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BE a champion and
stay a champion
EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT
Wijdewormer, March 25, 2020 beautiful spring weather, yes. However,
there is much more going on and who could have imagined that two weeks
ago. The corona contamination. Some made it a bit laughable, others
immediately saw the seriousness of it. Increasingly stringent measures
are announced worldwide every day. Our prime minister and our king spoke
to the whole people via TV and then it really is serious. Those speeches
were much appreciated, it did people very well. The government also
provides almost daily information on how best to combat this rapidly
spreading contamination. That should succeed if we all participate in
this and if we all meet the agreements made. More I can and won’t say
about it, I willingly leave that to the experts and we must have
complete confidence in that. Furthermore we will have to support each
other as much as possible in every respect. Do not just nod yes but also
do!
WE NEED TO CONTINUE
The messages in all types of media do not make it more fun. Every moment
of the day we are extensively informed about the situation in all
countries. It doesn't stop, so I wonder if we don't scare people more
and more. It is a very serious matter, that we all know, but it would be
very soothing if something positive were reported. Even if only a little
bit, it gives people a little confidence again. Despite the many nasty
messages I think we are on the right track again. We should probably not
count too much on April, which is the date that is provisionally seen as
a possible turning point. A lot of organizations and also companies are
very concerned. Because of the corona contamination our whole life has
changed completely. Large sport events are canceled which means that
millions of people have to miss all kinds of small and especially very
large sport events which are just so important for the necessary
relaxation on the weekends. However, it is also about the small sport
events where spectators are almost never present but which are greatly
enjoyed by the athlete himself. This relaxation is urgently needed to
function well during the working week. When we look at our great hobby,
the pigeon sport, it is especially a lot of fun and distraction for a
large group of elderly people. I must honestly confess that I am
especially happy now that my hobby is keeping racing pigeons. Last year
I planned to quit, I'm glad I didn't.
OUTSIDE IT IS COLD BUT IT’S SUMMER IN THE LOFT
Autumn lasted very long this year, we have not had winter and spring has
started with a lot of sun. However, in the Netherlands we currently
suffer a lot from a vicious cold east wind so that the wind chill feels
like it is freezing. From the wind you notice that the sun already has a
lot of power and in the loft it is so wonderful that the boss has
already fallen asleep on his chair several times. The newly weaned
youngsters were on my shoulders, on my cap and in my food bucket. All
youngsters are now weaned and every now and then I have to keep one with
his head in the water which is quite easy to see when I have to. Those
who are squinting or blinking are thirsty and do not yet know exactly
where the drinking bowl is and then the boss has to step in by holding
them with their cup in the drinking bowl. You can almost immediately see
that they are improving. Furthermore, they have full boxes all day. So
they can eat when they want, the disadvantage is that they mess a lot
with the food. That is why I stop feeding with a full bowl of food after
two weeks. I prefer feeding at fixed times. I once discovered that in
the Amsterdam zoo. A beautiful zoo where many wild animals live in
captivity. They are also taken care of at set times and you have to see
how active they get by then and even though they live in captivity they
look nice and sleek and shiny a sign that their physical condition is
okay. That is also how I see it with the pigeons. They already know that
when I enter the loft fresh food is thrown into the boxes. Check them
out if they are allegedly on ration. It's the same song every year. When
it is feeding time I stand outside next to the sputnik and even though
they fly so high, as soon as they see me they dive like comets in the
loft and are inside within seconds. If they don't something is going on.
That is not so much fun but it is nice to know that something is not
right because then you have to intervene. Eating and flying appetite are
very important measures that indicate the condition of the pigeons.
BREEDING SEASON AS GOOD AS BEYOND
The racing pigeons are ready for battle, they have been separated since
Wednesday. My racing pigeons are in the “upper loft”. A department for
the 11 hens, one for the 11 cocks and a larger department with 43
youngsters. The other three departments are empty and that was also the
intention. Less work and who knows, just as much fun. Our 20 pairs of
breeding pigeons are sitting downstairs and as you know the first round
went to Marco and recently the same group has joined me. The breeding
went very well, apparently all beautiful youngsters. None that did not
come up well and if they stay healthy they can all participate in the
competitions. Well or less well built they can all show their skills.
The breeding pigeons are now working on their last job and then they are
separated, then cocks and hens can each run in an open aviary of 3.5 x
2.5 meters. Only the roof is closed, they can enter at night.
WAITING IS NOW FOR THE START OF THE FLYING SEASON
The big question for many fanciers we will be competing this year.
Normally it is true that at this time of the year the speed players are
eager to start, that is not possible. In that respect, we will have to
wait quietly for all developments regarding the corona virus. There is
no sensible answer yet. Tonight at half past six in the Netherlands we
will receive the very latest news about the state of affairs and any new
agreements. If we could start the first flights in June would that be a
very surprising and very favorable sign because that would mean that we
are on the right track. I can add a little supplement to this article
before it goes to the printer. We are waiting for the speech by our
Prime Minister. This meant that, in general, little changes except for
the people who behave antisocial. Failure to comply with the regulations
may result in a hefty fine. Those who do not want to hear should feel.
WHAT MAY CHANGE WITHIN A WEEK
The infection with the Corona virus started in China. Everyone thought
that is far from my bed. Many ordinary citizens thought it would not go
so fast. The media provided a lot of information but nevertheless we all
shrugged a bit. Washing hands many times a day, well if that's all it
will be fine. However the reporting became increasingly concrete causing
a kind of hamster panic break out. The supermarkets were looted. Carts
were loaded with toilet paper, bread, long-life milk, paste and so on.
However, we do not solve the Corona contamination with that. All kinds
of emergency measures were announced. Unfortunately it is not the same
in every country. The Netherlands has been largely locked up for a few
days. Hospitality, museums, restaurants, canteens of sports clubs,
everything is and will remain closed until April 6. The pigeon season
also does not continue until further notice. Well, there are worse
things to think of than the temporary ban on pigeon racing. The big
question is how people will react if the bans are extended a few more
times a few months. You don't have to think about all the consequences
and yet you have to. It is a very serious matter when we had to smile a
bit about it two weeks ago. It is desirable that a vaccine is developed
quickly so that normal life can start again in the foreseeable future.
Let's not think about it too easily and stick to the agreements made.
ALL MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS CANCELED
Actually unimaginable, no entertainment for millions of people around
the world. Then you must agree that we are in a terrible period. Our
health is at stake. No family visits, no shaking hands, the nightlife is
completely stopped, we will have to entertain at home. Unfortunately
that has not fully penetrated by many, especially the youth is still
going on. But how long, the weekends will change completely and daily
life will not be as it was for the time being. We pigeon fanciers were
busy preparing for the new season a week ago. The Belgians are said to
have already started the speed races for old pigeons. First the weather
throw soot in the food and now the worldwide Corona infection. I am
currently not very positive about our pigeon sport. The start may be
longer than we think. Nevertheless, I will continue to prepare for the
time being. The 2020 season will certainly be different from the way we
were used to. That is not to say that it is therefore less fun.
ARE PIGEON BROOKERS AND BREEDING STUDS IN TROUBLE?
That could indeed become quite a big problem. Because everything is
locked, including the export of pigeons, all those name pigeons with
beautiful pedigrees will get the same value as the pigeons from Jan with
the cap. Names of pigeons written upwards will not matter that much
anymore. The Asian fanciers who still buy the vast majority of European
pigeons will keep their hands on the money if they know in advance that
it is not known when they will be sent their bought pigeons at
ridiculously high amounts. The pigeon brokers and breeding stations will
soon be stocked with lofts of pigeons that cannot or should not be sent
and if there is no more income they will have to fire staff. In short
all the troubles are not yet completely clear. The mass breeders among
us who hold a few sales a year will, like many companies, be forced to
lock things up. You can see how quickly something can change. Who of the
mass players who practice the pigeon sport commercially will ever have
thought of this, nobody right? They are all fully breeding again to
strike immediately after the racing season. “It may be wrong” Brederode
once said.
OUR YOUNGSTERS
This week I was on a loft visit with my son Marco, he has the first
round from our joint breeding loft. I had only seen them once since they
left me. They now fly and look perfect. Nice sight, a couple of 50
youngsters. Some are already molting in the neck and this weekend he
will start darkening. His old pigeons will come with eggs at the end of
this week, all with the intention that they will be in widowhood before
the original start date. Marco has 18 pairs of racing pigeons with which
he will play double widowhood. However, it is now known that the start
of the season will be moved to a later date. We will start bringing the
pigeons away from 25 March. I hope Marco will take mine too. I have 11
couples, mostly annuals. This weekend March 21/22 my 40 youngsters are
leaving the parents. Their loft is super clean, disinfected, processed
with the burner and on the floor is a thick layer of pea straw. Two
drinking bowls are about a meter and a half apart, a bowl with grit that
is refreshed every day. The first two weeks only fresh water and then
from time to time "something" goes into the water. I have no secrets, it
is interspersed with garlic, yellow cure and condition mix from Dr. Van
der Sluis, then again a two-day course against ornithosis. I start
darkening in mid-April and continue until the end of June. For me, the
eclipse runs from half past eight in the evening until half past eight
the next morning.
BEAUTIFUL CULTIVATED
Of course the mild winter weather has had a positive effect on early
breeding. The early youngsters for Marco were shining in the nests,
producing nice solid manure probably because I fed them three times a
day. I did the same with the youngsters who are meant for me.
Furthermore they got everything I thought would be good for them,
mineral mix, fresh vegetables, grit, garlic, brewer's yeast and vitamin
mineral. Every now and then I take a young pigeon in my hands during
cleaning, they feel the way we all like to see it. Even though they are
still quite young you already have a pigeon in your hands if you know
what I mean. I'm proud of it. The vast majority is light blue, no bold
blue I don't like that. Has nothing to do with quality but with my
hobby. I also have more white pens than in other years. I don't want to
have that whole motley. The breeders are now almost all on the third
round of eggs and after that it is over so end of the breeding season.
Let's hope that we can all get back to normal life in the near future
because it is now very boring on the street. That should work if we keep
to the agreements because good health is still the most important thing
for all of us.
METEOROLOGICAL SPRING IS STARTED
That sounds nice anyway. The word spring alone makes for a better
feeling because the beautiful spring weather is coming. Unfortunately
there was no sign of that yesterday. But this morning the sun was
shining and we had not seen it for a long time. What a luxury and then
to think that the real spring does not start until March 21 and fourteen
days after we will start. The latter is difficult to imagine. Yes in the
loft it is noticeable that we are on our way to a hopefully beautiful
fight under good conditions. The weather does not always have to be
nice. Sometimes it is for the exciting pretty good they have to root to
get home on time. The good results must be made naturally. That does not
mean that there are just beautiful or easy flights as long as they are
not flights with a disastrous course. During the selection we all did
our best to keep pigeons that have met the test of criticism. Nothing is
so bad then losing your with great care chosen pigeons. That something
like this will happen to some fanciers is almost certain. You must also
be able to handle setbacks in sport and we fanciers can certainly do
that. Setbacks belong by every sport similarly with ours. However a good
sportsman does not let himself be knocked out of the field and knows how
to deal with this. Do not think that you are the only one who sometimes
gets a hefty twist. It is very important that the pigeons have gone
through the winter without any problems because of the good care of the
boss which can be seen in the breeding results. Eggs laid nicely on
time, little or no unfertilized eggs, youngsters that hatch from their
eggs simultaneously, nice dry manure around the dishes, no squeaky
youngsters. These are situations that indicate that the condition of the
pigeons is good. Consider the compulsory vaccination (s), a final manure
check can certainly not hurt. Now something can be done about it, you
will be late in two weeks. You then essentially complete a round and try
to make it up again. There are those who succeed but most have to let
go. In that respect it is just like a cycling race and you know that in
a cycling race no one is waiting and that is also the case in the pigeon
sport.
