For many years, Jo and Florian have been at the top of the national long-distance racing scene, achieving fantastic results and championships. Year after year, they string together successes. Their palmares includes several NPO victories and three first-place finishes in the National Long-Distance Championship. In the Limburg Division Ace Pigeon Championship, they have already secured first place several times, and have also achieved first and second place in the National Championships. In the outstanding 2019 season, they achieved a truly impressive feat by winning the title of World Best Pigeon in the FCI competition with "National Harry."

The Beginning

Father Jo Hendriks has been a pigeon fancier since childhood and was introduced to the sport from a young age. Both his father and grandfather had pigeons, as did several uncles. Jo soon joined in as well. Florian, now a professional pigeon fancier, only showed interest in his father and uncles' hobby at the age of 16. At the time, Jo had access to Gebr. Janssen pigeons through Wout Smeulders from Nuenen and owned descendants of all his top pigeons, such as "Het Kanon," "De Generaal," and "Olympiade 08." Jo performed well, regularly winning first prizes and often having several pigeons at the top of the results. Florian felt there was room for improvement, and they soon joined forces. They took things even more seriously, and through uncle Thijs Vluggen (Gulpen), the NL98/273 "Kleine 273" (28 top 10 finishes) joined the ranks. This "Kleine 273" was bred by Loed Senden from Berg en Terblijt from his foundation pair. The offspring of this top pigeon were unique, and his son NL02/165 "Popeye" also developed into a brilliant breeder. He became the father of, among others, "De Favoriet," who was the fastest in the Limburg department three times with a 1st Rethel 26,447 p., 1st Rethel 25,290 p., and 1st Reims 17,437 p., but also of the "New Favoriet" with, among others, a 1st Sezanne 1,680 p., 1st Sens 1,730 p., 1st Rethel 833 p., etc. Descendants of "Kleine 273" and "Popeye" still appear in the current pigeon collection. Jo and Florian's real rise began in 2002 with a 5th and 7th NPO Lorris and a 6th National Orleans. They also had the best young pigeon in the Limburg region. After a 5th National Orleans in 2003, they excelled in 2004 with a victory in the Rethel car race, a 4th and 6th Provincial Sezanne, and, as previously mentioned, with "the Favorite," the fastest of the entire Limburg region three times. In 2008, Jo and Florian decided to fully focus their old bird racing on the long-distance races, making targeted purchases from top lofts in this discipline in the Netherlands and Belgium. From the outset, they were successful in this discipline. The foundation stock was supplemented with pigeons from Gaby Vandenabeele, Rik Cools, Antoon and Hilde Reynaert, Gerard and Bas Verkerk, Jos and Jules Engels, Gerard Koopman, and Eric Berckmoes. Later, reinforcements were sought from Jan Hooymans and Rik Hermans, and the wonder of Cadier en Keer, known as "King Kong" (5 x 1st against an average of 2300 pigeons), who had been raced by Jean Hornesch from Cadier en Keer, was also transferred to Nijswiller. With even more additions, the breeding loft in Nijswiller is now brimming with top quality. At its peak, the breeding loft housed no fewer than 12 direct descendants of Jan Hooymans' world-famous "Harry" and about 10 original Gerard Koopman pigeons (primarily from the "Zina" line). Jo and Florian have also been very successful with descendants of the aforementioned "King Kong." A special contribution came in 2016 with “Sister Friendship” from Rik Hermans from Pulle, who turned out to be a golden breeding mother. 
In 2023, they became 2nd national champion, and the group of racers who achieved this feat are currently their current breeders. The latest acquisitions were made from Wolfgang Roeper, where a round of youngsters was purchased in both 1924 and 1925. Florian also opened his wallet at Verkerk and Leideman, and a few pigeons were exchanged with Falco Ebben. The breeding loft comprises around 25 pairs and is housed safely with his father, Jo. The star of the breeding loft was "Nationaal Harry," but he has since moved to the Far East, and now "Kleine Gerard 506" has taken over. He himself has performed superbly, and his first offspring are more than promising.
When new investments are made, it's always a matter of waiting to see if they will "work" on the current basis. It's striking that fanciers lose much more from new purchases than from their own pigeons. Eye color or pigmentation are not taken into account when pairing pigeons. It sounds cliché, but there are only two types of pigeons: good and bad.

A New Start a Few Hundred Meters Away

Meanwhile, Florian has his own family and lives a few hundred meters down the highway from his parents' house. He lives there with his wife and daughter Isabel. Naturally, a series of beautiful lofts were built in the spacious garden, and in 2003, a first group of young pigeons flew flights above the new lofts. Since 2024, the lofts behind the parents' house have no longer been used for racing, but instead are raced from the lofts behind Florian's own home. The first season wasn't exactly a success, and Florian felt there were too many losses. While searching for a reason, a fortune teller was contacted, and on his advice, the lofts were moved back a bit. And sure enough...in 2025, the pigeons returned to flying as expected. It was a "traditional" season, resulting in:

10 first prizes in the strong Eastern South Limburg racing area:
1-2nd NPO Issoudun 1205 p. (timed in 2 seconds and a combined total of 5 minutes faster than number 3)
1st-9th-14th-21st-32nd-32nd-35th-45th-47th-52nd-56th-58th Prov. Chalons-en-Champagne 5,080 p.,
1st-2nd Brienne-la-Vieille 894 p. (1st and 2nd fastest Prov. 4,857 p.),
1st to 10th Charlevilles 2,473 p.
1st-2nd-4th Charlevilles 2,211 p.
1st-6th-8th-9th Melun 640 p.,
1st Sens 818 p.
1st Sens 749 p.
1st-5th-7th-8th Lorris 611 p. (7th-11th-19th-20th NPO 2,149 p.),
2nd Prov. Lorris 8,655 p.,
6th-23rd-31st-52nd-78th Prov. Sourdun 12,651 p., etc.

