De Bock-De Smeyter (Kluisbergen) 1st Provincial Champion KBDB Great Middle Distance Old Birds

If you ask us which loft delivers exceptionally strong performances and continues to impress from season to season, we think of the tandem of Jelle De Bock and Joost De Smeyter from Kluisbergen in East Flanders. A colony in full swing, a colony that knows exactly what it wants and works very purposefully, focusing on their favorite terrain: races from 200km to 600km. The 2025 season was also one to savor.

If we counted correctly, they achieved a whopping 40 first prizes (without doubles). At the provincial level, the following top results were achieved in the provincial KBDB championships:

1st Provincial Champion Extreme Middle Distance Old Birds
2nd & 3rd (E.V.) – Provincial Ace Pigeon Extreme Middle Distance Old Birds
6th Provincial Ace Pigeon Extreme Middle Distance Yearlings
6th Provincial Ace Pigeon All-Around Yearlings
7th Provincial Ace Pigeon Short Middle Distance Young Birds
9th Provincial Ace Pigeon All-Around Old Birds

And what most confirms the quality of a loft is the successes achieved in other lofts. Here too, the De Bock-De Smeyter pigeons score at an unprecedented level. If a national victory is achieved with an original De Bock-De Smeyter pigeon, it's hard to deny our statement:

References 2025:

* Van Oeckel Bart & Nance
1 National Tulle Old birds 3,726b. (original De Bock – De Smeyter – as egg)

*Team Boddaert: 
Allemaal originele De Bock – De Smeyter duiven
1/1052b. Arras old & yearling
1/1047b. Arras. Youngbirds
1/884b. Clermont Yearling
1/676b. Clermont youngbirds
1/626b. Montoire youngbirds
1/547b. Clermont youngbirds
1/238b. Clermont yearling
1/83b. Orléans yearling

* Vandeputte-Kubica
Allemaal originele De Bock – De Smeyter duiven
1/1136b. St Soupplets yearling
1/874b. Toury yearling
1/841b. Provincial Bourges
1/799b. St Soupplets
1/523b. Soissons yearling
1/400b. Sancois yearling
1/302b. St Soupplets

*Gianni Fascella
Allemaal 100% De Bock – De Smeyter
1/1343b. Laon yearling
1/408b. St Soupplets yearling

*Rasschaert Etienne: 
1/448b. Noyon youngbirds (100% De Bock – De Smeyter)

*Breynaert Arnaud:
1/1513b. Nat Zone B1 Bourges (50% De Bock – De Smeyter)
1/249b. Noyon (50% De Bock – De Smeyter)

Referenties 2024:

*Team Boddaert: 
Allemaal 100% De Bock – De Smeyter
1/2887b. Clermont
1/349b. Pontoise
1/266b. Pontoise
1/198b. Pontoise
1/130b. Fontenay

*Gianni Fascella
Allemaal 100% De Bock – De Smeyter
1/230b. Vervins
1/343b. Soissons

*Debacker Chris
1/1809b. Nat. Zone A2 Argenton (50% De Bock – De Smeyter)

*Breynaert Arnaud:
1/1547b. Noyon (75% De Bock – De Smeyter)
1/112b. Sermaises (50% De Bock – De Smeyter)

A sound organization with sufficient flexibility

Jelle is a professional primary school teacher. Is there a more beautiful and noble profession than educating young children and preparing them for the future? The word "wise" is also inherent in the teaching profession. And Jelle certainly qualifies as a wise person. Calm by nature, affable, keen observer, never boastful, and very well-thought-out. I believe this is one of the strengths of this loft: that nothing is ever forced.
Everything in Jelle's organization is well-thought-out. Much of it is built through trial and error, resulting in a sound plan that serves as a foundation for the entire year...but which, if necessary, can be flexibly adapted to changing circumstances.
The beautiful garden sheds are a good example of this. Constructed by the dexterous hands of Jelle's father, it was discovered that the sheds where double windbreak mesh was partially used as the front had less stability than the fully enclosed sections. This was adjusted last season. The lofts face east, receiving sun fairly early in the morning, but are also located in open fields, relatively close to the Scheldt River. And as any experienced cyclist knows, along the banks of the Scheldt, there's always wind. The lofts were made more enclosed, with positive results.

Approximately 150 young pigeons are weaned annually (in 2025, this was an exceptional 200). The breeding pigeons are kept by Jelle, but Joost is in charge of the pairing. These breeding pigeons are paired very early, and the first clutch (eggs) goes to Joost. From the second clutch (which is around Christmas), the eggs from the best breeders are put to the racing pigeons, and the better pairs can soon have a third clutch. Once these youngsters have been raised, the breeders are separated, and a few more special pairings are made later in the year.

