Van Hoof - Vanwijngaerden from Schriek - raced at a very high level the entire season !
15 Nov 2019
Those who want to compete the entire year through on a high level on the middle distance and greater middle distance has to have good pigeons, you would think that this is about a big loft but that's not the case at all. We are at the tandem of Patrick Van Hoof & Kristina Vanwijngaerden in the Antwerp province Schriek. They have a few top pigeons on their loft who can race amazingly well on the short distance race as on Argenton and this with old, year birds and youngsters. This is how Patrick loves them the most !
Small racing team
The racing team was raced in 2018 on the classic widowhood system and existed out of 12 cocks and 14 hens after a few races but did extremely well. In the season of 2019 this team was extended to 18 couples but he wanted to race these on the total widowhood system. He tried this before at his former address in Keerbergen and this wasn't too bad at all, let's hope that this will be the case in 2020 again....
Back to the Winter of 2018-2019, all racing pigeons were being coupled around the 20th of December and could raise a couple of youngsters. The best widowcocks can raise their own youngsters while the others got eggs from the breeders. During Spring there isn't a second coupling, but when the beautiful days come up in March and when they are planning to start the season they can come together for 1 or 2 days and are being tossed for a maximum of 3 times. They are trained like that very quickly and get to know the widowhood for a bit and can start off with their first race on Friday.
How hard and when do they train ?
In Winter they can complete their nest and go onto a regime for a while. They start like that on their first trainings and this turns out very well. They come out in the beginning in groups and from March on a daily base. I like to see that especially the hens are up in the air for one and a half hour before the start of the season, for the cocks I'm satisfied with one hour.
I like to keep on the rhythm of training once a day for all my pigeons. The cocks always train in the morning at about 9 o'clock . The hens come out in the afternoon between 14h and 15h and shift onto the early evening afterwards so around 18h to 19h..
I don't have any problems with the cocks and they mostly train 3 times a week for a full hour during the season, the hens also train for about 50 minutes by the end of the season and also come out 3 times a week. At the day of basketing and on the day after arrival no pigeons comes out.
How about motivation ?
I like to keep the hens quiet during the week by locking them up in an aviary during the day. They are also being fed in here after their training. .
When they go onto their resting loft in the evening there is a locker present for when they get to eager to pair up.
They can always come together at basketing and this mostly for about 10 to 15 minutes. Sometimes I also raced them without any motivation when it doesn't work out with my job but I surely didn't experience any negative influence when this happens.
Also, mostly the entire loft goes to one particular race so I don't have real problems in interrupting other pigeons. If it should happen that I have to basket 2 days on one loft then I leave them all together on Thursday and the pigeons that have to basketed on Friday don't get to see anything anymore on Friday.
After an easy race they can stay together for about 2 hours and after a hard race until the evening.
2 Top pigeons amongst the year birds 2019 are :
6123604/2018 Isaura – Chequered hen
1 I.Prov Etampes 3,663b
1 Momignies 737b
1 Issoudun 112b
3 Nat(z) 3,476b
9 Nat 11,465b
3 Soissons 594b
10 Chevrain 202b
12 Melun 3,249b
20 Soissons 265b
64 Melun 2,090b
92 Chevrain 2,718b
117 Prov Fay-Au-Loges 2,465b
799 Nat Bourges 17,944b
Father 6095217/2016 Bear
Gr.F. 6360888/2008 Triple 8 – Vervloesem Patrick
Son base couple Bak 13
Gr.M. 2116878/2013 Chequered
½ sister “Blauw Argentonneke” 7 Nat Ace bird GMD KBDB
Daughter to “020/07” Late Geschelpte x “655/12” V-Liesje
Mother 6236934/2014 Erica – Hilde Ceulemans
Super breeding hen
Mother to “518/18” 3 x 1st
Gr.F. 6221633/2011 De Nationaal - Hilde Ceulemans
Won 1 Nat (z) Argenton 1,227b ( 13 Nat 5,941b ) – 100 Nat Argenton 7,046b – 88 Nat (z) Chateauroux 3,517b
Son to“666/02” De 666 Eric Goovaerts x “434/07” Blauw Luc Daans
Gr.M. 6296869/2013 Chequered
Won 16 Nat Chateuaroux 12,071b
Daughter to “454/11” Blauwe Eric Goovaerts x “553/11” Black
6123594/2018 Nirvana – Blue cock
1 Etampes 1,289b
1 Soissons 327b
1 Argenton 191b
25 Nat(z) 5,043b
176 Nat 22,826b
3 Issoudun 112b
34 Nat 11,465b
6 Soissons 191b
9 Soissons 425b
11 Soissons 158b
33 Soissons 594b
33 Chevrain 554b
36 Etampes 5,830b
279 Nat Montlucon 14,104b
2104 Nat Chateauroux 24,582b
Father 6087447/2017 Blue
Gr.F. 6095204/2016 Den Duits - Vervloesem Patrick
Son to“121/14” Blauwe x “339/14” Inbred Kaasboer Vandewouwer
Gr.M. 6095329/2016 Schalieke
Mother to “333/17” 3 Nat (z) Chateauroux
Daughter to “856/12” Blue Wacko Verreckt – Ariën x “655/12” V-Liesje
Mother 2095326/2016 Fifieke – Patricia Verhaegen
Gr.F. 2241228/2014 De Lotus - Patricia Verhaegen
Son to “156/07” De Loteling x “066/05”Sister Miss Rapido
Gr.M. 2047188/2011 Pagafieke - Patricia Verhaegen
Daughter to “446/08” Garfield x “406/08” Pagy
Youngsters
They breed about 80 early youngsters to race with. They are being darkened from the beginning of March until half of June, this from 18 to 19h in the evening until 9 o'clock in the morning. After the darkening I also start to enlighten them from the beginning of August but only in the evening until 23h.
