Winning the first national ace bird, it remains a dream for many of us. For Rik Hermans, this dream became reality in 2024 with his top hen “Janne”, named after his father, the late Jan Hermans, to whom he owes everything. Jan’s goal was always to breed top racers that can win top prizes and this against thousands of birds. If you breed birds from that level, you will get birds that will do this several times and that is how you get ace birds. If we put this story next to that of top hen “Janne” you can only say, chapeau! She won seven times in the first eighty national without all her other prizes and was not only the best bird of Belgium over four races but also over 5 and 6 national races. Or simply the best old pigeon that flew in Belgium in 2024 on the national 500-km races!
Rik has already an impressive breeding loft with multiple national winners/Olympiad birds and this breeding loft was now enriched with “Janne” and “Sidney.” Both ladies are from 2021 and have nothing more to prove. Such pigeons can only be an enrichment to anyone’s breeding loft and as the strategy from the past says. “You have to breed from such pigeons to only make the trunk of the tree stronger.”
Overview of some performances over the years in Pulle
1 Nat Bourges 28,078 young 2016
1 Nat Bourges 24,676 old 2011
1 Nat Chateauroux 25,710p (fastest of 44,314p) 2015
1 Nat Issoudun 11,465p (fastest of 19,713p) 2019
1 Olympiad pigeon yearlings Poznan 2011
1 Olympiad pigeon old Brussels 2017
1 Nat. Ace pigeon heavy middle distance old KBDB 2024
2 Nat. Ace pigeon heavy middle distance old KBDB 2016
2 Nat. Ace pigeon heavy middle distance young KBDB 2019
4 Nat. Ace pigeon small middle distance young 2018
4 Nat. Ace pigeon heavy middle distance young 2021
5 Nat. Champion heavy middle distance old/yearlings 2019
5 Nat. Champion heavy middle distance young 2022
6 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance old 2014
6 Nat. Champion heavy middle distance old/yearlings 2023
6 Nat. Champion heavy middle distance old/yearlings KBDB 2024
7 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance old 2020
8 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance old 2019
8 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance young KBDB 2019
10 Nat. Ace Pigeon all round young 2023
11 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance young 2021
12 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance old 2021
12 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance young 2015
15 Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance yearlings 2016
Racing team on total widowhood.
In Pulle, the racing team is much smaller than compared to some other lofts elsewhere. Rik does not like a mass of pigeons so the selection as old and yearlings is strict and the “selection bar” is set high. When the racing birds have their “winter rest,” they are housed in the lofts of the young pigeons where they can enjoy the aviary day and night. The racing pigeons are not paired end of November or December. No… in January there is a major cleaning of all the racing lofts, and everything is thoroughly disinfected. Afterwards the racing pigeons come to the lofts and are transferred to their new loft. Rik prefers to keep the pigeons calm during the winter months and in the run-up to the racing season they are paired once. That will be at the beginning of March. They are then allowed to brood for 10 to 12 days and that is how the season is started. There are twenty cocks and twenty hens provided that are all raced. If one does stay behind, either a new pairing is made internally between the racing team, or an old pigeon is brought in that is already used to the loft.
During the racing season the hens stay in a “resting loft” (dark and with only two small windows) where they stay all the time. Only when they are fed, they end up in a kind of intermediate loft where they can sit on the floor to eat, afterwards they move back to the “resting loft.” The widowers (read cocks) have a loft with boxes.
Do you invest a lot of time in tossing / training?
The racing birds train here once a day, the cocks are not obliged to train and fly for 45 to 60 minutes. A cock does not always have to hang in the air; he also gets his motivation from leaving and going to the roof of the loft. The windows always remain closed during any training. The hens, on the other hand, are required to train with a helium balloon or fishing rod and this for 45 to 60 minutes.
Concerning the first training races, it varies from year to year what I do with the pigeons in the spring. If there is no time to toss, due to lack of time, they are not tossed and they go directly with the club – so in a large group of birds – to Quievrain (90km). This year (2025) I tossed them four times, and they went along like that. But I have doubts whether an old / yearling really needs to be trained again when a new racing season starts.