The breeding pigeons are also partly housed in Jelle's (youngster) lofts, and because of all this, there is a major move when the young pigeons are weaned. At that point, the breeding pigeons are mostly moved to aviaries, and the youngsters are brought into the lofts.

At the start of the 2025 season, 40 cocks and 32 hens were ready to go. Until 2024, these were raced on total widowhood, but in 2025, pure widowhood was adopted. This change was made because it was felt that the cocks raced on total widowhood performed less well. And the conclusion after one season? The cocks performed better, but the hens still dominated. The cocks were raced "carefully," for example, not basketing them in bad weather or sending them for a sprint race, while the hens flew the longer middle distance every week. "Maybe we're being too careful with the cocks," Jelle remarks.

The cocks bred early, raising the youngsters of the main breeders, but the hens didn't winter breed. The hens were paired in the second week of April, and when the youngsters were eight days old, the cocks were moved to the adjacent loft, but were still allowed to feed their youngsters daily. So, in practice, when the hens were training outside, the cocks fed the youngsters. During the first national race, the racing hens were sitting with a large youngster around their necks, and afterward, widowhood was a fact. Jelle: "We followed this system because we thought the hens would breed less with each other, but that turned out not to be the case."

During the season, the racing hens have a resting loft with very small boxes, and during the day they are in an aviary built at the back of their racing loft. If two hens breed with each other, either one of them is selected or one of them is moved to a different compartment. After the racing season, the pairs that will be racing later in the season are removed from the lofts, these nest boxes are closed, and the young cocks and hens that are to start as yearlings can occupy the vacant boxes. These newcomers are then allowed to establish their territory for two weeks.

After these two weeks, the former residents return to the loft with their hens for a couple of days, and after this weekend, the sexes are separated. The reasoning behind this is that the young pigeons are almost completely in control of their nest boxes, the old cocks return to the loft with their hens, and focus on their hens and less on territorial battles with the new residents. It's well-thought-out, with minimal disruption, and everyone has a fairly good nest box.

Approach during the season

The entire Versele-Laga range of feed and supplements is used. There is good cooperation between Jelle-Joost and the staff of this group, with regular consultations and adjustments where necessary. Jelle follows the following Versele-Laga feed and Oropharma by-products schedule

During the racing season, veterinarian Pascal Lanneau from Moen visits weekly. The two gentlemen are against blind treatments and don't want to take any risks. Medication is only administered on the vet's recommendation. It may sound contradictory, but by having the vet visit frequently, they actually hope to minimize their need for him. After all, the pigeons spend many days in the basket among other birds. An infection that isn't present today could be present tomorrow. Prevention is always better than cure.
In the 2025 season—old and yearling pigeons—the yellow drops were administered weekly in the feed, and the treatment for ornithosis was administered twice. Once in mid-July (the pigeons were only released on Tuesdays at that time) and once in early August. This treatment lasted five days each time with a product recommended by veterinarian Lanneau.
"One Eye Cold" occurs annually in the young pigeons. This usually occurs in late June or early July. The key is to let them recover and certainly not to administer it when they are clearly suffering from it.

The pigeons never come together before basketing (not even a nest dish). They are basketed as quietly as possible, and the reward awaits upon their return. Here, the proximity of the pigeons depends on the progress of the race and its intensity.
Towards the end of the season, and to complete the last national races, the pigeons are raced on the nest and are not basketed for one week to ensure they are laying eggs. Otherwise, they are basketed in an intermediate race between national races.

Eyes and ears open

What struck us during our conversation and visit is that Jelle is a good listener. He has a very clear approach but is not afraid to listen to the experience and pigeon knowledge of others. He surrounds himself with good teachers and observes his pigeons very carefully. He is down-to-earth, level-headed, but above all, he has a healthy dose of motivation and a deep love for pigeon racing. A few top-tier breeders in the breeding loft

Their foundation is largely built on pigeons that have performed strongly in races, further spiced up with original Willem de Bruijn pigeons. A recipe that works like butter on a thick slice of bread, and Jelle and Joost are now reaping the rewards.

Some main breeders

Their foundation is largely built on pigeons that have performed strongly in races, further spiced up with original Willem de Bruijn pigeons. A recipe that works like butter on a thick slice of bread, and Jelle and Joost are now reaping the rewards.

Best results 2025:

*NIERGNIES 05-04-2025 75.995 Km
Club 471 pigeons/old
5-6-7-9-10-10-12-17-18-19-19-21-23-26-27-28-31-35-40-44-45-48,…(42/70).