IN MARCH THE DOTS ARE PUT ON THE I
For many fanciers spring month is the month in which matters are tackled
even more seriously compared to the competition season, including me.
From March 1 all my pigeons sit on summertime that start at the end of
this month. The clock then moves forward one hour. As a result the days
become longer which means that those who still work can also release
their pigeons in the evening. This way everyone is on the timetable that
is used during the season. My racing pigeons that are still sitting with
newly ringed youngsters now only go out at 8 o'clock in good weather (9
o'clock summer time). If they are separated in April the hens will not
come out in the morning, the cocks are allowed out at 8 am and 5 am. If
the young pigeons are weaned later they may be out from 9 to 12. As soon
as they start fluttering in April they go outside at 9 o'clock in the
morning and are fed at 10 o'clock. In the afternoon the hens fly from a
quarter to four to five, the cocks from 5 to 6 and the young from 6 to
7. Only at the end of April do the hens also go outside in the morning
and are allowed to train for half an hour from 7.30. The boss will also
have to get used to all of that because he himself is still in winter
time. If the weather is good in the afternoon I will cycle as much as
possible every day for an hour and a half and then I see youngsters fly
in pairs with various fanciers while mine are all still in the dish
which will be weaned at the end of this month. I was not supposed to
take that many but in the meantime there are 40 again. Everything is
going so well. Every day I go to the pigeons with pleasure and to think
that I was planning to stop last year. I was not feeling well at the
time but now I feel much better. The years do start to count. The drive
is no longer the way it was for years. But I still have angry plans so
hopefully I will provide some surprises.
DURING THE 25TH SPRING FAIR THE STARTING SHOT SOUNDED
The crowds showed that many fanciers are really looking forward to it
again. Although the weather was fine during the early breeding many
fanciers were interested in the large selection of young pigeons. Very
good business was done and many sellers was sold out on Saturday. The
more than 250 exhibitors were also more than satisfied. Of course the
organization had given ample attention to the corona virus. You
regularly came across the sign washing hands. More than 7000 paying
visitors had passed the checkout of this very successful spring fair
last weekend. Whether or not it has something to do with it I cannot
determine but in the night from Saturday to Sunday 12 of their 14
breeding pigeons were stolen from father and son Murk from IJsselstein
(NL). By making a hole in the mesh from the entrance door to the
breeding aviary the perpetrators managed to gain access. Really typical
that something like this often happens when a big event is held in the
pigeon field. Let's hope the perpetrators get caught in the neck. We
also have the NPO meeting on 14 March with the most important points
being the election of the board. It appears that an entirely new board
will be elected with the resignation of the current chairman under point
7.2. Also under point 8.1 the vote on whether or not to organize the
racing pigeon Olympiad in the Netherlands. If it does not go ahead it
seems to me an international downfall for the NPO and a huge loss of
face for Chairman Van der Kruk (also a member of the FCI board) because
they had definitively taken on the organization. You can also be
premature. Regardless of how it ends in April we are all empty-handed at
the start for a new, hopefully sporty and exciting showdown.
SILENCE FOR ANOTHER NEW STORM
The Dutch Weather is a completely upset. For weeks with fairly stormy
winds and heavy rain showers the temperatures are fairly mild for the
time of year. Storm Chiara and Dennis have made a name for themselves
and today there is another strong wind. All in all a pretty good period
for the winter breeders but now it's coming. Some winter breeders sit
with hands in the hair because from the end of January the earliest
youngsters had to go outside. I beg so the wind is a big breaker. Almost
no fancier dares to leave his young pigeons outside and in the meantime
it’s the end of February. Maybe it sounds worse. I know enough fanciers
who release their young pigeons when they have thrown the first pen but
that is not my system. We have to take risk. The youngsters can
sometimes blow through the gust of the loft which does not mean that you
immediately lose everything. I live in the polder and have only rest
around the loft. At the moment I don't have any youngsters that have to
go outside. Mine have just crawled from the egg so I have until the end
of March. If it’s then better weather we have to wait. There have been
years when quite a lot of snow fell at the end of March but that was an
exception in the Netherlands. Unfortunately we now have more and more to
do with air climate change and we and our pigeons have to deal with.
Today it is a sunny day a strong wind is blowing again. However another
(fierce) storm is coming. That is predicted for Saturday March 14 namely
then the postponed general meeting of the NPO is being held. If you ask
me much too late. Two weeks after our new racing season starts and then
it is hard to imagine that the severely disabled NPO board has required
everything to the last detail. It would be a good thing that there would
be more information from behind that board table to the followers. In
fact fanciers now nothing yet about changes. Probably little will be
changed because there’s no time for it. Rest in the room is currently
the most important thing. The still amps 7000 flying lofts now want to
know how 2020 season will look like. The race program is largely known.
For us the race season is started, we are there all year round busy
with. The majority is not so concerned with the national organization
and only want to play with pigeons. It’s now about capable managers who
see that their members keep pigeons to participate in competitions. That
is their hobby and that is why they are associated with the NPO.
Unfortunately the NPO didn’t bake much of it.
Various managers have resigned and there is a chairman who simply does
not want to leave while he has been asked several times to make his
position available. It leaves him cold, he pretends that nothing is
wrong while pigeons loving Netherland really want to get rid of him.
Then he also loses his face and his jobs at the FCI and he was just so
proud of that. It is now quiet before the storm. It is even anxiously
quiet and in the corridors people wonder if everything is arranged on
time. The confidence in chairman Maurice van de Kruk who likes to hear
himself talk is completely gone although he still does not realize that.
AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam was once an independent department with more than 1200 members
on a small number of square kilometers. Especially in the much sung
Jordaan it was crawling of fanciers. That is why the letter sent this
week was a complete surprise. Amsterdam was no longer an independent
department for quite some time and went further through pigeon life as
District Amsterdam with considerably fewer members. Now the message came
through that the district of Amsterdam has also been discontinued. The
reason given was the ever-decreasing number of members, too little
participation in events and the annual festive championships. Really
incredible. I have experienced the big parties in Grand Hotel
Krasnapolsky and in the Hilton hotel, unforgettable evenings! For
several years I have been able to judge the pigeons at countless clubs
and I also keep good memories of the annual departmental exhibition with
their class of honor. And so the Dutch pigeon sport loses an icon again.
A pity and a pity.
ONE LOFT RACES
I have never been in favor of it because this type of competition has
nothing to do with the pigeon sport that we know in the Netherlands for
100 years. Taking care of your pigeons yourself and participating in
flights is a real hobby at home. From the time that the pigeon sport
gained worldwide fame smart people arose who saw it as commercial. There
are simply a lot of gambling people in this world. The one loft races
were gaining more ground worldwide. Large amounts of money could be won
by our standards and that made several fanciers think. Many got an
aversion to this gambling game with pigeons because the participation
costs are much too high for the average fancier. Another much more
important point in my opinion is the pigeons themselves. They are put
together in large numbers which is extra difficult to keep them healthy.
Releasing many pigeons at the same time from the loft makes absolutely
no sense because those pigeons don't really train. They do not move away
and therefore remain as stupid as the horse of our Lord and that was a
donkey. In other words a lot of pigeons are lost as a result. In
addition we may ask ourselves what the condition of the pigeons must be
to make them eligible for participation. At home we determine ourselves
which pigeons can and cannot participate and we do our best to get them
to the start with extra motivation. How does that work in the money
races? Do they all fly off the shelf or may they also have a litter. I
still don't have a good feeling about it. It is not allowed in the
Netherlands. That does not say everything. For some fanciers races like
this are a solution. Not long ago I had contact with a fancier from
Hawaii by email. Pigeon racing is almost impossible there. That man had
a loft of breeding pigeons whose youngsters were released in the "one
loft races". That was that man's big hobby. A few days ago I received
the very comprehensive overview of the One Million Dollar Race in South
Africa, very professional for sure. For the 24th time the 600 km race
was held on 1 February. At 6:05 am the remaining 1548 pigeons from 34
different countries were released at a temperature of 19 degrees
Celsius. The pigeons had the wind on their heads and during the day the
temperature rose to 32 degrees. The largest international participation
came from Germany 403; USA 228; VK 100; Belgium 46 and the Netherlands
59. Our South African sports friends had deployed 284. The pigeons were
expected that day at 4 o'clock in the afternoon which meant 10 hours of
flying at a speed of 60 km per hour. That calculation was incorrect. We
had to wait until 6.32 pm for a Slovenian pigeon to report at a speed of
802 meters per minute. The pigeon thus earned 300.000 US dollars for his
boss. Later the winning pigeon was sold for 118.000 dollars. If you read
something like that many people get the jitters to take a chance. At
7:48 PM an American pigeon arrived for $ 150.000 and at 7:27 PM a Dutch
pigeon arrived that collected $ 100.000. Then it became quiet. The
fourth pigeon had to wait until 5.58 a.m. on Sunday morning and number 5
arrived at 6.49 a.m. On Sunday evening 447 were home and Monday evening
at 7 p.m. that number had grown to 590. So after three days of the race
there were a thousand (two thirds) young pigeons en route and that is
precisely the reason for my aversion to the one loft races.
THE CARDS ARE SHAKED
By that I do not mean the cards for bridge or another card game but
about the pedigree cards of our pigeons. I spend a lot of time on it in
the quiet winter months after the pigeons have been selected. All this
with the intention of putting together breeding couples from which I
expect good results. It is a fun activity because you can read the
necessary information about parents and grandparents from every breeding
pigeon. You can see at a glance whether the pigeon is a cross product or
whether it comes from lines or inbreeding. For me this is important
information when forming the new couples. You also have immediate global
information about the performance of the entire family especially if you
work on it. Try to capture as many important notes as possible such as
the quality of the feathers, physique, size, sturdy and well-closed
coccyx. Very useful because in practice it appears that you forget more
than you think. By putting couples together on the basis of the pedigree
cards you are in any case careful. If after a lot of shifting I come to
a definitive link I usually feel satisfied. In my mind I see the pigeons
in front of me and even after so many years of pigeon sport I am still
so naive that I think they are all sublime couples. For me they are
especially after all the preliminary work I have done. However, it does
not mean that the breeding results of the couples are sublime. We are
all pigeon fanciers enough to know that such a thing is impossible.
But……. if you manage to breed an "extra" once you know that a pigeon
that taps three or maybe four times very early in its birth year gives
that enormous sense of satisfaction especially because you yourself have
determined the parents. I also like to talk about usable pigeons.
Pigeons do not necessarily have to be winners, you also need pigeons to
make a nice result. Just winning a first prize with 50 pigeons doesn't
tell me that much. I prefer to go for a result such as 1-5-6-8-9 etc.
with the same number of pigeons. That is what I work for every day and
luckily for me many times in my long career I succeeded. That is
especially nice because I have never flown with a large number of
pigeons. Until three years ago I had a maximum of 24 couples to fly and
the same number of breeders. The latter was very much but the demand for
my pigeons was very high for me. Now that I am an old man and have only
played 12 pairs of pigeons in the last two years the results are less
spectacular. In the corridors I sometimes hear "Bras is old and doesn't
have the good ones anymore". That's right, I am indeed old and without
you noticing it change you a little every day. You become a bit easier,
it doesn't have to be that way anymore, you become more sentimental and
less driven in. In short it all becomes too much. This year I have not
(yet) succeeded in completely giving up my pigeons. In 2020 I would only
play with young pigeons. But if from the end of March until the
beginning of July I only have to care for young pigeons then I might as
well keep a dozen couples of racing pigeons so that I have a game every
week from April. So the men are not completely rid of me yet. In
addition I care about our 20 joint breeding couples that are housed with
me so enough work.
