Wim Storms (Berlaar) 1st National Champion heavy middle distance youngsters KBDB 2023

Pigeon racing has been alive and well in Antwerp's Berlaar for several years, and the name of our neighbor Gaston Van de Wouwer obviously has a lot to do with that. Wim Storms, who is the same age as Gaston's son Kurt, learned the pigeon sport as a 9-year-old boy through Gaston, a stranger who came here and occasionally a pigeon from Gaston gave Wim a lot of pleasure as a young guest. It started as a hobby and Wim still views it that way. In 2012 Wim won 1st National Montlucon against 17,432 pigeons with “De Janne”. You can still find this line in some of today's top products. After Wim's father retired, he and his son were able to focus on the pigeons so that the approach was a little more precise. Wim himself is not always of the opinion that everything must always be done to the minute. The pigeons must adapt to the fancier and not the other way around. Unfortunately, Wim lost his lost a few years ago, which means that the pigeon sport will now be a bit quieter in terms of experience. Of course it was a boost for him that he became 1st National Champion Heavy Middle Distance Youngsters KBDB 2023 with his pigeons. You only have 4 chances and you need 3 good ones to end up at the top.

The current colony therefore mainly consists of pigeons from Gaston Van de Wouwer, supplemented with pigeons from Johan De Belser, Geert Lambrechts, Jos Verberckt and Wim Hendrickx. The latter in particular brings endurance to the pigeons, which makes it easy for them to digest this rhythm and I can no longer really participate in the shorter flight. The stock mother “Annemie” is a cross between Johan De Belser and Remy De Mey that you will often find in Wim's best pigeons.

Young pigeons

It won't be easy to confirm for the 2023 season, but Wim will try anyway, the focus this year is entirely on the young pigeons. The best from last season have all gone to the breeding loft and old or yearlings will not be raced in the heavy middle distance. There is only a separate loft for the extreme long distance where Barcelona is the dream that Wim wants to focus on. That is why the breeding loft is slightly larger this year than in other years, 25 couples took care of the offspring here, but that is why there are not 100 young pigeons that I play because I cannot properly supervise them.

The extreme long distance team competes in Agen and Tulle as yearlings, Agen and Perpignan as 2 yearlings and then goes to Barcelona as 3 yearlings. Before 2024 there will be 1 pigeon ready for Barcelona. But with a 2nd Provincial Agen in 2023 against 638 old birds (8th National against 5,851 pigeons), he is certainly not doing badly.

The young pigeons now, the 1st round is in a large loft and there are still 36 of the 44. The 2nd round is in a separate loft and is still 12 pigeons, part of which goes for bonuses in the premises from the region. The 1st round will be darkened until the beginning of July and two later the lighting will start until the last national flight. Then the lights come on at 5am and go off at 10:30pm. The second round and the young pigeons for the extreme long distance are not darkened.

Last season the young pigeons were separated after a few flights and raced on the sliding door, but Wim saw that it was not good. There was no mutual movement and motivation, which meant that the pigeons did not return home properly. For him it is not necessary to prepare, but this system did not work. He explained this to Gaston and he gave him a tip. Wim took a different approach and linked the young pigeons to old partners. This system suited him and the pigeons suddenly arrived, so this year Wim will separate the young pigeons at the same time but will start faster with old partners because it takes a while before the pigeons realize this widowhood. Last season he started this around July 21 and it took one week of intensive work to get all the pigeons paired. This will therefore be tackled more quickly and in better planning next season.

The pigeons only train here once a day, once the pigeons are separated, the hens will fly in the morning and the cocks in the evening. As motivation for the old partners, Wim left them together for half an hour to a maximum of an hour before the flight and they only separated after the flight in the evening. The pigeons always flew Noyon between the national flights to keep them moving and to try to regain some speed.

In terms of training, they ride well before the season so that they know the trade, but during the season itself there is no time to do this properly. The pigeons flew several speed races, 2x middle distance and then it was off to the nationals. If you continue and look at nothing, there will not be many pigeons left at the end of the journey, but of course you can go to war with these pigeons because they have been through all kinds of things.

