Frans Keijbets uit Landgraaf (Z-Limburg). Wins 1st National Narbonne ZLU

Landgraaf:  Narbonne is a French city located in the south-eastern department of Aude on the Mediterranean coast. It lies in the flight line of Perpignan, located about 50 km south, the closing flight of the season. 
The organisation of international Narbonne was in the past in the hands of the L'Independante de Liège, but this year the international competition is organised by Cureghem Centre from Anderlecht. Internationally, there are two separate competitions set up, one for old pigeons and one for yearlings. And there is a double possible for hens only. Again, the old and yearling hens then fly in a separate competition. So there is something for everyone. In the Netherlands it is also allowed to take part in the national competition with yearlings, which then fly together with the old birds in one joint competition. This year, 24,650 old and yearlings were entered internationally for this ZLU classic. Still a considerable number of 1,500 pigeons less than in 2022.
In the Netherlands this year, 5,798 old and yearlings were basketed together and this was 462 less compared to last year when 6,260 pigeons participated in the national competition. 
For Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29, weather conditions at the release point and flight line were extremely poor. On the release point both days there were clouds and threats of (drizzle) and also on the flight line there was a zone from southwest to northeast with rain and thunderstorms. Many clouds and poor visibility. There was a weak to moderate wind from the south-west. Therefore, releases on Friday and Saturday respectively were postponed to Sunday. Better opportunities were expected on Sunday. Sunday, July 30, morning was good at the release point on Rue de la Pinède in Narbonne, on the edge of the bay 'Anse de Galère', with light clouds with a temperature of 23 °C. Early in the flight line, winds were predominantly westerly and weak to moderate, gradually shrinking to S/W and even strong at times. Over Belgium clouds and possibly a shower here and there. The release took place at 8 am. 
As national races in the Netherlands and Belgium such as Bergerac (Nl), Bourges (Vierzon) and Souillac (Be) were raced in the same weekend, with quite a few night arrivals on Bergerac and speeds between 90 and 100 km on the Belgian long distance races, reasonable speeds were expected on Narbonne ZLU as well. Consequently, early on PIPA was looking forward to a first notification from France. Then, just after 6 pm the first notification from France appeared and it was at Melroy, just below Metz under Luxembourg. Maurice Didier clocked a yearling here at 6.03pm at a distance of 715km. This would give a speed of 1184 m/min. Soon a reported pigeon (old) appeared from Duisland where Karl Heinz Koers from Ormesheim (Saarbrücken) clocked at 17.55 at 742 km. Speed 1247 m/min. L&D&P Maurer from Massweiler in Germany clocked the first yearling at 18.27 at 764 km. Speed 1218 m/min. 
Belgium also soon followed with a yearling at 18.15 clocked by Adrien Feck from Halanzy, in the province of Luxembourg, at a distance of 744 km. Speed 1209 m/min. 
In the Netherlands, fanciers could start calculating. Where would the first pigeon arrive in the Netherlands. Given the first arrivals in France, Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium, would this also be in the east of the country? Unfortunately, from 5pm onwards, a wide zone of light and moderate rain showers moved from west to east across northern Belgium and central and southern Netherlands. Locally even heavy rain showers. It would play tricks on the pigeons to arrive with good regularity. It took until shortly after 8 pm when a report appeared on the ZLU site, as expected it came from the east of the Netherlands, from Landgraaf in Limburg in the Eastern Mining Area. Frans Keijbets clocked his second pigeon from the betting list at 20:12. She had covered the distance of 893 km at an average speed of 1220 m/min. Unfortunately, rain caused further steady arrivals and by the start of neutralisation time, 64 pigeons had been reported in the Netherlands. Hereby one pigeon on the further distances, namely at the combination Heikamp & van Doorn from Zetten. They clocked their pigeon at 22.24 at 997 km. Unfortunately the next morning the dark and drizzling rain ruined the further arrivals in many places. Nevertheless, the competition ended around 10 am. 

With a wet suit.

Frans had basketed 2 cocks for this ZLU race in the NIC in Heerlen. They were two older widowers. Like many, Frans had also followed the first arrivals on the PIPA site and somewhere in thought to clock around 8pm. He sat by himself in the veranda to watch the arrival of his pigeons. His wife Til informed him that his daughter would come to visit around 8pm. He could then put the clock inside and keep them company. Another check and just inside when the "beep" went and a pigeon had walked in. Quickly calibrated and lo and behold the "636" had arrived. After quickly reporting it to the NIC, it came to the top of the reporting list and would not move from there. At 9pm his first bet, "d'r Worm" reported and this one completed the party. Results 1 and 21 National Narbonne against 5,837 pigeons. International 6 and 191 against 24,650 pigeons. Frans announced that both were quite wet when they arrived and you could still see it on their nose caps. 