YOUNGSTERS ARE READY
They really came up beautifully and at the end of this week 32 go to son
Marco. A score of 80% (32 out of 40) is definitely good for this time of
the year. It is a shame about the two, in our eyes, important couples
had unfertilized eggs in the first round and now happily sit on their
newly born youngsters for a few days. The cocks are already hunting hard
and the youngsters from those eggs are for me. So from the end of March
I also have my team of youngsters. In addition, there are also a few
that I breed from the racing pigeons that have just been together for a
week. A little too late because the breeding pigeons already have eggs
from the second round. We will see how it goes, 35 youngsters are more
than enough for me. Dr. van der Sluis will soon be coming to vaccinate
against paramixo as soon as the breeding and racing pigeons are brooding
again. Also the young pigeons that are now sitting with Marco get then a
shot. Now we have to wait and see what the quality of the youngsters is
like. Breeding a loft full of youngsters is not that difficult. In that
respect they are just like mice, you have in no time a loft full of what
is not intended. It's not about quantity but about quality. There are in
our country so-called eye inspectors and even fortune-tellers who tells
everywhere they go the best stories about pigeons that can win a club
competition or even perform so well that he gets a teletext mention. I
must say that those men do ensure a pleasant pigeon evening. They
sometimes have a good story but in my eyes it is still a story or even a
fairy tale that they are tell people. They also breed a loft full of
youngsters every year. If they knew so well they would have had enough
of two breeding couples. No, it is and remains very difficult to breed a
topper every year and that is not even possible with most. Recently I
read in a column written by a very good fancier that he had a special
pigeon 20 years ago. It was not only a winner during the competitions
but also as a breeder he was worth his weight in gold. The pigeon would
certainly have produced a dozen national ace pigeons. In itself
incredible but absolutely true. The man is not only a great champion, he
is also a fan of a very large number of pigeons. There are a good number
of foster pigeons which are therefore not raced with. He only has it to
hatch eggs from his top pigeons and to raise them further. That is one
of the reasons that he has bred several top pigeons from his champion
pigeons. He did say that from 2000 onwards a total of 207 were bred so
only 5% really top. Can you see how difficult it is to breed a few good
ones from very good pigeons apart from the fact how many fanciers in the
world can realize such a breeding method? Every year he breeds around
300 pigeons for himself and then to think that someone in the southwest
of the Netherlands wants to start with 1000 youngsters. Very spectacular
but not a good thing for the pigeon sport. Within the NPO there is a
"fair game" working group that came up with four proposals at the last
meeting to establish the maximum number of participating pigeons that
can be used per fancier. It remained at point 4 and that meant; leave
everything as it is. Which means that everyone can use as many pigeons
on every flight as they want. Pigeon sport has never been a fair game
and therefore it never be.
CODE ORANGE
We notice more and more that the climate is changing. As far as we know
there has never been such a severe storm in the Netherlands as Sunday
February 10, even the name Ciara was given to it. We are really used to
wind rain and high water. This time it was extreme and therefore the
population was warned with code orange. That meant very turbulent
weather with strong gusts of wind up to 140 km per hour and very heavy
rain showers. Well, we knew that. As a precaution 140 flights were
canceled at Schiphol Airport. There were no trains on certain routes.
Trees went round and all sports events were canceled for the entire
Sunday even the Dutch Championship against wind in cycling could not
take place. Furthermore a lot of damage to houses and buildings which
means that the insurance companies must certainly work overtime.
Sunday's damage is estimated at 150 million and even on Monday the storm
had not disappeared. Beastly weather is predicted for the coming
weekend. This powerful storm is called Dennis. Due to such turbulent
weather you also extend such situations to the upcoming racing season.
After all we are pigeon fanciers and our hobby has a lot, if not
everything, to do with weather conditions.
FLY SEASON TO ANOTHER PERIOD?
The pigeon sport is changing. Not only individual commerce plays a very
important role in maintaining the membership but climate change also
plays an important role. The real Dutch winters no longer exist. It is
becoming an exception that natural ice can be skated for several weeks
in the months of December to February. It looks like the once famous
eleven cities tour with a distance of 200 km over the frozen Frisian
waters will never be ridden again. This year in the Netherlands even the
hottest January month ever! It is early February and due to the mild
weather conditions, 8 degrees Celsius, the birds are busy making their
nests in order. Do you remember the saying "in May all birds lay eggs"?
Forget that, the birds don't wait that long anymore. It is much too soft
for the time of year. The crocuses, tulips and daffodils fly out of the
ground. On the climate change pigeon sport will also be forced to play.
I can still remember that during the winter meetings it was almost
begged not to start the racing season that early. There were winters
that there was still plenty of snow in mid-March and training flights
with snow showers along the way also occurred. It is as if the real
winters in our country no longer exist. Would that all be over for good?
It is as if the seasons are shifting. We are therefore more or less
obliged to start our racing season earlier or later. A summer break may
have to be introduced. Whatever the case a racing season such as we have
been used to for a hundred years will almost certainly have to undergo a
change. We will certainly have to be guided by climate change experts
and not by the benevolent administrators who cannot see beyond their
noses.
WINTER BREEDING
Is winter breeding still a necessary evil? It was devised by fanciers
who wanted their young to grow up before the fields started to turn
green. With this they wanted to prevent the pigeons from moving to the
field to look for what they could not find in the loft. The farmers
started working with fertilizer to ensure a good harvest. The nasty
thing is that fertilizer contains toxic components that kill birds and
therefore our pigeons. In the winter months there is little or nothing
to find for our pigeons in the field which is why winter breeding was a
great invention. Just as important with winter breeding is that you can
breed several youngsters from the better pigeons that can participate in
the young pigeon program. Not everyone, like many large fanciers, has a
number of foster pigeons that hatch the eggs of the breeding pigeons.
The pigeon game is still based on the ordinary
Fancier with a stock of no more than 50 old pigeons including a couple
of breeding pigeons plus an equal number of young pigeons. By the way,
it would be very nice if we all had an equal stock of pigeons. A "fair
game" commission such as we have in the Netherlands would then not be
necessary. Now that it has been decided in our country that everyone on
a flight can still use as many pigeons as he or she wants there is still
no question of fair play and it will unfortunately never be. By the way
it remains a very nice game. It is a shame that so many fanciers have
thrown in the towel in recent years and it doesn't stop there.
WHIT REGARDS TO BREEDING IT’S NOW HIGH SEASON
If the pigeons are well cared during the winter months and are super
healthy for breeding it must now be enjoyed by the new generation. There
are lofts where the pigeons are not yet coupled (mainly with the
marathon players) where they sometimes only sit together for a week.
With those who started between Christmas and New Year the youngsters are
now ready and with the winter breeders who have already put the pigeons
together at the end of November the youngsters are now coming outside
for the first time. We couldn't have done better with regard to weather
conditions. To date I have only heard favorable messages about the
breeding. Few or no unfertilized eggs is a good sign about the health of
the pigeons. Don't wait too long with grafting against paramixo, the
sooner the better. Don't wait too long to vaccinate against smallpox and
paratyphus and when the pigeons come to eggs for the second time a
yellow cure won't hurt either. The point is that you feel good about
yourself. You must be able to say to yourself "I did everything to it".
Soon when the season is only a few weeks old the first sounds come "it
is not possible while I have done everything about it". Maybe everything
you've done is wrong. Because it is always the same ones that moan.
There are always the same who have a subscription with the vet and there
are always the same who play well, year after year. All this has to do
with the fancier's will commitment and mentality. We are on our way to
the start it goes faster than we think. Make sure that you are well
motivated and the results will come almost automatically.
THAT’S HOW IT GOES AT THE BRASSEN
I feel better than last year and that's why I go to the pigeons with
more pleasure. I hope it stays that way and then I can make the
competition smell another shit. The youngsters from our breeders have
now all moved to Marco's loft and he has now ringed the youngsters from
his racing pigeons. If they can leave the parents in two weeks he will
be ready and will have a young stock of around 50 pigeons. I poor father
☹ have no young ones yet. The breeders are breeding for the second time
and my 11 pairs of racing pigeons for the first time. I can submit
various eggs from the breeders to the racing pigeons, all of which can
only raise a young. If everything goes well I will easily get 35
youngsters and that is more than enough for me. For now everything is
going well, father and son are increasingly looking forward to the 2020
racing season. I hope you do too!
LATEST NEWS
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture has acutely announced, February 11, a
poultry house obligation (do not let out). This has to do with a bird
flu infection in Germany. In 4 weeks it will be reviewed whether the
chickens can go outside again. This duty does not (yet) apply to
pigeons.
75 YEARS LIBERATION
When I awoke yesterday afternoon from my afternoon sleep the impressive
commemorative service at the gate of death in Auschwitz concentration
and extermination camp in southern Poland began on the TV. The Holocaust
is commemorated every year on January 27 because on that day in 1945 the
Red Army freed Auschwitz. 1.3 million people were detained there during
the war years. Of these 1.1 million were horribly murdered in gas
chambers, including more than 55.000 Dutch people. I myself was 8 years
old when the Netherlands was liberated so I was still a child. Yet my
thoughts often go back to that time. Especially if planes come over low
or if the sirens roar on the first Monday of the month. As a child I can
remember the liberation very well because the people were very excited.
They danced on the street, celebrated and everyone was happy I had never
seen anything like it before. I had never seen images of what happened
there in Auschwitz and other camps. I am now an old man and despite the
fact that we have been liberated for 75 years I could not keep it dry on
the TV during the service. Auschwitz remains an eternal monument. What
took place there during the 5 war years is incomprehensible and cannot
be described with a pen. Everyone thinks and says that something like
this should never happen again. We all probably agree with that. But if
we look at today's world events I wonder what we have all learned from
it.
THE PIGEON AS A PEACE SYMBOL
I don't know if it has anything to do with it but as a pigeon fancier I
am a bit proud that our pigeon is the peace symbol. Pigeons have made
themselves deserving in wartime and are still seen as the messenger of
peace during every war commemoration. Keep it that way I would say. In
the loft, especially at this time, they are not that peaceful.
Especially when it comes to their territory they sometimes fight until
they drop. Already in 1946 I got two pigeons for my 9th birthday who had
no more behind toe they were amputated. The occupier demanded from each
pigeon holder a list with the ring numbers of their pigeons. They wanted
to know because the food was becoming scarce and feed vouchers were
provided based on the number of pigeons. In retrospect that turned out
not to be the real reason. After a while a decree was issued that all
pigeons had to be killed and that the leg with each ring had to be
returned. That blow came very hard. Some kept their pigeons at the risk
of their own lives while others kept them with friends and
acquaintances. The situation did not improve and the controls became
stricter. Soon it became known among the pigeon farmers that you could
easily amputate the rear toe, rub the leg with soft soap and then slide
the ring off. That meant they only had to kill half of the pigeons.
Shortly after the liberation the pigeons that were still alive were
given a close ring. There were not many of them, pigeons were then a
rich possession. Halfway through the fifties there was already plenty of
racing with pigeons. The number of fanciers grew rapidly and one pigeon
club after the other was established. It became a real popular sport
with many supporters. The new building threw a spanner in the works.