Best birds between the young birds 

BE 23-6016201 “De Ken” Blue Cock
30 Nat Ace heavy middle distance young birds KBDB 2023

  10 Prov Chateauroux      1.625p
170 Nat Chateauroux     13.852p
  11 Noyon                              988p
206 Prov Sermaises          8.091p
330 Nat Argenton           18.837p
367 Nat Bourges             20.328p

Nestbrother from “BE 23-6016202” Lin
She won 184 Nat Bourges 19.369p – 378 Nat Argenton 18.837p

Father BE 20-6182972 Son Achai

Gr.F. BE 13-6064994 Brother 1 Prov Bordeaux 562p ( 2 Int.Nat 10.717p ) Wim Hendrickx
         Son from “988/06” Sterken Donkeren 1 Prov Perpignan ( 13 Nat 7.364p )
         x “108/07” Blue Rika 20 Prov Souillac 907p
Gr.M. BE 12-6023567 Achai
          Won herself 1st Ace long distance Houtvenne – 4th Prov Ace long distance 
          15 Nat Ace heavy middle distance distance  KBDB 2024
          Daughter from “672/11” Kale x “902/08” Foundation hen Annemie and 1 Prov Ace long distance 
          

Mother BE 19-6036914 Sister Erika – Gaston Van de Wouwer
Sister of “Erika” 36 Nat Argenton – 51 Nat Argenton
Sister of “371/17” 60 Nat Issoudun

Gr.F. BE 15-6048779 ½ brother New Kim - Gaston Van de Wouwer
        “New Kim” won 1 Nat Ace heavy middle distance young birds KBDB
        Son from “382/14” x “399/14” Mother New Kim
Gr.M. BE 14-6072352 Daughter Sergio - Gaston Van de Wouwer
         Daughter from “094/08” Sergio is son Kaasboer x “793/11” 
        ½ sister Argenton J & J Engels 

BE 23-6016222 “Tess” Blue Hen
9th Nat Ace heavy middle distance young birds 2023 ( 4 KBDB races )

  16 Prov Chateauroux       2.935p
155 NAT                             13.852p
253 Nat Bourges              20.328p
686 Nat Bourges              19.369p
1421 Nat Argenton          18.837p

Father BE 22-6030332 Kleine Vlieger

Gr.F. BE 14-6078773 Son Pooky – Geert Lambrechts
         Son from “715/07” Checkered Johan De Belser x “643/10” Pooky 1 Prov Gueret 1.871p
Gr.M. BE 21-6032619 Racing hen

Mother BE 17-6051167 Granddaughter Anneke - Gaston Van de Wouwer

Gr.F. BE 14-6072457 Brother Anette - Gaston Van de Wouwer
         Father of 1 Nat (z) Chateauroux ( 5 Nat )
         “Anette” is mother of 1 Melun 1.488p – 12 Nat Chateauroux
         Son from “137/11” Brother Kim 1 Nat Gueret x “018/07” Anneke
         is mother of “Amalia” 1 Nat Ace middle distance KBDB 2013
Gr.M. BE 14-6072395 Sister Nele - Gaston Van de Wouwer
          “Nele” won 1 Provincial Blois
          Daughter from “859/11” Yves Vandepoel x “750/10” Lili is daughter Kaasboer 

BE 23-6016234 “De Vic” Blue Cock
Won 168 Nat Bourges 20,328p 

Wasn't raced afterwards because it was too far into the moult.

Father BE 13-6064515 Grandson Janne
Won himself 50 Nat La Souterraine 3.184p

Gr.F. BE 12-6315032 Son Janne
         Son from “903/08” Janne 1 Nat Montlucon 17.432p
Gr.M. BE 10-6024539 Jos Verberckt 

Mother BE 13-6064535 Daughter foundation hen Annemie
Won herself 116 Nat Argenton 19.309p
Is mother of 1 Prov Issoudun 1.400p

Gr.F. BE 11-6117672 De Kale
         Brother from “Leentje” 1 Ace young birds heavy middle distance
         ½ brother Janne 1 Nat Montlucon 17.432p
         Son from “969/00” Jozef Goovaerts x “626/09” Johan De Belser 
Gr.M. BE 08-6175902 Annemie
         Won herself 1 Prov Ace heavy middle distance – 1 Ace Cureghem Centre jonge 2008
         Won herself 12 Nat Gueret 14.784p – 33 Nat Argenton 25.583p – 44 Nat La Souterraine 21.258p
         Daughter “964/04” Johan De Belser x “903/05” Betty Remy De Mey

Accompaniment 

Here too, Wim tries to develop the easiest possible system without too many different mixtures. The young pigeons are currently receiving ½ Rust Aidi and ½ Sport Vanrobaeys. This will also be the case the first days after the flight and they will then be raised with Sport Vanrobaeys and they will receive this when they return home.

At the end of May the young pigeons will receive a tricho treatment just like last year and during the season itself I work with the yellow drops. One week in the mouth and the other week on the food. There was no treatment against the respiratory tract in 2023, few pigeons in a spacious loft will also have an impact on this. 

As a veterinarian, I go to Kristof Mortelmans for check-ups and I also use his products if necessary. The pigeons were vaccinated against everything from last year, 2x PMV-Rota, Herpes, Smallpox and Paratyphus and that has caused me few headaches. This year they will be prepared for the racing season in the same way.

Congratulations to Wim on this title from the entire HERBOTS TEAM. B

uelens Kim