Louis Beutels from Lummen became 1st National Champion heavy middle distance young pigeons KBDB 2024
13 Mar 2025
In Lummen, Limburg, Louis Beutels achieved his most beautiful title in his pigeon career. He was crazy about pigeons from a young age and still is. The family naturally comes first and anyone who thinks that he will find many pigeons here is at the wrong address because the selection in the hand and basket is hard here.
Especially the selection in the hand here and elsewhere is a pedigree that Louis can present. He has visited countless top lofts and he was always honest and straightforward about his opinion of a pigeon. This also brought him into contact with the best fanciers in our country and he was given a pigeon here and there that did not do him any harm. For him, breeding pigeons is more about practicing pigeon sport than racing itself.
Especially the connection between Louis and Pascal Ariën is one that has lasted for years and that he still visits. Louis got to know Pascal through his grandfather Fons Verwimp. The click and passion for pigeons was there with both of them and in this way they made each other a bit smarter. I went to Gaston Surkijn's loft and made a pairing, from this Gaston bred 1st National Argenton with a grandson of that favorite cock and 3rd National with a son. With this strain I have succeeded very well.
I went to Sabrina Brugmans' loft and after the visit I was given a cock, we bred from this together and a hen went back to Stephan. This famous hen is BE 19-5050615 "OIympic Louise" who became 1st National Ace Pigeon middle distance yearlings KBDB 2020 and 1st Olympiad Pigeon Yearlings in Romania in 2022. This shows that happiness can sometimes be found in a small detail.
Now in 2024 he has won a title thanks to 2 pigeons, a strong blow in itself but nice for our sport that ordinary fanciers with really good pigeons can still win from our top lofts. That makes the sport beautiful and unpredictable. Louis basketed 2 pigeons for Bourges and clocked them early in the results, 14 days later at Vierzon he did this again and his best pigeon flew even earlier. Unfortunately she was already quite far in the wing so that only Argenton was an option and the last national flight was not feasible for her anyway. The other pigeon was now present before her but she did not miss and thus ensured a 6/6 and a national title in the heavy middle distance young pigeons. The result would have been even better because at Bourges the pigeon was waiting for Louis on the sputnik, he was still calmly on the phone with a pigeon fancier friend and walked calmly to the loft. She still flew the 80th National.
The 2 pigeons I chose for Bourges were among 6 hens in the loft, I also went to Bourges with 2 old ones because I wanted to participate in this classic anyway. So I went to the club with 4. One old one flew the 6th prize provincially and my 2 young pigeons were both there. The 2nd pigeon that helped me win the title is one that I bought with a voucher from Marc Bollen. Or how happiness can be found in a small town again.
That's how he became national champion
Bourges Nat 26,548 young pigeons: 80 – 478
Vierzon Nat 16,892 young pigeons: 6 – 727
Argenton Prov 1,005 young pigeons: 125 – 26
Not many pigeons and trying to build a stock
I sometimes go to places where there are pigeons from Tom, Dick and Harry, I don't like that very much. I try to build a stock of pigeons myself and do a bit of family breeding but certainly not too short. If I do go shorter I usually do so to cross them completely with foreign blood. The current breeding loft has room for 16 couples.
The relationship between pigeon and human is especially important here and Louis gets a lot of satisfaction from it. From the moment the youngsters are in the dish he simply takes the pigeons to his hand.
Young pigeons
The young pigeons here are always separated from their parents at a very young age. They are separated when they are 22 to 24 days old, the younger the faster they learn the tricks of the trade. They are then put outside on the trapboard very quickly and I stay with them so that they get to know the surroundings.
The pigeons were darkened last year but I stopped with the young hens 3 weeks earlier than with the young cocks, which meant that the hens' feather position was far from ideal for the national flights at the end of the season. But one flight changed a lot for me with the known result as a result. For the coming season I will do it differently and I will darken for longer, so you see how an experienced fancier can still learn things. I have tried a lot over the years, that is the only way to find out whether something works or not.
I always train the young pigeons at a very young age, which is also the case now in the spring. I have already driven my first group of 10 twice. The first time in Schulen and the second time in Halen. That is more than 1 to 2 km for me, where most of us start. If pigeons are healthy and they train well at home, you cannot train them young enough. The maximum distance to which I take them is 16 km, because I really do not like driving a car.
