Team Hooymans (Mol) win 1st Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance yearlings KBDB 2024 with super hen “Corrie”
12 Apr 2025
During the racing season it is almost a certainty that you have to drive to Mol for a national victory. Such a high level is achieved here, so it is not a certainty of course, but they do strive to play very well. The Team Hooymans.Be colony is led here in Mol by Gregory Bekaert who is given carte blanche by his "boss" Jan Hooymans. The performances are simply fantastic. That was the case again in 2024 where he won 1st National Argenton with a top cock and was allowed to close the season with a great crack hen "Corrie". She became 1st Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance yearlings KBDB 2024 with an incredibly low coefficient that had never been flown together before. She won 4 x TOP 12 National and this 12th prize could have been even better if she had gone in smoothly when she came home. We would therefore like to introduce this colony to you.
Highlights 2024
1 Nat Champion Grand Prix KBDB 2024 ( 10 flights )
1 Nat Ace Pigeon heavy middle distance old PIPA Ranking ( 7 flights )
1 Nat Argenton 16,576p ( fastest of 34,249 old and yearlings )
Other national victories
1 + 2 NAT Argenton 26,085p ( fastest of 42,847p ) 2020
1 NAT Libourne ( fastest of 8,702p ) 2023
1 NAT La Souterraine 6,761p 2022
No more total widowhood
The system has been classic widowhood for 2 seasons now. According to Gregory, the motivation of the pigeons that came home went away after not seeing a reward in their box a few times. That is why it was decided to have partners that stay home and are rested and in love when the partner comes home. I think that if you compare it to human life, you can find many similarities. That is something that Gregory thinks about a lot, put yourself in the pigeon's shoes, how it feels and you will find the problem or cause more quickly.
So the racing pigeons are really given rest here in the winter period. No youngsters are bred because all the young pigeons that are tested here come from the Netherlands from Jan's home base. The racing team consists of about 150 pigeons (without partners) every year, which you have to divide into 2 groups. A section for heavy middle distance and long distance flights (up to 800 km) and then a second group that flies the overnight flights.
The racing pigeons normally come back outside around mid-January and lay the broad foundation in terms of flying hours for the season. Something that is really being strived for. This time Gregory makes the comparison with cyclists, they also only rest for 3 to 4 weeks in one year and then start their next block. Here they rest from September to January. This spring the starting period for the training was one month later and you can tell by the pigeons. The foundation is not as broad as last year, but it is being worked on. The pigeons always train here in the morning and getting up very early is certainly the order of the day. The pigeons for the overnight stay are already accustomed to flying out early in the spring, now they are already outside at 6:30.
Then it is the turn of the other groups that easily complete the hour. Once they are in this rhythm they have to continue that hour, with or without the flag.
In preparation the widowers are coupled in mid-March and are allowed to brood for 4 days. The hens on the other hand are paired twice for 4 days in the spring and that's it. This system has been used for 2 years now and we feel good about it.
The hens are darkened from March to the end of April, while the cocks are not. We do provide extra lighting for both sexes from the longest day until the last flight they have to perform.
In principle, the pigeons for the heavy middle distance are basketed every week. Only when the weather is really very hot and there is an easterly wind will we no longer basket pigeons here. We do not do that for the speed either, we prefer to take them ourselves and leave with them at 4:30. Then we can start releasing them around 6:00 - 6:30 and the pigeons suffer much less than sitting on the truck for another night.
When do you start driving the racing pigeons in the spring?
This year we loaded the pigeons the first times at the end of March and then start at 8 km. For the young pigeons this is often shorter (3 km), but for old pigeons that train for one hour that is not useful. The maximum we drive is Leuven and that is 53 km to here in Mol. The pigeons have done this 3 times so far and in total they have been away 8 times. The 2025 season can therefore start.
When we drive we do this in 2 groups, the pigeons of the overnight flights are released separately from the other pigeons. The pigeons of the heavy middle distance are then released with a fifteen minute difference between cocks and hens. This is mainly to let them enter their own loft and not to have chaos when they come home. But suppose something happens on the way and they do come home together, then that's just the way it is. But we do try to avoid this as much as possible by this fifteen minute difference in release.
What does the day look like for the hens?
The hens go outside in the morning and after their training they get 10 minutes of food in the resting loft. Afterwards they move to the aviary where they stay until 6 pm. Then they get 15 minutes of food in the resting loft again and go back to the aviary until dusk, only then are they allowed inside the sleeping loft.
The widowers just sit in an open box and are fed in their box. The way it is, I feed the hens first and then go to the widowers' lofts. All the widowers are fed there and then the hens get their 2nd portion of food in the evening. This goes quite quickly but I think it is important that they eat the first portion of food with everything in it. Afterwards they are fed again by feeling and they mainly pick out the goodies in between. I do this with the widowers on the same system.
