Peter Stakenborg from Neeroeteren is racing through the season like a whirlwind

Peter Stakenborg lives in Neeroeteren in the East of Limburg. Peter has made a great start in 2024 with his widowers and has achieved one top result after another. High time to get to know him and his colony. Peter started pigeon racing in 1985, without this sport being active in his family. After 6 weeks of playing he won his first prize and he had to wait 14 years for his real first victory. Or how perseverance, patience and the search for good pigeons are not always self-evident. In the year 2000 he received his first national nomination among the top of our country and until last year he received a total of 27 nominations. Unfortunately, there was no podium place yet, but who knows, the 2024 super season will change this. He has already won gold several times at a provincial level, but secretly that dream at a national level will always remain there. But everything has to be right to win something like this.

Just describe the start of 2024 in a few sentences, several 1st prizes regionally, namely 10 pieces including doubles and 60 pigeons per 100 races in 6 weeks, which means that 10 pigeons per 100 have flown every week. The results are there, the condition is great and I think there is still a lot of music in the coming weeks.

2024 

10 x 1st Semi – Provincial ( inclusive doubles )
84 x TOP 10 Semi – Provincial ( inclusive doubles )
60 birds  1/100 ( exclusive doubles )

04/05 Vervins 2.257 old + yls : 1,2,8,10,11,13,18,19,20,23,28,30,37,38,38,42,46,62,64,89,92,93,… 39/43
            Vervins 1.598 yearlings : 1,2,5,7,8,9,15,17,19,21,22,23,25,47,49,56,85,86,… 28/30
28/04 Chimay 2.305 old + yls : 2,2,8,10,11,12,15,17,30,36,43,56,61,86,… 29/30
            Chimay 1.595 yearlings : 1,1,3,4,5,7,10,15,19,21,28,32,54,81,… 24/25
27/04 Laon 2.173 old + yls : 1,2,8,10,12,13,… 12/37
            Laon 1.247 old birds : 1,2,7,8,10,11,… 7/13
21/04 Mettet 1.957 old + yls : 6,7,8,9,11,12,21,23,27,28,29,33,35,37,49,60,69,… 41/44
            Mettet 1.443 yearlings : 4,5,6,8,9,16,18,19,23,25,43,48,77,82,88,91,93,… 29/31
            Mettet 514 old birds : 3,6,10,11,14,… 12/13
13/04 Chimay 2.684 old + yls : 11,24,26,27,28,29,31,32,78,82,82,86,86,88,89,93,… 38/44
            Chimay 1.301 yearlings : 7,13,14,15,16,17,37,38,38,40,41,46,91,94,99,… 26/31
06/04 Chimay 2.460 old + yls : 1,3,4,5,8,8,17,19,19,21,22,22,24,66,… 39/72
            Chimay 1.178 yearlings : 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10,11,27,46,48,67,69,… 29/53
            Chimay 1.282 old birds : 2,5,11,12,13,68,… 12/19
31/03 Mettet 1.733 old + yls : 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,21,23,23,25,29,31,40,41,44,55,57,59,… 36/48
            Mettet 767 yearlings : 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,16,16,23,24,26,36,37,38,62,63,… 26/34
            Mettet 966 old birds : 1,2,7,8,10,46,… 10/14

Widowers take the cake here

The racing team of the widowers here consists only of cocks, which are spread over 5 lofts. There are 2 lofts that are open and then 1 loft where most of the cocks sit, which is alone.

To directly address the question about condition so early in the season, I have heating plates in 4 lofts, I don't have any in the right loft and there are also very early pigeons there. So I can't tell you how this affects the shape, I work with it because it has already been very humid this spring and there are still puddles of water under the racing lofts. This is not ideal for anyone, but the rules are of course the same for everyone here because we cannot do anything about the weather.

The widowers do winter breeding and the eggs of the better widowers are immediately transferred and they are then allowed to breed again so that I can breed 4 youngsters from them. When the young are grown, care is taken to ensure that the hen no longer lays. On March 1 they are then coupled back and allowed to breed for 2 to 3 days and then widowhood can start. The racing pigeons sit on slats from which the manure is removed just before the racing season and they are not returned afterwards. The boxes themselves are cleaned twice a week and a major annual cleaning is not required here. The lofts are good and dry so why would I change that.

The pigeons usually fly in the morning once a day, the windows are closed for the first half hour, then the windows open and a few pigeons come to take a look, but they keep themselves busy for 60 to 75 minutes. The pigeons now fly 4 times a week during the season, from Monday to Thursday morning. During the weekend the pigeons fly 1 flight per weekend.