"Will"

It was the three-year-old widowers with ring number NL20-1697636 which ensured this stunning national win. He was given the name "Will". He got this name as a tribute to the famous fund player the late Will Beckers from Sittard. Frans received the mother of "Will" as a gift from Will as a newly hatched youngster. "Will" is a small shelled cock and it is a cock with character and a real go-getter. The week before Narbonne, he was very energetic during training and sought quarrels with every other cock. In the loft, he is calm in nature, says Frans. 
As a yearling, he flew 26th Nat. Agen ZLU (6804 Jrl). As a two-year-old 279th Nat. Agen ZLU (6019 od) and 811th Nat. Narbonne (6260 d)
At this year's Agen ZLU (pigeons) he flew 573rd against 5,449 d. to now triumph at Narbonne.
Internationally he is in provisional 6th place and is the 3rd reported old pigeon. 
Father is the "458" '16 and comes from Roman Kazmierczak from Heerlen. 
Gr. father is the "060" from '12 or the "Roman" with e.g. 21st Nat. Narbonne '15 (5528 d) and was bred out of "627" a brother of "626" which became 2nd Ace pigeon on Marseille in 3 years (62nd - 19th - 138th Nat.) (Carteus-Batenburg-van Ophuizen) 
Gr. mother is the "670" from '07 and is a pure Saarloos en Zn from Klaaswaal - line "Barracuda" and obtained via Jac van Heel from Maria Hoop.
Mother is the "574" from '19 and is straight from Will Beckers from Sittard. It was one of the youngsters which Frans got as a gift from Will. 
Gr. father is the "188" from '18 from Will Beckers and flew among others a 24th Prov. Agen (kind of Jelle Jellema)
Gr. mother is "Het Mooi Bont" of '13 full sister to the "Nachtvlieger" - 15th Nat. Barcelona 13,946 d. in '12 at Beckers-Willems.
 
 

The second arrival is "d'r Worm" and completed the success. He carries ring number Nl18-1324020 and was present at 9pm and would be 21st on the report list. He was previously good for a 117th Nat Agen '20 (6844 d), 269th Nat Agen '21 (6,896 d), 591st Nat Agen (6,019 d) and 197th Nat Marseille in ´22 (3,338 d) and adds a 21st Nat Narbonne ´23. He was 8th acebird Agen in ´22 over three years and 13th acebird over four years.
Father is of the Batenburg x Rothkrans Waubach variety and the mother also a Batenburg x Rothkrans Waubach. 

Fancier Frans Keijbets. 

Frans, currently 76, has worked at the Limburg Daily newspaper. He got involved in pigeon sport through his grandfather "Grandpa Keibeck". When he was 15, his father built him a small loft and Frans got his first pigeons from "Grandpa Keibeck". In the beginning, it was the programme races he raced on. When he moved to his current address on Apollolaan in Landgraaf in 1970, the garage next to the house was extended and the first lofts were built. Later, three more lofts were added in the garden. He now owns two lofts for two times 17 widowers and one loft with two sections for the widow hens, and the garage lofts house the 18 couples of breeders and about 50 youngsters. They are all small lofts and have been raced very well for many years. A few years ago, he changed the glass in the door of the widowers' lofts with wire so that more fresh air could enter. He can shield these openings with a plate so that at night, air can only enter through the open bottom of the plate. Sometimes he covers this opening with windbreak netting.  Frans can spend hours among his pigeons and several times a week he takes all his youngsters in his hands to inspect and judge them. At the slightest doubt, it is "seen". He selects constantly and extremely strictly. Good ones are few and bad ones "too many" is Frans' motto. He can therefore really enjoy an approved pigeon. Through the years, you get a good feeling for it, according to Frans a bit of a "Fingerspitzen Gefühl". Frans is definitely not a cleaner and only the living boxes are kept clean and once a month he takes the scraper over the floor. 

