Jules & Yves Engels from Putte win 1st Nat (z) Bourges 4,913 yearlings

What all the colony of English has not won in their career. Now that Yves runs the colony together with Jules, they simply continue on their elan and rely on the extremely strong foundation of their breeding stable. “Den Argenton” – “178” – “231”, the foundations are there, houses can be built on this, because pigeons will come out that fly at the top. After the 2021 season we saw that they had a fantastic team of youngsters. If these were in order, they will provide fireworks on the national flights. We are barely 1 flight further and it is already a hit. Their yearling hen flies 1st National (z) Bourges against 4,913 pigeons. Normally she entered the basket as 1st nominated, she flew a top preparation but missed out on Vierzon. A good pigeon always corrects her misses the following week and that's how it happened. Top class in general with a lot of top pigeons, prizes per 10 and prize percentage in total. The team is ready…

Bourges Nat (z) 5.148 old birds : 12,62,102,105,107,144,151,185,196,212,236,268,269,274,366,391,… 21/27
Bourges Nat (z) 4.913 yearlings : 1,11,19,43,72,100,113,122,126,131,165,168,177,188,198,208,219,238,240,245,253,280,284,284,295,330,436,464,… 50/69

Argenton Nat (z) 3.312 yearlings : 6,14,39,66,71,77,96,105,127,140,150,183,197,204,216,227,236,248,250,295,…

System total widowhood

Because both cocks and hens are played here, total widowhood is the best system that suits them. There are normally 3 racing lofts of 16 boxes where the bottom row is always closed. This season a 4th loft has been added by 

the large team of young pigeons that remained after the 2021 season.

In the autumn, the cocks are first moved to the 3 lofts, the old ones are then placed in an aviary so that the cocks can quietly choose their box and are then coupled with their future partner. When this is all over, the old cocks come back. In the spring, the racing pigeons come together for half a day or a day every 10 days. An important detail for them so that they do not forget their partners. Breeding is not done with the racing pigeons.

In terms of training, it is first the widowers' turn in the morning, after which the hens are allowed outside. This is because the hens were darkened in the spring. But to be fair, their performance was insufficient in April and so they decided to stop the eclipse on April 15th. After that, their performance just got better and better. So you can see that even experienced fanciers also adjust something if it doesn't work.

When basketing, the cocks are placed in a half box and the hens are then placed in the loft. After 5 minutes everything is packed. They don't really get together but they do see each other. Even after the flight it is a different regime that they use here. In total widowhood, the partners are never at home at the same time, perhaps on a sprint race in the spring, but never when you go to national races. That is why we choose to let the pigeons each enter their own loft and let them recover quietly.

Either in the evening (with speed) or the day after in the morning they are allowed together for 1 to 2 hours. Recovered pigeons enjoy each other more and so no couples are demotivated. Even if you lose a pigeon, you can respond to this and ensure that it quickly has another partner.

In terms of nutrition, they rely on the Hoebrechts mixtures and they use a super diet for the first few days, then they switch to Flight and in the last few days it is mainly candy seed and hempseed that is given extra. Especially in the morning the pigeons do not get heavy food, super diet with hempseed or only super diet it is usually English at home.

The medical side is in the hands of Raf Herbots, who is regularly checked, 

in April the pigeons were treated for the respiratory tract and for Vierzon they were given something against tricho. The absolute minimum and usually little is found during the check. Extra products during the week also come from the Herbots and Herbovet range.

Winning hen Bourges

BE 21-6073644 Blue Hen

  1 Nat (z) Bourges             4.913b
  4 Nat                                24.221b
  1             Melun                     655b
41 Prov                                5.703b
  1             Noyon                    484b
  2 Sermaises                      2.356b
25             Sermaises         3.640b
42             Melun                 3.279b
61             Melun                 1.868b
82             Sermaises         2.077b

Sire BE 17-6164760 Kleinzoon Rony – Gaston Vandewouwer

Gr.F. BE 14-6072278 Brother Laura - Gaston Vandewouwer
                Brother “Laura” 1 Nat Bourges 17.061b
                Son from “Rony” x “Erna” L-B-J Geerinckx
Gr.M. BE 16-6023031 Daughter Laury - Gaston Vandewouwer
                Sister “Serenity” 3 Prov Blois 2.744b – 48 Nat Limoges 15.979b – 52 Nat Chateauroux 18.499b
                Daughter from “Laury” Son Rudy Gaby Vandenabeele x “Sister Ida” 

Mother BE 19-6103703 Daughter Jolien
Full sister from topracers, winning a.o. 9 S.Nat Vierzon 4.019b – 12 Nat (z) Chateauroux 10.995b – 15 Nat Chateauroux 18.741b – 45 Nat Argenton 14.787b – 62 Nat Chateauroux 6.303b – 94 Nat Issoudun 18.176b

Gr.F. BE 15-6281410 Son Limoges 
                Son “Limoges” 1ste Nat Limoges 15.009b x “Sister Laura” ½ sister Argenton
Gr.M. BE 15-6052133 Jolien – Super racing hen and top breeding hen
                Won herself 2 Nat Chateauroux 2.780b – 7 Nat (z) Chateauroux 5.761b – 12 Nat Argenton 16.363b
                Daughter from “370/07” ½ brother Argenton x “291/07” Daughter Argenton 

Yves and Jules, congratulations on your umpteenth victory of your career and on to the next.

The Herbots Team.

Buelens Kim