François Callebaut (Meldert) is a permanent fixture on the extreme long distance, few pigeons, high quality!

Looking for a good antidote to aging? Race with the pigeons, take care of everything yourself, and you'll easily reach your 10,000 steps a day!

I'm amazed by François Callebaut's condition, now 76 years young, slender, fit, and healthy. François is what they sometimes call "a fighter" in the local dialect: always busy, always on the move, focused on his interests, and always on the go.

Despite having had plenty of work to do in his life, he's fortunate enough to enjoy good health, along with Gerda. This is also evident in the house, the pigeon lofts, the garden... everything is pleasantly cared for and in order. No day is missed for cleaning the lofts. This, too, is apparently a very good remedy for combating aging. Take care of what they own, take care of their family and loved ones.

What's also typical is their determination to win. While many would be rubbing their hands with glee at the results François achieved with his small colony, François isn't easily satisfied. He's not afraid to complain when a race doesn't go his way, but he's a winner through and through.

A stalwart at the top of the extreme long distance

It's been a long time since François traded short-distance pigeon racing for the extreme long distance. He still reads Het Spoor der Kampioenen, the Dutch pigeon magazine focusing on the extreme long distance, with great interest. He knew early on that the Dutch possessed strong pigeons for the demanding job, and he began searching for them early on in the once-famous colony of Sam de Jong. Many were successful with these pigeons.

François, with his "grudge," as he calls it, traveled far and wide across the Netherlands on Saturdays to collect youngsters and eggs from Sam de Jong. They weren't all good ones, and there were a few bad buys from other fanciers, but with some from Sam's colony and one special pigeon (Staatvader, and by extension, his son Den Bonten), it was a bull's-eye.

This pigeon became the foundation of François's colony. It quickly became clear that the descendants of these pigeons were exceptionally well-suited for races of 900 km and beyond and that they could be crossed well with other pigeons. It was also bingo with a hen from the late Gilbert Van Hassel (via Kris Steeman). Later, another injection of quality came with pigeons from Noël Peiren. While many other fanciers had already achieved success with Noël's pigeons, François also quickly achieved top prizes with the introduction of this colony.

François' results (top prizes with few pigeons) did not go unnoticed by the Dutch either and through a voucher the Boonen Brothers from Buggenum obtained a daughter of Den Bonten. This hen became the mother of Caatje who won the 1st national Barcelona in the Netherlands. Pigeons were also exchanged from this result and the pigeons of the Boonen Brothers are now showing this with top results at François's loft.

In his breeding strategy, he remains true to his core, namely the lineage of Sam de Jong (the founding father and top racer Den Bonten), and he also dares to inbreed to preserve this line. He then grafts other pigeons onto this lineage, such as those of Noël Peiren, Boonen Brothers, and more recently A.P. Overwater, Chris Pauwe, and Geert Dhaenens. The latest acquisitions are from Piet de Vogel.

With a "K" for quality and a small loft

Anyone who thinks there's a large colony of pigeons here to compete in the extreme long-distance races is mistaken.

The 2025 season started with 22 old cocks and a few hens (in the young bird loft). In addition, 26 yearlings were trained, and around 70 young pigeons are weaned annually for his own use.

There is no early breeding (pairing in March), and the racing pigeons don't breed before the season.

Young pigeons normally fly Noyon once or twice in their year of birth (training starts after Perpignan) and, as yearlings, one or two national long-distance races. At two years old, they are given full training, and the real selection process begins.

The focus is on the seven international extreme long-distance races. Usually, two to six pigeons are basketed per race, but as in every loft, there are also regular losses.

The racing pigeons are raced on classic widowhood and lay eggs for a few days before the season starts, during the first training flights.

The lofts are meticulously cleaned, and the pigeons receive excellent care. François believes that excellent care is as close to nature as possible: pure water, garlic, Natural tea, regular baths, and simple, standard, good food (Paloma standard and Champions mix). This approach almost guarantees top results in demanding races. Those who can't manage it will be left behind... the selection process is truly done by the basket. No hassle with darkening, supplemental lighting, etc.

Daily training, sufficient training kilometers, and a half-hour stay with their hen before basketing for a long-distance race is the schedule.

