Bert Vanden Berghe (Wortegem-Petegem) : 1st national champion KBDB old birds

A surprise? I don't think so. In recent seasons, the results of Bert's lofts with yearlings and old pigeons were getting stronger and stronger with numerous national tops, Olympiad pigeons etc.  In the past, these lofts played national victories, collected national ace pigeons, so proving quality and stellar performance was no longer necessary.
The dominoes have to fall right, or they can't fall wrong to win a national title.  First of all you have to have very good pigeons that perform well week after week...and then you have to be lucky to clock the 1st and 2nd signed pigeon as early as possible. How big is the factor luck that many talk about in such rankings ?
It is a ranking where everyone, even the player who literally comes to the race with the small basket has equal chances to score...but has to do so in 4 races in the long distance. No doubt the law of large numbers also plays a role here, where lofts, which have dozens of pigeons available to play these flights have a greater choice to bring pigeons in forme to the start...but either way it is the 1st and 2nd issued pigeon that has to be present.
A lot can be analysed about it but in the end there is always someone who with his 2 first drawn over 4 long distance races manages to put down the sharpest coefficient...and in the 2024 season this is Bert Vanden Berghe from Wortegem-Petegem, who, flanked by his caretaker Bart, may raise this trophy.
On the podium, he is flanked by Freddy & Jacques Vandenheede and by Sam Bostoen, no pancakes either!

A golden source of quality

Bert (59 years old) came into contact with pigeon racing as Bertje through his father Roger who was also an avid pigeon player. The interest in pigeon racing has always been there and depending on whether or not his professional activities were busy, the accelerator was more or less open.

When the beautiful loft installation was erected in Wortegem, the intention was to take off with a solid base. A few years apart, a team of youngsters was bought from Gaby Vandenabeele. These pigeons were also played and names like Fyter, Gloria etc...fell from the sky like stars. Other names also joined the base (Cools, Pollin, Devos....).  With these basic pigeons great fame was acquired and they also served as a basis for the further development of the colony.

In a later phase, reinforcements were sought from Vandenheede Freddy & Jacques, Kurt & Raf Platteeuw, Jan Hooijmans, Sorin Florea,...
It is these origins of pigeons that still make the beautiful weather in Wortegem and these names are invariably found in the pedigrees of the pigeons that ensured the national title.
The breeding loft consists of about 24 basic couples that are paired on 6 December. Eggs are laid in a few breeding pairs and in summary about 3 rounds are bred for own use.
To take care of all this, Bert can call on Bart De Clercq. Bart also fell into a pigeon pool as a baby and still plays in tandem with his father Robert (in Kluisbergen) focusing on middle-distance and heavy middle-distance with hens. Taking care of pigeons is also in his genes and together with Bert they achieve very strong results.

A very thoughtful approach

Whereas in the recent style of pigeon racing there is more and more of a trend to play pigeons hard (‘drive and don't look back’) and because of the larger numbers basketed per loft, this is not the case with Bert. 
Pigeons in top forme are played hard, pigeons that are building up to forme or after a tough race get the chance to build up or recover peacefully. This is a part of the game that gets a lot of attention on these lofts.  
In the fresh and or chilly preseason, pigeons are not basketed under pressure from the calendar when the weather is not favourable. It's better to put them on hold for a while and then, with milder weather, basket them with slightly larger steps. Bert's conviction is not fancy science but common sense: in spring, when the weather is fresh, flying the pigeons a lot of flights can be harmful for forme-building. Bright and fresh heads can quickly turn into snotty noses in bad spring races and thus jeopardise the course of the season. It is also a rule that hens in lesser condition or in a dip should train less and rest plenty. This approach has good experience and pigeons that then recover calmly and still fly nice prizes.

• In the run-up to the season, the preparation of the racing team (60 cocks of which 27 old and balance yearlings on classic widowhood, 60 hens also on classic widowhood) goes as follows :
• The cocks normally never breed before the season. They are paired and allowed to incubate for a few days to raise them with their own transport. The yearlings are allowed to breed a youngster in order to improve the stability.
• All pigeons will be vaccinated with the paramyo-vaccine at the end of October/beginning of November and everyone will receive a cure of 8 days in the drinking bottle to prevent paratyphoid.
• The hens (60) are paired in pairs with 1 old cock. These cocks are old cocks kept to act as partners for these hens. The yearling hens raise 1 youngster in spring. When this nestling young is 12 days old, the hen is removed and the cock continues to raise the young. Afterwards, the same routine with the 2nd hen that is paired with this cock.  In this way, both hens have a strong fry fast.
• The pigeons (cocks as well as hens) train once a day. For the cocks this is free training, for the hens it is training with the throttle open (trainings of 1 hour or 1.5 hours are no exception). During the full season and when the weather is pleasant, the cocks may already be allowed to fly twice a day.
• At basketing, the old cocks are basketed with a nesting dish. The yearlings are allowed with their hens which are half-bunked in the nest box.
• The hens are allowed in the half-box next to the cock (alternately) and as an alternation of motivation they are sometimes both left in the (half) nest box to increase their drift.
• On returning home, the pigeons are not allowed near their partners for the first 2 hours. The aim is for them to calm down, eat and drink well and only then be allowed with their partner. Depending on the intensity of the flight, it is then determined how long they may see each other.
• The pigeons are not darkened before the season, and there is a good reason for that.  The lofts face south-west (more west than south). In addition, there are a lot of large trees in the eastern direction and then the lofts only get full sun in the afternoon. In case of high temperatures or very bright sunshine, screens are available to provide some cooling if necessary.  The roof of the lofts is a thick layer of thatch which also provides more stable temperatures.
• Heating panels are also frequently used to keep out moisture and chill (year-round).
• In both cocks and hens, the 2nd and 3rd flight feathers are pulled simultaneously in early March to maintain a full plumage until the end of the season.
• The feed used are a number of mixtures from Vanrobaeys namely the Mauser 186 for 6 months a year (quiet season). The breeders get the breeding 182 and during the season they play with the Platteeuw mixture supplemented with Natural Wizzard and Beyers Galaxy. Towards basketing with some sweets (hulled oats, sunflower seeds, kemp seeds...).
• As a supplement vitamins Brockamp, oils, turmeric, oregano.
• On returning home, yellow drops over the feed for 2 days (out of season yellow drops are mixed over the feed every three weeks).
• Of course there is frequent monitoring of manure and smears at the vet and intervention where necessary. Blind cures are not an issue.

Some top pigeons highlighted that won the title of national champion

We can present here a dozen top pigeons that regularly fly in the national top and this both hens and cocks. Also, as with everyone, ‘heroes or heroines’ die here on the field of honour. For instance, the 2 best hens (Olympiad...) were lost in the battle this year. Pigeons that more than repeatedly flew in the national top in all weather and conditions did not return.  Pigeon racing can provide much virtue but also painful and awkward moments. But where quality is present other names stand up and step to the fore, so too with Bert.

As can be seen in the pedigrees, the strain is a combination of Bert's own breeding pigeons braided from his own pigeons and also pigeons from Jan Hooijmans who are doing very well here.

Bert and Bart achieved a fine national championship title which is actually the icing on the cake of a couple of very strong seasons.  And when the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, they become national champions. This cannot be done without rock-solid pigeons working their way to the head of the pack week after week. The class is more than enough and so is the finesse to play with pigeons, as past results and victories have more than proved. Fear not, there is still more than enough potential to make themselves heard in 2025 as well.

But in the meantime, enjoy this title !

Congratulations from the Herbot team !

Geert Dhaenens