The most recent top pigeon is "24-663" (out of super racer "Kleine Gerard 506" x "Mother National Harry"), named after his daughter "Isabel." In 2025, "663" won, among others:
1st NPO Issoudun 1,205b.
1st Prov. Brienne 4,857b.
7th Prov. Sourdun 2,697b. etc.

System

The 2025 season started with 22 cocks and 14 hens. The pigeons are raced according to the principle of "total widowhood," and where there is a shortage of a cock or hen, this is supplemented with a breeding pigeon or another pigeon. Both cocks and hens participate in the same race every week. The racing pigeons are paired a week before Christmas. The old birds raise their own young, while the yearling cocks raise those of the breeders. For this reason, the yearlings are paired slightly earlier. In mid-February, the sexes are separated, and widowhood is established. From March 1st to May 1st, both cocks and hens are darkened for 12 hours per day. This is important to ensure a "full wing" in July, because in the Netherlands, the late-season (races from early August to late September) is still very important and counts towards various national championships and ace pigeon competitions. Such a "late-season" program is unheard of in other countries. A day at the Hendriks household is always full. The young pigeons train in the morning, the hens in the afternoon, and the widowers are allowed to fly their rounds in the evening. To ensure the pigeons train effectively, they don't use a flag, but a drone. A major advantage of using a drone is that the bird of prey usually attacks the drone first, rather than the pigeons.

During the season, the racing pigeons are fed D22 (Paloma) in their feeder after each race. Afterward, they are switched to a lighter mixture, namely D21 (Paloma) and Verkerk Light (Beyers). As basketing day approaches, they are switched to D22 (Paloma) and Widowhood Premium (Beyers). "The table has to be well laid," says Florian, so a few grains are not a problem. Florian usually stays in the lofts during feeding, and if he sees any paddy left behind, the table is cleared away.

The evening before basketing, the racing pigeons are always given a full feeder. On the morning of basketing, they are allowed to fill their bellies for an hour. Then everything is removed, and around 3 p.m., they are fed Boarding Mix (Matador). In terms of supplements, we make extensive use of Röhnfried products (Blitzform, RO 200, Energy Oil, Hexenbier), supplemented with products from "Neornipharma" (Amino Plus).

Motivation

As mentioned, cocks and hens are raced on the same flight every week, and to motivate them, they are released either 40km or 60km the day before basketing. Upon returning home, they are allowed to stay together for one hour and then separated. Sometimes they stay together until the next day, but that is very unusual.

Medical

Before the season, I follow the advice of the man in the white smock. This is either Vincent Schroëder or Simon Crans (Neornipharma). During the season, I don't give anything for ornithosis, and I treat for worms and coxi every four weeks. Of course, if the results aren't as expected, I will consult one of the two veterinarians. During the season, Koudijs tablets are administered twice in the loft. The first time is usually before the first major race. For tricho, Trichoryza (Neornipharma) is administered weekly: 10 ml per kilogram of feed or 5 ml per liter of drinking water, or 1 drop in each nostril. Young pigeons suffering from the dreaded "One-eye cold" are immersed in a bucket of water mixed with Virkon S. This doesn't mean it will go away immediately, but it might speed up the healing process.

Thanks to the Hendriks pigeons

The references with Hendriks pigeons elsewhere are also simply fantastic. In Limburg, there is hardly a winner without a Hendriks lineage. Some names (both from Belgium and the Netherlands) who are super successful with Hendriks pigeons include:

Tim Penders
won 1st and 2nd NPO Issoudun 4,454 p., with the winner being bred from a cock bred by Jo and Florian.

Gebr. & Kenny Raets
won 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon Short Middle Distance Yearlings KBDB 2025 (50% Hendriks)

Robrecht Cosijn
won 1st Prov. Bourges 4,790 youngsters (26 m/m lead) / 15th Nat. 18,985 p. (bred from a Hendriks cock out of "Zoon National Harry" x "Luna") and 1st-2nd Prov. Bourges 3,796 yearlings (27 and 16 m/m lead, 1st Prov. is 50% Hendriks from "Asduif Gerard" and 2nd Prov. also has a Hendriks cock as sire, from "Kleindzoon National Harry" x "Daughter Asduif Gerard")!

Davy Tournelle
bred his 1st Prov. Bourges 2,472 yearlings (2nd Nat. 13,213 p.) 2025 from "Son Asduif Gerard", who is also the sire of 16th Nat. Ace Pigeon 2022, 1st Sourdun 2,366 p., 1st Sourdun 1,922 p., 2nd Interprov. Vierzon 1,202 p., 46th Nat. Souillac 4,637 p., etc.

Stefan Mertens

Specially for internet sales of Pigeon Bids, Kevin and Noah bred and selected a beautiful group of 2025 pigeons from their very best pigeons, including the last child ever offered by Jo & Florian out icon "National Harry". 

This auction ends thursday January 8th at 3 p.m. (c.e.t.)