Jo Bauters, Gavere, is changing tactics in 2021 by trying the total widowhood system

48 years old and an independent profession. Married and 2 daughters, Kaat who is 14 and Margot who is 12 and living in Gavere.  Together with his brother he has been a roofer for 25 years but they sold the company with the 14 employees due to a burn out. Luckily he could himself busy afterwards with pigeon sport and re-built once in a while a house to rent to move his thoughts a bit. 
We are taking about top pigeon fancier, Jo Bauters. 

‘Being independent is in my blood and thanks to the breeding and discovering of super racers and breeders ‘Fabian’ and ‘Bolleke’ I got lucky to have made the step from hobby to profession!’ ‘I’ve always been a big animal friend and got interested in pigeon sport due to my neighbour. I started racin on my own in 1995 on the short distance races (Quièvrain and Noyon)’, explains Jo when asking for his interesse for pigeon sport. 

History

The results went up due to the acquisition of the all the pigeons of the late Marcel Debeck, a true short distance racer in Merelbeke and surroundings. The main strain of these pigeons are from the father of the brothers Vandenheede from Zingem. These pigeons were coupled to a cock from the late Goesaert, Zwalm, who was being called off again as no-one wanted him. Out of these pigeons come my base breeding hen 07/4096457 who is present for 90% in all my pigeons. Those who come out of her possess of an appearance and endurance that I haven’t seen a lot before.  Base breeder ‘Fabian’ who forms the base of the current colony together with his hen ‘Bolleke’, comes out of her. 

I also got pigeons from oa. De Saer Rudy, Team Dejaegher, Team BDS, Van De Wouwer Gaston, and so on….. (sorry if I forget someone)

The most recent acquisition is the national winner year birds Aurrelliac from Mario Spileers. And a few pigeons which satisfied me already was out of a coupling from Joost Desmeyter.

The absolute highlighter until now are:

- Fabian (BE11-4239270) 1st national Poitiers 2014

- Ellis (BE16-4076089) 1st Ace bird GMD 2016 (granddaughter Fabian)

- Totti (BE15-4143932) 1st nat. Cahors 2018

- Salvatore (BE18-4054758) 1st nat. Limoges 2019 (grandson Fabian)

- Artemis (BE17-4155691) 4th nat. Ace bird GMD 2018 (granddaughter Fabian)

- Eria (BE17-4155613) 5de nat. Ace bird GMD 2017 (granddaughter Fabian)

- Fredo (BE14-4017662) Best Libourne racer ’17 – ‘18

Won championships 2020

1st Champion Long Distance year birds Union&Liberté
1st – 2nd – 3rd Ace bird Long Distance year birds Union&Liberté
3rd Provincial Ace bird Long Distance year birds KBDB
6th National Ace bird Long Distance year birds KBDB – 4 races

1st Place Tulle Union&Liberté year birds
1st Place Argenton Union&Liberté year birds
1st Place Bourges I Union&Liberté year birds
1st Place Bourges II Union&Liberté year birds

Won championships 2019

1st National Limoges year birds – fastest against 20,444b
1st Place Chateauroux De Arend
1st Place Argenton De Arend
1st Place Blois De Arend
1st Place Limoges Lokaal
1st Place Chevrainvillers De Strijdersbond
2nd Champion Greater Middle Distance Youngsters De Arend
5th Champion Greater Middle Distance year birds De Arend

Won championships 2018

1st National Cahors Old 
4th National Ace bird Greater Middle Distance year birds KBDB
1st Provincial Bourges Old
5th Provincial Champion Long Distance old & year birds KBDB
5th Provincial Champioen Greater Middle Distance old & year birds KBDB
11th Provincial Champioen Greater Middle Distance old & year birds KBDB

1st Champion Long Distance year birds Union & Liberté
2nd Champion Long Distance old Union & Liberté
2nd Champion Greater Middle Distance year birds Union & Liberté
3rd Champion Greater Middle Distance old Union & Liberté

Won championships 2017

5th National Ace bird Greater Middle Distance youngsters KBDB
15th National Ace bird KBDB All-Round
16th National Ace bird KBDB All-Round
2nd Provincial Ace bird Greater Middle Distance youngsters KBDB
6th Provincial Champion Greater Middle Distance Youngsters KBDB
10th Provincial Ace bird Long Distance old & year birds KBDB

