1° | GENERAL NATIONAL CHAMPION KBDB 2004 | ||||||||
1° | JAN BREYDEL MARATHON 2008 | ||||||||
1° | NATIONAL MARATHON 2012 | ||||||||
1° | NATIONAL STEEPLE CUP 2013 | ||||||||
1° | CRITERIUM OF ACES ENTENTE BELGE 2015 | ||||||||
1° | ALL ROUND CHAMPION ENTENTE BELGE 2015 | ||||||||
1° | GENERAL CHAMPION OF HONOR KNIGHTSCLUB 2015 | ||||||||
1° | CHAMPION OF HONOR KNIGHTSCLUB OLD PIGEONS 2015 | ||||||||
1° | SUPER LEIE FOND TROPHY (Waregem-Kortrijk-Avelgem) | ||||||||
1° | BRONZ WING BRUGES BARCELONA CLUB 2012 | ||||||||
3° | ACE BIRD KBDB EXTREME LONG DISTANCE 2004 | ||||||||
—– | |||||||||
2° | NATIONAL CAHORS 2009 (7347 b.) | ||||||||
2° | NATIONAL ST.-VINCENT 2014 (3240 b.) | ||||||||
2° | INT. NATIONAL ST.-VINCENT 2014 (11388 b.) | ||||||||
4° | NATIONL AGEN 2014 (3240 b.) | ||||||||
6° | NATIONAAL ST.-VINCENT 2006 (7525 b.) | ||||||||
7° | NATIONAL BARCELONA 2012 (11590 b.) | ||||||||
7° | NATIONAL AGEN 2016 (2932 b.) | ||||||||
7° | NATIONAL LIBOURNE 2011 (8269 b.) | ||||||||
9° | NATIONAL LIMOGES 2014 (7221 b.) | ||||||||
9° | NATIONAL SOUILLAC JL 2013 (3641 b.) | ||||||||
11° | NATIONAL CAHORS 2006 (6654 b.) | ||||||||
11° | INT. NATIONAL AGEN 2014 (11227 b.) | ||||||||
13° | NATIONAL SOUILLAC O. 2013 (5282 b.) | ||||||||
14° | NATIONAL TARBES 2009 (4812 b.) | ||||||||
19° | NATIONAL PERPIGNAN 2010 (6257 b.) | ||||||||
19° | NATIONAL MONTAUBAN 2019 (5408 b.) | ||||||||
22° | NATIONAL AGEN 2019 (4650 b.) | ||||||||
24° | NATIONAL PERPIGNAN 2019 (3915 b.) | ||||||||
For many amongst us is such a list mouth-watering! And these results aren’t won with a mega loft on pigeons. Everything but that, we can call this an ‘average’ loft in numbers. There are 18 couples breeding pigeons, the racing season is being played with 27 old pigeons (the past few years this was mostly 24), 24-year birds and 90 youngsters. To compete on all the long distance and extreme long-distance races with such a team, you must be able to plan well, and you can’t suffer too many losses. What strikes are very few pigeons on a lot of loft. The cocks reside on spacious attic lofts above the former stables. The pigeons older than a year reside on separate lofts and the year birds reside on ‘yearling lofts. Once two years old they move to the lofts of the old pigeons. The youngsters stay in the stable’s downstairs. The racing team can be divided in 2 kinds of pigeons namely those who must do the long-distance races and those who must do the extreme long-distance races. Although Johan dares to put a so-called long-distance pigeon on the harder work…and he admits that the extreme long distance has his preference. The master shows himself in all simplicity How does Johan take care of his pigeons, how does he prepare them for the bigger works? For those who are expecting miracle recipes, don’t fear, there aren’t any. The care is punctual, correct. The lofts are being cleaned on a daily base and everything is tidy. Johan has a fulltime job and then everything needs to be done quick and goal oriented. Johan leaves at 8 o’clock in the morning for his work in Oudenaarde and then the morning work for pigeons is already done. The other tasks start of after 17h in the evening. He can also count on help of the other family members (or open a loft of youngsters in the afternoon). The breeders breed as early as possible and raise 3 rounds of youngsters that are all being held for own use. Round 1 and 2 are being raised together and the 3rd round is being trained separately. They like to race the youngsters, but the cocks have enough on a few provincial races and/or 1 national. The hens are being raced more intensively. The racing team doesn’t breed before the start of the season and are normally being coupled on the 25th of March for a few days (in a non-covid19 season and the hens don’t come onto eggs). During this period, they are being tossed in a small basket. In the season of 2020, the pigeons were being darkened slightly (the lofts don’t allow more darkening) and were being put together every 2 weeks for one day to keep the motivation in order. They weren’t given any extra light later the season. In Spring the pigeons train once a day (for an hour) and when the weather gets better it is twice a day. The pigeons are being fed separately in their box from the moment they have races above Paris. This allows also to feed the up towards a race. The feeding happens according to the saying ‘light but sufficient’. Johan feeds since a few years now the Versele-Laga mixtures. The standard food is Gery Plus Black Label. Next to this one also the 2 heaviest widower mixes out of this gamma are being used in the feeding that starts on Saturday (for a basketing on Wednesday). Many other foods like for example candy, peanuts, etcetera…isn’t