Fighter cock Mongkut rules the roost in style

Prized bird: Members of the jury assessing Mongkut during the National Ayam Ratu Competition at a mall in Kota Baru. — Bernama

KOTA BARU: A fighting rooster or Ayam Ratu named Mongkut has been crowned the overall champion at the National Ayam Ratu Competition organised by the Kelantan Ayam Ratu Fans Association (PARK), defeating 102 other competitors.

Its owner, Roshairi Izwan Sulaiman, 36, said his beloved Leung Hang Khao (LHK) breed bird had been courted many times by enthusiasts with offers of up to RM18,000.

“Many people are interested in owning Mongkut but I don’t intend to sell because he is very special to me and brings me a lot of luck.

“It’s been four years since I bred Mongkut and we are like friends, and I take care of him as best I can,” he told Bernama at a programme officiated by state culture, arts and heritage tourism committee chairman Datuk Kamarudin Md Nor here yesterday.

Roshairi Izwan said Mongkut also won first place in the adult LHK category afte

Crowing with delight: Roshairi Izwan and his LHK breed bird named Mongkut with the trophy that they won in Kota Baru. — Bernama

r getting the highest score which was assessed through the beauty of the bones, beak, wings, tail (plume) and legs.

He added that previously, Mongkut had been crown champion at the same competition held in Thailand several times and was also crowned champion of the country’s Royal Cup.

“Mongkut’s participation in the Ayam Ratu competition is

not to chase prizes or rewards, but rather to create a reputation to get the breed a more lucrative price,” he said.

He added that the offspring produced by Mongkut had been in high demand with prices starting at RM500 for a two-month-old chick, and even sold to enthusiasts from Kuwait and Indonesia.

Roshairi Izwan said he became interested in raising chickens when he was 10 years old, starting with the Serama chicken, before he switched to the Ayam Ratu in 2016.

He said so far he had about 40 Ayam Ratu with a total purchase price of more than RM20,000, which are farmed on half an acre of land next to his house.

Meanwhile, Kamarudin said the competition could attract visitors to Kelantan and could be developed by the state government considering that it has fans all over the country and even from Thailand.

Kamarudin said the state government planned to organise more Ayam Ratu competitions next year.

PARK president Kamaruzaman Hassan said the support expressed by the state government would help preserve the arts and cultural heritage of the Kelantan community and allow fans to turn the hobby into an industry that could generate income.

The Ayam Ratu open competition was the biggest event of its kind in Malaysia this year, involving nine categories with fans from all over the country including Johor, Perak, Selangor and Kedah.