Chapter 862
The Third Trip to the Capital
Without undergoing extensive physical training, this youngest hybrid falcon's straight-line flight speed far surpasses that of its nestlings.
To put it even more dramatically, Yue Feng felt that this guy's flying speed was three points faster than the Black Eagle.
The gyrfalcon, a top-tier bird of prey, is virtually unrivaled in terms of level flight speed. It was originally named the gyrfalcon because it is as swift as a flying spear.
The Black Hawk is at the peak of its age and physique. As a mutated individual, its speed is already quite outstanding, and it is even slightly faster than its husband, Little White Spear.
Under this premise, the new hybrid falcon chicks, which have only been learning to fly for a short time, have already shown flying talent that surpasses that of the Great Black Eagle. What does that mean?
Hybrid breeding is like drawing a gene lottery; the vast majority of results are unsurprising, and at best, the offspring may inherit some hybrid vigor.
However, Yue Feng was quite surprised and full of expectations that this hybrid falcon, which was only the size of a normal male saker falcon, could fly so fast.
After discovering the hybrid falcon's extraordinary talent, Yue Feng focused more of his attention on it.
Other chicks undergo routine daily training such as calling and circling to ensure a level of affinity and normal physical condition as a minimum standard.
Yue Feng has devoted a lot of extra energy to this smaller hybrid falcon chick.
In raptor breeding, conventional breeds can only serve as the foundation for the development of a breeding farm. To stand out, one must rely on the potential of those exceptional individuals who are lucky enough to win the genetic lottery.
Yue Feng knew that this small hybrid falcon might not perform well in actual hunting due to its smaller size.
However, its speed, controllability, extremely stable temperament, and affectionate nature are all rare qualities that make it a valuable breeding stock for continuing to propagate the species.
The level of care he showed Yue Feng beyond that of an ordinary chick was not in vain; the little guy repeatedly gave Yue Feng unexpected surprises.
During training, it showed great intelligence. It could learn the routine training subjects completely in one go, while other chicks in the same nest needed Yue Feng to repeat them at least several times before they could achieve the desired performance.
In addition, this guy has an outstanding ability to perceive emotions. It is like a flying puppy, and it can even act cute and beg for food. It can also play games with the Azure Dragon that goes out with it. It has a very lively and likable personality.
After a while, the basic training of the other two broods of eaglets was completed, and they were all transferred to the breeding cages of the mountain breeding farm for unified management according to the normal plan.
However, this hybrid falcon, Little Falcon, did not enter the cage. Instead, it stayed with Yue Feng closely, even when they went down the mountain to go home.
In addition, this fledgling eagle, which Yue Feng named Little Dot, is also very observant. After seeing the big black eagle and Little White Spear at home, it followed the example of the other fledgling eagles, flapping its wings to beg for food and get close to the big black eagle.
Both the big black eagle and the little white spear are adult raptors with very stable personalities. The little one consciously tried to get close to them, but it posed no threat to them. After a few attempts, the little one became familiar with these two main falcons.
While Yue Feng was devoting a lot of energy to the breeding and training of raptors at the farm, Xiao Tao's house-building plan was also put on the agenda.
It was said that Xiao Tao's house-building plan was not comprehensive, so Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu discussed it and decided to purchase building materials together with Xiao Tao's family, and then build their houses one after the other.
With Yue Feng's new house as a model, the other three brothers in the hunting team built their three grand and spacious brick houses in less than two months.
Although neither of the brothers, Xiaowen and Xiaowu, are married, they are of marriageable age. The family has five large brick houses, and the location of the land for their houses was chosen by Yuefeng, who approved a good location. The brothers' new houses are also very close to each other in terms of village planning, so they can take care of each other on a daily basis.
With the main structure of the new house completed, the next step will be the arrival of carpenters and other trades. In a few months at most, the Zhang brothers and Xiao Tao will be able to move into their spacious new house.
June arrived before they knew it, and Yue Feng's chick training for the raptor breeding season was coming to an end. After receiving several calls from Jin Long and Ye Jianjun urging him to return, Yue Feng had to go to Beijing again.
The phone call didn't mention anything important, only that the basic construction at the Eagle Hunting Club was nearing completion and they needed Yue Feng, a professional, to come and provide on-site guidance.
