Early this year, we had the opportunity to visit Olivier Novak, who lives in the beautiful village of Merbes-le-Château, not far from the French border and part of the Haute-Sambre region. In the world of pigeon racing, Olivier Novak is a name that resonates with the Rhone and Marseille! This fancier has established himself as a key figure on these flights thanks to his perseverance, in-depth knowledge and success on the Rhone line and other prestigious competitions. Olivier is known for his meticulous approach to breeding and the optimal preparation of his pigeons. This was a great opportunity for us to talk to you about his colony and his approach!

The beginning: 

For Olivier, it all started around the age of 8 when he came into contact with racing pigeons through his neighbour. It was from then on that his passion for pigeon racing took root! It was in 2000 that the decision was taken to go all out and focus on big long distance races. For this purpose, pigeons from Guy and Michael Regnier (Pesche) and the famous Batenburg-v.d. Merwe pigeons were purchased. A joint breeding programme with David Flasse also made it possible to expand the breeding loft and breed successful travellers such as ‘Thomas’, who won 2nd Montélimar national and is himself the grandfather of the 3rd national ace pigeon on the Rhone line. Thomas himself is descended from ‘Nico’ (100% Batenburg-v.d. Merwe), who won first national zone Montelimar and was 4th nationally!  All went well until the worst nightmare that could happen to a pigeon fancier occurred when a weasel entered the breeding loft and killed all the breeders. Years of work wiped out in one night. Olivier did not give up and decided to contact Guy and Michael Regnier again, from whom he bought 24 youngsters. A so-called 2nd start was a fact.

The teams:

Olivier starts the season with 32 olds and about the same number of hens which he plays on total widowhood. These are paired at the end of April and he lets them brood for about 3-4 days before everything is separated. So racing pigeons do not raise young. To prepare for the season, they are trained two or three times at a distance of about 20-30 km. Afterwards it's off to the first speed races of 156 km (Saint-Soupplets). Because he lives at the very front of the alliance, he prefers not to start his pigeons at a distance shorter than Saint-Soupplets. The same goes for his youngsters, which he also starts at this distance. After a few speed races, they are put on middle distance races and to make the necessary kilometres before leaving for the Rhône Valley.
For the yearlings the programme is different, this is the year when they have to gain maximum experience and prove themselves. Yearlings that have flown a lot as youngsters are allocated two or even three long distance races, with one marathon race for the hens with sufficient experience. The breeders are paired at the end of November and raise about 100 youngsters each year. They are separated in July. As soon as the youngsters fly well enough at home, they are trained a few times at a distance of 20-30 km, just like the old pigeons, before leaving for the competition. For the youngsters, there is also at least one competition in the middle distance.

Daily care and treatments :

Results like Olivier's are not the result of chance, but of daily meticulous and thoughtful work. Because of his very busy schedule, every effort is made to optimise care and work planning so that he has all the time he needs to devote to the pigeons. He admits he is a bit lucky that his holidays often coincide with the most important races of the season for him. The racers are released twice a day at the beginning of the season, with only one training session in the morning around May. Olivier feeds his pigeons Beyers mixtures all year round. Only the old ones are fed in the living trough, the others in a large feeder. The mixtures used are the famous Gaby Vandenabeele mixture, which he enriches as the week progresses and the basketing approaches. This mixture is enriched with Galaxy Super Widowhood and Energy. Regarding treatment and medical follow-up, all guidelines and advice from Piet Blancke are strictly followed. Treatment is given only when necessary. The only ‘preventive’ treatments are against tricho and coccidiosis, which are administered before the racers are paired. At the beginning of the season, all racers receive the compulsory vaccinations. However, pigeons are also vaccinated against Parathyposis. Youngsters receive the same vaccination schedule.

Especially for internet auction Pigeon Bids, Olivier bred and selected a superb group pigeons, most of them related to international winner ‘Marcelo’ supplemented with proven performance pigeons such as 2nd National Valence 2025! 

This auction ends Monday, 15 December at 3 p.m. (c.e.t.)