Frans & Dirk Maris from Itegem and their successful "Maxi" and "Proxi" line

The Maris colony from Itegem in Antwerp has been focusing on the national flights in recent years. Where Frans used to be a pure speed racer, we see that Dirk has managed to get him to bet more and more on the races above 500 km. Their best racing pigeons are never sold and continue to provide for the future, so "Maxi", "Martha" and "Proxi" are now the mainstays of this colony.

Now in 2021 it was another super season where “Proxi” was unfortunately no longer present in the racing team, but where others will take over its role. For example, a young top hen was bred from a sister of "Proxi", namely "Prima" who won 3rd National Argenton against 23,124 pigeons. Now at the first appointment of the extreme middle distance they are immediately there again with 2nd Int.Provincial Vierzon against 8,894 old birds. This cock is a son of a brother of "Maxi".

Topresults 2022

Melun 3.279 old + yearlings : 23,58,63,84,85,97,159,182,… 13/16
Melun 1.925 yearlings : 16,41,56,57,114,… 9/13

Sermaises 3.640 old + yearlings: 19,27,30,51,54,93,126,141,146,210,233,234,247,… 23/25
Sermaises 2.166 yearlings : 13,21,34,54,75,87,90,137,138,208,… 17/19

Vierzon Prov 2.757 old birds : 2,23,109,… 5/5
Vierzon Prov 2.725 yearlings : 8,13,42,92,143,160,237,… 12/16

For the time being this is 2nd Int.Provincial against 8,894 old birds and 8th Int.Provincial against 6,336 yearlings. They are already ready to give gas at the nationals

With cocks and hens on classic widowhood

There is a difference between their cocks and hens in the preparation. The hens do winter breeding and raise 1 round of youngsters, the cocks do not breed. After the breeding period, it is especially important to purify the body and barley and Aidi Winter / Rust is important to get rid of the old down. After the breeding period, the training sessions start here in February and this is once a day, the cocks keep this rhythm for a whole season while the hens train twice a day from April. Since they entered the middle distance, the hens have also trained on Thursday morning, this is also a test, but so far the results are very good and we will continue to do so. On Sundays all pigeons get rest here.

What is another important difference with these 2 racing teams is the darkening, the hens are darkened from 1 March to 1 May (6 pm – 7:30 am) and the widowers are not. The intention is to let the hens get their form here from May in function of the national flights and that the cocks are in condition a little faster. So far everything is going according to plan and you can see the condition growing every week.

The hens have a breeding loft where they have bred, a resting coop with elastics on the floor where they are really locked up when they go to sleep compared to other years and an aviary where they stay during the day. The aviary is protected from the sun with a wind cloth on a roll so that the ladies also remain calm during the training sessions of the widowers.Furthermore, the roof is covered with tiles at the front and the rear with corrugated sheets with insulation on the inside. A combination of the 2 where several super performances have already been delivered in that small cozy loft.

Do you work a lot on motivation?

We have already tested and tried everything in recent years. We feel best when we let the hens fly into their box for a while and take it away, while we open their box completely for the widowers for a while.

After returning home they only stay together for a short time, 10 to 15 minutes in the sprint, half an hour to an hour in the middle distance and afterwards longer and longer. In the national races they usually stay together until the evening.

Topper “Proxi” and “Fine”

BE 18-6061856 Proxi Chequered Hen 
1 Nat Ace Argenton 2019-2020 ( 2 races )

    1     Nat(z) Argenton ’19             1.547b
    1     Fastest Prov                          4.112b
    2     Nat                                         5.158b
    7     Nat     Issoudun ’19           11.465b
  14     Nat     Argenton ’20          16.762b
  23                Noyon ’19                  1.095b
  24     Prov   Chateauroux ’19         817b
  54     Nat     Montlucon ’19        14.104b
  56     Nat     Chateauroux ’20    20.800b
  95     I.Prov Vierzon ’20                6.377b
  96     Nat     La Souterraine ’20   9.469b
  96                Chevrainvilliers ’19   2.506b
101                Melun ’19                   2.090b
140                Melun ’19                   3.249b
156    Nat     Gueret ’20                  7.175b
170    Nat     Chateauroux ’19       6.377b
370    Nat     Issoudun ’20            10.603b