1st Champion Long Distance year birds Union & Liberté
1st Champion Greater Middle Distance youngsters Union & Liberté
3rd Champion Greater Middle Distance old Union & Liberté
4th Champion Greater Middle Distance year birds Union & Liberté

1st Place Tours year birds Union & Liberté
1st Place Blois youngsters Union & Liberté
1st Place Libourne old Union & Liberté

Pigeons

After a  sale of all the pigeons until 2018 in 2020, the racing team revjuvenized. I would like to mention that the sale was a top success thanks to the professional approach and years of experience in the business of the firm HERBOTS ! 
I now only have year birds and two-year olds left. About 140 racers (cocks and hens together), about 130 youngsters who already come out and 25 breeding couples.

Selection

The first round of youngsters are being selected always in the same manner namely on the national races, so those who could handle the national races got a spot on the racing loft. I also bred a small round of late youngsters, these did only a few races just to Sermaises (middle distance) and are being trained further now as a year bird. They will have a bit of a back log in comparison to the experienced year birds but after about 4 national races they are up to speed. 

Training

The old and year birds are being coupled a week before training, we started last week with the beautiful weather. As there are quiet some unexperienced year birds in the pack, the training doesn’t go in too big steps. The youngsters have to train well around the loft and have to start to fly away from the loft before we toss them. 

Food and care

The pigeons are being fed with IC-mixtures from Versele-Laga, the feeding schedule that comes with the yearly folder is being taken on. I think that you are always good with trustworthy suppliers with years of experience. When I see all the new brands of food and side products at the moment which are very expensive as well, we would have days too short in a week to give it all. When I won Limoges National I only basketed two year birds who were at the same loft and who got the same food and drinks, the one wins and the other one doesn’t even have a price, what’s this about then? Just the pigeon can do it or it can’t, neither with any miracle powders. And yet, many get caught by it. 

We go on a regular base to vet Piet Blancke and follow his expertise. The vaccination of the youngsters happens with an interval of 2 weeks from the moment they are 6 weeks old, paramyxo, paratyphoid and small pocks. Before the coupling in November a seamen of the manure is being placed on cult for 10 days to see whether there no specialities. If this isn’t the case, the breeders are being put together without any medication up front and not at all during the year. 

Expectations season 2021?

Hopefully there is a bit more North Eastern wind as in 2020, that season it was really sad to see the pigeons always come from the back side, my pigeons come better with stronger weather. 
Once we had though circumstances and that was my best weekend of the year, we had 6 year birds on Aurrillac and 4 of them place themselves within the Top 100 National. 
It is also a wait and see what the old and year birds will do as I race them on total widowhood meaning that both the cock as hen of the same nest will be raced. I didn’t want to take care of a full aviary of hens that just sit there waiting for their cocks and have to have the same treatment otherwise it doesn’t work and also that the hens could never proof themselves. We shall see, I already heard proponents and opponents of the system, I’ll know more in September. 

You also have to have a bit of luck in pigeon sport!

There is an anecdote regarding ‘Fabian’. In 2012 ‘Fabian’ wins the 1st Provincial Bourges and after the season I let the old ones breed once more. I found it a waist to get rid of the eggs of ‘Fabian’ so I called Dries Bombeke, my cousins son, to ask whether he could put the eggs under another couple and luckily he could. Now is that son to ‘Fabian’ one of the best breeders at Luc and Dries Bombeke. Even more, Dries who is a good friend to Tom Van Gaever, has given out the son ‘Fabian’ a couple of youngsters, one of these youngsters became a top pigeon at Van Gaver nl. ‘Miss Bombeke’, grandchild :

1st Best year bird long distance over 5 races
23rd Nat Aurelliac against 3,584b.
99th Nat Soulliac van 4,056b.
Luckily that Dries could replace the eggs otherwise we couldn’t tell this

I wouldn’t take the word ‘luck’ in my mouth when you see the results of the offspring of ‘Fabian’ on other lofts: 

9th place nat. championship 1&2 GMD KBDB: Luc & Dries Bombeke
11th place National AcePigeon KBDB Fond 2019: Nico Fourneau
4th place PIPA ranking 7/7 national races: Luc & Dries Bombeke
15th place Nat. AcePigeon KBDB  GMD 2019: Luc & Dries Bombeke
1st acepigeon GMD Recht & Plicht Zottegem: Luc & Dries Bombeke
1st acepigeon yearlings GMD Vliegersclub Kortemark: K & R Platteeuw

