Dirk Leekens:
National Champion K.B.D.B.
Young Birds in National Races
2010          

by Stefan Mertens

Click on any photo for larger version 




A view of
Leeken's lofts

Inside the
impressive loft













"National Kannibaal"
























"Young Princess"

Niel bij As: In our series of reports about national champions KBDB Belgium, we went for his report to the east side of Belgium. We went to the Limburg province and more specifically to the little town named
Niel-By-As...


Fanciers who hear this town’s name will immediately think about the well-known champion Jos Thoné, but we were not visiting Jos but his good friend Dirk Leekens. Hairdresser Dirk  is also a very good fancier, and for years he has been racing in combination with Jan Hermans. Jan is indeed the owner of pigeon magazine De Duif.


“National Kannibaal” and “Young Princess”
The national championship for young bird category long distance, also named the national championship young birds on the national races, can be won with the 1st and 2nd nominated young bird on three of the four national races. The choice of the three races can be made out of these races: Bourges, Argenton, La Souterraine and Gueret.
One thing is sure—this national championship is not that easy to win. The competition is very hard. Dirk credits this winning to the performances of two very good young birds, namely “National Kannibaal” and “Young Princess.” Those two youngsters performed very well on the national races.


“National Kannibaal” 5156002/10 is a superb blue cock who won the 1st prize on club level on the races Bourges, Argenton and La Souterraine. His race results are: 1st Bourges local 140b., 18th Bourges provincial 2,890b., 189th Bourges national 30,742b., 1st Argenton 777b., 3rd provincial Argenton 1,689b., 740th national Argenton 22,442b., 1st La Souterraine 594b., 3rd provincial La Souterraine 1,047b., and 52nd national La Souterraine 17,017b.


No wonder this cock won the title of 1st provincial ace young birds long distance.


“National Kannibaal” comes out of the coupling “5151366/06” x “B01-5012428”. “B06-5151366”comes out of the coupling “B03-6482688” (grandson “Kannibaal” of Dirk Van Dijck) x “B04-6468243” (a daughter of “Kannibaal” of Dirk Van Dijck and on the mother’s side “Sister Rambo”).


“5012428/01” is “Daughter Lucky Luke.” Comes out of the coupling “Lucky Luke” X “Daughter Nationaal I Schellens.”  “Lucky Luke” (5201920/97 won 1st  provincial Orleans 5,277b.,  1st  Chimay 604b., 2nd  Chimay 1,562b. and so on.   Comes out of the line “Maes I” Schellens via Louis Deleus.) “Daughter Nationaal I Schellens” (B98-2214433), via Herbots from “Nationaal I” ( 1st National Bourges and 1st  Provincial Orleans)  in those days coupled with “Daughter Supercrack 327.”


“Young Princess”  (5156027/10), a checker hen with very soft feathers that became at the end of the season 3rd provincial ace fond.


“Young Princess” won: 1st Vierzon 37b., 2nd provincial Vierzon 511b., 3rd Semi-National Vierzon 2,457b., 12th Bourges 140b., 1,948th national Bourges 30,748b., 109th Argenton 777b., 257th provincial La Souterraine 3,923b., 3rd Gueret 435b.


“Young Princess” comes out of the coupling “B08-5165496” x “B06-5151368.”


“B08-5165496” has as father the world famous “Blauwe Prins” of late Pros Roosen. The “Blauwe Prins” (B04-5065642) won:  2nd provincial Vierzon 6,928b.,  4th national Bourges’05 , 11th national Bourges’06 (is son “Freddy” of De Rauw Sablon x daughter “Chateauroux”, top  breeder of  R. Schots). The “Blauwe Prins” was coupled to “Supermama.”  “Supermama” (B03-5241896) is an excellent breeding hen who is the result of the coupling “1st National Bourges Pros Roosen” x “Zwart Chateaurouke” (daughter of the  “Chateauroux” of R. Schots).

“B06-5151368” is again a granddaughter of the “Kannibaal” of  Dirk Van Dijck. She comes out of the coupling “Son Kannibaal” x “Sister Reza.” “Sister Reza” comes out of the coupling “Tips” (Marijke Vink) x “Line Kannibaal” via Koopman.


The base and a superior breeding hen.

When we ask about the base of the loft Leekens-Hermans, Dirk answers, “Two base birds come back in a lot of pedigrees and these are ‘Vaya Con Dios’ (strain Thoné) and cock ‘Milton’ (Huyskens Van Riel x Thoné). Both were very good long-distance birds, and they gave their spirit to win perfectly to the following generations. Through Jan Hermans there came some middle-distance birds into my breeding loft. I have two sons of the ‘231’ of Jos and Jules Engels, a son and a daughter of the ‘Kannibaal’ of Dirk Van Dijck from Zandhoven , a daughter of the ‘Nationaal’ of late Pros Roosen and a daughter of the ‘Nationaal I’ Herbots gebroeders. I was also successful with Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons. Certainly the line of ‘Wittenbuik’ and ‘De Bliksem’ was a bull’s eye. It would be a shame if I forget to mention ‘Lucky Luke.’’ This cock comes out of an old Schellens base through my uncle Luc Liebens. ‘Lucky Luke’ is father of five different 1st prize winners, one of which was ‘Lucky Boy’ who won 7th national Souillac against 7,507b. and 24th national Argenton against 5,208b.”


