Koen de Backer (Hoevenen) wins 1st and 2nd Prov. Narbonne Yearlings Antwerp and clocks 3 pigeons in the top 100 nationally

Hoevenen - In the tough international pigeon race from Narbonne, Koen de Backer delivered an impressive performance by winning both the 1st and 2nd provincial prizes for the province of Antwerp, against a field of 867 yearlings. At national level, his pigeons classified 4th and 7th against no less than 5,553 yearlings.

Excellent Results

Koen says: "There were 23 pigeons basketed, all of which had previously participated in Agen 2024. After this flight, the nesting positions were broken up on Monday to restore the balance, especially as five hens didn't return and five hens were added to the racing loft as a result."

The Winning Pigeons

"De Kleine Blauw" (BE23-6064047), the 1st provincial and 4th national Narbonne, had a remarkable preparation process. On the Agen flight, this pigeon was basketed loose as another cock had claimed 2 hens. After Agen, this cock immediately took a new hen from the fixed hens on the loft on Monday, with the result that his hen laid earlier and they were left with a two-day-old youngster at the time of the Narbonne basketing. The parentage of "De Kleine Blauwe" is impressive, with "Inteeltje 757" as sire (an inbred product of "Nest Brother 402" x "Het Moederke") and "Cynthia Campio Barca" as dam. The latter is a daughter of "El Campio Barca" and mother of, among others, "De Rooie 706", the 6th national ace Barcelona over four years.

The 2nd provincial and 7th national Narbonne, "De Schicht" (BE23-6064054), is a direct son of "Nest brother 402" (also the grandfather of Koen's 4th Nat. Narbonne) and "Bella". His mother, "Bella", is also a direct Geert De Coninck pigeon, out of "Gina", the 10th national Barcelona. "De Schicht" is known for his perseverance and often stayed on as the last one to fly during the evening training sessions and so he has already slept outside several times due to not coming in on time before dark Koen tells us.

"Nest brother 402" is meanwhile a proven breeder with some successful children:
"Koen": 4th Nat. Ace Pigeon Great Long Distance Yearlings 2021 at Daan Roosen 
"Den As": 5th Nat. Ace Pigeon Great Long Distance Yearlings 2022 at Koen de Backer himself 
"Het 782": 19th Nat. Agen 2023

The Success of "Het Moederke"

A key figure in Koen de Backer's success story is "Het Moederke", a hen he obtained in 2011 through an exchange of youngsters with Gebr Devriesere from Aalbeke. "In 2010, the last year at my parental address, they came to get a round of youngsters because I would no longer play with youngsters in my last year. In 2011 I got about 25 youngsters from them, including 'Het Moederke'. As a youngster she was always my first or second pigeon, and as a yearling she won 1:10 at Bordeaux."

As a two-year-old, "Het Moederke" just missed out on Pau and Libourne, but her youngsters proved their worth. "I ringed her youngsters as a yearling, and out of these came "402-12", who won 2x 1:20 as a yearling at Poitiers and Libourne. I decided to put 'Het Moederke' on the breeding loft, and this proved to be a hit with a whole string of top prizes in recent years." said Koen

The Game System and Medical Care

Since 2015/2016, Koen and his brother Sammy have invested heavily in progeny of top pigeons from the 3-4-5 year-old Barcelona ace pigeon championships, supplemented by children of top breeders. This combined with the line of his stock hen "Het Moederke" has resulted in the impressive results of the past 3 years.

Due to these investments, the number of flights was reduced and the focus was put on Barcelona where Koen with a nice team of pigeons played 50% prize every time in the last 3 years. The pigeons are played on nests, with a target of 10-12 days breeding, with both the cock and the hen going into the basket.

Medically, he limits himself to a five-day trichomonas cure before the season, a yellow drop in the beak after contact with other pigeons, and specific respiratory treatments (this also for the Agen and Barcelona flights). Furthermore, Koen follows Kristof Mortelmans' advice if something is not right. The pigeon loft is fumigated twice a year, eight days before basketing for Agen and eight days before basketing for Narbonne.

Pigeon Stock

Koen starts the season with 60 to 70 old and yearlings together, depending on results and losses the previous year.
To build his racing team, Koen relies on 18 to 20 breeding couples.

Season 2024: An Overview

The 2024 season started with 66 racing pigeons, and the results speak for themselves:
Agen: In the old birds category 1 out of 3 and in the yearlings category 11 out of 25, with nine times in the top 10%, starting with the 43rd national.
Barcelona: 19 out of 28, with twelve times in the top 10%, starting with the 33rd and 82nd national, and two national ace pigeons: 
"Het Dakzitterke": 2nd Nat. ace pigeon Barcelona 2022-2024 
"De Rooie 706": 6th Nat. ace pigeon Barcelona 2021-2024

Narbonne: So far 1 in 2 in the old birds category, and 7 in 21 in the yearlings category, with four times in the top 10%, starting with 4th, 7th and 87th nationally.

With these remarkable performances, Koen de Backer is firmly establishing his name in pigeon racing, with a particular focus on the prestigious Barcelona flights. His strategic approach, linked to a strong genetic base, shows that success in pigeon racing requires both preparation and passion.The entire Herbots team wishes Koen heartfelt congratulations!

Maarten Herbots