Leo Van Horenbeeck - Wijgmaal - 1 Nat. Champion Great Middle Distance Youngsters KBDB 2019
21 Nov 2019
National races with youngsters, 4 chances where you have to clock your first 2 signed 3x early to be able to become a National Champion. This was done in 2019 by the colony of Leo Van Hoorebeeck from Wijgmaal. Leo was busy having one of his best seasons ever with the 1st National (z) Limoges old birds and 1st National (z) Argenton with the youngsters, or in other words, all round top class on all races. Off course the title of National Champion is the icing on the cake as he had never won a national title before. He could taste from a national victory before and this in 2013 on Vichy and in 2017 on Argenton. An important given is that all the best pigeons aren’t ever being sold over here and can all move to the breeding loft in the hope that they will perform equally was as breeder then as a racer.
Leo is racing from this loft since years now, his son Christophe used to race together with him over here but is running his own colony now in Schaffen, also with very good results. It is also the case that 40 youngsters from the first breeding round goes to him with as a consequence that Leo has to race a bit younger birds then normal. But when you have a look at the results this doesn’t make any difference.
Highlights 2019
1 Nat Champion youngsters greater middle distance KBDB
1 Prov Champion youngsters greater middle distance KBDB
1 Champion youngsters greater middle distance Brabant Union
1 Nat (z) Argenton 4,796 youngsters
1 Nat (z) Limoges 1,928 old birds
2 Prov Ace bird greater middle distance youngsters KBDB
Which pigeons do you basket on the races ?
I race both widow cocks as hens. And this with a rather small team as 12 widow cocks and 20 racing hens take care of the results over here.
The widow cocks are being coupled end of November together with the breeders and can raise a couple of youngsters. Afterwards there isn’t a second coupling but as from end of February it is time to start training again. Once the young birds are on sliding doors in the season, the widow cocks train together with the young cocks and the hens with the young hens. From then on they come out twice a day.
The widow cocks race especially the greater middle distance and long distance and this every fortnight. After Bourges II or maybe for a few the race after, they can retire for that season.
In a matter of motivation they get to see their hen on the first 2 races before the race, just to let them get used on what is coming as afterwards the hen disappears and only a nest dish is being showed at basketing. At arrival they can always stay together until Leo comes back from the club and then he starts to take them apart. The period that they are together is about 3 to 4 hours.
The hens have another schedule
I have 20 racing hens but this year there were 14 of them who were lesbian, Leo’s favourite game. Every year he tries to couple them as much as possible amongst each other and race them on a nest position during the season. Those who don’t want to pair up amongst each other are being taken out and will be raced amongst the youngsters on sliding doors. During the Winter period he will certainly breed an early round of youngsters out of the best hens who are being coupled to a widow cock or a breeder
Afterwards they move to an aviary so he can control their urge to lay eggs a bit during Spring and the eggs they do lay are being taken away. The goal is that they make their 1st nest around the beginning of May, mostly they have 2 per season and when the youngsters are about 14 to 15 days they are being taken away and it just starts all over again.
For their daily training he makes sure that they do train a bit, when Leo notices that they don’t train well enough, he will toss them once more extra to keep up their condition. When the season moves on they train together with the young birds and this does bring the swung back in again.
The hens that don’t want to pair up go to the loft of the youngsters which they know well from the year before and will look on their own for a motivation to race. Mostly this is due to a young cock where they fall in love with in the middle of the season. The national zone winner from Limoges had her eye on a young cock but wasn’t paired up totally to him yet.
The ladies do have to race each week or for a national race or for a shorter race that can variate between the 100 and 300km. At basketing they make sure that the couples aren’t being basketed together during 2 or 3 days. The season takes a little bit longer for them as for the cocks and Leo dares to race them even until the beginning of September.
Are there any other special things you do?
Well, 99,9% from us darkens the youngsters to race. I already start doing this from March until they stop racing. This from 18h00 in the evening until 7 o’clock in the morning. When I don’t do this I have a street light that shines directly on the lofts so the pigeons can’t keep their feathers and don’t know any rest. I don’t experience anything negative in doing this so I just keep on doing it.
Youngsters
I breed yearly about 70 young pigeons, they are being darkened but not lightened. They start flying a bit quicker than the real youngster as they are a bit younger but I don’t have a problem with that. As from the moment they had Momignies and Soissoins they will go on the sliding doors system and train together with the old birds. They always come together before basketing for about 2 to 3 hours. By the end of the season I always place some shelfs and dishes on the loft so the motivation stays. At arrival they can stay as long together as the old birds can.