being given by Johan. He is of opinion that these mixes foresee in everything that a pigeon needs, and the pigeon will choose for himself what he likes to eat or need to fill up his reserves…and in the basket they also need to eat corn as well, says Johan. At basketing no hens are being showed. After arrival from his work at the day of basketing his pigeons still need to train, get some food and for those who need to go to race can see during half an hour its nest dish. Johan is most of the time the last one to basket in the club in Waregem…. He doesn’t like many side products…He cooks year in year out Colombine tea and uses on a regular base Sedochol. At arrival, the pigeons do get the Energy mixtures and get Belgasol in the drinking pot. At basketing yellow drops are being given on an individual base and the youngsters get these yellow drops in their drinking pot. Johan is a bit against giving side products through the drinking pot. Preferably pure water is his advice, but sometimes one needs to sin against this rule. In a medical way he goes for advice to Pascal Lanneau. The pigeons get the obligated vaccines and after the season a 10-day cure with a paratyphoid medicine in the drinking pot. No vaccinations. From the preparation towards the season on, Johan goes on a monthly check up and almost never a preventive cure is being given. Leave them be and let them get in shape and only interfere when necessary. After the season, the racing pigeons can normally breed twice empty and then they are being separated until March. To conclude, the 10 commandments from Johan are in fact only 3 namely very good pigeons, a correct care and healthy lofts. Season 2020 – international races
18/jul | PAU | 890 KM | NAT. | 2919 b. | 204° | 1/2 | ||
INT.NAT. | 13128 b. | 1218° | 1/2 | |||||
24/jul | AGEN | 801 KM | NAT. | 5140 b. | 36° & 197° | 2/3 | ||
INT.NAT. | 15271 b. | 47° & 308° | 2/3 | |||||
31/jul | BARCELONA | 1088 KM | NAT. | 6178 b. | 304° | 1/2 | ||
INT.NAT. | 12315 b. | 965° | 1/2 | |||||
31/jul | ST.-VINCENT | 881 KM | NAT. | 3038 b. | 81° & 88° | 2/2 | ||
INT.NAT. | 6073 b. | 214° & 239° | 2/2 | |||||
8/aug | PERPIGNAN | 849 KM | NAT. | 2643 b. | 64° & 71° | 2/2 | ||
INT.NAT. | 11237 b. | 301° & 332° | 2/2 | |||||
15/aug | NARBONNE | 863 KM | NAT. | 4454 b. | 20° & 417° | 2/2 | ||
INT.NAT. | 12848 b. | 32° & 1505° | 2/2 | |||||
meaning: | 10 prizes on 13 basketed pigeons (= 76,92 % prize) | |||||||
10 prizes on 13 per ten (= 76,92 % prize per 10) |
As the above results are showing it isn’t a big basket that makes the result, but goal oriented with a few experienced and routine pigeons that are working towards a race or races. This is what Johan has got in his fingers as no other. 2020 can be flagged out as a top season. 1° National champion KBDB EXTREME LONG DISTANCE 1° Champion National races old pigeons Waregem 1° Champion National races year birds Waregem 1° International quintet West-Flanders 1° Team run Gent FVOV (teammate Marc Verschelde) 5° Leie long distance trophy 19° Ace bird KBDB small middle-distance youngsters The gladiators that crowned themselves champion The colony can be brought back for a big part to the old strain of years ago and these were formed with pigeons from Marc Verschelde (ace bird 2020 extreme long distance) and Emiel Denijs. These pigeons were crossed in with the old strain of Johan’s late father. Johan also did well with the earlier bought son of the Ace bird extreme long distance ‘Full Try’ from Jozef Bracke (Carteus). The gene strength of ‘Didll’ who once won the 2nd Ace bird extreme long-distance title is to be found in many pigeons. Recently very promising pigeons are bred out of a cock from Wilfried Vandemaele from Kortrijk. Next to these a few other individual pigeons that complete the breeding loft. And maybe the toughest warrior out of the entire loft is the ‘Barca’, who won 5 years in a row Barcelona and is by doing this the 4th Best pigeon over 5 Barcelona races. We can easily conclude that pigeon sport that is being practised on a really high level as they do over here doesn’t need to be too complicated. Johan succeeded in breeding a very strong colony of pigeons through the years. Pigeons with mordant who, once grown up, can perform very constant on the long and extreme long distance. No big baskets, no mass, but quality. Additionally, they are taken care of and guided on a very motivating and thought true manner. The method of taking care of them is without many tricks but with a lot of attention for a good base health and good food and frequent medical check-ups. Well, nothing complicated on this right? …. Well, try to get these results as Johan and his family did it. A congratulation in winning this beautiful title is at his place!