How do you motivate your racing birds?
I really do not attach any importance to the races (read results) in April, apart from getting home quickly and safely. I only start motivating the pigeons when they are going to a middle-distance race. The sexes come together just before basketing. They then come together for 30 to 45 minutes just before being taken away and then go straight into the basket. When they come home, they can stay together until the evening or the next morning, depending on how tough the race was.
Each racing season I have the same target. The intention is to win either a national race or a top 10-national winner, and we try to classify a national Top 15 ace pigeon KBDB. Of course this is no easy task, but the aim of the breeding loft is to bring such toppers to the breeding loft because we are convinced that top birds will breed – not always but now and then – a new champion. A golden rule is that a champion bird will never leave Pulle.
Normally we race the last national races for the old- and year birds in nestposition, unless we still see an opportunity to win against a national KBDB ace bird, then they will remain in widowhood.
When we race them on nest, we talk about a different system. The training at home around the loft stops completely and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the pigeons are tossed at 60 km so that created conditions remain high.
A lot of fanciers have at the end of the racing season moulting problems. Some birds have moulted their fourth or even fifth wing feathers and then you know you cannot win top prizes anymore.
Personally, I do not have that problem with the racing hens. I have small light in the “resting loft” of the hens due to the small windows; there is also windbreak mesh in the small windows so that the pigeons are dark and I can easily finish the season. I also do not apply any additional lighting to the old and yearlings.