In addition, what particularly appealed to Yue Feng was that Ye Jianjun said on the phone that he had arranged for someone to bring back some baby falcons from Inner Mongolia, which were currently being cared for by Grandpa Liu and Li Fulin and kept in the club's cage area.
Yue Feng also has a strategic need for artificially imprinted saker falcon breeding birds, so after a brief consideration, he decided to make another trip to the capital to meet with old friends and renew their relationships, and hopefully bring back one or two good-quality saker falcon chicks.
Having made up his mind, Yue Feng arranged all the affairs at home, and then asked Jin Long to specially arrange sleeper tickets to Beijing, as well as the procedures for transporting live poultry. That's how he took the little eagle, Xiaobudian, on the train to Beijing.
Leaving aside the bumpy journey of dozens of hours, on the evening of the second day after departure, Yue Feng swaggered out of the train station exit carrying large and small bags of luggage, plus the little one packed in a transport box.
"Over here!!"
From a distance, you could see Jinlong waving a large cardboard sign that read "Welcome to the Station".
"Hey!" Yue Feng waved his arm at Jinlong, who immediately put down the sign and jogged over.
"Haven't seen you in half a year, you've gotten fatter!!" Yue Feng glanced at Jinlong from head to toe and greeted him familiarly.
Jinlong took Yuefeng's luggage, looked Yuefeng up and down, and his gaze fell on the raptor transport cage in Yuefeng's hand: "Big brother, don't laugh at second brother, you're not much better than me! Why did you bring an eagle with you?"
Yue Feng explained with a smile, "This is a hybrid falcon bred from the Altai falcon I had last autumn and the second-generation White Spear falcon in my family last spring! The little guy is very friendly and is still in the crucial stage of physical flight training, so I brought it with me!"
Upon hearing that it was a hybrid falcon chick, Jinlong immediately squatted down and began to observe it through the gap.
"It looks a bit small! At first glance, it's even half a size smaller than the falcon chicks at the club!" Jinlong asked curiously.
Yue Feng nodded: "His physique is indeed not very big. His fasting weight after the morning exercise was about 2.1 pounds!"
"This thing weighs two pounds and one ounce? I don't think it does!" Jinlong frowned slightly when he heard the weight.
Judging from its size and appearance, it doesn't look like it weighs two pounds, but that's the truth. This thing looks small, but it's all fleshy, with high-quality muscles and bones, and it's also single-haired, which is why it looks small.
Yue Feng grinned: "If you don't believe me, go find a scale and weigh yourself later! Would I lie to you?"
"That's not true! The falcon you raised is much better than the young falcons we get at the club in the spring! Those guys, from the moment we bring them home until they're fully grown, there's never a day without a worry! Uncle Liu and Uncle Li are almost driven crazy by these young falcons!"
Upon hearing this, Yue Feng instantly understood what the other person meant and grinned. Artificially imprinted chicks all have the habit of howling for food during their growth period, and the chicks in Yue Feng's house from that year all have this to some extent.
However, the chicks in his house are imprinted with both the parent bird and the owner, so the chicks cry for food much less.
After a while, once the chicks have learned to fly and can hunt independently, their howling for food will decrease.
For example, the little one in Yue Feng's transfer cage only makes that piercing and exaggerated howling noise when it's being fed; otherwise, it's mostly quiet.
"The hawk's howling is unavoidable, but it will gradually get better after a while! Take me home first, I'm fine, but the hawk hasn't been fed today! It's inconvenient on the train!"
Jinlong nodded: "Then let's go home first! Uncle Li knew you were coming, so he cleaned the room and everything for you in advance!"
Yue Feng carried the remaining luggage and the transport cage and followed Jinlong to the car. After getting in, he casually asked, "Has anything important happened at the club lately?"
As Jinlong started the car, he smirked and said, "To be honest, nothing important happened. A few days ago, Xiaojun and I organized a relaxing competition for the Little Eagles. The club members joined in and had fun for a few days!"
Grandpa Liu handled the pine nuts and other small birds with incredible skill; the friendly match had a good atmosphere, and nothing went wrong!
Hearing this, Yue Feng nodded and continued, "Is there any news about Zhang Chaochao? If they are also going to set up a club, spring and summer are the construction phase; otherwise, it will be too late to start building it by autumn!"
Jinlong replied, "Got it! Didn't we lease the area around the old kiln pits outside the south of the city as our venue? Guess where Zhang Chaochao's club will be located!"