Where new houses were built it was not allowed to just place a pigeon
loft in the garden, it was even forbidden. That was the first death
blow. Despite that, the pigeon sport flourished and grew. They were
golden times with every week of sport fun. The pigeon sport did not
stand still, the clocks were improved, the transport became more modern,
there were factory lofts that are a jewel in every garden, newspapers
paid full attention to the pigeon sport. There were national
championships, even a homing pigeon Olympiad and several competitions.
Unfortunately they did not lead to more members. In the new decade in
particular individual commerce entered the pigeon sport. Who would not
even want to win a car with his pigeons. The hobby became professional
with all its consequences. Fanciers grew older, stopped investing and
certainly not against those stupid amounts. As a result many of them
quit the first hour. Certainly due to old age but currently more likely
because the prices are rising in every respect. We are certainly in a
very difficult period in the Netherlands and Belgium. Dissatisfied
fanciers administrators who can no longer do good. As strange as it may
sound, within pigeon sport it is no rest and peace, it is war. Please
keep the idea that our pigeons are still the peace symbol.
THE MEMBERS COUNCIL
Last Saturday the members council of the NPO met to as far as possible
complete the agenda with all kinds of proposals for the coming racing
season. The whole event could be followed live stream. It was a long
session including a break and suspension, it took 5.5 hours and that is
far too long. Traditionally speaking speakers were regularly speaking
and I think the rest of the delegates were just thinking; how long will
this take? A very important point was the motion of no confidence in the
chairman. That is why a day chairman was hired to lead the meeting.
Incidentally it was a sleep-inducing show and at the end of the show the
current chairman was still sitting behind the board table as if nothing
was wrong at all. The voting behavior of the representative of the
Noord-Holland department in which I play was striking. He voted
differently than had already been decided at our department meeting, as
happened once before. The issue of doping was also discussed. A comment
was made that doping controls had not been conducted for a very long
period of time, while doping controllers were trained within our
organization. The chairman of the day unfortunately did not know that
our current chairman within the FCI manages the doping portfolio. None
of the delegates elaborated on this, also NPO chairman Van de Kruk kept
his jaws tight. Why didn't he bring light into this dark matter? A lot
of hard work is being done behind the scenes to invite new skilled
directors to sit on a new NPO board to be formed. On March 25 everything
will have to be arranged or arranged so that the new board can get to
work with a new impetus to remove the NPO administratively from the
impasse.
AT OUR OWN LOFT
The racing pigeons will be coupled this week. I think it is really
necessary because I saw a few breeding cocks chasing their hen again. I
have calculated everything well to place eggs from the breeding pigeons
partly under my racing pigeons. It looks like I'm a little bit late. Is
certainly due to the fairly mild weather. A few days with sunshine last
week and then it is immediately pleasant in the lofts. The ladies need a
partner. They are cuddling and now and then I find an egg. The
youngsters with the breeding pigeons are doing very well, I can now see
what color they get. Not that it is that important but I just like to
see very light blue or light scratches with an even lighter head, also
called "ice head". The most important thing is of course the quality but
also the construction counts. Beautiful and good is possible but also
difficult. I have been working on that as long as I have pigeons. But
still the prettiest are not always the best.
FORTY THOUSAND
Yes you read correctly 40.000 is a lot but that is the number of members
we have lost the in the Dutch pigeon sport over the years. I assume that
you have all been to a stadium where the same number of people were
present. When that sporting event is over and everyone goes home you see
that 40.000 people are a large crowd. We now miss a large number of
active fanciers in the Netherlands. One of the leading pigeon countries
like the Netherlands now only has 14.000. This also includes
combinations that consist of two or three members who play from the same
location. Also included are the members who no longer have pigeons but
who have remained members of their club. According to my estimate we can
still speak of 8000 "flying lofts". When we get to the national
organization point we will be shocked how many (especially older)
fanciers are still interested in our NPO which is shockingly low. The
large group wants to play with their pigeons from April to September and
for the rest it will be a concern for them how that will be arranged.
The older fanciers say "it will take my time". Try to set up an
organization for that in which all noses point in the same direction
seems something almost impossible to realize. Benevolent members of the
board receive so much opposition that administrators step up every once
in a while. The number of members is increasing rapidly which is not
only due to the aging population. The dissatisfaction and envy is
getting bigger and the associations are getting smaller. There is
already a proposal on the table that an association must consist of a
minimum of 15 members and that basketing may take place in its own room
if a minimum of 8 members participate. In my eyes a great decision but I
am sure that not everyone agrees with me. In this way we continue to
muddle a little the safety of the competition is compromised, the number
of participating pigeons in the club is little more. With me in the
Zaanstreek there are three club rooms next to each other. Yet people
still can't manage to make it into a club. How short-sighted you have to
be to stop that certainly because it is only a few members who stop a
merger. Organically things are not going well in the Netherlands. The
national administration has resigned or has been asked to resign. The
board of Noord-Holland has also given up and it is no longer a unity in
my own club. Nevertheless the new season in the Netherlands starts on
April 12 and that is what many fanciers are eagerly waiting for. However
a lot of work still needs to be done for the (new) directors. My fervent
wish is that they will succeed.
THE 24th MILLION DOLLAR RACE
Also called the Olympic Games of the pigeon sport. Saturday 1 February
is the final race over a distance of 525 km. A nice prize of 300.000 US
dollars is waiting for the winner. A total of 3632 pigeons from 36
different countries were entered for this race. As I heard of on January
17 1756 participated so there are a lot less. That it will be an
exciting race on February 1 is certain.
ROMANES ACCUSED OF PIGEON THEFT
It has been almost 4 years since 50 well-known pigeons were stolen from
the well-known Belgian long distance fancier Frans Bungeneers from
Ranst. The names of the three suspects are known but no pigeons from the
police officer from Ranst were found during house searches. However
other stolen pigeons of Dutch and Belgian descent. Frans had not
sufficiently insured his pigeons so he only received 900 euros. He has
submitted a claim for damages of 700.000 euros to the court. The court's
claim is 2 years in prison plus a fine, the judgment is on 3 February.
NATIONAL FLY PROGRAM 2020
In the Netherlands we will start on April 11 with a series of 6 speed
flights for the old pigeons followed by 7 middle distance flights, 11
flights for young pigeons and 5 after flights for old and young pigeons.
Then it is in the meantime 12 September. The young pigeons start on July
4. The program for the one-day long distance flights consists of 6
flights and the marathon players can choose from 8 races. Every week
game for the program players, they can participate in 35 races. What the
program looks like in the Ladies League is not yet known. Last year they
started this competition with a lot of tame, it was still a bit of
scanning. Hopefully the ladies will go full steam ahead this year.
BLACKPOOL PIGEON CITY NUMBER ONE
It is known worldwide that in the United Kingdom the second or third
weekend of January The Show Of The Year is held in the English seaside
town of Blackpool on the Irish Sea. Really the entire resort is that
week full of pigeon sport. I was there for several years and it was
unforgettable weekends. This year too a crowd of people were on the
move. Blackpool is becoming an increasingly international event that
attracts many fanciers from a large number of countries. Especially the
sales that are held in the many hotels attract a large audience. Again a
lot of pigeons changed ownership often against hefty amounts. It is a
good thing that there is no survey about the results achieved by the
very expensive pigeons and their children. Many pigeon friends would
probably fall from their seats in surprise. Blackpool is and remains a
great event. Next week it will be the turn of Fugare in Kortrijk,
Belgium on 8 and 9 February. It is already the 10th time that this
international pigeon fair is held. Many fanciers from the surrounding
countries are also attracting visitors there. After that a number of
national honors will follow and then yes, it will all start again.
JUST THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE BREEDING ON OUR OWN LOFT
Almost all 36 young are ringed. One has been submitted to another couple
so that the couple who no longer have a youngster can start again.
Furthermore there is little to say about the new generation. They grow
well and that is certainly because I feed the pigeons three times a day.
The youngsters then lie all day with a well-filled head. The manure
around the dishes looks great. Thursday 30 January my racing pigeons
will be coupled so that I can place a part of the second round of the
breeders under the racing pigeons. Incidentally I only have 1 young
brought up because we, as their young, can be weaned on the eve of the
new racing season. As soon as my racing pigeons are on eggs in
mid-February, they are immediately vaccinated against paramixo,
according to Dr. Van der Sluis can't hurt that. I'm actually a bit late
and since this morning also a bit shocked, read….
IN SHOCK
This morning I read an extensive article about bird flu (paramixo) that
is getting closer. The economic interests in the Netherlands are
particularly large within the poultry sector. The Netherlands has a
little less than 100 million chickens and nineteen slaughterhouses that
employ more than 10.000 people. The Minister of Agriculture has been
asked for a shed duty (keeping poultry inside). This time the H5N8 virus
comes from the Czech Republic and now that more and more cold is coming
from Eastern Europe the migratory birds are the possible transmitters
through their droppings. People do not want to take any risks and that
may therefore also relate to our racing pigeon sport. We have
experienced something like this several times. Do not panic, it will not
be the case that our new racing season is in danger? Just to be sure,
let's light a candle.
75 YEARS LIBERATION
When I awoke yesterday afternoon from my afternoon sleep the impressive
commemorative service at the gate of death in Auschwitz concentration
and extermination camp in southern Poland began on the TV. The Holocaust
is commemorated every year on January 27 because on that day in 1945 the
Red Army freed Auschwitz. 1.3 million people were detained there during
the war years. Of these 1.1 million were horribly murdered in gas
chambers, including more than 55.000 Dutch people. I myself was 8 years
old when the Netherlands was liberated so I was still a child. Yet my
thoughts often go back to that time. Especially if planes come over low
or if the sirens roar on the first Monday of the month. As a child I can
remember the liberation very well because the people were very excited.
They danced on the street, celebrated and everyone was happy I had never
seen anything like it before. I had never seen images of what happened
there in Auschwitz and other camps. I am now an old man and despite the
fact that we have been liberated for 75 years I could not keep it dry on
the TV during the service. Auschwitz remains an eternal monument. What
took place there during the 5 war years is incomprehensible and cannot
be described with a pen. Everyone thinks and says that something like
this should never happen again. We all probably agree with that. But if
we look at today's world events I wonder what we have all learned from
it.
THE PIGEON AS A PEACE SYMBOL
I don't know if it has anything to do with it but as a pigeon fancier I
am a bit proud that our pigeon is the peace symbol. Pigeons have made
themselves deserving in wartime and are still seen as the messenger of
peace during every war commemoration. Keep it that way I would say. In
the loft, especially at this time, they are not that peaceful.
Especially when it comes to their territory they sometimes fight until
they drop. Already in 1946 I got two pigeons for my 9th birthday who had
no more behind toe they were amputated. The occupier demanded from each
pigeon holder a list with the ring numbers of their pigeons. They wanted
to know because the food was becoming scarce and feed vouchers were
provided based on the number of pigeons. In retrospect that turned out
not to be the real reason. After a while a decree was issued that all
pigeons had to be killed and that the leg with each ring had to be
returned. That blow came very hard. Some kept their pigeons at the risk
of their own lives while others kept them with friends and
acquaintances. The situation did not improve and the controls became
stricter. Soon it became known among the pigeon farmers that you could
easily amputate the rear toe, rub the leg with soft soap and then slide
the ring off. That meant they only had to kill half of the pigeons.
Shortly after the liberation the pigeons that were still alive were
given a close ring. There were not many of them, pigeons were then a
rich possession. Halfway through the fifties there was already plenty of
racing with pigeons. The number of fanciers grew rapidly and one pigeon
club after the other was established. It became a real popular sport
with many supporters. The new building threw a spanner in the works.