Toppers of the 2024 season
BE 21-6167152 “Janne” Duivin
1 Nat Ace Pigeon Heavy Middle Distance KBDB 2024
1 Best Old Pigeon over 5 National Flights Heavy Middle Distance 2024
1 Best Old Pigeon over 6 National Flights Heavy Middle Distance 2024
3 Ace Pigeon Long Distance World Best Pigeon FCI 2024
4 Nat La Souterraine ’24 5,243b,
6 Toury 1,352b,
8 Nat Bourges ’24 5,529b,
9 Melun 599b,
15 Nat Chateauroux ’23 8,075b,
20 Nat Argenton ’24 8,343b,
21 Nat Argenton ’24 16,547b,
29 Sermaises ’24 2,917b,
35 Nat Bourges ’24 6,713b,
63 Sermaises ’24 2,024b,
80 Nat Bourges ’22 10,366b,
144 Nat Gueret 12,208b,
183 Nat Bourges 7,270b,
274 Nat Bourges 9,922b,
582 Nat Bourges ’24 24,006b,
586 Nat Bourges 18,710b,
612 Nat Argenton ’24 8,867b,
BE 21-6167152 “Janne” Duivin
1 Nat Ace great middle distance KBDB 2024
1 Best old bird over five national races great middle distance 2024
1 Best old bird over six national races great middle distance 2024
3 Ace Fond World Best Pigeon FCI 2024
4 Nat La Souterraine ’24 5,243b.
6 Toury 1,352b.
8 Nat Bourges ’24 5,529b.
9 Melun 599b.
15 Nat Chateauroux ’23 8,075b.
20 Nat Argenton ’24 8,343b.
21 Nat Argenton ’24 16,547b.
29 Sermaises ’24 2,917b.
35 Nat Bourges ’24 6,713b.
63 Sermaises ’24 2,024b.
80 Nat Bourges ’22 10,366b.
144 Nat Gueret 12,208b.
183 Nat Bourges 7,270b.
274 Nat Bourges 9,922b.
582 Nat Bourges ’24 24,006b.
586 Nat Bourges 18,710b.
612 Nat Argenton ’24 8,867b.
Father NL 18-5193613 Brother Murphy’s Law – Willem De Bruijn
Super breeder and also father of “628/20” 4 Nat Chateauroux 8,075p – 7 Nat Chateauroux 22,196p – 64 Nat Bourges 33,410p and also father of “627/20” 43 Nat Gueret 8,375p – 62 Nat Chateauroux 8,075p – 64 Nat Issoudun 8,151p
Gr.F. NL 11-1199695 De Herman – Herman Kulik
Himself a super flyer and father of superstar “Murphy’s Law”
Gr.M. NL 12-1617863 Blue 63 – 100% Heremans – Ceusters
Mother BE 17-6129493 Sister Beauty
Gr.F. BE 10-6252644 Genopte Leeuw – Marcel Wouters
Son of “03-418” De Leeuw 8 Nat Ace Pigeon Middle Distance KBDB 2004
Gr.M. BE 15-6063303 Princess Proper
Mother of a.o. “Chucky” 1 Nat Issoudun 11,465p and 8 Nat Bourges 17,969p
and 4 Nat Ace Pigeon Middle Distance Young KBDB 2018
Daughter of “06-441” Propere x “10-987” Athena Stock mother
BE 21-6167148 “Sidney” Hen
1 Best old pigeon over six national flights heavy middle distance 2023
1 Best old pigeon over seven national flights heavy middle distance 2023
29 Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance old KBDB 2023
2 Melun 1,189b,
5 Sermaises 2,064b,
8 Nat Argenton ’23 3,990b,
10 Nat Argenton ’23 11,295b,
11 Melun 599b,
28 Nat Chateauroux ’23 8,075b,
33 Nat Bourges ’24 5,529b,
47 Nat Gueret ’22 12,208b,
56 Melun 3,504b,
81 Nat Bourges ’22 10,366b,
82 Nat Bourges ’24 6,713b,
158 Nat Bourges ’24 24,006b,
290 Nat Chateauroux 18,741b,
326 Nat Bourges 7,270b,
345 Nat Bourges 9,922b,
406 Nat Issoudun 12,349b,
Father BE 19-6109497 Son Nike
Proven top breeder and father of “676/23” 12 Nat Argenton 18,837p
Brother of “305/19” 1 Nat Sector Chateauroux 8,122p.
Gr.F. BE 14-6311921 Brother Kanon – Danny Van Dyck
“Kanon” won 1 Belgian Ace Pigeon Middle Distance Europa Cup Dortmund and
4 Nat Ace Pigeon Middle Distance Young KBDB 2009
Gr.M. BE 16-6128508 Nike – Rik Hermans
Won 1 Nat Bourges 28,078p and super breeding hen
Daughter of “NL 14-354” Kleine Koopman x “BE 10-987” Athena
Mother NL 15-1849907 Daughter Last One – Jan Hooymans
Super breeding hen and mother of “676/23” 12 Nat Argenton 18,837p and “293/17” 28 Nat Bourges 8,978p – 60 Nat Chateauroux 4,203p
Gr.V. NL 12-1783999 Brother Harry – Jan Hooymans
Brother of superstar “Harry” and his super family
Son of “Jonge Bliksem” Gaby Vandenabeele x “Dirkje” Gerard Koopman
Gr.M. NL 07-2062828 Last One – Rik Hermans
Daughter of “Jaarling Dondersteen” Foundation sire x “Janssen Duivin” Janssen.Gebr.
BE 22-6208638 “Janine” Hen
6 Best yearling pigeon over seven national flights heavy middle distance 2023
23 Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle-distance yearlings KBDB 2023
