Dan Roatiș is one of the young people who are really passionate about pigeons, who has channeled his energy very well in this sport and has managed to obtain exceptional results at several national competitions. At the age of 28, Dan amazed the audience at Frankfurt National 2018: he ranked first with the pigeon RO 14 - 488216, a pigeon that, moreover, managed to maintain its first place throughout the competition, not being overtaken by no other participant. To this success are added a few more, and the future promises to be promising. Therefore, we invite you, in the following lines, to meet Dan Roatiș, a young pigeon fancier from Satu Mare, determined to reach the highest peaks of pigeon fancier.

Dan, tell us when and how did you find out that you like pigeons and want to have your own farm?

I liked pigeons as a child. I had an older friend who had several traveling pigeons, I can say that I discovered them with him. Gradually, I started to grow a few, but I didn't have rings. He told me "come with me to get your rings." I bought, and on that occasion I met other breeders, who were open to give me some advice, but also about 8-10 pigeons. They urged me to join their group, to participate in their meetings, I went and looked like this, little by little, this sport caught me and I became a member of the Satu Mare Traveler Association. It has been about 13 years since the breeding pigeons have been growing, the first being from Mr. Luca Petru from Satu Mare, who was until once my mentor in pigeon fancier.

How many birds do you have on the farm now?

If at the beginning I had a few, gradually, my collection has grown, so today I have 180 pigeons, of which 50 birds, 100 chickens and 30 mature athletes. The basis of the farm is the pigeons Jan Aarden, who originated the famous pigeon Dolle. They are purchased directly from the Netherlands from breeder Michael Buijk. In addition to these pigeons, they have pigeons from the famous breeders Horvath Karoly and Horvath Janos from Hungary. I also own pigeons with very good results and from a very good friend, Pop Marcel, who competes in Italy.

Does it matter much to have birds from famous breeders?

Yes very much! The quality of the bird makes the difference. Of course, both the preparation and the food matter, but, from my point of view, the bird, its origin, matters the most. Until two years ago, I didn't invest any money. The pigeons came mostly from friends, who knew my passion and gave it to me as a gift. But in 2016 I started buying quality birds, and this can be seen. This summer, at the latest in the autumn, I hope to reach Belgium, the idol of pigeon fanciers - Vandenabeele. I want you to visit his farm, talk to him and find out some of his secrets in pigeon breeding. He has won many awards, extensive experience in this field and I have something to learn from him.

You said before that, in addition to the quality of the birds, food and training are also important. What food do you give them and how do you train them?

Practically total widowhood, hiring both females and males. I prefer this method of competing with pigeons because it seems to me the best way to keep the pigeons in shape throughout the competition season. I train pigeons 2-3 times a week to Valea lui Mihai, being the farthest locality in the country on the flight line of pigeons being about 65 km by air. In training pigeons, I also consult with my good friend and fellow pigeon fancier Sabău Florin. As for the feeding of sport pigeons, it comes exclusively from Beyers. I use all kinds of food from this company, including recovery products. Electrolit Plus is very good. This year I discovered Beyers products and I am very happy with them.

Is 2018 a good competitive year?

Yes, it's the best for me. I have over 50-60% graded birds! At the first stage of the GRIMA marathon this season, we took the 6th place in breeders out of 130 participants and the 6th place in Birds out of 1800 participating birds. In Frankfurt, however, it was the biggest surprise. We obtained the 1st place out of 8668 pigeons.

Pigeon RO 14 - 488216, winner of the 1st place National Frankfurt 2018

What are your plans for the future?

I want to win as many competitions as possible and reach the highest levels of pigeon fancier. It is not easy to cope in this sport, but if you make it a lifestyle, you also manage to perform. It involves a lot of sacrifice and I'm not just talking about money, it's about time. To always wake up at 04:00 in the morning to take them to training, means to be really passionate about it. We are a group of young people here in Satu Mare, who aspire to each other, we compete to become even better, I think that determines us to make even more effort.