On the day of basketing they are allowed to stay together for one hour between 13:00 and 14:00. The hens are then separated again and are given rest until 16:00. After that they are fed well and around 18:00 I take them away. I do the same with the cocks but they stay together from 13:30 to 14:30 approximately. It is quite a job because I have to put all the couples together again every week and I cannot just open the hatch. The couples are allowed to be loose in the loft for that hour because sometimes the cocks can be fierce in the beginning and then it is better for the hen to be able to escape from this for a while.
When they come home all the partners are half-ready and they are allowed to recover a bit before I let them together. The hens have to go through a hatch to the cocks and they can choose when they do this. From the national flights they also stay together for a whole night and are fed separately in their box.
Extra work pays off in my opinion
Very little is left to chance here. The pigeons for the extreme long distance are released again in the evening at 35 km and this with the aim of flying as long as possible in the twilight, Gregory attaches even more importance to the morning training because getting up early can only yield profit.
With the young pigeons we are already starting to get used to the training baskets. From now on they will be in the baskets for a weekend every week where they get food and drink. I do this for 3 to 4 weeks in a row and this way the stress is really less when they have to go with the truck for the first time.
Especially taking the young pigeons away from the loft and putting them in baskets gives them stress. In the past I left the baskets in the loft but then they are still at home in their familiar environment. So that is why we now choose to put the young pigeons in baskets but no longer in the loft.
Best racing pigeons 2024
NL 23-9407189 “Corrie” Light Chequered Pigeon
1 Nat Ace Pigeon Heavy Middle Distance Yearlings KBDB 2024 (lowest coefficient ever)
4 NAT La Souterrraine 7.368p
7 NAT Bourges 18.785p
7 NAT Bourges 11.777p
12 NAT Bourges 7.617p
38 Prov Poitiers 1.644p
Father NL 18-1227148 Blue Brave Nikkie – Jan Hooymans
Super breeder
Father of 4-4-6-7-7-9-9-12-37-635 National
Gr.F. NL 13-1383352 Blue Brave – Christian v.d. Wetering
Won himself 1 Quievrain 2,046p – 1 St.Quentin 948p – 1 Sezanne 368p – 3 Pont 1,624p
2 Asse 1,897p – 4 Pont 6,682p
Gr.M. NL 17-1275604 Nikkie - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 NPO Orléans 5,228p and 16 Prov Peronne 14,829p at Jarco De Jong
Granddaughter of “Blue Brave” – Christian v.d. Wetering
Mother NL 17-1410221 Daughter New Harry - Jan Hooymans
Won herself 5 Prov Pont 15,344p – 18 Nat Issoudun 14,084p – 77 NPO Vierzon 4,254p and 92 NPO Pont 7,536p
½ sister of “Blue Rose” 2 Nat Ace Pigeon long distance RPRA 2018 (Team Hooymans UK)
Gr.F. NL 14-1218811 New Harry - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 Niergnies 14,737p – 1 Pont 12,894p – 1 Melun 1,046p – 9 Troyes 6,390p- 38 Blois 6,613p flown at Christian v.d. Wetering
Son of “NL 12-621” Beauty Harry x “NL 10-869” Stareye
Gr.M. NL 11-1522022 Inbred Kannibaal - Jan Hooymans
Daughter of “BE 06-843” Grandson Kannibaal Dirk Van Dyck x “BE 05-193”
Daughter Kleine Gert Dirk Van Dyck via Herman Pouw
NL 22-8559120 “Dos Cero” Checkered Cock
10 Nat Ace Pigeon long distance yearlings KBDB 2023
1 NAT Argenton 16.576p ( fastest 34.249p )
1 Sermaises 644p
20 NAT Libourne 4.822p
28 NAT Aurillac 6.512p
40 NAT Souillac 6.085p
Father NL 20-1609547 Son New Harry – Jan Hooymans
Gr.F. NL 14-1218811 New Harry - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 Niergnies 14.737d – 1 Pont 12.894d – 1 Melun 1.046d – 9 Troyes 6.390d
38 Blois 6.613d gevlogen bij Christian v.d. Wetering
Zoon van “NL 12-621” Beauty Harry x “NL 10-869” Stareye
Gr.M. NL 10-1864544 Alexia - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 NPO Chateauroux 5,620p – 40 NPO Salbris 7,559p – 60 Sezanne 4,974p and 66 NPO Tours 5,812p
Sister of superstar “Harry” and several other top racers and super breeders