Where new houses were built it was not allowed to just place a pigeon
loft in the garden, it was even forbidden. That was the first death
blow. Despite that, the pigeon sport flourished and grew. They were
golden times with every week of sport fun. The pigeon sport did not
stand still, the clocks were improved, the transport became more modern,
there were factory lofts that are a jewel in every garden, newspapers
paid full attention to the pigeon sport. There were national
championships, even a homing pigeon Olympiad and several competitions.
Unfortunately they did not lead to more members. In the new decade in
particular individual commerce entered the pigeon sport. Who would not
even want to win a car with his pigeons. The hobby became professional
with all its consequences. Fanciers grew older, stopped investing and
certainly not against those stupid amounts. As a result many of them
quit the first hour. Certainly due to old age but currently more likely
because the prices are rising in every respect. We are certainly in a
very difficult period in the Netherlands and Belgium. Dissatisfied
fanciers administrators who can no longer do good. As strange as it may
sound, within pigeon sport it is no rest and peace, it is war. Please
keep the idea that our pigeons are still the peace symbol.
THE MEMBERS COUNCIL
Last Saturday the members council of the NPO met to as far as possible
complete the agenda with all kinds of proposals for the coming racing
season. The whole event could be followed live stream. It was a long
session including a break and suspension, it took 5.5 hours and that is
far too long. Traditionally speaking speakers were regularly speaking
and I think the rest of the delegates were just thinking; how long will
this take? A very important point was the motion of no confidence in the
chairman. That is why a day chairman was hired to lead the meeting.
Incidentally it was a sleep-inducing show and at the end of the show the
current chairman was still sitting behind the board table as if nothing
was wrong at all. The voting behavior of the representative of the
Noord-Holland department in which I play was striking. He voted
differently than had already been decided at our department meeting, as
happened once before. The issue of doping was also discussed. A comment
was made that doping controls had not been conducted for a very long
period of time, while doping controllers were trained within our
organization. The chairman of the day unfortunately did not know that
our current chairman within the FCI manages the doping portfolio. None
of the delegates elaborated on this, also NPO chairman Van de Kruk kept
his jaws tight. Why didn't he bring light into this dark matter? A lot
of hard work is being done behind the scenes to invite new skilled
directors to sit on a new NPO board to be formed. On March 25 everything
will have to be arranged or arranged so that the new board can get to
work with a new impetus to remove the NPO administratively from the
impasse.
AT OUR OWN LOFT
The racing pigeons will be coupled this week. I think it is really
necessary because I saw a few breeding cocks chasing their hen again. I
have calculated everything well to place eggs from the breeding pigeons
partly under my racing pigeons. It looks like I'm a little bit late. Is
certainly due to the fairly mild weather. A few days with sunshine last
week and then it is immediately pleasant in the lofts. The ladies need a
partner. They are cuddling and now and then I find an egg. The
youngsters with the breeding pigeons are doing very well, I can now see
what color they get. Not that it is that important but I just like to
see very light blue or light scratches with an even lighter head, also
called "ice head". The most important thing is of course the quality but
also the construction counts. Beautiful and good is possible but also
difficult. I have been working on that as long as I have pigeons. But
still the prettiest are not always the best.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS?
Stop smoking, eat healthy, exercise more, you know all those good
intentions. It is about whether you actually maintain that. Practice has
shown many times that when we are six weeks later there is very little
left of all those good intentions. Well, that's been going on for years.
Everyone should do what he feels most comfortable with. Worse is all the
violence in the world. The demolitions of beautiful buildings and
especially houses that make many people flee. The uncertainty and
corruption make people fearful, no one feels really safe anymore. Now
that I am writing this we will be celebrating New Year's Eve in a few
hours, enjoying the family together with plenty of food and drink. It is
a party and at 12 o'clock we wish each other all the best for 2020.
There is hardly any thought of those people who do not have a pleasant
evening. Very bizarre, or not. Fortunately many people do what they can
to support people who have been driven from their hose and fireplace.
This can be done in many ways and it would be good if we would start
thinking about it again tomorrow when we start living normal life again
and add the deed to the word. Although there is much to wish I am happy
that I live in the Netherlands because we are not so bad. Compared to
many other countries we lead a luxurious life. So far my New Year's
meditations. A healthy, happy, successful and prosperous 2020 for all of
you.
WHAT DELICIOUS IF YOU HAVE A HOBBY
Another year has passed. Was that a shame or were you happy that it was
over? Everything has to do with the health of the boss, his family and
the performance of the pigeons. If that is good, one can fully commit
one hundred percent. If that is not the case then you see that by the
performance of the pigeons. I experienced that myself last year. In the
middle of the summer I went through a bad period. I was not motivated at
all and that was due to physical problems. I always went to the pigeons
with pleasure but then I could no longer afford it. I was convinced that
I would stop pigeon racing. Also all the peripheral phenomena within the
organization of our beautiful hobby did not make me happier. As far as
the national and regional organization is concerned it is still a mess.
Fortunately I feel good again and finally decided to continue with my
pigeons. However, it will be different. I'm going to start with only 10
couples to fly. Together with my son Marco we have a joint breeding loft
in which 20 couples. Furthermore it is the intention that Marco takes
the first round of youngsters and I the next. I will pair my racing
pigeons when the youngsters are with the breeders for about 15 days so
that a number of eggs from the in our eyes best breeders will lie under
my racing pigeons. All breeders are now breeding for the first time. In
the meantime I have stopped lighten and the last few days the windows
are open during the day so that the pigeons that are not on the nest can
fly around nicely. I am not in favor of always keeping the windows open.
That has to do with the large free space in front of my breeding loft
that faces east and in this time the cold wind comes from there. I
definitely do not want to make greenhouse plants from my breeders but
for them to breed in the full, often cold east wind it is not necessary
for me. I think they get worse rather than better from that. However I
did ensure that they all have a well-filled nest, which is nice for the
young ones that will hatch later perhaps with temperatures below zero.
For them it also applies that they will grow better in a cozy nest than
in a bare nest dish filled with a few tobacco stalks.
NEW YEAR'S EVE IS OVER
For us a very pleasant evening in the middle of a large part of the
family. With a very nice game and the necessary snacks and drinks it was
soon twelve o'clock. Everyone flew around each other to wish each other
the best for 2020. Around twelve o'clock the TV went on and whatever
channel you watched it was everywhere party with beautiful fireworks,
how beautiful it can be. But again this year it was "appearances
deceiving" because not much later we were confronted with images of the
necessary riots, arson, eye damage and even more of that misery. Even
now last year's records were broken again. It gets worse every year. A
general ban on fireworks would certainly help to restore peace. When I
came to the pigeons that morning (a bit later than normal) the breeders
were quietly breeding and the other pigeons were waiting in front of the
sliding door because they were hungry. A quick clean here and there, all
supplied with fresh water and soon inside to the warm stove awaiting the
visit of the children / grandchildren who wish ma/grandma and pa/grandpa
a happy new year. We will resume the thread of normal life from January
2. I will then start with the racing pigeons to let go of the day. At 9
o'clock they are all taken care of and if the weather permits a team of
pigeons may go outside at 10 o'clock.
MEETING
The new year has only just begun or I have already seen a letter sent to
our national organization on behalf of a number of departments. A sharp
letter in which not much of our national government was left. That sets
the tone. There is no longer any faith in the current directors. But
what next? I am sure there are enough skilled managers in our country.
The disadvantage is that most of them are (too) old. Young impetus must
come with the support of a number of older experts. Easier said than
done. In the meantime, it has been decided to hold an extraordinary
members meeting in our department on January 17 in which the agenda for
the meeting of January 21 of the national administration (NPO) is
discussed. Our departmental board is also under fire because they
threaten to stop and then want to continue. However, there is still a
lot of work to be done in the near future to have everything arranged
for the new season in time. Stop pointing the finger and getting going.
I long for the moment that we are all on our way again with the pigeons
to the classroom. Most of the time the powder fumes will be lifted and
we will focus on the upcoming competitions. I assume that everything
will work out and that is only possible if we continue to approach
everything positively.
PIGEON SPORT FINE HOBBY
A hobby at home there is no more beautiful. It is a time-consuming hobby
and the fancier have made it themselves. Because more and more
professionals have come, the social players do not want to be
slaughtered every week by the men who have turned our hobby into a
profitable company. Sport cannot do without commerce, but that is a
different form of commerce than what professional players are involved
with. They try to turn every not worth mentioning performance into a
commercial story. Understandable, because there are some who in this way
have grown from a normal workman to a fortunate citizen with incomes
that the managements of large companies cannot match. That is not a good
thing to maintain the simple pigeon sport. Where did the time go when
fanciers had to arrange everything by bicycle? It was a beautiful street
scene when you saw the pigeon fanciers on the bike ride to the room.
Basket on the back, one hand on the wheel and in the other hand the
clock. The joint training of the pigeons also went by bike, very
pleasant with all of them on their way to the release which was never
further than 15-20 km. Along the way was talked about the pigeons and
once arrived at the release site before the baskets were opened a few
more pigeons were first viewed, it was fun trump. And now? Everyone goes
their own way, everyone has a car at their disposal. Often there are
driven several days a week sometimes to distances of 150 km. Apart from
the time it takes something like this cannot be achieved by an ordinary
workman. In this way there is little to be gained for working people and
for many years retired fanciers. They drop out and although a hobby at
home is so much fun it is ultimately about the pigeon game. The
difference between fanciers is getting bigger. Then it can be said that
it is awarded to them but that is not the case. Why do you think so many
fanciers stop? Partly due to commerce. It would be better for our
national organization to get the NPO the much needed commercial
injections from the business community and certainly from their members
who know how to enrich themselves more or less at the expense of
socializing players and the large group of volunteers. By the way where
is the fair play proposal from 2020 onwards? Did those men fall asleep?
TRUST IS TOTALLY GONE
The NPO board, which was operating not so long ago, is unfortunately
severely disabled and has been completely lost for quite some time. What
should it be in 2020? The belief in the board is declining more and
more. Great dissatisfaction in Belgium. In the Netherlands a new board
must be elected, currently four directors must arrange the matter.
Unsuccessful work in a jungle of proposals that must be accompanied by
far too many committees, sectors or working groups. Only from that you
get all the jitters. Managers have also left the province of
Noord-Holland and others are in danger of stopping. There may be a
meeting but the members don't get anything. It's just a mess and then it
becomes critical. Expert people MUST now arise who are willing to remove
the NPO from the impasse. By drawing up a list of priorities you can
start with the most important points that will be realized first
otherwise our pigeon game that we all love so much will go to the
Philistines. That should absolutely not happen. But yes, where do we get
drivers from whom we can say the right man in the right place, it seems
like that is impossible. It is true that the NPO board has called itself
all the misery within our organization. There are still more than two
months to get everything back in the right direction and all those
better-informed delegates from the departments must want to cooperate
fully with 100%. Only with cooperation can you reach a goal!
FAVORABLE TEMPERATURES FOR WINTER BREEDING
Our breeding pigeons were put together on the 16th, no problems this
year. No fights and the connection went smoothly. A hen lay already
after 6 days. That is a bit fast so we have to wait and see if those
eggs are fertilized. After 8 days 5 couples have their first egg and
that is probably also due to the mild winter weather for this time of
the year. On Christmas Day it looked like spring. No cloud in the sky
and plenty of sun. The breeders lay wonderfully in the sun outside in
the run. Fantastic for those where the first eggs hatched. Even though
things are not going so smoothly within the national organization we
pigeon fanciers continue with everything that our hobby has to do with.
