Have you heard of pigeon racing? Wang Lin, Secretary General of Xianyang Pigeon Sports Association, has more than 40 years of pigeon breeding experience, having raised hundreds of pigeons at his peak and winning many pigeon races. Although he has a lot of time after retirement, he gradually becomes overwhelmed...
Pigeon breeding for more than 40 years, completely "full-time" after retirement
On September 17, 64-year-old Wang Lin said in an interview with the China Business Daily-Ersanli information platform that he had liked carrier pigeons since he was a child, "When I was washing clothes in the yard, two black pigeons from the neighbor ran out and told me to catch them, and the more I looked at them, the more I liked them, and I thought the pigeons were too cute... It was at this time that I became fond of pigeons and tried to keep pigeons at home. ”
However, the matter of raising pigeons did not get 100% support from my parents, "At that time, my parents did not agree with my decision, they felt that I should study hard and not be distracted by other things, but they did not particularly object, I hung a box under the eaves and began to raise pigeons, which was fed every day, and the steamed buns were crushed and fed to them, in fact, they were raising and playing." ”
Wang Lin, who has more than 40 years of experience in pigeon breeding, said, "The charm of carrier pigeons is that they can travel long distances back to you. I pull carrier pigeons for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, release them, and then wait for it to fly back to you desperately, which is particularly easy to impress me. ”
Wang Lin said that pigeon breeders must have a stable work and rest time. Every morning at dawn, he would open the cage and let the pigeons go out to fly, and after an hour or two the pigeons would fly back, "And when they come back, feed them some food, and let them rest well." Wait until about five o'clock in the afternoon, release the pigeons, wait for them to fly back, and I continue to feed, every day, and observe how each pigeon is doing. Raising pigeons must meet three conditions: meticulous and attentive, daily training of pigeons at home and training on the road, only these three points have been done, and the combination is better, in order to achieve better results. ”
Referring to one of the most impressive races, Wang Lin said, "Once there was a sudden change in the weather, and none of the more than thirty pigeons I competed in flew back. There were more than 10,000 pigeons released in the race that day, but none of them returned home, everyone was in a bad mood and felt very uncomfortable, but I was confident in my pigeons and I knew they would definitely come back. ”
According to Wang Lin's recollection, the next day his pigeon return rate was as high as 70 percent, which made him very pleased. "Because we humans use modern tools to pull carrier pigeons thousands of miles away, and then let them fly back with the most primitive tool, the wings, we must have a strong psychological preparation for pigeon breeders, and the carrier pigeons are fighting with nature, which is very cruel." I was at the finish line, waiting for them to come back. ”
Pigeons also have "ID cards"
When it comes to the skills of raising carrier pigeons, Wang Lin said that he attaches great importance to the pedigree and family history of carrier pigeons. "Each carrier pigeon has a certificate and family ring, which is equivalent to our human identity card, so I will carefully choose the pedigree of the pigeon for this aspect."
After retirement, Wang Lin can finally be a full-time pigeon keeper, but he can't help but be old and his body can't eat it, "In the past, I raised hundreds of carrier pigeons in my heyday, but now I can't do enough, and I only have more than thirty pigeons." The average lifespan of pigeons is fifteen or sixteen years, and some live to more than twenty years, but such overage pigeons have lost the ability to breed and race. The oldest of my pigeons is over a decade old and I have developed feelings that I am reluctant to throw away. ”
For the future development of pigeon breeding, Wang Lin said that she has many years of pigeon breeding experience, although there is no fixed model for raising pigeons, but she will actively communicate with pigeon lovers, share her practical pigeon breeding skills with everyone, so that more enthusiasts will become 'pigeon breeders'. ”
Yin Qiaoling, chairman of the Xianyang Carrier Pigeon Sports Association, said that people who love carrier pigeons are particularly obsessed with this sport, especially on the eve of the race, even at the expense of work and rest time to train carrier pigeons, "This persistence is very valuable, I hope that more carrier pigeon lovers will join us, and we will exchange ideas and let this sport really come to everyone's life." ”
Huashang Daily reporter Yang Ning Editor Tao Yaxing