"Maété 2" 
B23-6062110
1st National Bourges 8.132 old birds- fastest of 19,188b.

Distance: 504km
Velocity: 1,415.91 m/m

Only participating in the national races when there's a real chance of scoring top prizes—it's something we’re hearing more and more from fanciers. This is also the philosophy of the famous father-son duo Jos and Lars Vercammen. Last weekend, they made their first national appearance of the 2025 season, and it was a direct hit. They entered 32 pigeons, and against 8,132 old birds, they won 22 prizes, of which 14 were in the top 10%: 1st, 15th, 77th, 140th, 163rd, 166th, 184th, 187th, and so on... nationally!

The first to be clocked was the hen "Maété 2", and with an average speed of 1,415.91 m/min, she was the fastest of all 19,188 Bourges racers.

“Maété 2” (B23-6062110) is part of a racing team made up of 34 old birds and 65 yearlings. Like all the old racers, she was used for winter breeding. Before she laid a second egg, she was removed from the breeding loft and returned to the racing loft in mid-April. The loft where “Maété 2” resides consists of three sections: one with nest boxes, a smaller section—an aviary for hens—specially designed to prevent the hens from pairing with each other, and an adjoining outdoor aviary. Lars told us that the hens are alternated between the loft and the aviary depending on the weather and their condition.

The hens were darkened from early March to April 20. They train in the afternoon and usually have no problem staying in the air for about 45 minutes. When it's very hot, training is skipped.

On return from a race, the partner is always waiting. However, Lars allows the hens to recover first, and then they may spend 2 to 3 hours together.

Medically, they never treat blindly. Lars regularly visits a specialized pigeon vet. Only the well-known yellow drops are given weekly to prevent trichomoniasis. Belgasol (on arrival and the day after), Tollyamin (twice a week), Prange Suppe, and vitamins are the preferred supplements. Their feed supplier is Versele-Laga, and they mainly use Gerry Plus and the Black Label sport mix.

Some great recent results:

Noyon 1,132 birds: 1st–2nd–3rd

Noyon 1,491 birds: 1st

Melun Prov. 12,691 old birds: 2nd–3rd–4th

Noyon 1,055 birds: 1st–2nd–3rd–4th

Orléans 2,614 birds: 2nd–4th–5th

Noyon 929 birds: 1st to 10th!

Melun 1,040 birds: 1st–2nd–4th–7th–10th-10th -10th –12th -12th - 12th

Stefan Mertens