateness of the name became apparent and stuck from then on. ‘ As a further probable reason for the name it was recalled that at about that time a pugilist by the name of Gulley was very popular in England and that his name) shortened to Gull, may have been used to perpetuate the memory and fame of both the man and the birds.

We can see that many writers who were supposed to know what they were talking( or writing) about gave histories of the Gull many years after Mahoney had given all the history he knew in a public letter to Ed. Carew and published in the Game Breeder in 1892. Since then it has been reprinted in the Game Breeder, the Feathered Warrior, Derby Game Bird and Grit& Steel. Yet these men, purported to know so much of the strain had never even seen Mahoney’s own version or disregarded it. And about all I can add after I get through talking about them is that I’ve probably been guilty of the same thing.

There were many noted crosses or off-shoots of the Gulls as bred by Mahoney’s friends and fought by Mahoney. A man named Adair came to Kingston from Limerick, Ireland and brought with him some brown red and black red tasseled fowl. Metcalfe crossed the cock, Charley Ross, over some of the hens, to produce the Ross-Limerick fowl. Some of these came with tassels and were the first to come that way.

There were many sub-strains of the original Gulls, most of these being named after some great cock. Some of these were: Captain Jack, Ajax, Battle Axe, and Broken Wing.

See Mahoney fowl this book; also Mahoney Gull and Commodores third Edition.

Gulls in the philipnies, dragon warrior gamefarm Kuya Joe A’s Gulls were originally acquired from Mr. Howard Belk in 1994.

Dragon Warrior Game farm’s original breeding materials of Gulls all came from the families of Howard Belk Gulls of Kuya Joe Alimbuyuguen that we acquired from time to time since year 1995, together with other families of Clarets acquired from Kuya Joe over the years. These Gulls are closest to the English Fowl known as the North Briton fowl. The North Briton fowls where brought to America by English settlers long ago. Kuya Joe A’s Gulls were originally acquired from Mr. Howard Belk in 1994 in his farm in California, USA through the help of his friends Mr Vic Gamboa and Mr Willie Suan. They are very fierce and are very powerful hitters! The gulls break high and they fight very much like the Hulsey reds, but they pack more power! They are evasive and counter punch and are very intelligent. The Gulls are always straight-combed. The legs of the male fowl are always light yellow or bright yellow. During the breeding season, some would come out green legged on the hen side, but it should never be in the cock side! He believes that this was through the infusion of the Irish Brown Red very long ago. He further said that according to Howard Belk, one in every 120 pullets will come out with white legs!

Gull males sport dark red to lemon red type hackles. The hackles sometimes come out long and full and sometimes it is short -- it depends on the breeder’s choice of the brood cocks! Some males have white streamers on the tail while some have none. But it is always black breasted. On the henside, one in every 75 will come out spangled. If the chickens are bred well, the throwback will always be on the henside, seldom will it come out on the cock side. But it has happened after we had bred pure Gulls over the same father for three generations that we came out with rare spangled Gulls.

The bloodline is very rare in the U.S. and many do not know about it. Belk did not sell the Gulls to just anybody in the U.S. who can or may fight against him but it was okay if it was Kuya Joe, since he knew that he will bring it to the Philippines. Belk actually did a background check on Kuya Joe just to make sure that his Gulls will really be brought to the Philippines! According to Belk, among the families of chickens that he has, the gulls are the ones that he loves the most!

According to Kuya Joe, they are now also called the Whitehackles, but with variations in the bloodline! Accordingly, very few names have the original Gulls. Mostly, they are yellow legs and some white legs. They throw green legs on the female side only because of the Lord Sefton blood( Irish Brown Red blood to her). So we may say that one big name who has them is Mr. Junior Belt, but he won’t part or sell any as it is known that he is a rich guy and very influential. He will not sell if you will breed it in the U.S.

The Clarets are also related to the Phil Marsh Butchers. Col Madiggin, the original source of Clarets – borrowed broodcocks of Butchers too for his breeding. This is the reason why the lemon colors also come out of the Clarets. These Clarets were acquired way back in 1935, according to Mr. Howard Belk.