Yue Feng had almost no idea about the geography, streets, or terrain of the capital, and shook his head blankly: "How am I supposed to guess that!"
"An abandoned fish fry farm in the suburbs of Beijing!!"
"Fish fry farm? What's the deal with that?" Yue Feng still couldn't figure out what was wrong with the place Jinlong mentioned when he heard this unfamiliar place name.
Jinlong curled his lip: "This place used to belong to the military region's logistics department breeding base! Later, due to policy adjustments, it was moved to a different location and temporarily shelved!"
However, the site and everything else were already there; with a little cleaning, it would be practically ready to use! Neither Jun-ge nor I had expected this. If we had known, we wouldn't have bothered building the kiln pit from scratch!
"Oh, military products! I get it!" Yue Feng nodded, finally understanding why Jinlong was complaining.
Due to various policy reasons, many places have similar military-related resources. These places have high construction standards, and only simple construction is needed to meet the requirements beyond expectations.
When I first came up with the idea to start the club, I didn't think much about the location when choosing a venue; I just used the huge space of the brick kiln to mark out the area.
Zhang Chaochao was different. They were latecomers and fully considered issues such as site selection. They also cleverly utilized public resources, which explains why Jinlong couldn't help but complain.
"Haha, so what if we didn't think of that? It's all in the past, there's no point in dwelling on it! A seedling nursery should have pretty good infrastructure and be quite spacious, right?"
"That's really spacious! The ground is all paved to a high standard. If we were to invest money in this, it would cost an astronomical sum!"
"Alright, a good venue is only one aspect; you also need the right spirit! Your professional skills need to be on point, and I'm confident that we have an advantage in that regard!" Yue Feng said with great confidence.
Jinlong: "That's true! Zhang Chaochao also tried to poach Liu Daye and Uncle Li, but they ignored him and then told me! Brother Jun confronted Zhang Chaochao, and the other party said it was done by his subordinates and he didn't know anything about it! He won't do it again!"
"They also run an falconry club. Are there any respectable members?" Yue Feng continued to ask.
"Many marginalized youths are taking the opportunity to curry favor and pledge their loyalty. There are quite a few of them, but not many with real ability! I reckon there will be plenty of eagle-fighting competitions with us in the fall. If we're prepared, they might pose a certain threat to us then!"
Yue Feng curled his lip: "Even if he brings a god-like figure here, he can't turn the world upside down in our hands! The club has the Azure Dragon to back it up! If all else fails, I can even bring my family's Falcon to the capital!"
"The Great Azure Dragon Eagle is a good eagle, but it's an old guy that has molted. What if it encounters an even more powerful eagle?"
Yue Feng curled his lip: "You don't understand. The broken flower eagles trained are even more powerful in actual combat! Who's taking care of the big blue dragon now? Is it being kept at the club's facilities?"
"No! The big blue dragon is in your courtyard! Grandpa Liu told Uncle Li that making a cage for the big blue dragon to molt is very important, and he's personally in charge! You'll see it when you get back later."
Hearing this, Yue Feng felt relieved.
If a good eagle is to be effective, it must be served with extra care.
Xiao Ying Liu and Li Fulin both knew how rare this big blue dragon was, and in order to ensure it was in the best condition for molting, it was very necessary to bring it back to the courtyard to take care of it.
If this eagle is to be used as a trump card after autumn arrives, we need to be careful in taking care of it and also work hard to avoid risks.
There are many people and suspicious activity at the club's location; if someone tries to cause trouble, it could be a big problem.
Li Fulin's decision to take him back to his residence and serve him meticulously was definitely the act of a wise man.
The car drove along the road and, in less than an hour, stopped in front of Yuefeng BJ's courtyard house.
As I got out of the car, Uncle Li, who was inside, heard the noise and hurriedly opened the main gate to greet me.
"Uncle Li!"
"Xiaofeng's back! Come on in, let me help you with your luggage!" Li Fulin greeted Yue Feng warmly, quickly opening the door and carrying things out.
They didn't have much luggage to begin with; a few bags plus some mountain produce were all moved into the house. Yue Feng carried the bird transport cage into the house.
Yue Feng wasn't in a hurry for anything else; he immediately put down his things and went to see where Li Fulin had caged the eagle.
After seeing the meticulous care Uncle Li took in maintaining this large blue dragon, even Yue Feng, who had high standards for raptor operations, couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. (End of Chapter)