Also youngsters only train once a day, at the beginning it is in the afternoon but along the days get longer the old hens train in the evening and the youngsters go to the morning for training.
How do you motivate these youngsters ?
I put the youngsters on the sliding doors system from the moment they have their first middle distance race (beginning of July), but the fixed rule is that the first two weeks on sliding doors they never come together before the race. I only let them from the 3rd week on and I try to do this at the day before basketing so I can basket them quietly and then can eat enough.
At arrival they can stay together without a problem until the evening and even until the day after in the morning.
Best youngster on the National races this year is :
6204115/2019 Chequered hen
9th Best youngster GMD (2 races)
1 Argenton 275b
4 Nat(z) 4,796b
101 Nat 23,258b
2 Chateauroux 219b
73 Nat 22,476b
10 I.Prov Chevrainvilliers 1,532b
3 Nanteuil 121b
4 Soissons 197b
9 Nanteuil 137b
13 Soissons 239b
18 Soissons 455b
Father 6196359/2013 Genopte Pitbull – Karel Laenen
Top breeder and father to 4 different 1st prize winners
Gr.F. 6368754/2008 Son Pitbull - Karel Laenen
Son to“777/07” Pitbull x “327/99” Chequered hen
Gr.M. 6200219/2012 Poppemieke - Karel Laenen
Daughter to “510/10” Blauwe Laenen x Aerts x “508/10” Witkopje Vandewouwer x Van den Brande
Mother 6150345/2014 Babette
Won herself 1 Br.Unie Bourges 2,318b, 1 Momignies 202b, 4 Nat (z) Montlucon 2,924b, 4 Souppes 1,105b, 10 Vierzon 635b
Gr.F. 2036596/2012 Babou
Won himself 31 Prov Le Mans 2,179b, 81 Nat Montlucon 21,827b,…
Son to “984/10” Geoff Base breeder Geoffrey Janssens is ½ brother "Speedy” 5 Nat Ace bird GMD KBDB ’09
x “486/11” Bibi Vervloesem Patrick
Gr.M. 6049879/2011 Glamour Girl – Geerinckx L-B-J
½ sister “Acy” 1 Olympiad bird Cat.C Budapest 2015 – 2 Nat Ace bird GMD. KBDB ‘14
Daughter to “033/07” Son Blauwe Ijzeren x “134/08” Glamour
Food
I only use the Galaxy mixtures from Beyers, with especially the Sport Light and Galaxy Energy during the season. This last mixture is being used on gut feeling, on Wednesday morning it is mostly 50/50 Sport Light and Galaxy Energy. On Wednesday evening I switch on to 100% Galaxy Energy, only when they predict very hard wheater I dare to give them already a small portion on Tuesday evening.
What really important is for me is that the pigeons get a fresh portion of grit Allerlei in the morning, this together with 10gr of food, in the evening I then feed them on gut feeling and can eat all they want for about 15 to 30 minutes.
What I give them as last is 1/3 candy mixture, 1/3 kemp seed and 1/3 brown perilla just before basketing. Also the youngsters are being called in with Grit Mix All kind and some candy seeds.
Medically
I found it important to purify the pigeons in Spring and get a floral conditioner so the pigeons are clean. Afterwards they get a 5 day long cure with Thricho green and Fungi from Schroeder Tollisan. In a matter of the airways I treated the cocks once during the season and the youngsters twice (one time during 3 days towards the national races and once during the national races). I always give them a yellow drop over the food or directly in the beak on Sundays against trichomoniases.
In autumn they get a cure against paratyphoid with an extra vaccination afterwards.
I use nearly everyday Wonderpigeon for the old pigeons and they youngsters get alternating Wonderpigeon with Avidress from Röhnfried.And they always get proteins from Brockamp Probac 1000 at arrival and on Wednesdays Probac Energy with Lecithin oil over the food.
Patrick & Kristina, a big congratulation with these top results from the entire HERBOTS TEAM
Buelens Kim
