Chapter 870
The Loss of the Imprint
Not long after, the gate opened, and a car drove directly into the yard, then drove straight in and parked next to Feng Huanping's car.
Three people got out of the car.
The driver in the cab was a young man, whom Yue Feng had never seen before.
An elderly man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties got out of the passenger seat. He was dressed very neatly, with fair and delicate skin, and exuded an air of pampered luxury.
Yue Feng recognized the person who got out of the back seat; it was Zhang Chaochao, whom he had met before. After getting out of the car, Zhang Chaochao whispered a few words to the old man and strode towards Yue Feng.
"Young Master Zhang is here!" Yue Feng glanced at Li Wenhu with a smile.
Li Wenhu replied, "Brother Chao came with Old Qian! I had Xiao Peng call to inform you as soon as you arrived!"
"This is really inappropriate, it's making a big fuss!" Yue Feng muttered to himself.
Li Wenhu said somewhat politely but insincerely, "No, you and Young Master Feng are honored guests! You've only been here a short while, yet you've already helped us spot the problem. We don't understand the intricacies of this matter at all!"
Less than half a minute later, Zhang Chaochao and Old Qian walked over, and Yue Feng and Feng Huanping immediately went to greet them.
"Haha, welcome, welcome! Xiaofeng, long time no see!!" Zhang Chaochao greeted him very politely, his tone gentle, giving people a warm and welcoming feeling.
"Young Master Zhang, hello! This must be Elder Qian, right? Hello!" Yue Feng responded politely.
Old Qian walked up to Yue Feng and looked him up and down without making a sound. He said in a slightly effeminate voice, "Tsk tsk, Yue Feng looks even younger in person than in the documentary!"
I am Qian Fenglin, welcome, welcome!
"Hello, hello! I heard Brother Feng mention your name before I came. Seeing is believing!" Yue Feng greeted him again.
Zhang Chaochao continued, "Haha, you've been here for a while now, haven't you? I set this up in a hurry, so I hope you can give me some pointers!"
“It’s done very well. Whether it’s the cages or the zoning, it’s all very good! The fledglings are also good, they’re all excellent birds!” Yue Feng answered flawlessly.
"That's no fun! Do you think these little trinkets I brought back would even meet my standards?" Zhang Chaochao was clearly dissatisfied with Yue Feng's compliment.
Yue Feng said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Only those who have learned about it know that both eagle chicks and peregrine falcon chicks are hard-won!"
"Taking chicks is no easy task; it involves traversing mountains and rivers. The fact that you've managed to get these fledglings shows that Young Master Zhang must have put in a tremendous amount of effort!"
Zhang Chaochao nodded with deep feeling: "I won't argue with you about what you said! I did have to do a lot of favors to get this little thing done."
I'm afraid that if I go through all the trouble to get it back, I'll end up paying tuition and wasting all my time!
When it comes to handling birds of prey, Uncle Qian and I both admire you. Since we're friends, you can't keep things from me!
Also, if you see any fledglings I like, just let me know which one you want and take it! We don't need all that formalities!
Upon hearing this, Feng Huanping immediately smiled and teased, "Did you hear that, Xiao Feng? You've got a lot more influence now. Last time Jianjun and I came here, even Young Master Zhang didn't agree!"
If any of these fledgling eagles catch your eye, don't hesitate to take advantage of them!
Upon hearing this, Yue Feng's mind immediately became active.
If he were to handle the common subspecies of peregrine falcon chicks himself, the earliest he could get them would be next spring, and he currently has no clue what to do. To achieve his goal, it would require a huge amount of manpower and resources.
Now that Zhang Chaochao has so openly promised that anyone who likes an eagle can take it away, and Feng Huanping has also chimed in with hints and reminders, it means that this is not just empty talk.
Why not take advantage of a freebie? Yue Feng wasn't going to be polite with Zhang Chaochao and the others.
“Young Master Zhang, if that’s what you’re saying, then I’ll shamelessly say it! I actually guessed that the peregrine falcon chicks were being raised in the cages and incubators!” Yue Feng said without any emotional fluctuation.
Zhang Chaochao waved his hand without hesitation, acting quite boldly.
"Which one do you like? Pick one yourself!"
"The eaglets are all quite spirited. Just send me a male one! For artificial breeding of birds of prey, if the aptitude is good, I might be able to use this thing!"
Zhang Chaochao called out, "Wenhu, don't just stand there, get me a box, pick out whichever one you like! You know male and female, right? I don't really know either."
