Part I : Ronny Menten from Rummen shines in 2020 with the 1st National Ace bird Great Middle Distance old birds KBDB 2020

The season couldn’t start fast enough for Ronny Menten, his pigeons were in super condition from the start on and held this condition in this special corona year until the end of the season. We knew already that Ronny his pigeons were capable to do this but this year it was even better then everything he already showed us before. In total he won 4x 1st Provincial, 12x TOP 10 National and 66x TOP 100 National. He was at the top with the old, yearling and young birds all together. And as icing on the cake he won with his super hen “BE 18-3003778” Corina 1st National Ace bird GMD old KBDB 2020. He won this highly coveted ace bird title but also over 5 national races this super hen was the best of the country. 

Top 100 National results 2020

Was the crucial base for this super season already set in Winter ? 

I already do this for several years but I feel good about it, during winter time they come out once to twice a week to train at ease and this is how I maintain their condition and they don’t have any winter fat that they need to train off after winter. I just keep them busy so they don’t fall in a winter sleep. They didn’t breed during winter time and after they went entirely through the moulting I gave them the new Beyers mixture Enzymix Recup 748. I feel good with this mixture and the pigeons train really well on it. 

How do you prepare your racing team ? 

So they never breed in Winter, I couple them in function of the start of the season. This year it was different in comparison to other years but I tried to do the same. End of March the racing team that is on total widowhood were being coupled and let them over breed. The righthand loft I race on double widowhood, so 2 hens that are paired up to 1 cock. The old hens could breed here during 5 days and the yearling hens got to know their cocks during training. 

Did you darken the old birds as well now due to the later start of the season? 

Now for the first time I did yes, I started beginning of April and kept this until 4 weeks prior to Bourges I. From then on they can race like that but I don’t lengthen the light. 

Do the hens pair up or not ? 

I keep them day and night in a big aviary where they have loads of space and don’t really feel like pairing up to each other. Should there be one and if she doesn’t get home good, she will be taken out of the racing team. 

Which things did you adjust in comparison to other years? 

The pigeons on total widowhood got straw on the breeding loft at the start of breeding. I noticed that they rather made a nest in straw than to lay in the boxes. This is how I got cocks that don’t have a fixed box at all and got couples laying everywhere in the straw. The motivation amongst each other on the floor gets bigger and maybe that they motivated each other like this. I try to race on the chaos system so that each week something else can happen on the loft but I left them do as they pleased. 

During the feeding the hallways are being cleaned out twice a day and I just feed them in the hallway, never in feeding-boxes or something like that. It is also the case over here that they train hard and those who train hard are hungry, so it is a cycle that is always moving and which gives you really well trained pigeons that can take on without a problem 400-500km weekly. 

How do you do that in a matter of training ? 

At the beginning it is once a day until they really know well who has to go on which loft and make a full hour. When the season approaches I switch onto one hour twice a day. They do this without hesitation and when they take off during 40 minutes on Wednesdays you know you’re in a good position. They also get a bath on Wednesday and when they plunge in with a lot of eager you can basket with a peaceful heart. 

The day of basketing is different each day or not ? 

Yes and no, I try to keep a bit to a fixed schedule in a matter of timing but in a matter of motivation I try to adjust the loft along the season continues. This is how the get food between 16 and 17h. I do this every day so normally they eat really well. If not, I try to postpone everything for half an hour or an hour until they eat. You have to feel what the pigeons need and eating on the last day is very important to me. 

After feeding I leave the old hens of the double widowhood together with their cock for half an hour, when I take them out I leave the pigeons of the total widowhood together and they will be together for half an hour when I’m finished with the first group. When I took the first group, the 2nd range of hens can sit with their cocks for half an hour and during that time I take the pigeons of the total widowhood and when I’m ready there it is time for the last group and this is how they all got motivated during half an hour. 

With the group of the chaos system I use extra motivation week after week, I put even more boxes on the floor so that they can look for their own territory and things like that. Motivation is one of the most important things in a matter of top racing next to training really hard. 

At arrival from the first races the pigeons of the total widowhood the pigeons just fly in between each other and choose themselves where they want to sit. This isn’t at the same spot each week, I have pigeons that do this but the pigeons know or feel best where they want to be. It is really all about feeling well on the loft, which is especially very important for the young birds. The other group of the double widowhood don’t sit together that long as I always have to leave them with their cocks in two groups, afterwards it can be for several hours that they can stay together. I surely don’t want to demotivate any hens and the goal has always been to shine on the national races. Now there was from the first official race a middle distance race (Melun) on the program which made me believe that a top season was possible. 

Toppers of the season of 2020

BE 18-3003778 “Corina” Blue hen
Breeder: Gino Clicque
1 Nat Ace bird Greater Middle distance old KBDB 2020
1 Nat Ace bird Greater Middle distance old ( 5 KBDB races ) 2020 

    3         Nat        Argenton            16,762b                 550km
  10         Nat        Gueret                   7,175b                 580km
  32         Nat        Issoudun            10,603b                496km
  33         Nat        Chateauroux     20,800b                 520km
119         Nat        La Souterraine   9,469b                  584km

Father: BE 16-3144152 Son Mario 152 - Gino Clicque

Gr.F. BE 11-3172003 Mario - Gino Clicque
                Won himself 1 Nat Limoges 7,221b – 88 Nat Argenton 7,046b
                Grandfather to 2 Nat Limoges 10,788b – 14 Nat Ace bird LD KBDB 
                Son to “BE 03-643” Rode Ridder x “BE 08-511” Chequered Pierre Ameye
Gr.M. BE 15-3050609 Lucia - Gino Clicque
                Won herself 2 Nat Agen 2,932b ( 2 I.Nat dv 2,016b – 16 I.Nat 9,043b )
                ½ sister “Red Filip” 2 Nat Cahors 7,140b – 6 Nat Souillac 5,282b
                Daughter to “BE 09-071” Young Lucien x “BE 11-197” Blue white pin

