Danny & Bjorn Knaepen from Nieuwerkerken are running a super season with 7 x 1st Central Limburg

There are always a- lot of pigeons in Central Limburg, the Limburg program starts at speed and builds up further. Ideal to play against many pigeons, a bit more difficult to jump in if you sometimes miss the train, but everything has advantages and disadvantages. The 2023 season is going like a train for the colony of Danny & Bjorn Knaepen. They had deliberately chosen to join their widowers later in the season and started around April 20. They always do this because the cold weather in April is not good for anything and the loft the widowers are in is not in shape anyway, so there is no need to hurry. The last adjustments to the loft have been made, glass has been added to the roof and the ceiling inside has also been fitted with glass, so that the loft is now lighter and hopefully can take shape a little faster. Now 3 months later you can say that they have done this well and that they really have their pigeons on track. For Bjorn, who is assistant loft manager of Herbots and runs their colony together with his father Danny, the combination is not always easy, but hard work pays off anyway.

1st Prizes Central Limburg 2023

1 Central Limburg Chimay 4.001 young birds
1 Central Limburg Dizy 3.320 young birds
1 Central Limburg Vervins 1.711 yearlings 
1 Central  Limburg Mettet 1.284 old birds
1 Central Limburg Sourdun 779 yearlings
1 Central Limburg Sens 645 old birds
1 Int.Prov Lorris 663 old + yearlings 
1 Central Limburg Mettet 463 yearlings
6 National Limoges 7.211 old birds
7 National Limoges 7.211 old birds 

19 x 1st at the moment in Trudo Verbond

Widowers

There are 2 lofts for widowers that can accommodate 2 x 18 pigeons, these were coupled in January so that the 2nd leg of the breeders could be moved below and that youngsters from the best widowers could be tested themselves. They were then not darkened towards the season because otherwise the form would really be too late and a 2nd coupling before the season is not done. In the winter period they occasionally went outside to get used to it, but then this was put on hold until after breeding. They only came out again around the end of March and flew well for about 4 weeks before they did their first flight.In the beginning the pace is increased quite quickly with the flag so that they get the rhythm faster and in the season itself the flag is also used so that they have to fly for 30 to 40 minutes, even now in July they still do this. In the spring, when it is so cold, the pigeons train in the evening and in the summer, father Danny gets up at 5:30 am and they come out at first light. They have to get used to this in the beginning, but after a few days they will get used to it.

When basketing, only the dish is shown for a few minutes and that's it, they once tried to show it with the hen, but that was their least result this season, so they stick to their system. When the first flights return home, they stay together for a maximum of half an hour, afterwards this is increased to about 2 hours. The pigeons from the long distance can certainly stay together until the evening and during the season they even stay together for a night if we think it is necessary. You cannot always keep them short and you have to give the pigeons something extra every now and then.The pigeons don't get a light mixture, we don't like it because once they are in the rhythm, they still have to race every week and as there were some flights they would go into the red pretty quickly so you can't keep them in shape until the end of the season. That is why they are given a sports mixture at the beginning of the week and mainly a fat-rich mixture during the last few days. When they come in after training, there is usually a small portion of candy ready in their living box.When they return home they receive Herbosol, Herbochol and Electrolytes from Herbovet and during the week Optimix or Prodigest is regularly added to the feed from Herbots, which is then mixed with Omega Oil from Herbovet.We check Raf Herbots about 3 times in the spring and during the season to rule out anything. They were given a cure against tricho during breeding in January and during the season itself we usually work with a pill ( Spartrix or ¼ flagyl ) monthly.

The 2 toppers of Limoges this season

BE 20-5055649 Blue Cock 
3 x TOP 70 National

  7 NAT Limoges ’23     7.211p
22 NAT Bourges ’22   33.410p
36 Melun                        3.924p 
66 Laon                          1.110p
68 NAT Bourges ’21   11.952p

Father BE 19-5100277 Blue
Won 27 NAT Tulle 4,451p
Son of “566/15” De Medard x “505/16” Blauw Luc & Georges Hayen

Mother BE 17-5090494 Blue
Won 17 NAT Argenton as a youngster
Super breeding hen
Mother of "889/21” 8 x per 100 in 2023
Daughter of “522/13” Blauw witpen won herself 4 Prov Jarnac and 12 Prov Valence Hayen x Vanbrabant x “454/09” Het Oud Stefan Steenbergen, the old stock mother of this colony

BE 21-5028289 Blue white feather Cock 

    6 NAT Limoges ’23  7.211p
  28 Dizy                           380p
  73 Dizy                        2.397p
  81 Laon                       1.136p
191 Sens                       3.668p

Father BE 20-5024527 Grandson stock pair
Son of “137/16” Checkered Jozef & Carlo Lenaerts Son Stock Pair x “469/16” Blauw Jan Evens

Mother BE 19-5100279 Blue
Daughter of “918/16” Daughter Medard Super breeder and grandfather of super racer “649/20” x “068/15” Blauw is mother of 12 Nat Argenton x “494/17” Blauw, won 17 Nat Argenton as a youngster and is a super breeding hen

The 2 best widowers in general this year

BE 21-5022889 Blue Cock 

  1 Sens                       1.611p
  2 Sens                       2.225p
  2 Lorris                      1.698p ( 1-663p )
  2 Sourdun                 1.079p
  3 Mettet                    1.284p
  8 Laon                       4.108p
11 Prov Orléans         4.176p
12 Laon                       1.390p

Father  BE 19-5100259 De Vechter
Won 1st Prov Ace Pigeon Gr.M.D. KBDB 2020
Won a.o. 66 Nat Issoudun 18,176p – 68 Nat Gueret 12,888p – 120 Nat La Souterraine 15,939p – 312 Nat Chateauroux 33,833p – 317 Nat Chateauroux 19,529p
Son of “518/18” Blue Son of James Bond x 505 Hayen x “904/16” Checkered Daughter “Het Oud” Stock Mother Stefan Steenbergen

Mother BE 17-5090494 Blue
Won 17 NAT Argenton as a youngster
Super breeding hen
Mother of “649/20” 3 x TOP 70 National
Mother of "889/21” 8 x per 100 in 2023
Daughter of “522/13” Blue white feather won himself 4 Prov Jarnac and 12 Prov Valence Hayen x Vanbrabant x “454/09” Het Oud Stefan Steenbergen, the old stock mother of this colony

BE 22-5054211 Black white feather Cock 

    5 Sens                         1.611p
  28 Sens                         1.441p
  43 Dizy                          1.746p
  57 Prov Gien                4.155p
  57 Prov Chateauroux 1.596p
  80 Sourdun                  2.447p
  80 Lorris                       1.698p
  84 Dizy                         2.710p
158 Laon                        2.760p
191 Laon                        2.741p

Father BE 18-5121324 Checkered
Best flyer 2019-2020
Won 109 Nat La Souterraine 9,469p – 121 Nat Chateauroux 20,800p – 308 Nat Argenton 16,762p
Son of “007/15” James Bond 007 Gusson - Vanbrabant Stock father x “529/13”

Mother BE 16-2207505 Blue - L & G Hayen
Daughter of “665/07 Little Joe 16 x 1st x “298/11” Blue Van Avondt H & D

Danny and Bjorn, you are very much awarded this victory because of Family Herbots and all your colleagues.
 

Buelens Kim