Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Interview with the legend – Nick Dulen

MD: Tell us about yourself?
Nick: I’m a full time game fowl breeder and this is all I do for my living and I have been in the sport since I was 4 years old. I’m happily married to my beautiful wife of many years who supports me and we have three children whom I love with all my heart. I’m a proud follower of Jesus Christ and my father was the person who got me started in this great sport but even though he and my mother where not cockers they still helped me and supported me through my journey to become what I am today. There has been many ups and downs along the way but through God and my strong love for the sport and my family behind me I always push through and over come them, nothing worth having comes easy.

MD: How did you came up with the Viper Sweater?
Nick: The name Viper was attached to my family of sweaters  years back after originating this breed of sweaters that I had designed for my self I was at a local event and the sweaters won In a super fast fashion and one of the gentleman who rode to the event with me said nick what in the hell did you breed into those fowl they win faster than a Viper snake and that hence the name and I gave them that name which has stuck with them many years later.

MD: How did you get into sports?
Nick: I got started in this sport at the young age of 4 years old, I received my first pair of game fowl on my 4th birthday. How that all came about was my father mentioned for me to get some of the layer chickens so that I could collect and sell eggs and take care of them daily to help teach me about responsibility and before we could even get any of the layer fowl the words where mentioned about gamefowl and I was so amazed by hearing people talk about them about there heart and courage that it was with our a doubt something I had to have so I bugged my dad day and night until he finally got me a pair I didn’t know it at the time being that my father and mother was horse breeders and not chicken breeders but I had family members cousins & uncles who bred gamefowl and that’s where my first pair of gamefowl came from and they where mugs.
I have been in the sport ever since and love it just as much today years later as I did when I first got them at the age of 4.

MD: What bloodlines was used to create the Viper sweaters?
Nick: The family’s of fowl I used to create my line of sweaters was sweater, Kelso & Howard Suttles yellow legged Leiper blood. when I set them as a strain of fowl I set them heavy in the suttles yl Leiper blood.

MD: How many family’s of gamefowl do you currently breed?
Nick: I only breed and maintain my line of sweaters now days. I sold my other family’s of fowl back in 2010.

MD: Which event or derby is very unforgettable to you?
Nick: When legal I can’t say 1 event that stood out to me more than the other. Any event big or small that you win is a great accomplishment and something to be proud of because winning isn’t easy so once again I cannot pick just one they all hold strong memory’s to me.

MD: Is it best to breed one family of fowl or several?
Nick: There is no right or wrong answer for this question, Many breed several family’s of fowl because that is what they like and enjoy and that is what they need to be able to maintain there program with but for me selling down and focusing solely on my line of sweaters was the best decision that I have ever made, they where all I needed they are what I focused on the most, what I won with the most at shows with and what I was known for so it wasn’t to hard of a decision to make.




MD: How many do you breed a year?
Nick: I hatch around 1200 now a days to be able to have a excellent selection of fowl to be able to maintain my program with after heavy heavy culling.

MD: Is there any advice you could give to young breeders just getting started?
Nick: Yes, Learn as much as you can through research, and personal experience about how to properly care for the fowl, bloodlines and proper facility’s. Make sure you have a proper set up along with the time and finances to be able to properly care for the fowl before you even attempt to purchase any. and it’s always best to find a local breeder and see if he or she will allow you the privilege to work on there yard doing anything in return for experience because this sport isn’t for everyone and it takes alot of drive, time and money to be able to do it right so definitely get experience before even attempting to purchase any.

MD: What’s your take on being a cocker?
Nick: Being a gamefowl breeder / cocker is something special. You can search the entire world over and you will never find a better person than a cocker, We come from all walks of life, all races and religions and we come together as one as a brother and sisterhood for 1 goal that is to be the best we can be by what we love and enjoy doing which is breeding and maintaining these gamefowl family’s to be carried on long after where gone, cockers are a special type of person we do charity’s yealry for kids & adults who are down on there luck so that they have just a bit more to hold on to, to keep pushing forward, and you won’t ever find a more honest, hardworking, devoted individual than a cocker and that can be seen by simply looking at there fowl and yard at the devotion and level of work and money they put into keeping it the best they possibly can. They give the fowl better care than most people would ever dream of even given there very own Childern. People can lie and try to make cockers look bad but we do so much good yearly that the truth will always out way the bs that others tend to spread to simply be able to fill there pockets based off lies.

MD: Do you ever plan to retire from breeding?
Nick: Absolutely not, I have no intentions of retiring from breeding this is all I do and all I know so I plan to keep doing it until the last breath leaves my body. now that’s the plans haha God may have different plans for me I don’t know I just take it one day at a time.

MD: Who is your biggest influence in becoming a cocker?
Nick: My father is, if it had not been for him I wouldn’t have gotten that first pair of gamefowl at the age of 4.

MD: If breeding was ever outlawed in the states would you retire?
Nick: No sir I wouldn’t. I would relocate to Mexico or the Philippines to continue on with my passion of breeding game fowl.