27 Nat Ace Pigeon All Round young KBDB 2022
34 Nat Argenton 16,547b.
69 Nat Chateauroux 13,096b.
98 Nat Argenton 22,869b.
105 Nat Argenton 15,210b.
166 Nat Argenton 13,393b.
189 Nat Bourges 18,729b.
301 Nat Bourges 9,922b.
373 Nat Bourges 24,006b.
435 Nat Bourges 12,094b.
Sister of among others:
– 21-143 “Kleine Jan”, 4th Nat. Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance young KBDB 2021, 3rd Nat. La Souterraine 14,315p. (1st Prov. 2646 p.), 86th Nat. Argenton 23,124p
– 22-637, 18th best yearling of Belgium over 7 nat. races with 59th Nat. Argenton 3,990p and 1st Chateauroux 398p
– 21-142, 82nd Nat. Argenton 23,124p
– 23-575 (Comb. Van Wanrooij), 1st Prov. Chimay 6,952 p + fastest 14,512 p
– 22-698 (Willem de Bruijn), 2nd Prov. (east) Ace Pigeon middle distance Afd. 5 2024
– 21-232, father of 1st prize 3,578p in Pioneer Club China 2023
– 22-890 (Olivier Geyskens), father 23-004 (1 Sermaises 1,358p, 1 Soissons 132p, 1 Soissons 138p, 1 Souillac 119p / 19 Nat 4,073p and 93 Nat.Sancoins 12,958p) and grandfather 24-445 (20 Nat Bourges 26,549p)
Father BE 17-6129257 Brother Nike
„Nike “won 1 Nat Bourges 28,078p and super breeding hen
Son “NL 14-354” Kleine Koopman x “BE 10-987” Athena
Mother BE 19-6109492 Beauty Friendship
Gr.F. BE 16-6128792 Beauty 792
Son of “10-644” Genopte Leeuw Marcel Wouters x “15-303” Princess Proper
Gr.M. BE 14-6058777 Friendship
Won herself 1 Nat Chateauroux 25,710p (fastest of 44,314p) and 1 Souppes 1,987p (fastest of 6,134p) – 5 Noyon 1,799p – 8 Souppes 2,127p Daughter of “NL 12-897” Son Harry Jan Hooymans x “BE 12-841” Daughter Olympic Niels Dirk Van Dyck
BE 23-6113539 “Daughter Friendship” Hen
10 Nat Ace All Round young birds KBDB 2023
5 Sermaises 2,799b
16 Melun 619b
17 Noyon 877b
35 Nat Bourges 20,328b
36 Nat (z) Bourges 3,699b
39 Sermaises 2,064b
45 Nat Bourges 9,654b
54 Melun 1,875b
169 Nat Argenton 11,177b
Nest sister of “538/22” 37 Nat Argenton 18,877p
Sister of “382/19” 8 Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance young KBDB 2019
Father BE 16-6128792 Beauty 792
Super breeder
Grandfather of “628/20” 4 Nat Chateauroux 8,075p – 7 Nat Chateauroux 22,196p
“143/21” 4 Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance young KBDB 2021
“627/20” 43 Nat Gueret 8,375p – 62 Nat Chateauroux 8,075p – 64 Nat Issoudun 8,151p
Gr.F. BE 10-6252644 Genopte Leeuw – Marcel Wouters
Son of “03-418” De Leeuw 8 Nat Ace Pigeon middle distance KBDB 2004
Gr.M. BE 15-6063303 Princess Proper
Mother of a.o. “Chucky” 1 Nat Issoudun 11,465p and 8 Nat Bourges 17,969p
and 4 Nat Ace Pigeon middle distance young KBDB 2018
Daughter of “06-441” Propere x “10-987” Athena Stock mother
Mother BE 14-6058777 Friendship
Won herself 1 Nat Chateauroux 25,710p (fastest of 44,314p) and 1 Souppes 1,987p (fastest of 6,134p) – 5 Noyon 1,799p – 8 Souppes 2,127p.
Gr.F. NL 12-1783897 Son Harry – Jan Hooymans
Son of “Harry” x “Last One”
Gr.M. BE 12-6327841 Daughter Olympic Niels – Dirk Van Dyck
Daughter of “Olympic Niels” Olympiad Pigeon Speed Nitra 2013 x “Inteelt Rambo.”