We are on the way to a new season and probably all on the way to better
performance. We are very curious how our breeding will go. We can, as it
were, look at the eggs from our new acquisitions. Let us not focus
solely on the results of our new acquisitions because our own pigeons,
of which we know much if not everything, are much more important. It is
hoped that the Dutch who have paid a lot of money for their new
acquisition will also be successful. However there are very few Dutch
fanciers who have bought very expensive pigeons. I have a surprise for
them. Because of my age I have decided to dispose of half of my
breeders. They will be sold at the end of January on
www.gps-auctions.com Before that time 5 January a sale of a round summer
youngsters 2019 from the breeders will start on the same sales site. I’m
sure that there’s something right and affordable with it for everyone.
So take the opportunity to get pigeons to your loft with which I and
many others have achieved top results for more than 50 years. It is
crazy to say that more than a ton is counted for some young pigeons that
have never been in the basket. The value of a pigeon in the Netherlands
is still 1 euro, there is no poulter who gives more for it. So how crazy
should you be to pay astronomical amounts for pigeons from what most end
up with the poulter. Please let's keep it a bit cozy. The funny thing is
that often very good breeding results are achieved with two gain
pigeons. The quality of a pigeon has nothing to do with the amount that
is paid for it and every fancier must ensure the success. Wishing all
loyal readers a fantastic 2020 with many highlights within our sport, an
optimal health so that everyone can fully enjoy his or her pigeons
again. Good luck!
NOW YOU MUST HAVE THEM "BEAUTIFUL", IN THE RACE SEASON YOU MUST HAVE
THEM "GOOD".
From the end of November to the end of January the exhibition season is
running at full speed. The local shows in particular attract a large
audience from the immediate surroundings. They are often very pleasant
weekends especially because fanciers who do not see or speak to each
other all summer have the opportunity to hear each other's "strong"
stories and, which is certainly so beautiful, that they are able to
admire each other's pigeons whom they a whole year to play against. For
the associations such shows are in many cases a nice side effect to give
the clubhouse a financial injection. The largest contribution usually
comes from the sale of vouchers or pigeons donated by strong players.
For visitors it is often attractive to purchase something nice at such a
local show for a reasonable amount. In this way many fanciers have
succeeded very well with their new addition. I have been a judge for 40
years and have actually traveled all over the country and even been
invited outside the border to judge pigeons. I liked to do that mainly
because in the early years I usually got very good pigeons in my hands.
It was at the time that fanciers were still curious about the judge's
judgment. Now they think in the Netherlands that they can decide for
themselves. I became a judge because I wanted to know everything about
pigeons, at the end I was almost a pigeon myself. In the summer I went
to lofts a lot to write reports of fanciers who had a remarkable
performance or because they always played well and you have to be with
those men to buy something to improve your own colony not by a one-day
fly. There are examples of mostly long distance players, and especially
the marathon flights, which can get or ask such an enormous amount of
money for their pigeons because they have once won a national victory.
Anyway, nowadays that is also pigeon sport. I prefer to talk about good
pigeons and those are often not the nicest. My goal has always been to
breed beautiful and especially very good pigeons. Fortunately I have
always succeeded. I specialize in flights up to 500 km and because of my
good performance I was even called the "King of sprint". To be honest
that is slightly less but I think my collection of pigeons is of such a
quality that I don't have to step aside for anyone. Do you want to know
what my biggest competitor is? What actually applies to all readers and
that is our age. At a certain point you come to an age when the fanatic
goes over, you become sentimental. You enjoy your pigeon, you find them
all great and you can hardly renounce. If you are that far, even though
the quality of the pigeons is still so good, then it is done with weekly
leading.
FEED IS POISON
It has been 60 years since a great national champion once said to me;
when you get home you have to write in large letters on every bag of
pigeon food: POISON.
Because you give oh so quickly too much. He was and still is right. You
can do feeding in different ways. You can always give them a full bowl.
In the beginning they are much too heavy, later they eat much less and
are then well on weight. You can compare it to a child who can eat the
cookie jar empty. If you keep hold on for a few days in the long run
they shudder of cookies. I see feeding more as art, you have to take the
time for it. When I start feeding my pigeons I know exactly how much
they all need. I give half the amount at once, on the floor or in the
food bowl, it doesn't matter. I give the other part to the floor bit by
bit and when one or two starts drinking I stop it. In the morning I give
less, they stay a little more active during the day. I always feed at
set times, the pigeons become attuned to that and know exactly that if
they have trained for an hour it is dinner time. I then stand next to
the sputnik and as soon as they see me, even though they are still
flying so high, they come without me whistling or stand with the food
van rattling directly down. I saw that once in the zoo. Everything is
being fed there at set times and half an hour before dinner time you see
all the wild animals getting restless, they know the food is coming.
Although these animals are in prison they always look perfect because of
regular care. Their condition is always good and so is the pigeons. As
the flights get longer I feed a little more candy seed and three peanuts
every day. The day before the pigeons travel they can eat as much as
they want in the afternoon for half an hour. I do the same on Saturday
evening when I take the hens away at 7 am. Then all my pigeons,
including the youngsters and breeding pigeons, get food almost at the
same time. Every Wednesday a bath and a hefty hand full of soup
vegetables does them well. In total they receive 35 grams of feed per
pigeon every day. The breeding pigeons are fed three times a day when
they have young. After every feeding the parents feed their young so
that they always have a well-filled head and that is good for growth.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
The more often you do something, the easier it goes. Exercising or
training ensures good fitness and therefore often good health. My old
and young racing pigeons train for an hour twice a day. I live in the
polder, I only have a few houses in my immediate area so my pigeons do
not have the opportunity to roam with the neighbors to sit down. They
fly or they are in my own loft. A pigeon can also sit in another place
and that is the basket. So fly, in the loft or in the basket. In the
beginning I sometimes have to chase them but they quickly realize that.
The loft remains closed during training time. After an hour I show
myself and then the pigeons flash inside. The pigeons do not train in
fog or heavy rain. The pigeons are currently trapped, they have not been
outside since the end of September but 23-12 I have released the cocks
again for the first time. There are 10. Yes you read that right, I have
made the decision I do not want to have so many pigeons anymore, I have
to make too much effort to be able to properly care for a large group.
Then a bit less and with 10 cocks and 10 hens I have to be able to come
along well every week. Together with my son I own 20 breeding couples,
actually too much. The first round goes to my son Marco and the second
round is for father Bert. We will therefore both start with 35
youngsters. We start training with the pigeons as early as possible.
Before the first flights we have been away several times with the
youngsters. The proverb learned young is done old is still in effect. We
never go further than 40 km. Pigeons know how to find their way home
better than we do. We fanciers can only help them by familiarizing them
with the basket and by repeatedly bringing them, often to the same
release location, the flight rhythm comes in. We cannot do more with
regard to training. During the racing season they only go once, usually
on Tuesdays. It is important that the pigeons leave for 15 minutes in
the morning. We won't get away with them as long as they don't. We are
ready for the battle, at the beginning of January another round of
youngsters from our breeders will be sold on GPS. A few weeks later it
is the turn of a group of breeders. Then this old man has an overview
and he even plans to keep his son and all other competitors behind him.
Interested in the Brassen? Check out www.gps-auctions.com
THE DARK DAYS FOR CHRISTMAS
December is the nicest and most atmospheric month of the year for many
people. Unfortunately that is not the case worldwide. In that regard,
even after WW II, the great world leaders still do not understand what
peace and freedom means to all people. Money, power, corruption and war,
we will never get used to it and yet there will never be an end to it
but enough about it. We pigeon friends, however much we would like it,
with the best will in the world, cannot change these inhuman conditions.
Then we sometimes worry if there is an egg next to the shell !! ?? The
world just goes on and on and then it's Christmas. Feast of light, of
new life, of peace on earth, festive days in the home and socializing
above all. For many, this is a dream or even unimaginable. With us, the
first youngsters are in the dish in many lofts during the Christmas
season.
CHRISTMAS CHILDREN
We have not yet paired. As you all know my son Marco and I have a joint
breeding loft in which 18 excellent couples at least we think so.
Together we decided that we would put the breeding pigeons together on
15 December. The first round is for Marco and the next round for father
Bert. Our breeding loft consists of a few except proven pigeons. It is
already known that a number of usable pigeons have been produced. The
older breeding pigeons had to make way for the youth. We have now
started preparing for the matching date. The days are now extended until
10 o'clock in the evening, the lamp stays off in the morning. The
pigeons now get a bit heavier food, not too much we try to prevent them
from becoming too heavy. If the pigeons are too heavy the chance of
unfertilized eggs is greater and hens that are too heavy can get laying
problems. Furthermore some hemp and linseed is added to the feed. They
have had the cures. They like to eat and bathe are all through the molt
and I find enough small feathers every day. Our breeding pigeons do not
come outside at least they do not fly around the loft. They do have
access to a large aviary. At the moment it looks good and if they all
have the first egg in the dish 10-12 days after pairing then we have
prepared things well. We have to wait a little while, at least we have
good hope. Everything is paired on paper and experience has taught me
that even on the day of pairing there are still some changes taking
place. The point is that both partners accept each other quickly so that
all come with eggs almost at the same time.
TOO MANY BREEDING PIGEONS
A breeding loft with 18 breeding couples is a bit much and despite the
fact that we have ensured quality in the loft, this season will again
show disappointing breeding results. If that is the case there will also
be windfalls and that is what it is ultimately about. We both don't like
to own a lot of pigeons we have to be able to oversee it. I myself have
plenty of room for that matter, I can accommodate 100 youngsters. This
year 3 departments will be empty for the first time because I can't take
care of so many pigeons anymore. I can now pay full attention to the
breeders who are housed with me and I am even looking forward to that.
As an avid pigeon man I can sometimes sit with the pigeons for hours.
With my racing pigeons I never did that with the youngsters. I also
wanted rest in the loft and everything always happened at set times.
With breeding pigeons you can be a bit easier plus you can go there at
all times of the day. We do not need to discuss eggs under fly or foster
pigeons because we would get too many again unnoticed. With both a round
of youngsters from the breeders we have plenty of opportunities to test
the youngsters. In the past I have almost never left breeding couples
the same simple to prevent that I would get too much of the same and if
I had ever bred a super then I could always put the parents back
together again. My experience is that you almost never breed two supers
from the same couple I have tried that several times. One year two
youngsters from a couple, one of whom was excellent and the other as a
youngster didn't mean much. The following year six youngsters from that
couple and all of them a big insufficient. So I don't care which couple
gives a very good one if I have a couple that gives a very good one
every year you can keep it up with a bit of luck for a long time.
DISSATISFIED WITH NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
That is the reason why the secretary and the treasurer of the NPO have
stopped abruptly and now it is probably the turn of the chairman because
he is under considerable fire. It has to do with the failure to comply
with agreements made, the failure to send the meeting documents on time
which means that decisions with the supporters cannot be made. Too much
talk and too little is done. Furthermore it is believed that chairman
van der Kruk, who likes to hear himself talk, unnecessarily aspires to
international positions that are of little or no use to the Dutch pigeon
sport. The organization of the Olympiad that will be held in the
Netherlands in 2023 has also raised many questions particularly about
the way in which the NPO board wants to get the affair financially
closed. The general meeting of members from December 21 has been
postponed to January 25 by necessity. The financial situation within the
NPO, the flight program and the proposals of the sections that have been
created will certainly be discussed. In my opinion our NPO has gradually
been over-organized. There are so many people who want to have a finger
in the porridge that makes managing not easier. Much must be arranged by
the end of January because then it will only be two months before the
start of the new racing season.
