Etikhove: The national race out of Argenton could welcome exactly 22,731 year birds and the fastest of all these year birds was the “BE18-4071829” from D’Hondt Michel and Filip out of the East-Flemish village Etikhove. With a speed of 1,177.35 m/m he beat the year birds of Harchies Cyril (Warchin – 1,172.39m/m) and Vandenheede Freddy & Jacques (Kruisem – 1,171.71 m/m).

THE ENTIRE NATIONAL PROGRAM
Michel and Filip have lost their heart to the national races and to be able to compete in every national and international race they have a group of 20 old birds and 17 year birds ready. Next to these they also have a group of about 20 hens who are being raced on a nest position and about 120 youngsters (bred in 2 rounds).
In fact you can summarize the system as next; the old widow cocks races the 700 to 900km races, the old hens mostly go on a small youngster direction an international race and the year birds have to take on the greater middle distance program.
The widow cocks breed after the season (this is normally Perpignan in August) a round of youngsters and are being put on widowhood until the 15th/20th March. In this period they are being coupled again. When the first pigeons are breeding for 7 days all the eggs and hens are being taken away and the widowhood becomes a fact.
The 120 youngsters are bred in two rounds. The first round is being raced on the middle distance and the national races. The second round is a kind of reserve round, they only have to do some short distance and middle distance races.
And before we forget to mention it…the base of the D’Hondt colony exist out of 90% Carteus pigeons. The other 10% is a mixture of pigeons which are being bought at the club as a voucher.

CARE
Supplier of food is Bonduelle and for the racing team they have in the beginning of the week a protein poor mixture on the menu and according the date of basketing is getting closer this is being increased with a sports mixture where to a percentage of pealed sunflower seeds is being added. In a matter of side products the known products such as electrolytes and so on … are being given on a regular base.
In a medical way a veterinary is being consulted at the start of the season. This is either Vandercruyssen or Schroëder and when necessary they will be cured against the known diseases. At the day of basketing all pigeons who have to leave for a race get the known yellow drop in the beak.
When we entered the lofts we noticed that these felt really pleasant. ‘That’s a special story’ explains Michel ‘we used to have big firs behind the lofts and when these were taken down 3 years ago our lofts suddenly felt much more pleasant and our pigeons raced much better. You see…you can find it sometimes in the smallest details’.

NO NAME
And then we like to talk a bit about the national winner which didn’t get a name yet. The “B18-4071829” is a nice pigeon by hand, average type, very well feathered, strong back and very well closed vent bones. When asking if he was motivated in a special way, there wasn’t a direct answer. ‘Fact is that he thinks of the sputnik as his own property…he fights for that spot against everybody and never gives up. Did something happen the week before Argenton…who knows but it wouldn’t come to me as a surprise as at his arrival from Argenton he didn’t lose a split second direction sputnik, it was like the devil was haunting him.’

Michel and Filip…congratulations from the entire Herbots team !

B18-4071829
1st NATIONAL ARGENTON 22,731 YEARBIRDS