The 6 hens I mentioned earlier were 2 paired with a young cock. I removed the other hens from the loft and I brought the 2 hens to the loft of the young cocks where they could do as they pleased. These 2 were then allowed to go to their cock from the afternoon and I motivated them by making them a bit jealous by placing another hen with them. A young pigeon can drive you crazy, so why not.
My pigeons usually train twice a day during the season, only in very warm weather it is only in the morning. I decide the day itself whether I also let them out in the evening or not. It all depends on my feeling.
The pigeons that no longer fit into Louis' plan after the season are cleared out. He doesn't wait weeks for this because they all become beautiful after the moult and that is of no use to you. Then all the pigeons are vaccinated against paratyphoid / herpes at the beginning of October and 3 weeks later I do this again. I did this for the first time in the autumn of 2023 and I feel good about it. The young pigeons get paramyxo rota when vaccinated, 14 days later paratyphoid / herpes and then a few weeks later a normal vaccination against paramyxo. I also vaccinate my pigeons against smallpox, if you experience this during the season it is over.
A vet will not earn much more from me because because I have few pigeons I can see immediately if something is wrong. I certainly give the breeding pigeons a lot of garlic. When I get home I use Belgasol from Belgica - De Weerd as recovery and I give Zell Oxygen from Herbots over the food on Saturday and Sunday.
The feed used daily during the season is 50% Galaxy Rui from Beyers and 50% Paloma Black Diamond. In addition, my pigeons get fresh grit every day.
We introduce you to the 2 pigeons that won the national championship
BE 24-5071936 “New Louise” Blue Hen
6 Nat Vierzon 16.892p
80 Nat Bourges 26.549p
Father BE 19-5050616 Topracer
Won 1st Region Sourdun and 7 x TOP 12
Gr.F. BE 12-5007341 ½ brother 3 Nat Argenton
Son of “BE 06-995” Gaston Surkijn x “BE 09-762” Sister of 2 topracers
Gr.M. BE 13-2192828 Karen Kannibaaltje – Vanoppen – Luyten
Daughter of “NL 08-316” Blue Kannibaal x “BE 09-782” Karen
Mother BE 16-2176087 Blue Dillen x Geerinckx
Gr.F. BE 12-5007323 Top racer won, among others, 3 Prov Pithiviers 4,000p – 37 Nat Bourges 13,000p
Son of “BE 06-900” Kleine Dillen x “BE 09-359” ½ sister 3 Nat Argenton 3,498p
Gr.M. BE 15-2218676 Granddaughter Gladiator
Daughter of “BE 10-101” Luc L-B-J Geerinckx x “BE 08-135” Crazy Jacky L-B-J Geerinckx
BE 24-5016432 Blue Hen
Bred by Marc Bollen
26 Prov Argenton 1,005p
478 Nat Bourges 26,549p
727 Nat Vierzon 16,892p
Father BE 17-5085362 Bourgesman
Won himself 3 Prov Bourges 4,820p ( 66 Nat 33,456p )
Gr.F. BE 12-5073314 Nieuwe Blauwe Prins
Won himself 2 Nat Chateauroux 6,005p – 56 Nat Bourges 11,558p
Son of “Zoon Souillac” Guido Loockx x “Prinses” Daughter Blauwe Prins Pros Roosen
Gr.M. BE 10-5181701 Daughter Flits - Pros Roosen
Super breeding hen
Mother of “15-650” 24 Nat Ace Pigeon All Round KBDB 2017
Daughter of “Flits” 1 Prov Melun – 8 Nat Bouregs 10,759p x “Superke Freddy”
Mother NL 21-1304157 Last Daughter Pros – Team Van Oss
Gr.F. BE 10-5182803 De Pros - Pros Roosen
Son of “Flits” 1 Prov Melun – 8 Nat Bouregs 10,759p x “Asduifke”
Gr.M. NL 20-1613226 Zinzi
Daughter of “Cannonball Harry” (Grandson Harry Jan Hooymans) x “Nationaaltje” Christian v/d Wetering.
Congratulations Louis and enjoy this sport and your family to the fullest.
Buelens Kim
