Herbots | Donckers Johan (Grobbendonk): 1st National Chateauroux 24,628b.

Grobbendonk. Maybe it’s us but when here Grobbendonk we have to think about the known ‘Tienverbond’, where the top of the short distance racers compete with each other on a weekly base One of those top fanciers in that ‘Tienverbond’ is Johan Donckers but Johan’s goal isn’t only the short distance races but also the middle distance races and the national greater middle distance races. And with success as after he became last year General Provincial Champion in Antwerp, he is now fully in the spotlight with his first national victory.

“Leonie”

The national winner Chateauroux old pigeons got the name “Leonie”. “Leonie” B19-611063 is a marvellous hen who already earned her spot in the racing team by setting nice results. Let’s have a look:

2019:

Quievrain: 256/1,410b 60/1,313b 7/1,314b
Noyon: 585/2,377b 112/1,828b 104/1,805b 99/1,556b 98/1,803b 4/1,362b 8/1,141b 35/874b
11 prizes on 13 races where off 9 per 10

2020:

Noyon: 92/1,539b

Middle distance: region Mechelen yb region Mechelen old union yb union old

14 June 44/1,116 71/1,823 110/254 170/4,055

21 June 1/970 1/1,504 2/1,955 2/3,030

28 June 203/688 323/1,056 ---------- ----------

12 June 19/517 28/752 50/1,076 68/1,619

19 June 15/375 19/531 29/794 36/1,176

26 June 1/357 1/503 2/627 4/944

02 August 2/250 3/360 2/549 3/809

09 August didn’t race – too hot – over 35°C

16 August --------------- ------------- 90/303 145/441

23 August 7/120 12/164 31/452 55/653

10 prizes on 10 races where off 8 x per 10

2021:

Noyon: 550/1,648 54/3,639 21/2,481

Middle Distance: region Mechelen old union old

09 May 563/1,866 1109/3,591

16 May 424/1,393 687/2,481

23 May 149/1,181 476/2,372

30 May Bourges 74/698 Kempische LD Club 459/4,313 Prov. 618/5,243 Zone B2 4,441/34,311 Nat

06 June 1st Kempische LD Club 1st Provincial 1st Zone B2 1st National

Hens system

I started the season of 2021 with 40 hens on widowhood. My racing hens never have a winter breeding. I do dare to couple my best racing hens to a proven breeder and relay the eggs. In March, according the weather, there is a first coupling. At the same time the hens are being trained. They can stay together for about 4 days. The hens train once a day and this is in the morning as early as possible. The training is done with a balloon above the loft. Basketing happens in a very simple way, the hens don’t see a partner and are being basketed there for very quietly.
After training in the morning, the hens are being fed in the hallway in front of their loft where they reside during night time. Afterwards the hens go into the inner loft that is foreseen of sitting shelfs in front of their boxes. The hens aren’t being locked up separately. Pigeons that need to work have to eat good. All yearling and old pigeons follow the Matador feeding schedule. At arrival they get ‘Turbo’, after that during 2 days ‘Start’, following by 2 days ‘Athletic’ to change the last two days onto to ‘Turbo’ again.

Base

“My first successful pigeons came from local fanciers such as Jules Wouters, Jos Cools and Rene Smolders, all out of Pulle. A few years later I got reinforcement from Jos Salien, Grobbendonk and from Frans Peeters, Viersel.
The pigeons I get are mostly from a voucher to support the local clubs. These come from fanciers out the neighbourhood where I have to race against, so my direct competitors. To name a few, Leo Heremans, Gust Jansen, Gebr. Van Hove, Eddy Janssens, Peter Nuyts, Danny Van Dyck, Rik Hermans, Leo Auwers, Cyriel Lambrechts and possibly I forgot some more. Beginning of the years 200 I also switched pigeons with Gust Jansen and Gebr. Van Hove, both out of Beerse. “In 2014, 2016 and 2017 I got pigeons at Karel Laenen/Rudy Van Reeth from Herenthout. The off spring from a hen from Leo Heremans gave more than one good pigeons as also out of a hen from Eddy Janssens. Out of a hen from Danny Van Dyck coupled against my two old base breeders I also bred more than one good pigeons who still proof themselves on my breeding loft. The pigeons from that I got at Karel Laenen Karel/Rudy Van Reeth were a hit in the rose. Especially a son and a daughter out of “Pitbull” already proved their breeding value more than once.”

Johan, a big congratulations from the entire Herbots team

Stefan Mertens

Distance 533km
Velocity: 1270,24 m/m