Freddy Vertriest (Bevere-Oudenaarde) hits the speed and middle distance !

9 April '21 Niergnies (83 km) 190d : 9,18,23,24,34,70 (6/16)
9 April '21 Niergnies (83 km) Scheldeverbond 372d : 15,25,30,31,52,122,128 (7/16)
14 April '21 : Pont St Maxence (186 km) 223d : 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,23,26,34 (12/14)
14 April '21 : Pont St Maxence (186 km) Scheldeverbond 1,326 d : 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,55,63,86 (2/14)
24 April '21 : Pont St Maxence (186 km) 409d : 1,2,3,5,6,8,9,15,29,46,52 (12/14)
24 April '21 Pont St Maxence (186 km) Scheldeverbond 2,309 d : 1,2,3,7,9,14,24,41,105,177,196 (12/14)

In pigeon sport we call this a flying start!
Specialization is not really a buzzword in many sectors, hobbies, etc..... Generalists still exist, but if you really want to score top results, specialization is often a necessity. The same applies to pigeon racing: speed, middle distance, long distance, cocks, hens, etc. You can go in many directions to have fun and try to land at the top of the results.
Freddy Vertriest, 50 years young, from Bevere-Oudenaarde, is fond of speed and middle-distance.  For years, he has been doing well on races from 100 km to 300 km. He has it perfectly in his fingers and he knows like no other to manage his team and to prepare it for this fast work.
In recent years, short distance has been looked down upon rather condescendingly because of its lack of popularity, few pigeons etc.... But in this climate, there is a nice change.  Possibly also driven by the success of speed and middle distance pigeons on the one-loft races, this branch of the pigeon sport is growing back and gaining in popularity.
Also, beautiful successes are regularly achieved in the middle-distance and long-distance races with short distance pigeons crossed in.  It is also striking that renowned long-distance and middle-distance pigeon racers sometimes buy a speedster to inject into their own strain.

The widowersloft

Very small basket, but top quality
Freddy works in the nightshift and that is why the care is always very well planned and has to be quick and efficient. That is also why there are relatively few pigeons and the selection is very hard. 
The colony normally consists of 12 breeding couples (exceptionally this year 20 couples, see below), 16 cocks on widowhood and 60 youngsters.
All pigeons are coupled on November 25 and from the best racers, the youngsters are moved to the yearlings (yearlings usually raise one youngster).
After that everything goes on widowhood and they are coupled again at the start of the season.
In the present season exceptionally more breeders are in the loft because Freddy's top-flyer and breeder “As Provinciaal” is not fertilising any more. Until last year, this was still possible occasionally. To make up for this, exceptionally the last children of him were moved to the breeding loft and they are still breeding a lot to secure this golden line for the future. 

Straightforward
This method and care has proven its worth for years and there is little or no deviation from it. When you can put 75% of your racing team in the top of the race result every week, this is apparently the right method.

How are the pigeons cared for, prepared, etc....

- Widowers are tossed 4 times before they are basketed with the club.
- This season, they flew their 1st race from Niergnies on eggs (they are allowed to brood till 8 days). The result was 'a bit less' because the pigeons did not enter the loft that quickly and they are more motivated in the system on widowhood.
- The pigeons train twice a day (also in April when it can still be bitterly cold in the morning).  Apparently, this does not have a negative effect on the condition.
- The pigeons are outside for about an hour but they are not obliged to train. Usually they fly for half an hour and afterwards they can have some fun. 
- Freddy makes his own mixture and is price conscious. It can easily be called a moulting mixture because it contains a lot of fine seeds.
- When they come home, the pigeons get this mixture and electrolytes in the drinking bowl.
- On Sunday, they are still allowed to eat this flying mixture.
- On Monday and Tuesday, this feed will be lightened and lightened with depuratif and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, it will be built up to a full racing feed.  Freddy feeds a lot of big yellow corn. The pigeons are fed individually in their nest box.
- At the beginning of the week, beer yeast is added to the feed, on Thursday vitamins are added to the drinking bowl.
- The hen is always shown before basketing and they are not allowed to do their “thing”. The time that they see their hen is every week different. 
- Medical advice is sought from two vets: Eric Vanmeirhaeghe from Kruisem and Johan Vandercruyssen from Oosterzele. One month before the season some pigeons are examined, but mostly this is limited to some light tricho and the pigeons are treated for it.
- Freddy keeps a close eye on the flying behaviour and the performances and in case of a slight negative change, the pigeons are checked by the vet and possibly treated against possible 'headaches', but this is rather avoided to have a negative influence on the forme.
- The youngsters are trained well with the small basket, they are raced on the speed and middle distance. A few hens are played on the provincial middle-distance races. The cocks are trained and focused for the later speed work.

Loft for the youngbirds

A strong inheriting strain with emphasis on pure speed.
Freddy succeeded from the beginning very well with the pigeons of Willy Vanhoutte. In the same line he kept looking for the Reynaert-pigeons and for this he also knocked at the door of Norbert Vanneste.  First by purchase, later on by exchange and breeding together his racing team got a boost with the input of the pigeons of Marc & Rudy Balcaen from Nazareth. The latter are also for years leading in the fast work in their region.  In this strain there is also some Gevaert-Lannoo (and again Vanhoutte) to be found.
Freddy proves since many years that real specialisation with of course the necessary talent can lead to top results in a tightly managed, clear system and with a good base of pigeons.

Congratulations to the Herbots team on this magnificent start !

Geert Dhaenens