Best Pigeons 2019
2021381/2019 Chequered hen
4 Prov Ace bird greater middle distance youngsters KBDB
1 Argenton 654b
1 Nat(z) 4,796b
56 Nat 23,258b
2 Chateauroux 655b
4 Br.Un 2,722b
83 Nat 19,529b
8 Fay-Au-Loges 373b
58 Prov Fay-Au-Loges 2,377b
Father 2073004/2011 Top racer
Won ao. 3 Prov Jarnac 232b, 6 Limoges 575b, 35 Nat Limoges 13,496b
Gr.F. 2036079/2007 De 079
Son to “696/05” Grijze x “085/05” Daughter super couple
Gr.M. 2246740/2006 Daughter Mosselman
Daughter to “021/99” Mosselman x “033/04” P De Becker
Mother 2021056/2010 Top racer
Won ao 1 Soissons 396b, 158 S.Nat Chateauroux 8,092b, 331 Nat Bourges 30,748b
Gr.F. 2076092/2006 Top breeder
Won himself 38 Nat Argenton 14,534b, 163 Nat La Souterraine 13,965b
Son to “730/00” Blauwe P Verhaegen x “078/99” 1 Toury 1,197b
Gr.M. 2202072/2002 Daughter base breeding couple
Daughter to “536/96” Stamvader x “061/97” Mother Witvlekje J Vandessel
2053067/2016 Blue hen
Direct Koen Van Laer
1 Nat(z) Limoges 1,928b
11 Nat 9,661b
10 Soissons 710b
12 Argenton 166b
28 Melun 337b
31 Melun 517b
41 Br.Un Argenton 568b
480 Nat Chateauroux 14,762b
1532 Nat Chateauroux 20,522b
Father 2090677/2006 Old Ring
Gr.F. 2061238/2007 Late James
Son to “026/06” Zoon Valentin A Derwa x “046/01” Super breeding hen
Gr.M. 10 Nat Bourges John Vandessel
Mother 2090671/2006 Old Ring
Gr.F. 2027255/2009 Blue
Son to “180/06” A Derwa x “789/07” Flor Van Horenbeeck
Gr.M. 2027233/2009 Dikke Duivin
Daughter to “899/07” J Coeckelberghs x “174/06” Daughter Flor 1
2021376/2019 Grey hen
11 Prov Fay-Au-Loges 2,377b
14 Fay-Au-Loges 443b
31 Fay-Au-Loges 373b
66 Nat(z) Argenton 4,796b
Father 2073583/2010 Strain Robert Van Eycken x Stichelbaut
Mother 2125289/2016 Daugther Ace bird
Gr.F. 2299817/2015 Ace bird – Timmermans – Poels
Ace bird Hageland Race 2015
Son to “480/13” White pin C Reynders x “069/14” White M Wellens
Gr.M. 2020908/2008
Daughter to “328/05” Son Prov Argenton x “384/04” Blue
2125006/2019 Dark chequered cock
2 Prov Ace bird GMD youngsters KBDB 2019
Direct Gust Vandenbroeck
67 Nat(z) Argenton 4,796b
319 Nat Chateauroux 19,529b
1205 Nat Chateauroux 22,476b
Care
I trust on the Beyers mixtures the entire year trough. I give 100% Gaby Vandenabeele mixture until the 200km races. I do add pealed sunflower seeds, candy and peanuts to it. From then on I look how hard the weather will be and give then one or two days Brilliant. At arrival they also get the Vandenabeele mixture this together with proteins and electrolytes.
The youngsters get after weening for one more month breeding mixture and I will switch onto the Gaby mixture after this month.
I go to Raf Herbots or Stijn Rans for a medical check-up. The old birds had a cure against trichomoniases in Spring this year and this together with something against head diseases. The youngsters had the exact same but I treated them twice against trichomoniases. They also get after the season a treatment with Emdotrim against paratype but without an injection. As extra’s I give mostly the products from HERBOTS or HERBOVET gamma. This is how they get on Mondays and Thursdays Herbosol in the drinking water and get yellow drops over the food on Monday. Next to this I also make a lot of use of Avidress from Röhnfried and apple vinegar.
Best results 2019
Bourges 940 youngsters : 14,29,23,53,60,93,… 17/26
Chateauroux Br.Union 2.722 youngsters : 4,46,63,208,249,… 15/27
Argenton Nat (z) 4.796 youngsters : 1,66,67,117,285,296,346,…
Montlucon Prov 708 old : 7,12,… 3/8
Montlucon Prov 1.063 yearling : 8,60,… 4/8
Limoges Br.Union 1.103 old : 1,33,57,… 4/6
Momignies 1.126 youngsters: 13,34,36,52,96,… 11/26
Etampes 793 old : 5,22,35,49,76,… 13/20
Etampes 394 youngsters : 7,10,23,39,… 9/13
Chevrainvilliers 5.681 youngsters e : 8,29,259,265,323,397,454,553,… 14/34
Fay-Au-Loges 829 youngsters : 8,27,32,63,79,79,… 19/28
Fay-Au-Loges Prov 742 old : 28,33,44,62,65,… 12/18
Fay-Au-Loges Br.Union 2.052 youngsters : 67,80,103,132,182,… 11/33
Blois Prov 3.050 yearling : 40,76,154,… 5/6
Soissons 953 youngsters : 5,7,8,58,59,… 13/21
Leo a big congratulation with the achieved results from the entire HERBOTS TEAM.
Buelens Kim