1st/589 d. Clermont: Team BDS
1st/419 d. Issoudun: Eeckhout-De Loor
1st/48 d. Chateauroux: Luc & Dries Bombeke
2nd/3874 d. prov. Issoudun: Eeckhout-De Loor
2nd/330 d. Clermont: Team BDS
2nd/341 d. Bourges: Luc & Dries Bombeke
2nd/428 d. Noyon: Luc & Dries Bombeke
3rd/623 d. Noyon: Luc & Dries Bombeke
3rd/276 d. Noyon: Luc & Dries Bombeke
3rd/1729 d. prov. Argenton: Team BDS
4th/500 d. Chateauroux: Team BDS
4th/512 d. Toury: Luc & Dries Bombeke
5th/3068 d. zon. Argenton: Team BDS
5th/831 d. Chateauroux: Team BDS
5th/3084 d. Chateauroux 2: Team BDS
5th/760 d. Blois: K&R Platteeuw
6th/612 d. prov. Orleons: Luc & Dries Bombeke
6th/250 d. Noyon: Luc & Dries Bombeke
6th/150 d. Noyon: Luc & Dries Bombeke
6th/360 d. Orleans: Luc & Dries Bombeke
6th/108 d. Argenton: Luc & Dries Bombeke
6th/460 d. Argenton: K&R Platteeuw
6th/500 d. Chateauroux: Team BDS
7th/261 d. Argenton: Luc & Dries Bombeke
7th/2381 d. nat. zone Bourges: Luc & Dries Bombeke
8th/191 d. Noyon: Luc & Dries Bombeke
9th/15788 WVOU Clermont: Team BDS
9th/196 Tours: K&R Platteeuw
10th/134 Chateauroux: Luc & Dries Bombeke
10th/446 Bourges: K&R Platteeuw
11th/3084 prov. Chateauroux: Team BDS
11th/760 Blois: K&R Platteeuw
12th/460 Argenton: K&R Platteeuw
12th/334 Tulle: Team BDS
14th/287 Fonteny: Team BDS
15th/5011 prov.Bourges: Ronny Peleman
16th/3737 National Souillac ’19: Nico Fourneau
17th/4238 prov. Chateauroux: Team BDS
17th/4081 nat.zone Bourges: Luc & Dries Bombeke
20th/226 Clermont: Team BDS
20th/460 Argenton: K&R Platteeuw
22nd/8123 Nat (z) Argenton: Ronny Peleman
22nd/660 nat. zone Argenton: Luc & Dries Bombeke
23rd/5014 nat. zone Bourges: Luc & Dries Bombeke
23rd/1259 prov. Bourges: Luc & Dries Bombeke
23rd/2727 prov. Argenton: K&R Platteeuw
23rd/1717 prov. Tulle: Team BDS
23rd/287 Fontenay: Team BDS
23rd/397 Tours: Team BDS
24th/5117 nat. Jarnac: K&R Platteeuw
27th/4588 prov. Chateauroux: Van Hoey A & J
29th/3084 Chateauroux: K&R Platteeuw
29th/420 Argenton: K&R Platteeuw
31st/15979  National Limoges ’20: Nico Fourneau
32nd/8090 nat. zone Chateauroux: Team BDS
33rd/4081 nat. zone Argenton: Luc & Dries Bombeke
34th/760 Blois: K&R Platteeuw
38th/1076 Tours: K&R Platteeuw
40th/2780 nat. Chateauroux: Luc & Dries Bombeke
45th/2212 Argenton: K&R Platteeuw
46th place Algarve OLR Final: M. Schoordijk
46th/13569  National Limoges ’19 tegen 13.569d.: Nico Fourneau
46th/2797 nat. zone Tulle: Team BDS
51st/26195 nat. Chateauroux: Team BDS
52nd/6903  National Cahors ’19 : Nico Fourneau
71st/1032 Bourges: K&R Platteeuw
82nd/3081 Chateauroux: K&R Platteeuw
111st/3755 National Brive ’20: Nico Fourneau

We like to wish the Bauters family a big congratulation with all the result both on the own loft as on the loft of others and we like to wish them a lot of success in 2021!