Dirk continues, “My favorite stock hen is without any doubt ‘Supermama.’ ‘Supermama’ comes from late Pros Roosen and is a daughter of ‘De Nationaal’ or in other words a daughter of the 1st national Bourges. When Pros was still alive he asked several times to buy ‘Supermama.’ He offered me a lot of money, but I refused the sale and proposed to him the following deal. I said to Pros, ‘Let’s breed together and couple “Supermama” to your best breeding cocks.’ In this way I became owner of  a son of ‘Blauwe Prins’ x ‘Supermama’ and a son of ‘Freddy’ x ‘Supermama.’’ When Pros brought me these youngsters, he said to me, ‘Dirk, I’m not bringing you a pigeon but a pigeon worth a Mercedes.’ I named this bird ‘Freddy Junior’ (ring: B09-5130845).”
Hereby some race results of direct children of “Supermama”:

Some Top Birds

- “B09-5062267” wins from Bourges 1/260 (10/4377 25/11797 and 76/37357 national) and Guéret 1/265 (also 1/1,111; 2/3,974 provincial and 4/14,245 national)

- “B09-5062266” wins from La Ferté 14/1043, Guéret 18/1,111 (18/1,111; 48/3,974 and 72/14,245 national) and Argenton 5/146 (72/14,245 national)

- “B05-5148193” wins Bourges National 77/11,252 and Brive 1/121

- “B05-5148192” wins 28 prizes, namely Argenton national 87/4,704 and La Souterraine provincial 12/540

- “B07-5081331” wins 17 prizes, namely Châteauroux 1/120 (7/3,130 and 20 national of 9,030)

- “B07-5081432” wins 29 prizes, namely 17 times 1/10 whereby Souilliac 1/63 (4/317 and 26/1,254 zonal), Tulle 94/2,198 zonal

- “B07-5081425” wins Montluçon 1/136, Limoges 77/2,429 zonaal and Souilliac 36/402 prov.

- “B10-5156182” wins 8 prizes as young bird : Nanteuil 1/245, Nanteuil 17/337, Laon 6/410, Laon 6/256, Chimay 17/463, Sézanne 12/214, 129/4,545 Nanteuil 15/203 , 5/725 Chimay

-“B10-5156050” wins Bourges 4/140 (35/2,890 and 101/9,512 zonal).

Total widowhood
Whoever thinks that Dirk is a full-time pigeon fancier is totally wrong. Dirk is in the first place a hair dresser. He has a very good business, and he is also lucky that he has good employees who know that Dirk is now and then in his loft.


On the other hand, he has also a lot of help of good friend Willy Smeets. He helps as if Dirk’s pigeons are his own birds, and Dirk wants to thank Willy a lot.


Dirk has chosen the system of total widowhood. This system fits best for the hours he has to work. The pigeons that are in the loft are all birds to race and not just birds who are just sitting there. Every feather has to perform. Before the racing season starts, they don’t come in to nest, but they see each other once a week. When you do this, the hens and the cocks don’t forget each other.


Dirk starts the racing season with 40 couples. The main races are races between 400 and 750km. The hens are basketted weekly, and the cocks every two weeks. When the pigeons arrive from a race, they always stay together till the day after.
The young birds are raced following the open door system. This is nothing special, but a method which is followed in thousands of other lofts.


On medical level, Dirk has his own microscope. Trichomoniose, coxidiose or worms--they cannot hide anymore from him. When there’s something more wrong, Dirk consults veterinarian Dr. Ferdi Vandersanden.

“Giant Kannibaal”: B09-5062418
Sezanne  1 /297 Club  2 /5,860 Provincial
Troyes    3 /824 Club  17 /1,754 Gewest.
Gueret    203 /14,245 National
Nanteuil  10 /1,247 Club 18 /4,131 Gewest
Chateauroux 33 /1,630 Prov. 66 /4,638 Semi-national
Chateauroux  8 /509 Club  15 /1,233 Prov.  70 /4,690 Semi-national
Argenton  8 /274 Club 42 /1,133 Prov.   134 /4,244 zonal


“427 Kannibaal“ B09-5062427
Chateauroux  1 /509 Club  3 /1,233 Prov.  30 /4,690 zonal
Argenton   1 /274 Club 10 /1,133 Prov. 24 /4,244  zonal
Moulins   35 /707 Provincial 68 /2,971 Semi-national
Bourges   7 /173,  20 /762 Club  49 /1,830 Provincial  100 /5,806 zonal
Vierzon  19 /943 Provincial  39 /3,826 Semi-national
Laon  10 /415 Club


“431 Kannibaal” B09-5062431
Argenton   1 /372 Club    3 /2,578 Prov.  30 /7,358 National
Orleans   5 /511 Club  41 /2,967 Provincial
Argenton  3 /224 Club  31 /1,133 Provincial  90 /4,244 zonal
Gien  5 /235 Club  20 /2,245 Provincial
Vervins  2 /187 Club  3 /456 Gewest


“Blue Viagra” B05-5148194
2nd  Semi-National Ace Centrum-Oost 2007
3rd  National ace West European Nation Cup Belgium 2009
Montlucon ‘07  51 / 7,381    Semi-National
Bourges     ‘07  38 / 12,549  National
Argenton   ’07   25 / 2,215   zonal   52 / 5,001 National
Limoges    ’08  52 / 2,569    zonal   290 / 11,995  National 
Brive   ’09  30 / 2,338  Provincial  209 / 6,567  zonal
Souilliac  ’09   6 / 1,708   zonal    20 / 7,597  National
Argenton  ’09  19 / 2,421  zonal   35 / 5,043  National
La Souteraine ’09   18 / 2,038     zonal
Souilliac  ‘10   98 /1,254   zonal
La Souter’10   40 /2,098   zonal

Provincial Results 2010

2nd provincal Vierzon 511 oldbirds

3rd provincial  LaSouterraine 1,047 young birds