Pigeon fancier Victor Bădălău is 44 years old, he is from Reșița, and in 2018 one of his pigeons managed to become champion at Fond Pui Vest West. The result is not accidental, because the father of his pigeon was also champion in the same category in 2016. Of course, the credit goes to the breeder who is passionate about pigeon breeding as a child, about whom we can say that he grew up with pigeons from his family's household. . Although at one point he had to give up the sport, he returned a few years later with even more ambition. I was labeled a "loving neighbor" because I had a pigeon farm on the block. Because of the neighbors, however, I had to give up, because they didn't agree and they complained to me about complaints ", says the pigeon fancier. What made him come back, what he thought of the 2018 season and with what thoughts he is preparing for the next season, read in the following lines.

Victor, we know that in the case of many pigeon fanciers, the "germ" of this passion comes from childhood. Is that the case with you?

Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. My grandmother and my father had pigeons, but they didn't fly them to competitions ... In the past, that is, many years ago, we all gathered pigeon lovers at the market, where pigeons were also sold among vegetables and fruits. That's how I got in touch with pigeon fanciers. At the age of 12 I joined the association and started participating in competitions; quite weak in the early years. At the age of 16, we tandemed with someone we stayed with until we left. I was the tandem Bădălău + Paniță. We had pigeons on the block, which was not to the liking of some neighbors, who started to complain to us until we left. My colleague got back on his own, it took me a little longer to buy a plot of land, but I think it was worth it because it doesn't compare to this passion.

How many pigeons do you have in the farm and what stages do you participate in?

I have about 75 pigeons, a flying batch and a queen. I don't like the idea of ​​keeping many pigeons, because having fewer, you have time to take better care of them. I participate in almost all the competitions, but most of all I like the Marathon ones, for as long distances as possible, which the pigeons usually enter the next day, not on the first day, when they are launched. The chicks don't just fly with my association, I go and compete with all the associations in the west. This is even if my pigeons have about the longest distance, ie about 100-150 km more than the other pigeons.

How was the 2018 season?

It was quite difficult because at the beginning it was rainy weather, which affected the pigeons a little. I have colleagues who have had many sick pigeons and obviously it has influenced ours as well ... I think it was the biggest competition so far, including in Frankfurt and Berlin. For example, in Berlin, where pigeons from all over the country participated, my pigeon came out on the 40th place out of almost 7000 pigeons ... For me it is a very good result. And at the area level there is a lot of competition, there are a lot of pigeons, a lot of breeders. This competition is beneficial, I like it, because it makes me ambitious. In my case, the results came gradually: in 2014 I started seriously pigeon-loving, and 2016 was the first year I had a pigeon competing in Pui, which flew stronger and brought me 1st place in the West Fond Pui, being also the first pigeon in the history of the area that managed that performance. Subsequently, that pigeon became the father of the 2018 champion, also at Fond Pui, also in the West area, but the 6th place at national level. In 2017 I was the 3rd place FCI Marathon on the West area. Otherwise, the local results that I don't really count ...

What game system do you use?

In 2018, for the first time I used the widowhood system, but both males and females fly, females do not keep at home. Until last year, I flew naturally. The last two marathons, which are the longest, the most important, I fly naturally .. Only in the first marathon I flew to widowhood, in the second marathon they were on eggs, and in the last marathon they had chickens ... this year, I will probably fly head-to-head widowhood, because the distances to the marathons have decreased, which doesn't seem ok to me. From my point of view, the marathon must be a marathon, from 900 km, not from 760 km.

Do you train them before the stages?

Yes, short workouts, up to 50 km, do not do longer workouts. I put them in the first competition with the association at 140-150 km, before the Marathon flights, and in the previous week I train them with a launch after 21:00, around 50 km.

Do you think it's important for a farmer to feed pigeons?

Yes, very important. It helps them recover. After a difficult competition, the pigeons recover much faster with a food rich in certain seeds than with a poorer one. In 2018 I used 100% Beyers food and I am really satisfied. I think it's the best I've used so far ... During this winter, my pigeons eat only Beyers, because I noticed changes: they recover very quickly, they had no problems with moulting, etc. I will use the same feeding system in the future, plus the entire range of Beyers conditioning products, combined with HP Pigeon.

What thoughts do you have for the new season?

Like any pigeon fancier, we go to "war" to win. Now let's see what the Most High wants. We'll see at the end of the year. With the national teams, I saw that nothing is nailed down, but I will probably participate in Berlin, because it is a distance of about 1100 km. I understood that Satu Mare and Bihor will organize a Stendal, I think I will go there too, that it is the same distance ... Most likely I will participate in the first marathon, even if it will be shorter, 850 km, and I will not I agree with this idea. Then I'll go to the national team.