Martin D’Hondt (Vurste-Gavere) wins Bourges provincial East-Flanders old birds !

Let’s have a trow back to the eighties-nineties of the past century and we just can’t get around the name of the D’Hondt family from Vurste in pigeon sport. Father Sylvain and sons raced like hell and this on national, provincial an regional level. The sons learned how to race at the farm of father Sylvain, but the urge to proof themselves what they could do was really big. They’re a winning type of guys. Only the first is what counts. 

Martin, as eldest son, also proved in that period of time that he had it in its fingers as they say, with next to several impressive results, the 1st national Bourges in 1991 with young birds. As one of the tenors from in the back then legendary golden triangle around Zingem and Gavere, this was the icing on the cake. 

Everybody looked for its own way within the family and in the meantime both parents D’Hondt passed away.

Martin became 65 years in the meantime and pigeons are still his hobby but his family comes at the first place. He still likes to race a lot of pigeons and winning is still in his blood, nevertheless the sharpest passion has gone a bit. 

An evolution throughout the years, with hens that give the best results. 

The past few years Martin focussed on the hens game on widowhood. He understood rather quickly that on the races until 500km they often defeat the cocks, can handle more races and don’t waist the necessary energy in the basket. Several nice results and classifications within the championships were won. The old D’Hondt strain is still to be found in the breeding base (and then we get back to names like De Rauw-Sablon, Marcel Aelbrecht, Michaël Coppens).  This breeding team was being accomplished a few years ago with a number of pigeons that was being bought at Mme Neuten. These crossings result now in top prizes. 

The racing team exists out of about 60 widow cocks (always with a home staying partner). Martin selects rather quick and the amount of pigeons drop rather fast along the races pass by. To have such a team he rings about 200 youngsters for own use. 

The racing pigeons breed a youngster before the season starts off, and were, despite the delay of the start of the racing season, not darkened. The hens train once a day in the evening. The trainings don’t take any longer than 20 minutes, but it is more the intensity of the training that’ll show their form. During the day the ladies remain in aviaries and only come in to eat and sleep. The cocks train twice a day, but Martin has the impression that there was a kind of early shape present that has dropped a bit now. The coming weeks will show whether his feeling is right.

They use traditionally the food of Natural accomplished weekly with brewers’ yeast, glucose. Nothing more. On a yearly base about 4 checks are being done at the vet’s office and when their urge to train or if there’s a dip in the results, he will cure against trichomoniases and coccidiosis, without have a regular timing on this. Martin likes to think of himself as a heavy feeder. 

Het Bourgeske (BE16-4080655) wins Bourges provincial old birds

It is a nice blue hen, very soft feathers, a nice wing and a smart head that took away the provincial victory old birds. She is with an average speed of 1,745,58 m/m the fastest against 9,869 old and yearling birds. 

She already won this season 

• 31 Vierzon 552b
• 33 Vierzon 631b (union)
• 1 Bourges 377 old
• 1 Bourges 336 old
• 1 Bourges provincial 4.858b
• 1 Bourges zonal
• 99 Bourges national 23.220b

Martin isn’t the man with a big administration, the results are being kept nicely but not on a computer. ‘We’re working hard on that for the future’ is what Martin says with a smile that makes us wonder that he rather sits between his pigeons than behind his computer….A hen from 2016 that is still racing proofs that she isn’t worn out at all and that she already won enough prizes to remain in the racing team.

She is a daughter to ‘De Superkweker’ (BE12.4196621) that is totally out of the old strain ‘D’Hondt’ (with a 1st Provincial Argenton and so on…) in his pedigree. 

The mother (BE12.4066488) is a direct hen from the loft Neuten and also has some blood from the pigeons from Michaël Coppens running through her veins. Also brothers and sisters to this winning hen are strong racing pigeons. 

At basketing the doors of the hens loft are being opened and can remain for a while with their home staying cock. The first hens are being taken out immediately and this is how they are together for about 10 minutes. At arrival they can stay with their cock for about one hour. They don’t search for more motivation. 

The first national race out of Bourges was one for the watchers and especially in the provinces of East- and West-Flanders they weren’t in the line. ‘Het Bourgeske’ from Martin did really well, looked out of her head very good and got within the head results of the big national platoon with a provincial and zonal victory on as reward. 

Up for more ! Congratulations from the Herbotsteam !

Geert Dhaenens