Herbots | Bonte Dirk (Rijmenam) 1st National Bourges 22,506 yearbirds

Distance: 465km
Velocity: 1805.47 m/m

“Miss Bourges” Dirk Bonte (Rijmenam)
1st National Bourges 22,506 yearling pigeons

We’ve made a start…the first national race of the season of 2020. With a participating number of 23,190 old pigeons and 22,506 yearling pigeons, the organizer could be more than happy. National winner in the category of the yearling pigeons was the chequered hen (BE19-6206910) from Dirk Bonte out of Rijmenam, in the province of Antwerp. With an average speed of 1,805.47 m/m she gave her boss the joy of celebrating his first national victory.

2nd period

Dirk , who is an accountant, just started over again intensively since 2017 with pigeon sport. “In fact I started racing pigeons when I was 30 years old and I could stand between the other fanciers rather well.” Is how he starts of smoothly his story “ but when I was 40 the love for athletics was bigger than my love for pigeon sport so this last one was put a side a bit. I always kept some pigeons and once in a while I basketed a few of them, but the passion wasn’t there. When I turned 50 and suffered some injuries I decided to concentrate on pigeon sport again. The pigeons from my old strain (strain: Verheyden from Merksplas x Jos Mees) were still being selected out hard and I got reinforcement from direct pigeons from Patrick Vervloesem and Yves De Witte (95% strain Van Reeth Rudy). The mix was as butter on bread and the first years I invested a lot in building a good breeding loft and see…3 years later I already have the luck of enjoying a national victory.

Total widowhood

“I have 12 cocks and 15 hens this season 2020 which are all on total widowhood. The 3 hens that don’t have a racing cock, have a breeding cock as partner. End of February, beginning of March they were being coupled and could raise a couple of youngsters. At weaning, these youngsters were about the same age as the 3rd round of my breeders and this is how I can also test the youngsters out of my racing team.
My racing loft is divided in separate departments. Left are the boxes with the cocks and on the right there is a department for the hens where the boxes are protected with a wooden plate which has chapels on it. Next to these I also have a small department where the hens are loose on the loft and where balloons on the floor must keep them from pairing up amongst each other.
Due to the COVID-virus I decided to darken all the racing pigeons. The cocks until the beginning of May and the hens 3 weeks longer.“

Ittre

Dirk: “Now, I must say that my cocks train really well during the week but the hens are a real disaster. When I open the window they storm outside but after 5 to 10 minutes they already want to come in again. This was getting on my nerfs and that’s why I decided the week before Bourges to toss them twice from Ittre, about 40km. The first time I released them individually and the 2nd time, on Thursday, the day of basketing in group. At arrival they could stay together for a while but were being separated again so they could calm down again and eat well.

In a matter of food I give them since this year the Aïda mixtures. At the beginning of the week the hens get “Girl Power” and the last 3 feedings they get an energy mix. I always feed enough…I stop feeding when they start to leave some grains.

In a medical way I was in the waiting room of the vet the Monday before Vierzon. Especially my cocks had a trichomoniases infection and that’s why I treated my cocks during 5 days against trichomoniases. I didn’t have to treat against ornithes yet.

My winning hen wasn’t motivated in any special way. Maybe the individual release at the toss was something that motivated her. Who knows. Fact is that she came from Bourges straight…she didn’t deviated for an inch, in a matter of speaking. When you see a pigeon coming home like that as a fancier…well…that’s a real kick!

Dirk.. from the entire team, a big congratulation and see you on the next big victory.

Stefan Mertens