In Belgium it is for every breeder's dream to win a national race, because then it is man "on top" and is one of the great masters in the home country of the carrier pigeon sports. But if you already have the third national victory in in your career, then you will be in the "Best of Best" category raised and treated with all respect.

Set to Chateauroux a total of 1,707 breeders from all over Belgium, a total of 18,043 pigeons, 2,721 old birds and 15,322 young birds, on Thursdays. The release took place on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. As expected, the first pigeon fell Total release at 15:41:06 hrs with an airspeed of 1,304.88 m/m in Neerpelt, a municipality in the province of Limburg, at a distance of 562 km and thereby won the national victory of the total liberation and thus also the first national in the old birds.

After the national victories from Chateauroux against 5,884 yearlings and on Argenton against 7,843 old birds and the 2nd Olympiadeduif Allround for Belgium in Brussels 2017 followed by the third National victory from Chateauroux on September 12th, 2020 against 15,322 youngsters at a distance from 540km.

After the national victories from Chateauroux against 5,884 yearlings and on Argenton against 7,843 old birds and the 2nd Olympiadeduif Allround for Belgium in Brussels 2017 followed by the third National victory from Chateauroux on September 12th, 2020 against 15,322 youngsters at a distance from 540km.

After the national victories from Chateauroux against 5,884 yearlings and on Argenton against 7,843 old birds and the 2nd Olympiadeduif Allround for Belgium in Brussels 2017 followed by the third National victory from Chateauroux on September 12th, 2020 against 15,322 youngsters at a distance from 540km.

Marc Bosmans started with 13 years with show pigeons, but soon switched to carrier pigeons. The father was not a pigeon breeder, but father and grandfather always supported him. 1989 with the marriage then bought the current domicile. Today's adorn Blows were built in 1992. In the years 1994-95 different races with different results, but so from the end of the In the 1990s things went a little downhill and not in the way people would like would have had. Marc had already thought about quitting until he found Dirk Leekens met. Marc had heard that Dirk would stop pigeons in 2012 and it came to pass an intensive conversation with the result that in 2011 a round of youngsters came from the best pigeons from Dirk to Beverlo and a loft community Founded.

Dirk Leekens

Dirk started with the Pigeons at Father Thieu. From the age of 9 he was involved with pigeons and from the age of 12 he already had his own loft in Waterschei. Because the whole Leekens family played with pigeons, he became literally brought up with it. In 1982 Dirk then moved to As near Jos Thone, where he earned his living as "hairdresser Dirk". There was then also built a loft and he then with his barber shop and his pigeons busy. Through his knowledge, Jos Thone and Jan Hermans noticed him and so his international career began pigeon sport. 1992 was also a great year because he won everything there was to win. 1992 European Cup and the championships of all trade journals. Ace pigeons like "Milton" and "Goldwing" were the driving force forces behind his successful colony before moving into what he is today domicile moved. Here he immediately won the 1st national Brive against more than 10,000 pigeons and was able to demonstrate 5 x 1st prov. Overall he collected 13 Provincial victories and was 1st nat. Campions KBDB youngsters. Dirk had one busy life. After 42 years of professional service, on December 31, 2018 he is in the well-deserved retirement.

Against the competition you could come up with:

Against the competition you could come up with:

Against the competition you could come up with:

Marc and Dirk started the season with 83 hens on the classic widowhood, 200 youngsters and 60 breeding and foster pairs. Total widowhood was practiced until 2017, but mostly the females had shown themselves to be the "better" and so it was then switched to classic widowhood and the cocks were left at home. Playing with the females is much easier say Marc and Dirk together. In the morning around 5:30 a.m. the hens are trained for 1.5 hours. The training is always good and calling in is relatively simple. Of course, in the early days there were repeated urges of the same sex, but after the beatings were equipped with rollers on the bottom of the beating in 2019, this was stopped.

Here too they have Birds of prey leave their mark and so do the pigeons after the journey not allowed outside. The actual training then begins again At the end of February and the pigeons are allowed to fly freely 2-3 times a week. After about 3 Weeks the pigeons are then already about 1.5 hours in the air. From the beginning of January the couples are allowed to get to know each other once a week but don't build a nest. These “meetings” are then practiced until the end of February. The actual training then begins in mid-March and the pigeons are then also drove away about 5 times myself. After that, there aren't any of their own more intermediate flights. The females then have to fly all national flights up to around 800 km graduate The absolute peculiarity is that for the 83 females there are only 36 birds there. As a result, each bird has several females, which it then alternates with must motivate! At the beginning of the season the females will be without at their to have been a partner, basketed. For the national flights then the Pigeons brought together for about ½ hour per loft. After this go the hens then in the aviary, where they can drink water again before they go into the reach basket. The birds have their own cell beat and it will always provided variety. When returning from a flight, the Pigeons in the corridor before the actual blows and can feed here and absorb water. Since they usually have a longer flight behind them have, they also initially have no direct urge to see their bird want. However, if you still want to go directly to your cell, you can Open the sliding door and allow them access. After a dwell time Regeneration will then pair per beat for a little while merged. Marc and Dirk want to avoid a "chaos system". It is also important to note that good regeneration is always important is respected in order to be prepared for the following flight, i.e. that mostly 14 days between further flights. After the season then raised young by the best females.