Uncle Qian, you and Xiaofeng should discuss this and make sure you don't pick the wrong pair! If all else fails, just take a pair home; that way, you'll have some insurance if you make a mistake!
Old Qian smiled at Yue Feng: "The eaglets have been hatched for seven or eight days. You should be able to tell the male from the female, right? I'm more familiar with wild-caught eaglets. Handling eaglets is a first for someone your age! You'll have to make sure you can tell the male from the female yourself!"
Yue Feng said, "That's easy! I handled a few broods of chicks a couple of years ago, and the methods for distinguishing males and females among these falcons are pretty much the same!"
Soon, Li Wenhu found a clean cardboard box and moved the insulated box from the partitioned cage directly to the more spacious walkway outside.
Yue Feng pointed to the fledgling eagle on the ground and said, "Distinguishing between male and female fledgling falcons is not that complicated. You can look at it from several aspects."
The first is the overall size. Peregrine falcons only start incubating their eggs after they are fully laid, so the eaglets basically start incubating and developing together! The difference between different eaglets in the same nest is at most one or two days.
Aside from the occasional slightly larger individual due to intense competition for food, among falcon chicks of the same age, the slightly larger ones are females, and the slightly smaller ones are males!
Besides weight, you can also look at the thickness of the beak.
The female eagle has a wider and thicker beak base and a larger opening, while the male's beak is narrower and looks smaller overall, somewhat delicate!
At the same time, the head and paw proportions are also different; females are more robust, while males are smaller and appear more delicate!
Following Yue Feng's method, the group was able to distinguish the male and female eagles almost immediately.
This brood of four peregrine falcon chicks, two males and two females, looks quite well-proportioned.
Yue Feng glanced at them and picked out the smallest chick.
"This one looks like a male falcon to me, I'll take it!"
Zhang Chaochao glanced at the fledgling falcon Yue Feng had chosen and asked in confusion, "Why did you pick the smallest one out of all those choices, the one that's the worst of the bunch!"
Bird owners don't like the smallest, bottom-feeder birds; calling them "trash" isn't a big deal.
However, Yue Feng doesn't just choose eagles based on size; he looks more at body proportions and the innate temperament of the fledglings.
This lucky eagle that was chosen is most likely the last one to hatch. It's not very big, but it was much bolder and more active in the incubator. Yue Feng estimates that it will only need to be fed normally for another three to five days at most before it catches up with the other eagles in its nest.
"Haha, it's the most lively one, that's the one!" Yue Feng said with a smile.
Zhang Chaochao nodded slightly: "Alright, I'll do as you say! Shall we mark it and put it in the incubator first, so we can take it back with us when we leave? Or should I keep it in the cage for you first?"
"How long do you plan to stay in the capital this time? Is it convenient to take care of this hairless little guy?"
Yue Feng replied, "Sure, just don't forget when you leave! I was so busy looking at the baby falcons in the cages that I didn't get to see the two broods of goshawk chicks. Shall we take a look together?"
Hearing this, Zhang Chaochao assumed that Yue Feng also wanted the fledgling eagles, and immediately waved his hand, "Come on, let's go take a look! If you like any of the fledgling eagles, pick a few to take back! With our relationship, it's no big deal!"
Yue Feng nodded slightly without immediately expressing his opinion, quickly weighing his discovery in his mind whether he should offer a word of advice.
After all, you're beholden to someone who gives you a handout, and you're beholden to someone who feeds you.
Yue Feng is a kind person. Even if they are potential opponents with different stances, he is unwilling to take advantage of others for nothing.
And so, the group quickly arrived at the other two cages for the fledgling eagles.
After observing the condition of the two broods of eaglets in the remaining two cages, Yue Feng made a plan in his mind.
These two broods of goshawk chicks are a few days older than the first brood. The oldest one has already learned to fly, while the other chicks are only a day or two behind.
"Young Master Zhang, Elder Qian, and Young Master Li! I suddenly remembered a small question, but I'm not sure if I should bring it up!"
“A problem? What problem? Tell me!” Zhang Chaochao responded immediately.
"I'd like to ask first, besides training and participating in competitions, shouldn't we also consider using these fledgling eagles as breeding stock for artificial reproduction?" Yue Feng asked.
"Yes! If we want to establish a raptor club, we have to take the step of using pedigree raptors!"
You and Jianjun are raising falcon chicks for this reason, and we're raising goshawks and peregrine falcons for the same purpose!
After receiving an affirmative answer, Yue Feng nodded: "If this is the goal, then these nests of fledgling eagles are basically unusable!"