BE 23-6113552 “All National 552”
16 Nat Bourges ’24 9,654b
41 Nat Vierzon ’24 5,780b
43 Nat Bourges ’24 7,617b
46 Nat Argenton ’23 18,877b
240 Prov Sermaises ’23 8,091b
263 Nat Bourges ’23 20,328b
Father BE 20-6198776 Triple National
Gr.V. BE 19-6109649 Son Friendship
Son of “NL 17-680” Survivor 680 PC. Van Alphen x “777/14” Friendship won
1 Nat Chateauroux 25,710p (fastest of 44,314p) and 1 Souppes 1,987p (fastest of 6,134p) – 5 Noyon 1,799p – 8 Souppes 2,127p
Gr.M. BE 19-6109648 Double Gold
Daughter of “Chucky” 1 Nat Issoudun 11,465p and 8 Nat Bourges 17,969p x “Nike” 1 Nat Bourges 28,078p
Mother BE 21-5050064 Daughter National Pair – Bosmans – Leekens
Sister of “087/21” Mother of 3 Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle-distance yearlings KBDB 2024
and 1 Nat Bourges 7,617p – 5 Nat Sancoins 12,962p at Tournelle – Hua Feng
Gr.F. BE 19-5037186 Triple Bas – Bosmans – Leekens
Won 1 Nat Gueret 12,888p
Gr.M. BE 20-5091621 O.T. – Bosmans – Leekens
Won 1 Nat Chateauroux 15,322p.
Young pigeons
The young pigeons are usually about eighty from the first round and fifty from the second group. These are kept separately in the lofts and race using a dry manure method. In recent years I used corn cobs to put on the floor, but these are no longer available, which is why I have now opted for straw. An aviary is provided for each loft, and the aim is to build up natural resistance in their first months.
They are darkened from 1 April to 21 June from 5:30 pm to 9:00 am. This is not done exactly to the minute, but this also has no influence on the moult.
Here too, the aim is the 4 or 5 national races of the racing season. The first races are good training races, and more time is spent training the youngsters. In about fifteen times it goes up to 40 km. They then go to Quievrain and until Bourges there is no extra tossing during the week. From then on, the rhythm is that the pigeons train around the loft on Monday and on Tuesday and Wednesday they get a training of 60 km and then they go back to a race.
Sometimes I choose to keep the younbirds home during the weekend between two national races and then I prefer to drive –during the week – 4 or 5 times up to 60 km. When they had such training to are again ready to go to the next national race.
The birds are raced on the sliding door where the first and second round are housed under each other. The young hens and young cocks often see each other during the week because of the training tosses, which means that I no longer let them come together when they are basketed. There are also no extra motivation or slanted boxes. Those who want to pair will find a place. The system of sliding door is followed from 3 to 4 weeks before the first national race and I follow this system until the end of the racing season. After returning home, the birds will stay together until Sunday morning or afternoon. This can only be beneficial for creating more permanent couples and for giving a pigeon that has been deep in his efforts the necessary recovery so that it can still enjoy its partner on Sunday.
How do you approach feeding?
I only use Versele – Laga mixtures. For the old pigeons I make my own mixture this with the following Versele-Laga mixtures: Gerry Plus – Champion Plus – Energy Plus and Master Exlusive. These last two are used for basketing. They race birds are fed twice a day during the season, the hens get 15 minutes time to eat. I do not feed peanuts, but I use a lot of sneaky mixture. The pigeons are given fresh grit twice a week together with morning mix from Willem De Bruijn.
For the young pigeons I use a breeding mixture for a long time, which means that my young pigeons do not fly as fast as elsewhere because they are fed too heavy. But I also attach less importance to this. From March 1st the fairs and the “Gouden Duif” party are behind us, which means that there is more time for my own pigeons. Afterwards they also get a mixture that I make myself from three types. This is Junior Plus – Gerry Plus and Mutine Plus. Once they go to Quievrain I switch to the system of the old pigeons. Until then they are only fed once a day, after that this becomes twice a day.
Also, around extra products it is Versele – Laga that succeeds the clock. I use Hemolyt 40 and Boost X5. Dextrotonic when basketing and with young pigeons I use Intestinal Top as acidification.
The vaccinations that are done annually are with the old pigeons only Paramyxo and they also get a 10-day cure against paratyphoid but without vaccination. The young pigeons are vaccinated twice against paramyxo rota and afterwards with the brush against smallpox.
Furthermore, they get treatment against tricho during the season, but I try to postpone this as long as possible in the spring and do this a maximum of twice a year. The same goes for the airways, which will only be treated on the advice of veterinarian Rob Hoekstra. In addition, the pigeons regularly receive eye drops from Rob to recover for the next flights.
Loft
Winner
