Johan Engelbos wins 1st Prov. Tulle Limburg

On the national race from Tulle, Johan Engelbos from Runkelen secured the 1st provincial victory with his yearling BE24-5012756 against 749 competitors. Nationally, the bird placed 37th against 5,889 yearlings. What makes this even more impressive is that this was his only basketed pigeon.

The winning pigeon was bred from two eggs Johan received from Anthony Maes, a longtime acquaintance through the fruit auction in Sint-Truiden (formerly BFV, now BelOrta). The eggs were from some of Anthony’s best breeders, with top names like “SeroSero” and “Papillon” present in the pedigree.

Strong 2025 Season

BE24-5012756 had an outstanding season in 2025. Some highlights:
05/04 Chimay:
184/ 3508b.
12/04 Vervins:
161/ 3863b.
26/04 Laon:
198/ 3375b.
10/05 Gien:
222/ 2246b.
24/05 Bourges:
126/ 17189 b. National
08/06 Argenton:
124/ 13988b. National
28/06 Tulle:
1st / 749b. Prov. Limburg 
3rd / 1326b. Nat. Zone
37th / 5889b. National 

Colony foundation

Johan’s colony is based on birds from Carlo & Luc Lenaerts, Anthony Maes, his brother Emile Engelbos, and Ludwig Veulemans.

Racing system

Johan races traditional widowhood with cocks only. The hens either go to Carlo Lenaerts or stay in the aviary. After a race, cocks may see a hen briefly, but not before basketing. His team consists of 10 to 12 racers, usually with just 1 or 2 entered during the peak weeks.

The young bird team has 33 birds, aimed at the 4 national races. Only the top performers are kept as yearlings.

Feeding & Medical Care

All year long, Johan feeds a 4-season mixture. The day before basketing, he adds Gervit-W (Röhnfried) to the water. Weekly, he uses the 4-in-1 mix from Belgica De Weerd and supplements with Fungi and Tricho powder from Tollisan Schroeder. Herbovet products are also used.

Medical care is provided by Raf & Kobe Herbots (Herbovet), consulted only when needed — with a max of 3 scheduled check-ups yearly.

National dream

Johan still dreams of a 1st national victory. In the past, he narrowly missed it due to a late phone call in the pre-electronic timing era. That pigeon was removed from the result. But with a talent like BE24-5012756, the dream remains very much alive.

Maarten Herbots