David Flasse from Audregnies, 1st Nat. (Zone) Narbonne from 2,009 old birds and 2nd Nat. from 4,021 old birds

David Flasse, 51 years old and a butcher by profession in a large supermarket, is certainly no stranger to pigeon racing. He already boasts two national victories among many other excellent results:

• 1st National Pau 2021 from 3,514 pigeons with “Sybille” – 5th International from 14,246 pigeons
• 1st National Montélimar 2014 from 3,868 pigeons with “Quentin”
• 1st Semi-National Bergerac 2015 from 679 yearlings
• 1st Provincial Bourges from 3,017 pigeons
• 1st Provincial Châteauroux from 2,515 pigeons
• Notably, the 1st National Argenton 2022 from 18,763 yearlings and fastest overall of 39,230 pigeons, won by his father-in-law Francis Permanne, was bred by David Flasse.

At the tough Narbonne 2025 race, his pigeon BE23-1074968 “Samuël” wins 1st National Zone against 2,009 old birds and 2nd National from 4,021 old birds. In "Samuël’s" pedigree, we find on the maternal side a granddaughter of “Quentin,” 1st National Montélimar and a top breeder at David Flasse's loft.

History of the Loft

David Flasse began pigeon racing in 2005, quite by chance, since no one in his family was involved in the sport. Originally passionate about fishing, he decided to change hobbies after the death of his father. Since his father-in-law Francis Permanne (from Dour) was a pigeon fancier, David took his first steps into the world of pigeon racing.

He lives with his wife Sybille in Audregnies, a village in the municipality of Quiévrain, a well-known release point for Antwerp speed racers. Given that Audregnies is located along the French border and is disadvantaged for speed and short middle-distance races, David naturally turned his focus to long-distance and marathon races, though he still competes in the big middle-distance events as well.

Current Bloodlines

While the descendants of his Montélimar and Pau winners form the backbone of his breeding loft, several successful lines have been introduced in recent years:

• Stéphane Defoort (Wodecq) – “Rox” line
• Henry-Blanc (Colfontaine) – 2 daughters of “Waldico”
• Via Vanneste-Rigole – pigeons from Noël Peiren
• The father of the 2nd Nat. Narbonne 2025 (see pedigree in this article)

Since 2023, David has also been exchanging birds with top French long-distance fancier Guillaume Peters from Wassigny (Aisne). That’s how 3 sons and 1 daughter of the “410” – European Ace Pigeon Marseille over 4 years (2016–2019) – came to reinforce David Flasse’s team.

Colony Setup, Method, and Care

The facilities are not luxurious but functional, with small lofts built and fitted by David himself around his lawn.

Colony Composition:

• 8 breeding pairs
• 24 cocks for racing (8 old + 16 yearlings)
• 20 hens (5 old + 15 yearlings)
• Every year, 60 youngsters are bred and raced naturally.

David prefers inbreeding/linebreeding, mainly using descendants of his 1st Nat. Montélimar winner, a top breeder.

The breeders and yearling cocks are paired at the end of November. These cocks raise one youngster. Around April 15, they are re-paired (along with old racers), then separated after 5 days of incubation. The cocks are raced on classic widowhood – only the nest dish is shown at basketing, and the hens are present upon return.

Due to surgery on his right arm (ligaments) in July, David temporarily had to re-pair his cocks, and the Narbonne winner was entered while incubating eggs for 10 days.

The racing hens are not paired and are raced from perches. Occasionally, a young cock is released into their loft as motivation.

David starts each season by testing and sorting the hens on Bourges and Vierzon, before starting the males in May: 2 speed races, 1 middle-distance, and then the national races. Since his birds perform well in hard weather, he ensures they remain fresh with enough rest between races. Between long-distance and marathon races, racers are sometimes entered in a speed race or trained at 10 km to return to their hens.

Training Schedule:

• Cocks train in the early morning
• Hens and youngsters in the late afternoon

Feeding and Supplements

David uses Columbi mixes (by Frédéric Leclercq – Taintignies):

• Monday–Tuesday: Depurative
• Midweek: Mue Prestige
• Final 2 meals before basketing: Energie mix

Supplements:

• After races: honey + Herbochol Plus (Herbots) in water
• Monday: vet proteins (Van Renterghem) mixed with the feed
• Tuesday: Gerwit-W (Röhnfried) vitamins in water
• Final 2 days before basketing: Herbo MMK (Herbots) in water
• Day after return: 1 drop of "Gele Druppels" (Koehoorn) in each bird's beak
• Pigeons receive a forced bath in a bucket
• Minerals are available daily

Medical care:

• At season start: vaccination by vet Kobe Herbots against paramyxovirus, paratyphoid, pox, and rotavirus (for youngsters)
• Before racing: cure against trichomoniasis/coccidiosis and a respiratory treatment
• During the season, the loft is followed by vet Camille Van Renterghem (Angre)

Team Herbots congratulates David Flasse on this outstanding performance and the many great results achieved over the past years.

Bernard Henry