Daughter of “BE 01-512” Jonge Bliksem Gaby Vandenabeele x “NL 05-558” Dirkje C & G Koopman
Mother NL 19-3925794 Golden Biesmans - Jan Hooymans
Gr.F. NL 17-3728901 Golden Prince
Won 1 Prov Ace Pigeon long distance with a.o. 1 NPO Chateauroux 1,303p
1 Melun 1,727p – 3 NPO Chateauroux 3,431p – 3 Pont 3,350p – 6 Argenton 1,254p
7 Pont 1,503p and 10 NPO La Souterraine 3,087p
Gr.M. NL 18-1181673 Biesmans Sagan – Orig. De Hoogh / Goessen
Mother of “Wout” 1 Nat Ace Pigeon long distance ( 5 flights ) - 7 Nat Ace Pigeon long distance old KBDB 2022
1 Nat Limoges 10,381p ( not classified due to removed ring )
1 Nat Tulle 4,185p – 4 Nat Brive 6,117p – 26 Nat La Souterraine 3,118p
31 Nat Argenton 20,467p – 48 Nat Libourne 3,317p – 63 Nat Tulle 7,267p – 63 Nat Souillac 7,267p
NL 22-8559208 “208” Hen
1 Nat Ace heavy middle distance old birds PIPA ranking ( 7 races )
1 Noyon 476p
1 Quievrain 393p
2 NAT Chateauroux 1.723p
3 Nat (z) Bourges 1.189p
3 Quievrain 576p
3 Nat (z) Argenton 290p
4 Noyon 312p
8 Nat (z) Tulle 1.602p
18 NAT Chateauroux 2.354p
24 Nat (z) Argenton 913p
29 Nat (z) Bourges 2.604p
54 NAT La Souterraine 5.243p
99 NAT Argenton 16.547p
161 NAT Bourges 5.529p
215 NAT Bourges 24.006p
Father NL 19-1011458 Blue - Jan Hooymans
Gr.F. NL 17-3728901 Golden Prince
Won 1 Prov Ace Pigeon long distance with a.o. 1 NPO Chateauroux 1,303p
1 Melun 1,727p – 3 NPO Chateauroux 3,431p – 3 Pont 3,350p – 6 Argenton 1,254p
7 Pont 1,503p and 10 NPO La Souterraine 3,087p
Gr.M. NL 17-1275604 Nikkie - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 NPO Orléans 5,228p and 16 Prov Peronne 14,829p at Jarco De Jong
Granddaughter of “Blue Brave” – Christian v.d. Wetering
Mother NL 20-1609668 Daughter New Harry – Jan Hooymans
Sister of “547” is father of “Dos Cero” see results above
Gr.F. NL 14-1218811 New Harry - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 Niergnies 14.737d – 1 Pont 12.894d – 1 Melun 1.046d – 9 Troyes 6.390d
38 Blois 6.613d gevlogen bij Christian v.d. Wetering
Zoon van “NL 12-621” Beauty Harry x “NL 10-869” Stareye
Gr.M. NL 10-1864544 Alexia - Jan Hooymans
Won 1 NPO Chateauroux 5,620p – 40 NPO Salbris 7,559p – 60 Sezanne 4,974p and 66 NPO Tours 5,812p
Sister of superstar “Harry” and several other top racers and super breeders
Daughter of “BE 01-512” Jonge Bliksem Gaby Vandenabeele x “NL 05-558” Dirkje C & G Koopman
Feeding
We always use the Aidi mixtures here. The racing pigeons get Moulting after the season until the shortest day of the year, after that we switch to winter/rest and they still get this now. Despite the fact that they train so hard, we continue to feed this generously now. From Noyon onwards we add a racing mix 1-2-3 to this based on our feeling. On the flights of 2 nights in the basket I use these 3 mixtures, only for the pigeons that have to fly for 10 hours or longer do we add Long Distance to it.
In terms of by-products I use very little here, Omega Oil together with Protein Plus when I get home and on Sundays and Mondays usually Health Elixir. In addition, a fresh bulb of garlic is added to the drinking water every day (1 bulb in a bucket of water the night before) which we think is great. We only do not use this in very warm weather.
The racing pigeons get a cure for tricho in the spring, this year we just did this and all the pigeons that are here got a cure. Afterwards we use garlic and we have very little trouble with tricho. I regularly go to Karlo Van Rompaey for check-ups and on his advice they will be given a cure for the airways. This is usually once a year, maximum 2.
The pots in which the pigeons are fed are disinfected every 2 weeks with bleach because they want to avoid the risk of fermentation. That is also the reason why they do not feed peanuts here.
The vaccinations for the old pigeons are Paramyxo, Paratyphoid and smallpox, all of which are injected. The young pigeons are given Paramyxo Rota when they are weaned, 3 weeks later Paratyphoid and then a month later smallpox with the brush.
Gregory and Jan, congratulations on these great results.
Congratulations to the entire Hooymans team from the Herbots Team
Buelens Kim
