Jos Wouters from Heist-op-den-Berg races on a very high national level !
15 Jan 2020
A name that stroke us on the National results was Jos Wouters out of the Antwerp town Heist-op-den-Berg. Jos races himself already for 51 years with pigeons and started off by means of his father like the most do and races for 25 years now from his current address. He likes to describe this season as his best over the past 15 years. When we looked out the window during our visit we saw very nice garden lofts which has to have quiet some pigeons on. Nothing is less true. The racing team exists out of 13 widow cocks and the 12 hens. When you want to score with such a small team on the middle distance races and national races you have to have good ones.
He now noticed the past 2 years that the greater middle distance is more his kind of discipline and started to focus on these races. Especially the hens go to the National races while the cocks have to focus on the middle distance races.
Was the top season of 2019 arising upfront? I do think so, when you have a super team of year birds in 2018 you hope that they will do equally well the coming season. This wish came true with again 7th National Champion greater middle distance for the second year in a row and on top of that also the 7th national Ace bird on the greater middle distance and then were not even talking about the local championships.
I could describe Jos as a fancier that knows his favourites trough and trough by the fact he has only a small amount of pigeons and sees everything that happens on his loft. He acts quickly and sees pigeon sport still as a hobby.
Nice references, not only on his own loft but also on other lofts, this is how Louis Mattheus won the 1st National Bourges against 22,654 old birds with a 50% Jos Wouters pigeon out of his pale strain and won a few years later 1st Provincial Blois against 1,186 young birds with the same strain.
In Geel there was another super pigeon namely , 6058385/2013 who won 8th Nat La Souterraine 3,184b, 13 Nat Gueret 2,429b, 45 Nat Argenton 9,970b, 106 Nat Vierzon 5,715b and 121 Nat Tulle 5,731b. This pigeon raced on the loft of Raf & Lars Luyckx and is a 100% Jos Wouters pigeon. Out of the same father Jos himself had a super year bird in 2019.
This way we get to the strains to be found in this colony, the base is from Gaston De Rijck ( Booischot ), Jules Lens ( Putte ) and Dré Claes ( Keerbergen ). Not big names but pigeons with very soft feathers and very strong muscles is what I got to see during my visit.
Top results from the past years
1 General Champion Long distance Fondclub Antwerp 2019
7 Nat Champion GMD old and yearling KBDB 2019
7 Nat Ace bird GMD old KBDB 2019
7 Nat Champion GMD yearling KBDB 2018
System old and yearling
The racing team doesn't get any rest during the Winter time but have to raise youngsters. From the 4 best racers the eggs are being moved on so there are immediately 2 couple of youngsters that can be tested. During the moulting period just before the breeding season the hens stay day and night in aviaries. Close to nature and a very hard school for the natural resistance. Only at night a curtain in front of the aviary will be closed.
When the 1st round of breeding is finished is it especially their base condition that is being worked on, for the widow cocks this is very easy but the hens were another story this year. They didn't race that well during the season as the year before when they trained for a full hour without any problem. On the 15th of March the widow cocks could come together for one more time and could breed for another 5 to 6 days. During the season it is a daily training once a day.
What do you do as motivation ?
I race all the entire racing team on the classic widowhood. That's why a strict rule is being applied before basketing, all pigeons get to see their partner during 10 minutes and are being basketed immediately. At arrival it is the goal that they follow quickly after each other, when they have this trust they can stay together for about 15 minutes, afterwards I prolong this to a few hours.
The hens mainly race the nationals with a short distance race (Soissons) in between, after Bourges II beginning of August the season ends for them. This is also the case for the widow cocks but they have to race each weekend on the middle distance races with 1 night basket.
Best pigeons from the season 2019
6088298/2017 Blue hen
7th National Ace bird GMD old KBDB 2019
10 Nat (z) Argenton ‘19 3,487b
66 Nat 15,235b
12 Nat Issoudun ’19 8,248b
12 Soissons ’18 625b
28 Nat (z) Argenton ’18 4,781b
32 Nat (z) Chateauroux ’18 3,764b
63 Prov Vierzon ’19 2,288b
168 Nat Montlucon ’19 9,857b
169 Nat Chateauroux ’19 20,522b
A full brother of this hen is 6088250/2017 who became Ace bird on the short distance races.