Upon hearing Yue Feng say it couldn't be used, Zhang Chaochao habitually glanced at Li Wenhu and Old Qian, and asked in confusion, "Can't it be used?"
Are there problems with these eagle nests? Aside from some minor, unexplained flaws in their plumage, the eagles seem perfectly healthy. What's going on?
Yue Feng didn't keep them in suspense any longer: "These fledgling eagles left the nest too late!"
Look at their eyes when they see people; they're full of wariness and tension. This is a sign of a failed imprint!
As for the imperfections on the feathers you mentioned, I just told Brother Wenhu that these are called stress lines. They are caused by fluctuations in hormone levels due to stimulation, resulting in slight abnormalities in feather tube development!
Stress lines aren't a big problem; I'm talking about something else.
Eaglets that failed to be imprinted already have memories of their parents and don't perceive themselves as belonging to the same species as their owners. Using them for training is fine, but for breeding, they can only pair naturally; artificial intervention is virtually impossible!
Upon hearing this, everyone except Yue Feng felt a jolt in their hearts.
When it comes to raptor breeding, what's most important right now? One is acquiring breeding stock, and the other is the timeline.
At their level, the fledglings that naturally breed every spring can definitely be obtained if they want to, it's just a matter of how much it costs.
The timeline is different. If Yue Feng hadn't brought this up, the initial investment would have been wasted if it took two or three years for the child to go from sub-adult to adult.
What a waste of time!
If the problem in Zhang Chaochao and Li Wenhu's club wasn't with the goshawk, but with other falcons like gyrfalcons, saker falcons, or peregrine falcons, Yue Feng most likely wouldn't have pointed out this detail.
Now that Zhang Chaochao has taken the initiative to be friendly, and the eagle he's raising poses no competitive pressure or business threat to Yue Feng, Yue Feng hesitated for a long time before deciding to offer a reminder, as a way of repaying the favor of the other party for giving him the fledgling eagle.
Everyone present was shrewd, and after hearing Yue Feng's reminder, Zhang Chaochao, Li Wenhu, and Qian Lao felt even more frightened.
If Yue Feng doesn't say anything, they'll just keep feeling their way forward, raising the eagles haphazardly until they realize they can't be used when the fledglings mature and start breeding. That would be a complete disaster.
"Holy crap! So, according to you, these nests of fledgling eagles are all useless?"
Zhang Chaochao couldn't hold back any longer and swore, his facial expression changing noticeably.
Yue Feng replied in a calm tone: "It's not entirely useless. Young eagles raised by humans are more affectionate than wild eagles caught in the fall. But if they are not allowed to mount for a long time, they will still become rebellious!"
If eagles maintain a suitable level of activity and condition throughout the year, they can naturally pair up and reproduce! However, artificial breeding and crossbreeding are very difficult!
"That's alright! The eaglet breeding season is almost over this year, so we'll have to wait until next year! What do you mean by the inscription you mentioned earlier? Could you explain it to us in more detail?" Zhang Chaochao continued to ask.
Yue Feng explained: "Imprinting, also called imprinting, is a way for fledgling birds of prey to establish their identity! In fact, other birds or common small animals also have similar instincts to some extent."
They will consider whoever they see first when they open their eyes as their own kind! For example, newly hatched ducklings will take the first person they see as their mother and follow them around. The principle is the same!
These fledgling eagles raided the nest too late; they had already been fed by their parents and knew they were eagles! So, after being brought home, they were somewhat wary and fearful of their owner!
Conversely, peregrine falcon chicks in incubators don't have this problem. Once you raise them, these little guys aren't afraid of people at all! This is because their eyes and brains aren't fully developed yet; they haven't completed the imprinting process!
"That's good! After working so hard for so long, at least we didn't suffer a complete defeat!" Old Qian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Before meeting Yue Feng, Mr. Qian, a descendant of the Beijing school of falconry, was quite arrogant. He came from a distinguished family and considered himself to have rich "professional experience," so he always had a high opinion of himself when it came to falconry.
He was involved in directing the construction and layout of the cages.
Now look what happened, the first time I met Yue Feng, I was taught a lesson by him.
He was somewhat embarrassed and almost did nothing at all, which annoyed him.
"If we go to collect eagle chicks again next spring, what size should we choose?" Li Wenhu asked the question that concerned him most.
Yue Feng replied, "Theoretically, the smaller the better! Ideally, the fertilized egg should be retrieved and incubated by itself!"
However, our energy levels are far less than those of our parent birds. As a second-best option, we should wait until the eaglet has just hatched, before it has opened its eyes, or when its eyes have just opened and its vision is still developing. (End of Chapter)