Young pigeons

Around 200 youngsters are raised in three rounds for personal use. These are then darkened from April 1st to June 21st, in order to be exposed between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. until the end of the season. Training begins when the youngsters pull well. The self-training is carried out 10-15 times over a distance of around 20 km. Then there are 2 x Mettet, 3-4 x Momignies, 2 x Soissons, Sourdun before the national flights via Bourges. Even in Sourdun, the sexes are separated and cardboard boxes are placed on the floor. Before the youngsters are basketed, the sliding doors are then opened for around 1 hour and the cocks and hens can run together. After the return, the youngsters stay together until the next day. Here, too, as is often the case in Belgium, a very strict selection is carried out and only the best have the chance to qualify for further years. For example, only about 30 animals have space to get to the breeding or racing lofts each year.

The inside of one of the youngsters compartments.

Marc and Dirk trust absolutely on the Vanrobaeys mixes. When the pigeons from a flight come back, they get the same food as on the day of the assignment. On Saturday and Sunday is "Premium Power Sport No. 187" with "Premium Power Dynamic No. 184” and “Top Energy No. 35”. There are electrolytes in the water and grape sugar. From Tuesday then "Premium Power Relax No. 183" fed. This is a relatively light mixture, which is then prepared for three days fed to the basket. On the last three days, then, the above Mixtures with the addition of peanuts and peeled sunflower along with Rapeseed oil given over the feed. Amino acids are on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday administered over the water. Also there are bowel conditioners about that lining. Additional vitamins are only given at the end of the season. A special feature is rapeseed oil, which is regularly added 2-3 times a week will. The consumption per year is around 5 liters! Also will the lining "Vanrobaey's egg food" and protein powder are added during one season. This also happens throughout the rearing of the youngsters.

Vandersanden

Vandersanden

Vandersanden

The pigeons are up housed in a 38 m long garden loft built from Ytong stones became. This facility is divided into 3 lofts for birds, 3 for females, 7 for the youngsters and 2 lofts for the breeders. It is about this around blows with a roof ridge and ventilation is via a 1.5 m wide ventilation strips over the front aisle. This ventilation strip can actually be regulated by sliders, but this is hardly used. The entire impact system is equipped with gratings, which can also be found in located in the cells. Once the pigeons are entered, the entire loft cleaned. A "general cleaning" is carried out annually, whereby the roof covering is made "dust-free". Hygiene is also important punches. In this way, the drinking troughs and feed troughs are thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis cleaned.

an absolute The event should not go unmentioned here. The pigeons will be with one long stick "trained", i.e. that the breeders the pigeons on this stick get used to it and therefore don't touch it much. Dirk: “The breeder should little use of his hands, as this also increases the fear of the pigeons Losing hands when they need to be grabbed. Through the "extended Poor" they also lose fear, but are "manageable". Also always plays here the radio so that the deaf are always in "contact" with the outside world, perceive voices and are therefore calmer in their behavior.

Résumé

Here two have each other absolutely "pigeon crazy" sought and found. Even though they live in Limburg, they have after a lot of effort, expertise and with absolute super pigeons a well thought-out system to the top in Belgium "catapulted". Anyone who has had the privilege of getting to know her will always agree when one says: "Absolutely likeable and always with a high level of expertise!" One becomes in I'm sure I'll hear a lot of positive things in the years to come!

Here two have each other absolutely "pigeon crazy" sought and found. Even though they live in Limburg, they have after a lot of effort, expertise and with absolute super pigeons a well thought-out system to the top in Belgium "catapulted". Anyone who has had the privilege of getting to know her will always agree when one says: "Absolutely likeable and always with a high level of expertise!" One becomes in I'm sure I'll hear a lot of positive things in the years to come!

Here two have each other absolutely "pigeon crazy" sought and found. Even though they live in Limburg, they have after a lot of effort, expertise and with absolute super pigeons a well thought-out system to the top in Belgium "catapulted". Anyone who has had the privilege of getting to know her will always agree when one says: "Absolutely likeable and always with a high level of expertise!" One becomes in I'm sure I'll hear a lot of positive things in the years to come!

Here two have each other absolutely "pigeon crazy" sought and found. Even though they live in Limburg, they have after a lot of effort, expertise and with absolute super pigeons a well thought-out system to the top in Belgium "catapulted". Anyone who has had the privilege of getting to know her will always agree when one says: "Absolutely likeable and always with a high level of expertise!" One becomes in I'm sure I'll hear a lot of positive things in the years to come!

Here two have each other absolutely "pigeon crazy" sought and found. Even though they live in Limburg, they have after a lot of effort, expertise and with absolute super pigeons a well thought-out system to the top in Belgium "catapulted". Anyone who has had the privilege of getting to know her will always agree when one says: "Absolutely likeable and always with a high level of expertise!" One becomes in I'm sure I'll hear a lot of positive things in the years to come!

Here two have each other absolutely "pigeon crazy" sought and found. Even though they live in Limburg, they have after a lot of effort, expertise and with absolute super pigeons a well thought-out system to the top in Belgium "catapulted". Anyone who has had the privilege of getting to know her will always agree when one says: "Absolutely likeable and always with a high level of expertise!" One becomes in I'm sure I'll hear a lot of positive things in the years to come!