Phuc Lam has a passion for the types of pigeons
Diversity
There are many types of fancy pigeons such as pigeons with fan, marble, lion, trumpet, and chrysanthemums tails … In Hue, the popular pigeons are the ones with fan, trumpet, lion, and chicken tails.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Lam, passionate about fancy pigeons for more than 4 years, said: “The first species we raised were Japanese fantail pigeons, Indian black-tailed pigeons and Dutch lion-tail pigeons. At first, I was greatly surprised at how to take care of them...”
Being a student at Da Nang Polytechnic University, accidentally seeing the online pictures of pigeons, Hue’s young man “fell in love with” them immediately. Cherishing the passion for longpursued it right after his graduation. Although a rookie at that time, he spent nearly VND 5 million owning 5 pairs of pigeons.
More “daring” than Phuc Lam is Phuoc Thanh, a young boy of 8X in Huong Thuy Town. To satisfy his passion, he spent VND 10 million buying pigeons as far as Ho Chi Minh City.
Thanh said, “At that time, online trading was not as popular as it is now. Finding a farm to buy pigeons was difficult; it was even more difficult to transport them. Only because of a petty problem had I have to wait at the station, asking many people about the pigeon cage. What a close shave! ”
He “sweated” because the money was sent but the pigeons were not forwarded. In the end, he was really overjoyed to receive the safely-forwarded package of pigeon. Contemplating the species of bird on the Web a few days earlier, he was delighted to determine to raise it.
Each type of fancy pigeon possesses its own beauty. The trumpet-tail pigeons heave at the chest and neck. The fantail pigeon is characterized by hairy legs, tail spread like a peacock's. Apart from the characteristic feather color, the pigeon also has a great weight; many pigeons weigh around 1.5kg.
The most famous is probably the lion-tail pigeon. August with the majestic mane embracing its face, the lion-tail pigeon seen as a symbol of power is often sought by traders.
Money-making hobby
Fancy pigeons rarely get sick and are easy to take care of. However, this species hatches eggs awkwardly, so fanciers often have to hatch by using machine or French pigeons. French pigeons are also excellent foster parents in caring for young fancy pigeons.
Depending on the period and species, the feed for fancy pigeons will increase or decrease in the components, mainly maize, rice and industrial flour. For beautiful feathers, firm physique, pigeons are fed with vitamins and minerals. Some pigeons are raised on sand troughs for their beautiful legs; this is also a way of supplementing sand and gravel for their better digestion.
Phuoc Thanh nurtures the passion by combining fancy pigeons and French ones. However, the income from fancy pigeons is by no means small. He said, “Normally, pigeons of French breed are priced at VND 160-200 thousand a pair, but fancy pigeons cost more than double or triple. Many types cost 10 times higher. ”
Currently, Japanese fantail pigeons (5-6 weeks old) cost around VND 400 thousand a pair. Indian black fantail pigeons range from VND 800 to 900 thousand a pair. Trumpet-tail pigeons cost about VND 2 million a pair.
Currently, this passion is mainly personal, so the young pigeon fanciers’ desire is to gather people with like-mindedness. Therefore, there will be a playground to exchange experience, improve understanding and display the beauty of this beautiful animal.
Story and photo: Mai Hue