Father BE 14-6274477 Son Portier – N & R Thijs

Gr.V. BE 06-6111039 Portier Oude Foundation breeder - N & R Thijs
            Won 3x 1st
            Son “743/05” x “702/05” Blue white flight 
Gr.M. BE 10-6178937 N & R Thijs
            Daughter from “855/09” x “826/09” Chequered 

Mother BE 15-6050090 Daughter Olympic Niels x Maxi – Co breeding with Dirk Van Dijck

Gr.F. BE 08-6338005 Olympic Niels – Dirk Van Dijck
            3 Olympiad bird Cat.A Nitra 2013 
            Son “015/05” Di Caprio Leo Heremans x “110/06” Chequered Inbred “Bourges” 2 Nat Bourges 
Gr.M. BE 12-6024544 Maxi 
            1 Nat Argenton 3.660b – 39 Nat Argenton 6.801b – 
            48 Nat (z) Montlucon 2.373b - 87 Nat Issoudun 5.670b
            Daughter “382/09” Son Maxima 10 x 1st x “592/08” Daughter Little Kleine Saliën N & R Thijs

BE 21-6036142 “Prima” Chequered Hen

  3       Nat     Argenton                 23.124b
12                   Melun                            655b
55       Nat     La Souterraine        14.315b
95                   Sermaises                 1.314b

Father BE 18-6064474 ½ brother Martha – Co breeding with Jos Maris
Proven topbreeder
Father from “507/19” 11 Nat Chateauroux 33.833b – 115 Nat Gueret 12.888b

Gr.F. BE 12-6025506 Sam Jos Maris 
            ( Red x Marco 49 Van Eynde – Goovaerts )
Gr.M. BE 14-6074365 Blue – Frans & Dirk Maris
            Mother from “Martha” 
            1 Nat Ace M.D. yearlings KBDB 2018
            3 Olympiad bird Cat.G Poznan 2019
            Sister “Maxi” 1 Nat Argenton 3.660b – 39 Nat Argenton 6.801b – 
            48 Nat (z) Montlucon 2.373b - 87 Nat Issoudun 5.670b

Mother BE 16-6020388 Sister Proxi

Gr.F. BE 14-6274477 Son Portier – N & R Thijs
Gr.M. BE 15-6050090 Daughter Olympic Niels x Maxi – Co breeding with Dirk Van Dijck

BE 20-6182463 Blue white pen Cock
2nd Int.Prov Vierzon 8,894 old '22

Father BE 14-6074366 White Max
Full brother of "Maxi" 1 Nat Argenton 3,660b and stock mother of this colony

Gr.F. BE 09-6110382 Father Maxi
          Son of “BE 06-661” Brother Argenton J & J Engels x “BE 03-445” Maxima 10 x 1st
Gr.M. BE 08-6118592 Mother Maxi – Nick & Roger Thijs
            Daughter of “BE 06-030” Witte x “BE 06-045” Kleine Saliën

Mother 16-0032929 Micky Betts
Line Cannon Bale Danny Van Dijck x Ablis Girl Gebr Scheele

Care

Since last season we mainly use the Aidi mixtures, after the breeding period we mainly use barley and Aidi Winter / Rust, in the preparation especially Aidi Flymix 1 which they still receive on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday they are then fed with Vliegmix 2 and 3. When they get home they get Aidi Vliegmix 3 together with Turbo Energy from Matador.

When they get home they first get candy and Belgasol from Belgica – De Weerd before they go to their cocks. We also mainly use Mariën's products. When they get home, the conditioning powder and vitamins that go over the food are on Sundays Protein Plus from Backs and Energetica and Optima from Ortophar. We use Mariën's condition syrup once a month to purify them and to date the old and yearling racing pigeons have not received anything.

Frans and Dirk, keep it up and congratulations from the entire HERBOTS TEAM.

Buelens Kim