Mother BE 16-3142114 Daughter Red Filip - Gino Clicque
½ sister “Golden Star” 1 I.Nat Ace bird hens over 3 International races

Gr.F. BE 11-3008153 Red Filip - Gino Clicque
                Won himself 2 Nat Cahors 7,140b – 6 Nat Souillac 5,282b – 56 Nat Libourne 6,658b
                Grandfather to 1 Nat Ace bird ELD KBDB 2018
                Son to “BE 09-071” Young Lucien x “BE 09-490” Didi Design
Gr.M. BE 11-3008317 Blue - Gino Clicque
                Daughter to “BE 08-856” Son Bijter x “BE 08-836” Daughter Zidane 836 

BE 19-2036258 “Golden Lady” Chequered hen

    4         Nat        Issoudun            18,175b
  15         Nat        Argenton           26,085b
171         Nat       Chateauroux     22,476b

Nestsister to “259/19” won 45 Nat Issoudun 18,175b

Father BE 18-204328 Special 328 – Menten Ronny
Brother to 14 Nat Bourges 23,854b

Gr.F. BE 14-2315309 Brother Miss Avrilla - Menten Ronny
                Brother “Miss Avrilla” 5 Nat Gueret 16,262b
                Son to “BE 09-137” Witte Avril Jos Thone x “BE 06-618” G Verbruggen
Gr.M. BE 13-2185606 Sister Special Eye - Menten Ronny
                “Special Eye” won 18 Nat Bourges 18,864b – 31 Nat Gueret 12,516b
                Daughter to “BE 12-815” Olav Veulemans – Perilleux x “BE 12-512” Daughter Golden Pair

Mother BE 18-2146622 Golden 622 - Menten Ronny

Gr.F. BE 16-2115081 Golden Tulle - Menten Ronny
                Won 1 Nat Tulle 9,586b ( fastest against 17,035b )
                Son to “BE 13-730” Presly x “BE 14-383” Golden Belle
Gr.M. BE 15-3050983 Blue- Gino Clicque
                Super breeding hen
                Mother to “Super Alicia” 6 x TOP 100 National – 8 Nat Argenton 22,712b - 
                21 Nat Argenton 19,592b – 46 Nat Chateauroux 14,955b
                Daughter to “BE 13-989” Grandson Super Prince x “BE 12-792” Daughter Pacha

Also on other lofts the pigeons of Ronny are doing amazing

Willy Velkeneers won this year with BE 19-2036599 “Super Girl” 
3 Nat Ace bird Greater Middle distance year birds 2020 ( 6 KBDB races )
4 Nat Ace bird Greater Middle distance year birds 2020 ( 5 KBDB races )
19 Nat Ace bird Greater Middle distance year birds KBDB 2020

  55         Nat        Gueret                 12,888b
101         Nat        Issoudun            18,176b
193         Nat        Bourges              22,502b
224         Nat        Chateauroux     33,833b
244         Nat        Argenton            26,085b
348         Nat        La Souterraine  15,939b

Father BE 14-2188007 Golden 007 - Menten Ronny
Full brother “Golden Arrow” 2 Nat Ace bird GMD young birds KBDB 2013

Gr.F. BE 06-2259341 Son Brad Pitt - Menten Ronny
                Son to “BE 00-334” Brad Pitt Herbots Gebr won 1 Olympiad bird All Round ’03 x
                “BE 03-12” Daughter Fenomenale Camiel Nulens 1 Nat Ace bird MD KBDB 
Gr.M. BE 11-2077248 Daughter Golden Pair - Menten Ronny
                Daughter to “BE 04-512” Roberto x “BE 03-481” Paulette

Mother BE 18-2040268 Goldina 268 - Menten Ronny

Gr.F. BE 16-2115081 Golden Tulle - Menten Ronny
                Won 1 Nat Tulle 9,586b ( fastest against 17,035b )
                Son to “BE 13-730” Presly x “BE 14-383” Golden Belle
Gr.M. BE 13-2185558 Snowwhite - Menten Ronny
                Won 3 Nat Bourges 18,864b – 35 Nat Chateauroux 18,604b
                Daughter “BE 12-661” Supersnow x “BE 12-562” Blue Albert Derwa

Guidance

The racing pigeons got in Spring Beyers Enzymix Recup 748 until they raced 200km, this is perfectly doable with this mixture. Afterwards I switch onto to Beyers Galaxy Light and Energy Plus for the more heavy work. The last 4 x it is only Energy Plus mixed with Brilliant Beyers and after each training they get pealed peanuts together with candy. 

When the pigeons get just as this year week after week a national race they get directly the first day after the race Galaxy Light and no Recup mixture will be given anymore 

For the extra products as support I especially use the Röhnfried products, Blitz together with Carni Speed or Carni Speed together with Hexenbeer, BT-Amin Forte and Rotosal together with Mumm at arrival in the drinking water. At basketing I always give C.M.K. from Brockamp.

In a matter of medical guidance I always go for a check up to Raf Herbots from Velm. The pigeons have a check-up in Spring and during the season every fortnight. This year they were treated in Spring during 14 days with Cosimix and vaccinated against paratyphoid. They also got a cure against trichomoniases that period and then it was waiting until the week prior to Bourges I where they got something again. When there is something found during a check-up we treat again, otherwise not. The airways are being treated once a month from the moment the national races start. In a matter of vaccinations the old pigeons only get the obliged once against paramyxo and paratyphoid as mentioned above. 

Tomorrow we’ll be back with part II of this top colony and the care of the young pigeons. 

Buelens Kim