START THE NEW YEAR WELL WITH A VISIT TO THE SHOW OF THE YEAR
Traditionally in Blackpool the weekend of 18 and 19 January is the "BHW
Show of the year". A formidable pigeon event where I was present for
several years as a visitor and also as a judge. The Winter Garden is a
unique opportunity to experience everything about the pigeon sport. A
show with more than 2000 pigeons, more than 100 different stands,
various pigeon sales and on Saturday evening the BHW Gala Evening. The
whole of Blackpool is dominated by the racing pigeon sport that weekend.
Nowhere else did I see such a big event. I will not be there again this
year because of my age the journey and stay are too tiring but I will
miss it. Unfortunately it all stops once. For those who are there I hope
they will have a very nice weekend.
REEDING HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE RACE SEASON
Especially the Belgians practice winter breeding in large numbers. The
Netherlands follows and possibly afterwards the Germans and English.
Especially breeding as much as possible from proven pigeons is very
important. I still assume that the chance to breed a good pigeon is
greater from your very best pigeons. Of course there are also examples
that a great pigeon is sometimes born out of less performing pigeons
fortunately. We can then speak of a fluke. But to get ahead my
preference is definitely to breed from the very best that you own. The
very best you have are the pigeons that have recently won several top
prizes in their own environment. I consciously say "in their own
environment" because then everyone has the same circumstances. A top
prize in an ensemble that is more than 75 km away from you is not a fair
showdown. I have written about it before. It is possible that today you
are the first in the club, winning the teamwork, provincial or even
national. Without doubt a top performance especially if you even have
several pigeons in the muzzle of the result. It may just be that you
with the same pigeons in the club and the combination excel again a week
later but that you provincial be completely eliminated. Are the
excellent of the week before suddenly no longer good pigeons? Hopefully
you know better. The wind largely determines the migration of the
pigeons and that can be disastrous. That is why it is not easy to play
every week in a large context. That is possible in the club and in the
regional combination. During the selection period assume that the
performances achieved in your own environment are the most important and
make a requirement for your pigeons how well they must have performed in
order to be allowed to hibernate. You can set the performance bar as
high as you want. I know that there are many countries where we cannot
compare pigeon sport with Belgium and the Netherlands. In these two
specific pigeon countries many fanciers live close to each other which
is often not the case in other countries there is another way to play
with pigeons. The speed flights that are most influenced by the wind can
hardly be played if the fanciers live too far apart. The longer
distances will have a more honest character. Pigeon competitions are
most fair when many fanciers live close together. If that is not the
case then by breeding a lot and also playing a lot with those pigeons
you will have to come to a species with which you can enjoy the pigeon
sport in your home country and that is not an easy task.
WHEN BREEDING
The start of the breeding season is not the same in all countries. This
is mainly due to weather conditions and the start of the racing season.
I can still remember when I was still playing with my father with
pigeons we usually started breeding around 18 February. We did that with
our racing pigeons there was almost no one who owned specific breeding
pigeons. Our racing pigeons were therefore also our breeding pigeons.
The start of the breeding was planned in such a way that the first
youngsters were away from the parents when the racing season started. At
that time the vast majority played nest game. Only at the end of the
fifties did the widowhood game get off to a good start and that changed
the way pigeon racing. Still later the total widowhood got off the
ground. The advantage was that you needed fewer pigeons. If you first
played with 24 widowers you now had 12 couples enough to start with the
same number of pigeons. Even better was the performance of the hens. It
was always thought that they could not beat the cocks. That is why in
Belgium even today hens are raced separately in a competition. Practice
has shown that the ladies often do better than the men and that they
also recover faster from strenuous efforts. That is why when I buy a
pigeon it is almost always a hen.
THE SEASON START FOR OLD PIGEONS IN THE NETHERLANDS BEGIN APRIL
I pair my racing pigeons for the second time at such a time that they
are brooding for about 8 days a week before the first official flight
they all go along. A day later I remove all eggs and another day later
the hens go to their loft where they stay all season. That I first
remove the eggs and one day later the pigeons from the cocks I do for
the hens are quiet because they know that there are no more eggs in the
nest. The first official flight they go on widowhood. The evening before
I let them together for an hour and the same also happens for the next
three flights. Then I leave them together for about 10-20 minutes and
with a two-night basket I don't show the hens. I do not darken the
pigeons in the spring. That is partly because at the end of the season I
do not participate in all long distance races. So I don't have to take
the pen molting into account.
OUR YOUNG PIGEONS BEGIN IN THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY
If you want to start with several youngsters from certain breeding
couples winter breeding is almost mandatory. Another possibility is to
keep foster pigeons that hatch the eggs of the breeders and further
raise the young. Most fanciers do not have room for that or do not find
such a thing necessary. The advantage of winter breeding is that the
young pigeons are five months old when their races start in July and
that they then have the teething problems behind them. You don't have to
darken winter youngsters to keep them in good shape. They molt the small
feathers and hold the flight feathers. There are also fanciers who pair
the fly and breeding pigeons at the same time. The first eggs from the
breeders then go under the racing pigeons so that the breeders can
quickly start their second round. For most fanciers that is enough
because they do not have that much space. Furthermore breeding is not
that difficult. In that respect pigeons are just like mice you have a
loft full of them in a short time and that seems to me not the
intention. After all it's not about quantity but about quality.
HOW TO GET QUALITY
Only the very best is good enough to breed from. Brother x sister or
mother x son to each other is too close inbreeding but is sometimes
attractive to hold on to. Sometimes you can breed a usable pigeon from
such close inbreeding pigeons. To fly with it I like line breeding or
crossing. Grandfather to granddaughter, cousin x niece, half-brother x
half-sister are links that I have every confidence in. Assuming that the
pigeons themselves and preferably also the parents and grandparents have
proven that they can play at the head. In most cases the best pigeons
come from cross-breed products but from a cross between two totally
different well-performing families. The basket will show which of their
young are satisfactory or not. I myself do not attach too much value to
the performance of young pigeons. Young pigeons must satisfy me when I
have them in my hands. Of course I keep a young pigeon that has
performed well. My experience is that young pigeons that fly a prize,
even though they are not very early prizes, as a yearling are better
than young pigeons that even became champion pigeons as a youngster.
Pigeon performance can never be predicted in advance but only
afterwards. That is why it is never possible to determine in advance
what a good breeding couple will be. You know something like this later
and in many cases it never becomes a good breeding couple. The person
who can determine in advance what a good breeding couple is would have
enough for about six young pigeons to become champion. I do know them
who claim that they can see from the eyes if pigeons have an extra
breeding value. They are fortune tellers that I have never met at a
champion's ceremony.
NATIONAL BOARD GETS CONTRADICTION FROM THEIR DEPARTMENT BOARDS
Within the Dutch Carrier Pigeon Organization (NPO) it has not often
happened that all 11 affiliated departments agree with each other. The
cause of the dissatisfaction lies with the NPO board that would not
adhere to agreements made. For the planned general meeting of members of
December 21 the documents arrived (again) too late at the departments so
that it was not possible to meet with the members in time. The
agreements made were confirmed again on 8 September, unfortunately
without result. A proposal has now been made to move the meeting to
mid-January 2020 provided that the documents are received by the
departments on 1 December. In addition there are a number of things that
are still unclear so that there are serious doubts among the supporters.
The departmental boards wonder whether the NPO is still a professional
organization. It has been requested to indicate by 27 November at the
latest which meeting dates suit the NPO board. To be continued.
NORTH HOLLAND DIVISION MANAGEMENT IS ALSO RATCHING ON ALL SIDES.
A number of board members already announced this summer that they would
stop at the end of the season. In fact they would all stop, but
(luckily) a few are left. Now we have to wait and see if there will be
new candidates and whether they want to collaborate with those who stay
behind. The fewer members that remain the greater the problems become.
It is already known that the carrier has raised its prices for 2020
again and those prices were already so high. It would be normal to ask
for a price from at least two other carriers. Maybe that has happened
but nothing has come out of it yet. It is to be desired that the board
will be quickly complete again because a lot has to be arranged before
the start of the 2020 season. Much will depend on the general national
NPO meeting where the necessary decisions will be taken. Consider the
flight program for which the necessary negative comments were made in
2019.
STARTING TODAY NOVEMBER 27, INNUMMERA BREEDERS ARE TOGETHER AGAIN
Winter breeding is of great importance for many fanciers. Most of them
would like to start with young pigeons that are six months old. Moreover
it is assumed that the winter youngsters will have the teething problems
when their season starts. Others do it to breed two or three rounds
youngsters from their better couples. You won't be bothered by flying
breeding pigeons going to the field during this period to pick up
anything and everything because there is nothing to be found at this
time of the year. I still remember the time when we said to each other;
we cannot give them what they get there. When more and more use was made
of fertilizer many fanciers changed their minds. Then the field of
flying became very dangerous and many fanciers became the victims of
poisoned pigeons even resulting in death. I have also experienced it
myself. One evening the pigeons (the racing pigeons) stayed away for a
very long time. I played with the thought that they might all be able to
walk on the field. I called them and I already noticed from certain
movements that it didn't look the way I was used to. After most had
drunk something the misery started. They puked, tumbled over each other,
were struggling on the floor and there was great panic. At that time it
was told that you had to squeeze the heads empty and then rinse with
milk. There was really no start to it. A number of deaths and fun on the
eve of a new season were clearly over. The results were disappointing
and I also had to remove a number of youngsters because I did not want
to take the risk that they would suffer damage and might not return from
the races. I played with 5 young pigeons and one of them was actually
too young to give. Still I did it and when I went with the clock to the
room the latecomer fell into the loft. The following week I saw him
coming home but he did not win a prize. He did not once miss the flights
that followed and also the last five natour flights. Even became 5th
best young bird in the strong ZCC in which more than 300 fanciers
participated every week. Winter breeding has advantages and
disadvantages. The disadvantage is that shortly after the season you
soon find yourself in a loft full of young pigeons and that in May the
breeders are completely finished with their work and they are sitting
there. If you do not want to disturb the racing pigeons you can look for
some entertainment among the resting breeding pigeons but you will soon
be bored with it. The advantage is that they are perfect through the
molt when they are re-coupled at the end of November. Also there are now
more and more breeders who prefer the financial rather than the sporting
event and if that is going to work out they will keep more and more
pigeons to meet the request. It is doubtful whether the quality will
improve. Everything is bred from as long as the cash register is
ringing. Then there are nowadays fanciers who make a name for themselves
through a striking national achievement. Especially in the long distance
a national victory is enough to upgrade an entire loft while that
performance was only delivered by 1 pigeon from that loft. Nowadays it
is more about name pigeons than about performance.
PURCHASE OF PIGEONS
Never before have so many pigeons been offered for sale. In the first
instance they were mainly performance pigeons. Then it was the turn of
the so-called breeding pigeons. Young pigeons were not interesting in
the beginning and now you only see offers from young pigeons with great
grandparents and you can buy everything that has two wings. Great if you
are among the group of lucky ones who have made a name for themselves by
usually 1 super result or a wonder pigeon. I see various fanciers who
have an auction several times a year. Sometimes more than 40 young
pigeons that raise more than 2000 euros each. We must not forget the
exceptions. Recently another record was broken. A young pigeon for
164.000 euros! How should you see the quality/price ratio of that? Or
how crazy do you have to be? Because I have been writing about our
pigeon hobby every week for many years I regularly receive emails asking
if I want to provide addresses where you can buy good pigeons for an
affordable price. You will understand that I will never do that. In most
cases it ends in disappointment. That does not mean that the seller is
unfair or not sporty, it is more often the buyer's ignorance. I always
tell people who buy a pigeon from me; I hope you leave the yard with a
happy feeling and that it is a pigeon to your liking. I always show the
parents and when I get rid of it it is always out of the breeding loft.
