Distance: 545km
Velocity: 1191,79 m/m

Warmifontaine: Valence was the first Rhône Valley race. The organization could release 7,860 old pigeons in Valence and the fastest was to be found at LCB fellow worker Dominique Culot from Warmifontaine, a village placed in the shadow of the known Neufchâteau.

PIGEON SPORT TO ENJOY

We have to call a cat a cat…who lives in the province of Luxembourg has to have very favourable conditions (read: the wind in their favour with an Eastern releasing point) to score national. The fanciers out of Luxembourg are very happy that the races from the Rhône valley made it to the national racing calendar. 
At Dominique Culot pigeon sport is pure hobby, spiced with the necessary ambition to set top results. Dominique has his own system, a system that has a clear strategy and which has proven its effectiveness more than once by setting beautiful results. Dominique won f.e. a few years back the ‘Beker van de Koning’ (Cup of the King).

His breeding loft is 12 couples strong and especially pigeons from Deneufbourg, Depasse and Bourlard are to be found on this loft.

DON’T TEACH AS A YOUNGSTER

Dominique has set his full attention onto the national long distance game with the cocks. He has a group of 20 old widow cocks ready for this. These were being coupled at the end of March. Once on eggs, these are being replaced by plastic ones. The widow cocks can breed on it until the first couple are tired of it and abandon the eggs.

Next to these 20 old pigeons, Dominique also has 30 year birds. These year bird never saw the inside of a basket. Not even for a simple training of a few miles.
Once they become a year bird, Dominique starts off with their first training flights. Bit by bit they are being trained and work through the program of a young bird. Their end race is Bourges National (end of July). All who can get home safe after this race gets a box on the widowers loft for the next season. Getting a price result isn’t a condition that they need…

CARE

As preparation for the racing season the widow cocks got following training program : 2 x 135km, 1 x 170km, 1 x 160km and then 400km. As Dominique has to drive 40km to basket for the short distance race he never takes a clock. He does his own counting of what the result should have been. 

In a matter of feeding Dominique relies fully on the Versele-Laga mixtures. He likes to give them especially the mixture with the dark Bordeaux corn. As the widow cocks are being raced every 3 weeks he has made the following feeding schedule: 1st week after home coming 75% purification + 25% sports mixture. In week 2 they get 50% purification + 50% sports mixture on the menu and in the third week there is 100% sports mixture enriched with Energy mixture. 

In a matter of side products he gives, just as many others, brewers’ yeast, vitamins, garlic oil, apple vinegar, naturaline and so on…

Medically he visits a vet at the start of the season and after the 400km they get ¼ of a pill Flagyl. He doesn’t treat against ornithes.

B16-1173161 – NATIONAL WINNER VALENCE

With a speed of 1,191.79 m/m this dark chequered cock left everybody behind. Dominique: ‘His home coming was one as it should be. He raced like an arrow to his plank, not a minute wasted.’ The winner is of the average to small type, very compact and perfectly build.

Whether he was motivated in a special way? ‘No’, replies Dominique, ‘at basketing I placed his hen half-box for a few minutes, and that’s it..’

Dominique…from the entire Herbots team a big congratulation !

Stefan Mertens 

 B16-1173161 - 1st NATIONAL VALENCE 7,687 BIRDS