When did you start pigeon-loving?

In 2000, if I remember correctly, I was settled in Ploiești and I was a junior of the Astra football team. When I returned from a training session, I took it between the blocks to shorten the road and an ornamental pigeon cut my way. As a child, I ran after him until I caught him.

I took the pigeon and went straight home with him. I remember that at that time my childhood friends, who had some connection with pigeons, offered me 25 thousand on it. Stubborn, even though there was enough money for a child from a modest family at the time, I did not accept. Later I moved to my grandparents, in Aluniș commune, Prahova county, and I bought a few more pigeons, I exchanged more. I was lucky enough to befriend Ionică Dănut, a breeder from our commune, who at that time was one of the best pigeon lovers! At his farm I heard for the first time the word "queen" or "Janssen brothers". Then the school was a priority, so I gave them up for a while.

In 2007, however, I started to take them more seriously and in the fall, in the chicken season, they were the first prizes I won - I won 7 out of ten prizes available at the Derby stage, organized by the association and, for me, then , it was something surprising.

How did you find out at that time? Did you have a breeder model or a mentor?

I can't say I had a role model or a mentor. At the beginning of the road, we all lack experience, but we learned the most from our own mistakes. I read the magazines that appeared on the market, I read everything related to pigeons. I remember a magazine from 2003, where a titan of pigeon fancier, Andrei Marius, from Târgoviște was presented. He was best able to advise beginners, and I still have some of his advice that I follow and strictly follow.

What would it be like?

From his advice, I understood that porous eggs should always be removed and implicitly females that laid such eggs; then throwing the chicks that were noisy in the nests, the chicks that remained smaller and had thinner legs than their siblings. I can say that these were among the first pieces of advice that I "stole", followed and that helped me over time. I'm kind of spartan, I don't spare them. I feel sorry for them, but I also feel sorry for myself - for my work, for the time and money I invest in this passion.

When you started bringing pigeons, what breeders did you bring from?

We started with local breeders and went to a few breeders in the area from where we took pigeons; 1-2 pigeons from one, 1-2 from another and so on. Then I started to bring from other breeders in the country, which I admired for the results they had at that time - from Andrei Marius, which I already mentioned, from Florin Bilan, from Stănescu + Dobre, from Petre (Bebe) Petre or from Chicheanu + Rusu.

Did you bring them from abroad?

I brought very few original pigeons. I did not bring, especially because I did not have patience with them, with their acclimatization. I am of the opinion that the original pigeons, those brought from other countries, learned with a different climate, with a different temperature, are not used here and need a period of acclimatization.

Don't you have many original pigeons today?

Now we have, I am currently the manager of the farm and the tandem of Mr. Simion Emil. Ever since I started collaborating. I made absolutely no other purchases. I preferred to work with these pigeons, to teach them and see what fits in my hand and on my schedule, to have some connection: me with them and them with me.

We have pigeons from several western breeders, such as: Dirk Van Dyck, Andreas Drapa, Marcel Sangers, JOS Van der Veken, Maurice Matheus, Van Heteren, Van Loon, Janssen brothers, Rudi Diels, Koen Van Roy, Jan Van de Pash, the Pouw brothers and many others, but my opinion is that the pigeons from Dirk Van Dyck and Rudi Diels are the future of the farm. They, combined with the old pigeons of the farm, from Andreas Drapa, Marcel Sangers, Louis Van Loon or Jan van de Pasch.

Over time, after the selection, only the "stars" from each breeder remained. 30 pigeons were brought from a breeder and there are 2-3 more.

How many pigeons do you have in the flight group?

In 2016 we competed around 50 females in FCPR, and in 2017, due to the constructions, we failed to compete with the male group. Thus, we competed only with 50 females, and for 2018, we have a batch of 120 pigeons - 40 females for speed-semi-long distance, 40 males for speed-semi-long distance and 40 females for long distance.

I don't know how much we will succeed, but we will try to win the fund category as well, at least we will start preparing the ground.

How did you organize your breeding in Bucharest?

The kennel consists of two bodies, a 45 m long body intended for fliers divided into 19 compartments, all with mesh aviaries, and a 10 m long body intended for breeding pigeons. It is a new construction, made this year, in 2017, we refurbished it and made it more practical and useful.

The first body is divided as follows:

Ø 4 compartments for widowed males, plus a compartment for females staying at home (just for their motivation);

Ø 4 compartments for two series of chickens, 2 compartments for the first series and 2 compartments for the second series;

Ø 8 compartments with speakers for widowed females and 2 for males that are only for their motivation;

We compete pigeons on the widowhood system with partners at home, both females and males. It's a system that I don't know if anyone else has in the country, most of them compete with their partners at home, but they compete with either girls or boys, not girls and boys, at the same time, with their partners at home.

How do you motivate your pigeons especially for stages?

Classical motivations.

It has often happened to me that pigeons are motivated by me ... and not by their partners (especially females).

At the first 6-8 stages we do not show the partners at all at the departure, but only after the 7th or 8th stage we start to show them. I think as follows - if in the first stage I show him the male or the female, in the 10th stage what else do I show him, how do I motivate them?

What stages do you prefer?

I like categories I and II, especially cross-country speed and AS Speed, as it was called until now - this was a category of 10 stages with a minimum of 3,000 km.

What results are you proud of?

I can say that every year we advanced and we had better and better results, until we got to where we are now. And for about five years, I can say that I win a national award every year. I came to Bucharest in 2015 - life was like that, I had to move from Prahova. I came here as manager of the Simion Emil farm, and later I became the tandem of Mr. Simion Emil and since then we are more than friends.

Do you have any food management methods?

As in the BEYERS program, but under various concentrations and mixtures of several types - although every pigeon fancier has his secrets that he will never fully reveal. The basic clue is clear and no longer a secret, especially after "I was caught" a few months ago taking a whole pallet (50 bags) in the car: BEYERS food. I have been using it since I was at home, because I had heard at that time that Dirk van Dyck also uses it, and now, through Porumbei360.ro, I managed to use it here in Bucharest as well. BEYERS is a food that I would NOT give up for anything in the world.

The quality of the products is very important. In our kennel I could say that it is holy, and so far only BEYERS has managed to pass the test and the limits imposed by us in this regard. The porumbei360.ro team is a very professional one and it is a real pleasure to work with them.

What makes you say this?

For example, when we purchase a product, we receive a complete set of information and analysis. Many of them we know and overlap with our practice, others are new to the pigeon market. We are now testing a new BEYERS product with them, but we will not reveal its identity yet. I know that when they are faced with a situation, they document a lot on the subject. They come to us, they ask, they try to see, to understand, they call Jos Thone, they call other breeders from Belgium, Holland, Germany, Romania.

I know that last year there was a problem with the chickens in the country. Many breeders from the country called us to complain. I redirected them to the porumbei360.ro team and then I received many thanks from the pigeon fanciers, because the solutions offered were very useful. I know that they have a contract with the Vet Schroeder Tollisan laboratory in the Netherlands and there they also do tests and analyzes at very affordable prices.

Champions choose quality, Champions choose Beyers! This slogan of Beyers has fully suited you!

Yes (smiling) and if you want to evolve you must not miss any detail, no matter how small. For us, the chapter on feeding, conditioning and treatment is closed and now we can calmly focus on our passion: pigeons!