Father 6152529/2014 Blue
Gr.F. 6358479/2010 Vaal – Gaston De Rijck
Son to “431/08” x “505/08”
Gr.M. 6030222/2009
Daughter to “260/04” x “619/04” Chequered
Mother 6071266/2015 Blue – Van Veuster
Gr.F. 6058908/2013 Blue – Top racer and breeder
Gr.M. 6153741/2004 Blue – Summer youngster - top breeder
6088257/2017 Pale white pin hen
4 Momignies ’19 739b
8 Soissons ’19 717b
9 Soissons ’18 273b
11 Melun ’19 363b
17 Nat Bourges ‘19 24,055b
52 Nat Argenton ’18 8,818b
95 Nat Issoudun ’19 8,248b
104 Nat Chateauroux ’18 27,081b
109 Nat (z) Argenton ’18 4,781b
142 Nat Chateauroux ’19 20,522b
Father 6073492/2010 Red
Mother 6358473/2010 Blue
6112429/2018 Pale whitepin hen
5 Melun 214b
10 Prov Vierzon 2,018b
56 Nat Issoudun 11,465b
87 Nat Chateauroux 24,617b
Father 6100812/2012 Pale
Gr.F. 6073640/2011
Son to “773/08” x “731/08”
Gr.M. 6031617/2011 Jules Lens
Daughter to “931/01” Blue J Lens x “243/09” Flor Vervoort
Mother 6088221/2017 Red
Youngsters
Also for the youngsters widowhood is the most important motivation for good results. Jos breeds about 60 youngsters and immediately at weening they are being separated. These are all being darkened from the 25th of March until the 15th of June from 17hoo in the evening until 8 o'clock in the morning. Beginning of June they come together with old partners for 3 to 4 days so the most couples can be made.
For the racing itself the same rules are being applied, young cocks until middle distance and the ladies can take on against the entire country at the nationals. Also in a matter of motivation he uses the same system as at the old pigeons and can see each other for a short period before basketing and for a few hours at arrival.
Guidance
I use the mixtures from Van Tilburg, this is mainly Sport Yellow and Breeding Yellow which I once in a while mix with Super Diet or Pure . I don't focus on one mixture but try to feel how hard the pigeons train and what they need for the coming race.
The entire year trough I like to give daily fresh grit with 'Allerlei', and in the drinking water I put a lot of garlic, not one tow but 3 to 4 for in one drinking pot. Next to this I use one week out of three during the racing season brewers' yeast and with hot weather they get Belgasol from Belgica De Weerd at arrival.
The medical guidance is in hands of Guy Mertens in Herselt and during check-ups there isn't hardly ever trichomoniases to be found. When they do have something I give them a 1/4 Flagyl and that's it. I only treated the youngsters once in 2019 against airway diseases.
Best results 2019
Momignies 739b : 2,4,7,12,13,35,41,44,47,50,… 16/25
Momignies 1.123b : 7,12,15,16,18,27,37,38,… 17/16
Momignies 1.762 youngsters: 1,36,40,103,107,108,115,116,… 24/46
Soissons 717b : 1,3,7,8,13,19,20,21,26,32,… 23/25
Soissons 227b: 1,2,3,4,9,10,11,14,17,18,… 19/25
Soissons 332b : 4,5,18,28,30,… 12/15
Soissons 366b : 3,19,30,… 4/4
Melun 363b : 1,2,3,6,11,17,21,23,35,36,… 11/11
Melun 214 yearling : 1,5,12,… 4/4
Melun 496b : 1,2,9,11,29,32,35,38,42,49,… 15/22
Melun 239 yearling: 1,… 6/11
Melun 314b : 2,3,15,… 6/7
Melun 167 yearling: 1,6,… 3/3
Melun 138 yearling : 1,8 2/3
Chevrainvilliers 417b : 1,25,… 6/11
Chevrainvilliers 260b : 1,12,… 4/4
Chevrainvilliers 332b : 3,7,15,16,.. 5/7
Chevrainvilliers 165b: 1,3,… 3/4
Toury 367b : 1 1/1
Vierzon Prov 2.288 old : 63,119,219,
Bourges NAT 24.055 old : 17,129,1941,… 4/6
Chateauroux Prov 1.768 old : 40,57,65,116,… 6/7
Argenton Prov 1.339 old : 13,52,77,118,… 6/7
Argenton Nat (z) 3.487 old : 10,23,335,…
Jos, a big congratulation with these marvelous results with your small colony from the entire HERBOTS TEAM.
Buelens Kim
