Normally Bourges is the first appointment on the national races but now for the first time the first national race was last week on Vierzon and Bourges became the 2nd national race of the season. Again not an easy race with head wind as a lot of races until now this season. The winner old birds is to be found in Mol at the Brothers Hooybergs in the province of Antwerp. They only basketed one old bird en this one is the fastest of the entire pack of 41,997 pigeons that were released in Bourges at 08h00 in the morning. A super result of a fantastic hen.

For the brothers, who have been racing together since 1971, this is the icing on the cake after being very close several times: 1 S. Nat. Vierzon, 3rd Nat Chateauroux, 4th Nat Limoges, 6th Nat Bourges, 7th Nat Bourges and last year also 1st National (z) Argenton 4,781 pigeons. So a colony that have been racing at a high level but not with a big basket.

The base of the pigeons are to be found with Louis Van Loon and Verstappen – Van Reeth, they went to get some pigeons there 20 years ago and these are the 2 founding names to this success story. Also a pigeon from Eddy Camps does very well here on the breeding loft and takes care of national top results.

What do they race with ?

The racing team exists of 16 hens and 16 widow cocks, both are being raced on the classic widowhood. The goal is the shorter long distance race of 500-600km. They are being coupled at the end of November together with the breeders and can raise a couple of youngsters. The hens are being coupled for a second time around half of March and then they race the entire month of April on a nest position. Normally when they get home after their first middle distance race beginning of May, their big youngster is being removed and are from then on the widowhood.

At Bourges the hens were about 3 weeks on widowhood. Normally they can stay together for about a quarter of an hour before basketing and at homecoming about 2 to 3 hours the first few weeks. Now for Bourges it was a very hard race so they could stay together until Sunday morning.

Do your hens train hard and / or long ?

During Spring we make sure that they don’t have to train too long in the cold, but they have to train twice a day during 45 minutes with a flag. They know this so well that their condition seems to be optimal. When it is really too cold in the morning we just leave them be, we don’t have a problem with that at all.

What did the national winner race until now and how were her results last year?

This hen was our best year bird last year and was until the last race 1st Ace bird shorter middle distance in our club. Unfortunately she was beaten on the last race and we were very curious what she would do this year. She already raced in 2019 2x Momignies, 2x Soissons, 1x middle distance and last week she had Vierzon. Locally she won the 31st against 369 pigeons and showed she was ready for the national fight on Bourges.

How are the hens housed during the breeding season?

They have a breeding loft where they can breed on and come home to and have a resting loft. After each training they can stay for about 1 to 2 hours on the breeding loft, can eat and drink in their own box and are being replaced afterwards on to the resting loft. They are being locked up in small boxes from the young birds.

National winner Bourges

6083822/2017 Blue Hen

Distance : 494,847 km
Speed : 1250,14 m/min

  1 Nat Bourges    24.053b
  1 Fastest             41.997b
  9        Vierzon           89b
10        Chateauroux 569b
19        Argenton      182b
23        Bourges        308b
31        Vierzon         369b

Father 6106379/2014 Blue

Gr.F. 6236051/2010 Louis Van Loon x Verstappen – Van Reeth
Gr.M. 6236024/2010 Louis Van Loon x Verstappen – Van Reeth

Mother 6053692/2016 Blue

Gr.F. 6221083/2015 Son 4th Nat Limoges
Son to “157/12” x “190/09” 4th Nat Limoges ( strain Camps )
Gr.M. 6033693/2013 Louis Van Loon x Verstappen – Van Reeth

Which food do you use ?

Every morning the racing team get super diet with some peanuts mixed under it. In the evening we mix 4 different sports mixtures together. During the week it is especially brewers’ yeast, garlic oil and Naturaline what we give, at home coming they get Belgasol from Belgica – De Weerdt.

In a medical way we always go for a check- up in Spring, this year everything was fine and so we didn’t need to give them anything yet. Normally we give them something against trichomoniases every 3 week during 2 days as from the moment we start to race the national races. But this year we didn’t give anything yet until now.

Jos & Emiel congratulations with this nice victory from the entire HERBOTS TEAM.