MD: How big is your yard?
Nick: I run a mid sized yard I guess you can say, especially now since I only breed and maintain one family of fowl which is my sweater family. I have 2 people who work and help me daily and 2 who help out part time as needed. I take what I do very seriously and the health and cleanliness of my yard and facility’s is the main priority, very clean and very orderly setup.

MD: Do you allow visitors?
Nick: I’ll be honest with you as I have been all through this interview, I do allow visitors yearly, certain times of the year if you schedule with me a few weeks prior to visits.. because I am very busy here all day with the fowl from early morning til late in the evenings.
But I will say this i am not to fond of visitors now days due to the increased risk of diseases floating around even though we take precautions with each visitor by disinfecting feet etc it’s still a risk because these people travel around from farm to farm and many don’t take the same care and precautions as you do of your own fowl and it’s a easy way to spread diseases and once diseases begin it’s a down hill slide from there. So I do all I can to prevent any issues with my fowl and yard and to prevent any drama because there is a lot of drama in this world today and no one wants to see there yards and 100s of fowls destroyed by allowing the wrong people to visit.. so you definitely have to take extra precaution today because it’s a different world than it used to be. and I allow no visits during molt season what so ever.

MD: Do you have any sons or daughters who are interested in the sport and following in your foot steps?
Nick: Actually Yes I do, I have 3 sons & 1 of my oldest boys just recently became a gamefowl breeder he raises only greys he’s a big grey enthusiast lol.
My youngest son is 13 and he enjoys the fowl every chance that he gets also & then I have some very young grand kids who show interested in the fowl as well as other animals so only time will tell if they join the sport or not but in the end what ever decision they decide I stand behind them and support them because like I’ve said many times this sport isn’t for everyone it takes a lot of time, money and knowledge.

MD: Is there any negative side to being a game fowl breeder?
Nick: Absolutely not, nothing more rewarding and gratifying than seeing something you’ve devoted your entire life to each and every day grow up and become a champion. The only negative side would be the false claims and lies spread by people who don’t understand gamefowl or the breeders just to fill there own pockets.

MD: Is there any rest day or day off for a cocker?
Nick: There is no rest day or day off for a gamefowl breeder. A cocker works every day on his yard to make sure that those birds are given the absolute best care and treatment, rain, shine, snow or ice it doesn’t matter the temp or if you are sick a cocker is out there every day doing what he or she knows best and that’s gamefowl. The only off day you get is when you retire or die.

MD: Can you able to pick a winning gamefowl by just looking at it?
Nick: Well Being around the sport and fowl for so long will give you a edge to be able to select healthy and quality fowl which have a better chance at performing and winning but you cannot tell a winner by just simply looking at it because it’s whats on the inside that truly matters when all is said and done.. and you can’t see a birds heart and courage.

MD: How do you maintain your family of sweaters for so long with out the need of outside blood added?
Nick: My sweaters do to the way I originated them come pea comb and straight comb and both light and dark in color. The way I maintain my family of fowl through the years with out any need of outside blood infused or bred into them is through simply very strict culling and selection. I breed both sides of my sweaters into each other yearly to maintain them with in the same line with out any need or use for outside blood brought in.

MD: How important is culling when breeding gamefowl?
Nick: It’s one of the most important things you will ever do, No one has time to take care of second class fowl because we all know the end result & It takes the same amount of time, money and space to take care of culls as it does aces. If you do not cull through your fowl than you are keeping culls, breeding culls and selling culls and you will not last long in this sport. Each time a clutch of chicks is hatched be it by incubator or by hen you need to cull through them if you can’t find a reason to cull than you are not picky enough and need to set higher standards for yourself. I know it’s hard to cull through them as people want to keep them all but that’s not the way to be in this sport or at least not the way to be if you want to amount to anything in this sport.

MD: Does higher price mean better quality fowl what’s your opinion?
Nick: The higher the price doesn’t always mean that the fowl you will be getting will be any more spectacular than the bird you purchased from your local flea market for 5.00, I have seen just as many 1,000.00 birds lose as I have 5.00 fowl. You have to remember names, price and bloodlines don’t win shows to be able to win you must have knowledge on how to select, breed, cull, condition, travel, maintain etc. a man with knowledge can take a cull and compete with him, and man of ignorance and lack of work ethic can take a ace and make him run. What ever the out come inside the arena is all based on what you did or did not do outside of that show. it’s team work, you pull your share of the work and they’ll pull there’s and normally it will turn out well.. but if you half a$$ it than expect nothing but negative results no one’s to blame but yourself.v

MD: Does a lot of jealousy come with this sport?
Nick: Jealousy comes with anything you set out to do, So of course this sport isn’t any Different you got those who are happy when you do well and others who are behind the scenes wanting you to fail and do anything they can to make that happen, but that is just a part of life and a part of it you must take the good with the bad, I don’t consider those types actually cockers or apart of the sport since they do basically nothing but do more harm than good they are similar to the activist who try and force lies on everyone, They just don’t belong.