When basketing I use varying motivation, they are allowed together or 2 hens in the loft or the pigeons are not allowed together but they do see each other. You have to offer the pigeons a bit of variety so that it remains exciting for them. After the flight they are usually allowed to stay together for 2 hours and then they are separated. An important detail here is that the widow hens are not raced but sit in a separate run on rollers. This is to prevent the hens from mating with each other and from really wanting to mate with their cock. When the hens are shown at basketing, they are then taken away and I put them back in the aviary to take them back there the next morning. It takes some work, but it pays off.

The first selection after 6 flights has been made and 8 pigeons are no longer raced, they remain in the lofts to maintain the atmosphere, but that's about it. This year the pigeons have been sorted by color for the first time. The loft on the right contains the blue pigeons, in the middle 2 lofts the red and pale pigeons and on the left the checkered and white feathers.

In terms of nutrition, the racing pigeons receive Premium Vandenabeele Beyers at the beginning of the week (Monday and Tuesday), on Wednesday this is 50% Premium Vandenabeele Beyers and 50% Sport Galaxy Beyers and from Thursday 100% Sport Galaxy. The pigeons are always fed twice a day in a communal feeding trough and if the pigeons leave some small things behind after their evening meal, it is fine for me. When we return home, it is 50% Premium Vandenabeele Beyers and 50% Sport Galaxy Beyers and they receive electrolytes in the drinking water. I also use the electrolytes when basketing and especially when the weather is warm.

I also alternately use one product per week in the drinking water, so they always get either Conditioning Powder from Peeters, Previsal or Special Force from Bony 3 days in a row. The food is about Zell Oxygen with Optimix from Herbots on Monday and Amino Acids with BMT from Peeters on Wednesday.

In the spring, the pigeons were given a 5-day treatment against tricho and 2 days of something against the respiratory tract. Now after 6 weeks of season, last Sunday I gave them a pill against tricho based on herbs together with a yellow drop in the mouth.

The vaccinations for my racing pigeons are as follows: this spring they received one against paramyxo, smallpox and paratyphus. The rota vaccination is a very important one for the young pigeons.

Best pigeons on this moment 

BE 22-5087180 Blauw witpen Duiver

  2 Mettet                  966d
  3 Chimay             2.460d
  9 Mettet               1.957d
13 Laon                 2.173d
13 Chimay            1.383d
20 Vervins            2.257d

Father BE 15-2209269 
Won himself 2 Prov Ace sprint KBDB 2016 – 10 Nat Ace sprint KBDB 2016
and 14 Ace sprint KBDB 2018
Won in totaal 16 x per 100-tal

Gr.F. BE 13-5148534 Louis Ceyssens
                Won himself 1/1.463p – 1/487p – 1/145p – 1/125p
                Son from “996/10” Topbreeder x “635/12” Daughter 3 Ace sprint KBDB
Gr.M. BE 13-5148562 Blue – Tom Cartuyvels
                Daughter from “812/09” De Jo x “157/11” Sister 68 14 x 1/100 Stakenborg

Mother BE 18-5124724 Guido Franssen

Gr.F. BE 06-5078354 Guido Franssen
                Won himself 1 Prov Ace sprint KBDB 2009 – 3 Ace sprint KBDB 2009
                Grandfather “Johny” 1 Nat Ace sprint KBDB 2009
Gr.M. BE 15-2265807 Guido Franssen

BE 23-5047346 Cock

1 Vervins             2.257p
1 Chimay             1.595p
8 Chimay             2.460p

Father BE 20-5097937 Franske – Frans & Gert Rondags
Won zelf 1/1.192p – 1/206p – 2/2.416p – 2/801p - 2/595p – 3/390p – 6/223p – 7/245p
8/1.629p – 8/817p – 9/321p – 9/303p – 10/701p – 11/667p – 11/284p – 12/569p – 14/1.154p

Gr.F. BE 19-5098755 Grandson Martine 
                Son from “464/15” x “648/16” Daughter Martine 3 Nat Ace M.D. KBDB
Gr.M. BE 16-2270613 Sister Martine
                Sister “Martine” 3 Nat Ace M.D. KBDB
                “Martine” is grandmother “Nafi” 1 Nat Ace sprint young birds KBDB 
                Daughter from “929/08” x “242/12” Granddaughter Tom 16 x 1st

Mother BE 20-5098069 Sister Speedy Girl
“Speedy Girl” won 1 Prov Ace young birds KBDB 2016

Gr.F. BE 14-2013581 Kittel – Peter Stakenborg
                Son from  "819/12” x 202/11” Blue
Gr.M. BE 13-5075850 Pale – Peter Stakenborg 
                Daughter from “982/12” won 1/692p x “909/08” Sister Poulidor 

Peter, congratulations from the entire HERBOTS TEAM on these great results. 

Buelens Kim