Feeding is done in a shared feeder, and after an hour, the feeder is removed, and the pigeons wait for the next feeding.

The medical aspect is very limited. For several years now, a check-up has been performed before the season, and the diagnosis is usually limited to a few pigeons with a mild case of tricho. Treatment is preferred in these cases, and flight behavior is monitored. If this is good, the preparatory flights go well, and the pigeons are in good shape, no intervention is done.

If the pigeons stay in their racing baskets for a few days longer than usual, a two-day tricho treatment might be given occasionally, but preferably not. The lofts face the morning sun, and nature does its best to stimulate some fitness. With this almost fixed routine, an attempt is made every year to take the lead in the (inter)national flights.

Successful in 2025

There will be plenty of ink…and tears spilled about the 2025 season. For many, the season has been a success with top results and excellent rankings, but for many, it has also been a gruelling one with challenging conditions, difficult releases, and numerous losses. We hear here and there that many top pigeons have had to give up in recent months.

In François's loft, there have also been losses and disappointments, but these are more than compensated for by a number of excellent results that soften the blows somewhat. As a colony with few pigeons, every loss is difficult, but from François's perspective, this is also the basis of the selection.

Some highlights of 2025:

• Pau
• 1st club 64 p.
• 5th provincial 802 p.
• 17th national 3,028 p.
• Dax
• 1st club 40 p.
• 6th provincial 616 p.
• 15th national 2,516 p.
• Barcelona
• 1st club 126 p.
• 4th provincial 1,322 p.
• 19th national 5,819 p.
• 9th national ace pigeon extreme long distance old birds KBDB

Some other rankings are not yet known.

We're spotlighting two top birds from 2025:

BE22-4017810 Blauwe As Pau

• 17th National Pau
• 15th National Dax
• 9th Ace Pigeon KBDB Extreme Long Distance Old Pigeons

This compact blue cock has a Dutch-Belgian pedigree. The sire (as an egg) comes directly from the Boonen Brothers from Buggenum (Netherlands). He descends from their foundation lines (Saya, Vorselen, and Nouwen-Paesen) and boasts numerous national top prizes in the extreme long distance.

The dam of this pigeon is a 100% Noël Peiren hen from the line of the Barcelona hen, the Carcassonne, and the 15th national winner of St. Vincent.

• BE22-4017828 Blue Barcelona
• 19th national Barcelona

The sire of this top Barcelona pigeon was returned (as an egg) to Boonen Brothers in Buggenum (Netherlands) and is from the line (via Nijssen) of Saarloos, Vorselen, and Jansen-Hausoul, or again, the core Boonen pigeon family.

The dam is again a 100% Noël Peiren pigeon from the Didi, De Zitter, and De Prins lines.

These two top pigeons are both based on a combination of Boonen Brothers pigeons and Noël Peiren pigeons. The interaction that developed between François and the Boonen brothers following Caatje's success is now also paying off in Meldert.

In addition to the successes Boonen achieved with pigeons from François's line, Geert Dhaenens also achieved 2nd place in the club, 4th provincial, 25th national, and 78th international in the race from Agen with a cock whose mother is a Callebaut hen. To conclude and confirm the quality of results within this limited colony, here are the highlights from previous years:

• Winner Silver Wing Barcelona 2023
• 6th National Barcelona 2022
• 6th National Barcelona 2023
• 1st National Marathon (best Belgian racer over 7 international extreme long-distance races with the 1st nominated pigeon)
• 3rd European Cup La Colombe Joyeuse 1st nominated
• Euro-Diamond Pigeon Club
• 3rd place Man of the Year
• 9th place 2-year-olds ranking
• 6th place Silver
• 6th Champion extreme long-distance old birds KBDB East Flanders
• Club Land van Aalst
• 1st General King extreme long-distance 1st and 2nd nominated
• 1st Champion extreme long-distance most prizes 1st nominated

The 2025 season once again demonstrated that the pigeons in François's lofts in Meldert can handle the toughest races and place among the top nationally and internationally. The past seasons were excellent, and despite the grueling 2025 season, the results are again more than impressive with national top prizes and a 9th national ace pigeon extreme long distance KBDB.

Congratulations from the Herbots team!

Geert Dhaenens