Broekx Niels - Oud-Turnhout 2nd National Limoges 6,889 old birds

Oud-Turnhout: We are more than convinced that Niels, Marleen and Jan Broeckx need absolutely no introduction. For those who could not remember their top season 2023, here is a summary: 

1st and 3rd Olympiad pigeon Cat. E. - Marathon - Maastricht '24
21 x 1st prize (without doubles)
3 x 1st provincial in the long distance
19th and 22nd National ace KBDB long distance pigeon 
18 x Top-100 national 
6 x Top-15 national
1st Overall champion Quievrain "Samenspel Turnhout
1st Overall Champion Noyon "Samenspel Turnhout
1st Overall Champion Noyon "Soteo".

3 seconds difference

With a small difference of a mere 3 seconds, they lose the national victory at Limoges last weekend. The only thing that more than eased the pain was that their very good friends Van Oeckel Bart and Nance walked away with the win. We can guarantee you, together they have already "celebrated well"! 

The 2nd place national is won by scalloped hen B21-6083706, a beautifully scalloped hen that has also scored the following top results this year
33rd National Sancoins 9,753 pigeons 
417th National Argenton 16,457 pigeons 

Other top performances adorning her palmares include:
3rd against 1,705d. (339km)
15th against 1,382d. (392km)
18th against 923d. (339km)

A class hen which gets a ticket to the breeding loft because the risk of losing her is not taken.

Piquant detail...this is already the 3rd time Marleen, Niels and Jan have seen their name on the 2nd place national. The motivation 

About the system

The old and yearling birds are all played with partners staying at home. The old hens are played up to Limoges/Souillac (750km). The yearling hens work the national 500km programme while the yearling cocks get to prove their ability on the speed (Quievrain and Noyon). "To be quite honest" Jan tells "we also played 2 yearling cocks on the long distance and that tastes like more for the coming seasons".
The hens are somewhat compulsorily darkened. "Here right next to us there is a riding school" says Marleen "and especially in the winter period the adjacent arena is fully lit, just like a football field. No need to explain more, surely? The hens are darkened from 19h to 8h until mid-May. Afterwards, they are supplementary lighting until the end of the season, which is from 6am to 11pm.
The hens have the mixtures from the Beyers range on the menu. The basis is the Vandenabeele (low-protein) mixture and as the basketing day approaches, this is gradually replaced by Galaxy Energy. As extras, we then rely on products from the Herbots Animal and Herbovet range such as Brewer's yeast (B.M.T.) - 4 Oils - Proteins (Pro-Recup) - and so on...
On the medical front, we have full confidence in vet Raf Herbots. His guidance schedule in terms of vaccinations and cures is followed very strictly. Twice a year we sit in his waiting room and for the rest there is a lot of telephone contact. Against trichomoniasis, the well-known yellow drops go over the feed every week on Monday and Tuesday.

Stefan Mertens