MD: What is your feeding program consist of?
Nick: To many things to actually mention. I feed a variety mix of solid grains and mash daily along with feeding here and there through out the week, weekly Boiled eggs, rice, bread, fruit and veggies etc.. the types of fruits I use are watermelon mostly and then apples and grapes and melon. Veggies are basically cucumbers, and tomatos.. they get boiled eggs and bread etc every so often through out the week all year around but the fruits and such is a seasonal thing they get fed those only at certain times of the year of course.

MD: What bedding do your prefer for your fowl as a daily scratch?
Nick: I use stud horse manure in all my pens with a layer of fresh cut hay or some straw on the top of it.. if you want your fowl to have a solid body the horse manure I have found over the years really works like magic. or at least it has and does for me.

MD: How often do you change water for your fowl I know many change it every 2 or 3 days and use large buckets?
Nick: Regardless of the size of bucket or container that you choose to use you will need to rinse and fill your water cups up each and every day with fresh clean water regardless, I know I for one wouldn’t like sitting and Drinking old hot dirty water daily and my fowl won’t be doing the same either. I feel if a man is to lazy to rinse and water his fowl daily than he definitely needs to find himself a new hobby because this sport isn’t for him.

MD: Speaking when it was legal which do you prefer cut or gameness?
Nick: Well, you can’t have one and not the other. you must have them both plus the other abilitys as well.. one is just as important than the other..

MD: How do you prevent diseases?
Nick: I prevent them by watching who I allow on my yard and around my fowl & I never allow anyone around my place with out taking strict precautions such as disinfecting shoes and hands etc.. all my fowl are vaccinated & culled through very throughly and my facility’s are kept clean daily & I spare no expenses when it comes to my fowls health and what they need such as antibitoics, feeds and supplements to keep them that way.





MD: How old where you when you realized this was all you wanted to do for your living?
Nick: I was bit by the bug I guess you could say at the age of 4 when I got my first pair of gamefowl and I knew from that point on I was going to give it all I had regardless of if I succeeded or failed to do this for my living. like I said in previous answers.. it has been a long hard road and it never came easy it still doesn’t just because you make it doesn’t mean it becomes easier it actually gets tougher. like the old saying goes the wolf on the hill isn’t as hungry as the Wolfe climbing the hill.. and that’s true so you have to stay focused and hungry to maintain your status among all these great breeders to be able to keep doing what you love to do.

MD: Is there any breeders in the sport today that you look at and go wow they are doing great if so who are they?
Nick: Absolutely, And there is to many to name and I wouldn’t want to offend anyone by naming them or by not naming them.. but there is alot of breeders new and old who are still making big moves and do very well and I’m hard to impress but with some of these cockers I’m seriously impressed.

MD: Do you prefer high, medium or low station fowl?
Nick: I prefer medium to med high station fowl.

MD: Many are afraid to take risk in fear of failing or in fear of what others may say of them what is your opinion?
Nick: You have to live your life and let everyone else live there’s, People are going to talk about you both positive and negative regardless of if you accomplish your goals or not so you just gotta worry about you and do your thing and stand by those who support you and brush off those who don’t because they don’t matter anyways. We all got haters, that’s what they do they hate on people so you just have to let them do there thing as well, If I had given up everytime someone stuck there nose up at me or talked down about me behind my back I would have given up before I even got started. but you can’t be that way.. this is a cruel world and if you want to accomplish your dreams and goals as I have mine you have to ignore the haters and drama and just move forward put your faith in God and your heart and mind in to your dream ahead.

MD: Do you feel your sweaters are the best in the business now?
Nick: No sir I don’t, I don’t believe anyone has the best because if one single person had the best than that person would be dominating and no one single person is doing so. I believe we all have great fowl and are all unique to each breeders requirements

MD: As a breeder your are Known for your honesty and kindness towards  others as well how does that make you feel?
Nick: It makes me feel very good, I try to treat people the way I’d like to be treated myself, regardless of how known I am or get I keep a level head and stay humble I don’t think I am better than anyone else and I’m always here to lend a hand to anyone in need who truly needs it. But I don’t tolerate disrespect, drama or liers those are 3 things that really get under my skin.

MD: How important is record keeping when breeding fowl?
Nick: Super important, with out up to date records on everything you breed you have no clue of what is what, what has won, what to breed more of and what to discard and eliminate. with out records you’ll be in deep trouble.

MD: Where do most of your fowl go each season?
Nick: My fowl are sent to breeders all over the world for there breeding programs. But 98% now days go to mexico and California I still send several to the Philippines but now days we ship inside the Philippines since my partner Ron handles all those demands there now for Viper sweaters if need be.

MD: High station Vs medium station Which do I prefer?
Nick: Medium station is what I prefer and the reason why is they have more accuracy in there shots, More power and alot better balance and for me they just look better. The taller a bird gets the more off balance he gets the more his body and legs get off set from each other making it much harder to connect his shots but a heck of a lot easier for him to get caught or end up with a broken leg etc. Personally it seems the super tall birds are just not as healthy over all as a medium station bird.

PW: Any last parting words for readers?
Nick: Just work hard and stay positive. Don’t let the hard times or drama discourage you or what you love or believe in and pray hard and keep your faith in God.

 




 

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