* PONT-STE.-MAXENCE 12-04-2025 179.387 Km
Club 452 pigeons/old
1-2-12-13-21-22-24-25-27-27-30-32-40,… (23/32).

*ECOUEN 26-04-2025 212.488 Km
Club 700 pigeons/old
1-4-5-6-7-14-17-19-20-21-25-26-28-29-32-33-35-36-40-43-44-47-48-58-59,… (38/66)

*PONT-STE.-MAXENCE 17-05-2025 179.387 Km
Club 222 pigeons/old
1-8-71 (3/3)

*VIERZON 17-05-2025 409.139 Km
Club 614 pigeons/old & Yearling
1-2-3-4-5-11-12-14-16-17-18-22-23-26-28-32-33-39-41-50-55-56-61,… (37/63)

Provincial 10038 pigeons/old & Yearling
11-13-19-20-28-92-93-100-106-110-127-204-208-256-285-358-377-458-486-633-723-748-797-853-893,… (37/63)

*ORLEANS 31-05-2025 335.133 Km
Club 422 pigeons/old
1-5-8-16-22-38-43-54-62-64-64-78-94-104-105-121-135 (17/27)
Provincial 3492 Pigeons/Yearling
1-149-282-337,… (9/15)

*CHATEAUROUX 31-05-2025 462.015 Km
Club 309 Pigeons/Yearling
1-13-14-15-17,… (10/22)

*ARGENTON 08-06-2025 488.073 Km
Club 290 pigeons/old
1-8-10-24-31,… (9/12)

*BOURGES 16-06-2025 444.904 Km
Club 353 pigeons/old
1-2-3-8-33,… (9/12)
Provincial 3005 pigeons/old
1-8-10-67-347-520-701-875-965 (9/12)
National 13580 pigeons/old
7-57-77-319-1423-2119-2828 (7/12)

*LA SOUTERRAINE 21-06-2025 528.898 Km
Club 227 Pigeons/Yearling
1-3-5-7-14-15-27-33-36-36-40-48-55-56-58-61-64-70-75 (19/36)
Provincial 1737 Pigeons/Yearling
1-12-15-27-60-65-163-235-249-249-291-331-394-396-404-421-461-521-544 (19/36)
National 5288 Pigeons/Yearling
6-25-31-53-141-148-382-560-595-595-697-799-954-956-980-1021-1120 (17/36)

* VIERZON 12-07-2025 409.139 Km
Club 321 pigeons/old
1-5-6-7-11-12-13-14-15-26-32-37-38-40-42-43-44-45-54-71-75-75-83-87-91-100-102 (27/40)
Provincial 2525 Pigeons/Yearling
5-24-25-37-40-44-88-141-168-179-191-195-302-309-363-376-412-469-585-623-663-713 (22/27)

*ORLEANS 19-07-2025 335.133 Km
Club 221 pigeons/old & Yearlings
1-2-3-9-17-28-29-68 (8/9)
Provincial 830 pigeons/old
1-3-75 (3/3)

*PONT-STE.-MAXENCE 19-07-2025 179.387 Km
Club 435 pigeons / Youngsters
1-2-3-4-5-8-10-11-14-15-17-19-20-24-25-33-39-… (54/118)

*ARGENTON 22-07-2025 488.073 Km
Club 146 pigeons/old
2-6-8-13-25 (5/8)
Club 167 pigeons/ Yearling
3-8-9-11-12-14-25-55 (8/20)

*ORLEANS 26-07-2025 335.133 Km
Club 222 Pigeons/ Youngsters 
1-2-3-4-6-8-9-12-18-19-20-22-23-28-31-38-44-46-51-58-62-63 (22/48)
Provincial 8762 Pigeons/ Youngsters
2-5-18-344-581-670-714-840-… (22/48)

*PONT-STE.-MAXENCE 26-07-2025 179.387 Km
Club 355 Pigeons/Youngsters
1-2-3-4-12-13-15-16-17-18-19-21-22-32-38-… (40/61)

*PONT-STE.-MAXENCE 03-08-2025 179.387 Km
Club 476 Pigeons/ Youngsters
1-4-7-8-9-11-12-13-25-28-29-30-31-33-34-35-37-38-39-42-43-45-46-48-49-50-52-54-58-… (49/110)

* BOURGES 03-08-2025 444.904 Km
Club 180 Pigeons/ Yearlings
1-4-6-7-8-17-21-… (12/16)
Club 58 Pigeons / old 
1-2-3-7-… (7/11)

Jelle and Joost have bred and selected a magnificent group of 2025 pigeons, all bred from their proven breeding pigeons, especially for the Pigeon Bids online sale.

Don't hesitate to grab yours!

This auction ends Thursday, November 6th at 2:00 PM.