Base of his colony

When Frans switched to long distance racing, the basis was laid with a 1993 hen which he got on a coupon from Bas and Hugo Batenburg from Klaaswaal. The well-known pigeon reporter Fons van Ophuizen cashed in on this voucher and brought Frans a beautiful youngster out of "Brother of the 05" from '88. X daughter "De Ruffec". The "05" flew among others 16th Nat Marseille '90 and 16th Nat Perpignan '91. (Out of "Bonte Kweker").

Later pigeons from a.o.

* De Saarloos (Peiren) pigeons via Jac van Heel from Maria Hoop

* van Ophuizen from Landgraaf (line "Rambo" - Batenburg - Siegmüller) 

* Lei Rothkrans from Landgraaf from the "Sleepless" line.

* Roman Kazmierczak from Heerlen (Piet Boyen and Daughter from Nuth)

* Will Beckers from Sittard out of his Jellema pigeons

* Piet Geerlings from Landgraaf out of pigeons from Dieter Ballman from Amblève (Belgium). Line 1st Nat. Brive '01 and 1st Nat. Perpignan. 

On the breeding loft are 18 couples consisting of the aforementioned pigeons respectively lines and he pairs them sometime early February if the weather permits. From these he breeds two rounds of youngsters for his own addition. The youngsters do not see a basket in their year of birth and Frans racks them himself after playing with the old pigeons 6 times to about 30 km. 

The small basket. 
Although Frans has 34 widowers, very rarely the number of pigeons he deploys to a marathon race is more than 4. So too this year. Agen ZLU (5,449 olds) 4 with them - 531-575 and 629.
St Vincent ZLU (2532 d) 2 along - 116-343. Marseille (3200 d) 2t along - 35. Barcelona (4832 d) 2t in - 961. Pau (3934 d) 2 mee - 893. And now on Narbonne (5837 d) 2t - 1 and 21. And this has been going on for many years. He observes the pigeons he wants to basket for a race very carefully and then goes to the loft with a small basket. 
Frans pairs his widowers at the beginning of April. Should the pigeons become too parigeous due to softness, he pairs them earlier. The old birds breed twice for 5 days and he shifts the eggs of the best old widowers to the yearlings, which then raise the youngsters. The second round of eggs from the old pigeons are for friends. Once on widowhood, they train twice a day. In the beginning forced with e.g. the flag and afterwards they train very well, says Frans. 
The yearlings go along on a number of flights between weeks and then on the programme flights up to about 500 km. The old pigeons go along weekly to about 500 km. Once the marathon races start, he always selects the pigeons that are in the best condition for a race. During the season, he makes adjustments more often if the flights do not go according to plan. 
 

Season preparation and grooming
For Frans, the start of a new season actually begins after the end of the past season. At the end of August, they get an 8- to 10-day cure against paratyphoid. After that, a 3-week cure of an herbal tea of deaf nettle, chamomile, plantain and dandelion is on the menu. 
After moulting, a worm pill for the old pigeons and breeding pigeons. From our own garden also juice from red beets or garlic are also regularly on the menu. 
During the racing season, Frans keeps a close eye on the behaviour of the training pigeons and if he thinks he has seen something he doesn't like, he acts immediately. Experience has taught him what to do. He then treats the pigeon individually with e.g. a combination pill TRICHOCCIE or ORNIMYCO, both from DAC. 
Supplements from the vet also come up regularly.
In the moulting period, all pigeons are given Rui by Paloma.
In the racing season, he makes a mix of Koopman All-in One and the Jellema mixture of Beyers and Widowhood of Spinne. Of this mix, the feeder is almost always full. The remainder goes to the youngsters. The pigeons that go to a race are fed in the nest box with an energy-rich mixture and candy, hemp, linseed and some peanuts. 
The pigeons make their own choice is Frans' motto.

Fondclub Parkstad.
Thirty-five years ago, several fanciers from Landgraaf founded the Fondclub Landgraaf, which organised a feast during the winter day to honour its members for the championships won in the long-distance club. This on both programme flights and long distance flights. Today, it carries the name Fondclub Parkstad and Frans and his friend Piet Geerlings are the pillars of this club. 

Finally
Besides pigeon racing, Frans spends a few hours a week on the tennis court and likes to dig and grow all kinds of vegetables in his vegetable garden. He also likes to lend a helping hand to his friends pigeon fanciers. But with the pigeons, Frans can be busy for hours and enjoys intensely the way they come home from a marathon race and have won an early prize. That he would win a national victory on these Narbonnen is the best thing that happened to him in his long career. A day he will remember and enjoy for a long time to come.
Congratulations Frans 

Marcel Görtzen