Frans Maris from Itegem confirms his status of being a top colony
23 Jan 2020
Those who had a look at the colony of Frans Maris last year new that they didn't have only strong pigeons on the middle distance races but that they also could score really high on the national races. Now the season of 2019 is behind us we brought them a visit. Father Frans and son Dirk are satisfied with the fact that they could set these kind of results again after the super season of 2018. We discovered 3 hens that raced together 7x Top 54 National in one season. Ladies which you could take to the war and compete with the best of the best.
The Olympiad bird 2019 is still on the lofts as they decided not to sell but to focus on co-breeding with the top of Belgium within pigeon sport. Just as they did with their 1st national winner 'Maxi'. Seeing both hens again makes us realize why, these are pigeons were they want to build out their loft on in the future and the best racing pigeons just move onto the breeding loft over here. Not a big breeding loft or big racing loft, no, only about 17 to 18 hens have to make the name Frans Maris famous. Their village Itegem was already known but after about 2 season they all know who Frans Maris is.
As we are talking about co-breeding, the best hen 2019 is one of those. The mother was bred together with Dirk Van Dijck, their 'Maxi' 1st National Argenton coupled to Dirk his Olympiad bird 'Olympic Niels'. Off course, super x super isn't always a hit in the rose, but you have without a doubt a bigger chance to breed good out of them and what this hen managed to do is what you can read further on in this article.
How do you race these hens ?
Well, we have one loft with hens were you can find 16 breeding boxes, 16 hens are being coupled on this loft which can raise one couple of youngsters during Winter. You can also find some late breeds in-between and when it are 17 or 18 these extra one or two aren't being coupled and take care of them a bit more careful at the beginning.
After the breeding period barley is the most important factor in the food, they get this until the end of February before we add a portion of corn to it. They also train more than once a week as from February, but when it is a really beautiful day in January we dare to let them out during breeding. When March arrives they come out especially in the morning on a daily base and we keep them on one training a day.
They always train a full hour until the month of May, but from then on it is only maximum 30 to 45 minutes as they do enough kilometres during the season itself.
What do you do with the hens before the breeding period?
We have an aviary in front of the loft where they reside during the day and with hot weather they are being screened off so they are cool or when the wind blows very hard. In the evening they can move onto the resting loft were you can find rubber bands to avoid that they pair up amongst each other on the floor and can sit at ease in their small boxes.
The 3rd part is the breeding loft where they come in to after training, they get their food on here but the boxes are closed during the feeding.
What do you find is the best motivation for the ladies ?
We already tried so many things and discovered that we set the best results when the hens can go into their breeding box without that there is a cock in it. The first weeks until the national races we do it like this, from then on we also place a nest dish where they can sit in for a few minutes.
After the race the cocks are waiting and they can stay together for about an hour. Afterwards this will be prolonged until the evening.
After the widowhood you have the nest game for the final races of the season?
We try to do so as we can't keep the pigeons that long on widowhood and some of them react extra on this nest. That's why we take care that they breed during Bourges II and then they race until Argenton on a youngster of maximum 8 to 10 days. Which also gave us on this position the 2nd National Argenton in 2019.
The 3 best hens of the season 2019
BE 18-6061856 Proxi Chequered Hen
On Argenton in August you could find the first arriving pigeons in the Western part of Belgium until this hen set an amazing result. Against the wind in she won the 1st Provincial (also faster than all the young birds which is remarkable in that period of the season) and 1st National z with on top of that only 1 old pigeon on a national level. It already was an amazing hen before she set this result but now she placed herself even more in the spot light.
1 Nat(z) Argenton ’19 1,547b
1 Fastest Prov 4,112b
2 Nat 5,158b
7 Nat Issoudun ’19 11,465b
23 Noyon ’19 1,095b
24 Prov Chateauroux ’19 817b
54 Nat Montlucon ’19 14,104b
96 Chevrainvilliers ’19 2,506b
101 Melun ’19 2,090b
140 Melun ’19 3,249b
170 Nat Chateauroux ’19 6,377b
Father BE 14-6274477 Son Portier – N & R Thijs
Gr.F. BE 06-6111039 Portier Old base breeder - N & R Thijs
Won himself 3x 1st
Son to “743/05” x “702/05” Blue white head
Gr.M. BE 10-6178937 N & R Thijs
Daughter to “855/09” x “826/09” chequered
Mother BE 15-6050090 Daughter Olympic Niels x Maxi – Co-breeding with Dirk Van Dijck
Gr.F. BE 08-6338005 Olympic Niels – Dirk Van Dijck
3 Olympiad bird Cat.A Nitra 2013
Son to “015/05” Di Caprio Leo Heremans x “110/06” Chequered inbred “Bourges” 2 Nat Bourges
Gr.M. BE 12-6024544 Maxi
1 Nat Argenton 3,660b – 39 Nat Argenton 6,801b –
48 Nat (z) Montlucon 2,373b - 87 Nat Issoudun 5,670b
Daughter to “382/09” Son Maxima 10 x 1st x “592/08” Daughter Kleine Saliën N & R Thijs
BE 17-6054592 Speedy Blue white pin hen
1 Argenton 174b
3 Prov 1,339b
1 Argenton 125b
40 Nat 15,247b
7 Nat(z) Chateauroux 5,715b
40 Nat 20,516b
36 Noyon 1,095b
87 Melun 2,090b
88 Melun 3,249b
107 Chevrain 2,506b
Full sister “BE 16-6020330” Bloiske won 1 I.Prov Blois 921b – 2 Noyon 751b – 6 Noyon 835b – 27 Prov Gien 2,240b – 70 Nat (z) Chateauroux 8,583b
Father BE 15-6050088 Blue white pin
½ brother “Maxi” 1 Nat Argenton 3,660b – 39 Nat Argenton 6,801b – 48 Nat (z) Montlucon 2,373b - 87 Nat Issoudun 5,670b
½ brother “365/14” Mother “Martha” 1 Nat Ace bird MD KBDB ’18 + 3 Olympiad bird Cat.G Poznan 2019
Gr.F. BE 09-6110382 Vader Maxi
Son to “661/06” Engels J & J x “445/03” Maxima won 10 x 1st
Gr.M. NL 09-5914471 Blue white pin Herman Beverdam
Mother BE 11-6079456 Blue
Gr.F. BE 02-6180922 Avatar
Son to “222/97” Cesaer x “410/98” Super 10 won 10 x 1st
Gr.M. BE 03-6251445 Maxima won 10 x 1st
Daughter to “518/01” Kleine x “413/98”
BE 18-6061806 Sunny Blue white pin hen
5 Chateauroux 817b
12 Nat Issoudun 11,465b
27 Nat Argenton 5,158b
49 Noyon 1,095b
87 Melun 2,090b
115 Nat(z) Argenton 7,115b
Father BE 15-6050061 Blue
Gr.F. BE 14-6274477 Son Portier – N & R Thijs
Son to “039/06” Portier 3 x 1st Base breeder x “937/10”
Gr.M. BE 12-6024544 Maxi
1 Nat Argenton 3,660b – 39 Nat Argenton 6,801b –
48 Nat (z) Montlucon 2,373b - 87 Nat Issoudun 5,670b
Daughter to “382/09” Son Maxima 10 x 1st x “592/08” Daughter Kleine
Saliën N & R Thijs
Mother BE 12-6024534 Blue
Gr.F. BE 99-6412508 Dark Bull – A Vermaelen
Gr.M. BE 09-6110212 Zus Brad Pitt
Daughter to“222/97” Cesaer x “223/03” Schoon Blauw
Guidance
So after the breeding period they get barley until the trainings are up. During the season itself they get light mixtures from Huyghens on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays 100%. On Wednesdays this is 50% light mixture and 50% Sport and from Thursdays on they switch full onto Turbo Energy from Matador. .
The first thing they get at arrival is candy and Belgasol from n Belgica – De Weerd. They only get 'real' food from the moment the cocks are taken out. What we notice is that they are fully round again on Sunday morning and can get them in the air the day after the race which makes that they train really well again already on Mondays. .
We work especially with the products from Dr.Mariën on the day of arrival. They get conditional powder and vitamineral over the food. The day after it is especially proteins, this is most of the time Protein Plus on Sundays and also Energetica and Optima from Ortophar. Next to this we use a lot of apple vinegar and garlic especially with the young birds.
In a medical way we do very little, the pigeons aren't treated a lot against trichomoniases. Only when a pigeon needed to stay out at night or something like that they get a 1/4 Flagyl and next to this we make use of conditional syrup from Mariën once a month to purify everything.
After the season of 2018 we knew that 2019 was going to be very good again, who knows there might be another national victory in it for the coming season. For now already a big congratulation from the entire HERBOTS TEAM.
Buelens Kim