Not that they are automatically better but it does indicate that I too
have faith in those pigeons and they usually sit there because they have
performed well. But…. I say, you go home with the pigeon and I stay
here. I can give you all the required information but you will have to
do it all yourself. Trust and patience are also a good thing.
SPORT PIGEONS JUDGE WITH A CHAT
The championships are in full swing, every organization is trying to
come up with something new. Here in Noord-Holland they are a bit loose
in that regard. They mean well but we completely miss our goal. The
committee of the Noord-Holland department held the champions day on
Saturday which was not so well-chosen because that afternoon the arrival
of Sinterklaas was held in a large part of the Netherlands. Whether or
not with the black helpers there is a large children's festival every
year that many fanciers want to attend with their children or
grandchildren. On that champions day the children had been thought of by
placing a large bouncy castle. The ladies could go there to make
bonbons, floral arrangements or perfume. The fanciers who had a champion
pigeon this year were allowed to exhibit it so that the public could
marvel at these toppers. The committee thought it would be a good idea
to have these pigeons judged by pigeon fortune teller Gert Jan Beute in
the presence of the fanciers. A risky piece in itself but the smart Gert
Jan is not worried about that, he is wise enough not to underestimate
such pigeons. His accompanying talk appeals to many fanciers especially
if you have never experienced the man before. Yet he once went astray by
saying that a certain cock was a great short distance pigeon. Let that
be exactly the champion pigeon of the whole of Noord-Holland in the
one-day long distance. Everyone laugh of course. He tried to get out of
it to say that long distance pigeons can also fly fast. A day later
something like that was invented by the ZCC. In the morning the same
inspection. A qualified judge would judge the pigeons on flight value
with a corresponding chat and he turned out to be quite wrong. He was
really struggling and no meaningful word came out of his mouth. He told
about a pigeon with a flat head, about a pigeon with two old pens, a
farmer's pigeon, an old-fashioned pigeon with a broad back, pigeons with
wide pens what do you do with that kind of stuff? Not once did he say
anything about well-muscled, nice fast rear wing, short powerful forearm
plus that it would have been nice if he expressed his preference for
certain pigeons that he thought could win early prizes. Or something
about a good pigeon for the sprint, an excellent marathon pigeon but
none of that. In the end there were three prizes to be awarded. A pale
pigeon was awarded as the winner. The judge loved this speed pigeon
while he came from the loft of the best long distance player in our area
who naturally had to laugh heartily about it. Sinterklaas was also
visiting who was able to present the prizes of the champions for the
2019 season in a playful manner. Given the public interest two of these
consecutive days was probably a bit too much of a good thing.
NATIONAL DAYS
Kassel is already again behind. In St. Truiden the National Days were
held in one of the halls of the local football club last weekend. Again
nothing but praise. Coming weekend November 29th and 30th it's the turn
of the Netherlands. For the first time in its existence these days are
on Friday and Saturday in Nieuwegein. So on Sunday there is nothing to
do in the field of pigeon sport. The winter breeders can devote all
their attention to the newly assembled breeding pigeons.
WHAT WILL THE BREEDER GET US
All very exciting. The best racing pigeons, newly formed couples,
purchased pigeons, they must all ensure that important acquisitions are
born. In a little while everything comes back to life in the breeding
loft. Whether or not to educate the pigeons in a condition so that they
want to accept their new partner without too many difficulties. It is
important that the cocks have been on the bin for some time that avoids
the unnecessary fights. The first day no breeding bowls. Some cocks
chase their hens so fiercely that they stumble over the breeding bowl
regularly. Personally I only put the pigeons together when it starts to
get dark. Most of the pigeons are paired well the next morning. Where
that is not yet the case the placement of the breeding bowl can
sometimes help. If it still does not work then put them in a separate
empty loft for example the young pigeon loft and you will see that it is
done quite smoothly. Especially during winter breeding I have a mat in
every breeding bowl with some straw or tobacco stalks over it. The eggs
and also the newborn young pigeons must lie in a comfortable nest. I
have sometimes been to someone who did winter breeding where there were
only clothes pegs and nails in the nest. With such a careless behavior
of the boss you do not earn a good breeding. Also in the breeding loft
everything should treaded very carefully. A check a few days after the
eggs are laid is advisable. If there are too small or deformed eggs they
can be removed immediately. If that is the case add a plastic or stone
egg. It sometimes happens that they stop breeding when there is only 1
egg in the nest in severe cold. Furthermore that plastic egg is a good
support for a newly born young. Keep an eye on the drinking trough in
the frost and you know that ace pigeons drink a lot so fresh water twice
a day is not a luxury. Before the eggs are laid treat the dishes against
vermin. Supplementing the feed with some hemp and linseed is excellent
at this time of the year. That the pigeons are ready for breeding now
seems normal to me. Where that is not yet the case a round is behind.
Putting the pigeons together is just as important as deploying pigeons
for an important flight so the condition must be optimal. Extending the
days with artificial light is good rather than bad. How many hours you
do that is not really important. I do not switch on a light in the
morning but in the evening the light stays on until 10 am. We wish you
all a good breeding
BAKED AIR
The racing season is already six weeks behind us and everyone is taking
stock. Should new blood be purchased or have their own pigeons performed
in such a way that it is not necessary to immediately add a new
acquisition. If you have to look for better material it is different
than when you are interested in reinforcement. Those who seek
reinforcement have plenty of choice through the many sales sites.
However, you have to pay attention. The photos of where offered for sale
always look equally attractive. However, you must be able to read well
what is written about a pigeon. Compiling sales stories is an art in
itself. I recommend everyone to visit some of those sites once in a
while. It is all top quality, whole zippers performances are listed with
each pigeon. Those who can read well will be confronted with hot air
every time. In most cases the pigeon that is involved has not achieved
anything at all while it is teeming with top prizes on all levels. Often
there are no numbers of pigeons and sometimes a pigeon has won five
first prizes but if you read well you will soon see that it all relates
to the same flight. I can be very annoyed by that. In my opinion this is
not correct information especially if there are entire rows of victories
that have been achieved by brothers, sisters, father, mother,
grandfather and great-grandmother and often there are fencing with
places of honor achieved by other fanciers. Where has the time gone that
you could go to a room sale every week? Cozy with fanciers among
themselves. You could view the pigeons, you could take them in your hand
so that you could see what you were buying. Now you have to go for the
photo and you even have to pay money if you want to view the pigeons in
your hand. If you came to the poulter years ago at this time his aviary
was full of slaughter pigeons. Now they are on the internet and are
sometimes sold for record amounts and that while the owner does not want
to keep them. We are hopefully not so naive that we believe everything
that has been fantasized together in order to be able to sell the pigeon
for the highest possible amount.
RETURN OUR ORDINARY GAME
I am fortunate to have experienced the golden years of pigeon sport.
From the last weekend in March to mid-September every week game mainly
short-distance flights. Mid-distance did not exist, it was added. The
pigeon sport consisted only of short and long distance flights. Every
week of play all year round and there were also 4 or 5 one-day long
distance races in which almost everyone participated. Now it is crawling
with such flights and less than 15% of fanciers are participating. On
such a flight you only have to put down a good performance once and you
can immediately participate in the sales madness. It is just like in the
football. A youthful talent who gives a good assist in professional
football twice every three weeks immediately receives a weekly wage for
which an ordinary pigeon fancier has to work for a year. I read an
article about a famous football player who plays in the English premier
league. He would earn 290.00 pounds a week and one has built up assets
of more than 40 million. In the pigeon sport we also go pretty well in
that direction. Last year a pigeon was sold for more than 1 million and
there are several fanciers in the Netherlands who have several sales
each year with which they earn tons. I wish them and sometimes I am also
a bit jealous. But if we look further then our nose we see that this
cannot go on. The ordinary fancier who have to go all out to pay for
their hobby are increasingly recognizing that they are more or less
abused. They come every week faithfully with their basket of pigeons and
the commercial bag fillers among us play nicely again until the moment
comes when there is nothing to "cash" anymore. That time is fast
approaching. Then the big boys can only play against each other and then
there will be very few pigeons in the competition so that they are no
longer interesting for the men in the land of the rising sun. Our
national administration will do well to bring the pigeon game back to
the way it has been played for years. With me, partly because of my age,
the fun is gone. Even the club game is no longer fun because most clubs
no longer have twenty members who still participate every week. This has
also changed the atmosphere in the club. A few steps further and we only
have to go to the room to bring the pigeons and nothing more. Everything
will go via the internet with the risk that older fanciers will drop out
more quickly. A pity for our sport because despite the fact that the
pigeon sport keeps up with the times there will be no new members. The
youngsters (fortunately) have many other opportunities to enjoy
themselves.
THREE DAYS WHEEL SPORTS
Last week a three-day cycling event was held on the cycling track of the
well-known North Holland cheese town of Alkmaar and I wanted to be
there. Cycling remains my favorite sport alongside the pigeons. We were
presented with a very entertaining and exciting program. For me it was
also a kind of reunion plus that some good riders from my club
participated. The best known of the whole stuff was Niki Terpstra. When
I was the chairman of the club I saw him coming as an 8-year-old and it
soon became apparent that he had talent. This cycling gala was won by
him and his teammate by force majeure and do you know what I liked best?
His father, whom I had just spoken to shortly after 25 years, was just
as enthusiastic raising his hands as when his son won his first victory
at the age of 8. Is that nice sport or not? Another club member asserted
himself behind the big engines. He was also a total winner and was even
European champion staying last year. I did not want to miss this event
for free also because my son and grandson accompanied me which made it
even more beautiful.
THE BREEDING PIGEONS ARE READY, NOW THE LOFTS
While the old and young racing pigeons are still fully engaged with the
pen molting the breeders are as it were waiting to be paired again.
Because I now have a breeding loft with my son there is a surplus of
valuable breeders for us. How valuable they are they will be able to
prove in other lofts in the coming season. Because I will take care of
the breeding pigeons we have decided to reduce the number of breeding
couples to 18 and that has been a difficult job. We have come out of it
anyway. In the first instance there are always a number of pigeons that
have to leave the field due to poorer breeding results or age. But then?
There are two more breeding boxes available for 2 young cocks and two
for 2 young hens. That's how I did it every year and that's how I want
to keep doing it. The 4 best racing pigeons and 4 young pigeons go to
the breeding loft. That way we keep the breeding loft young. The best
results on the flights and in the breeding loft are in most cases
achieved by younger pigeons. The cocks that have earned a place in the
breeding loft have now chosen their breeding loft that will occur later
when the pigeons are coupled with the necessary fights. The breeding
loft will be cleaned extra in the coming week, everything must be
dust-free again. Especially on the ceiling it is necessary to clean it
is full of cobwebs and I like to see that because that is a sign that
the ventilation is good. You will not see cobwebs when it’s draft and
draft is bad for the condition. Last but not least I go through it again
with the burner which is still the best remedy for all kinds of vermin.
Two weeks before the pairing date we start to light up to give the
pigeons the feeling that it is getting a little spring.
THE QUIET SEASON BEGINS
Unfortunately a quiet season no longer exists. The pie flights for
fanciers who don't know when to stop are also over. What once started
out as a nice thing has become an important conclusion to the active
pigeon year. Important flights for those who use the manipulated results
to put their performance in the spotlight again. Competitions with a
good number of participants but half of whom use these flights as a
training flight and therefore do not clock their pigeons. These pigeons
get a rubber ring or go over the basket antenna into the basket so that
they count what is interesting for those who do clock. Some therefore
make very good results because the large group of participants only
participate for fun. They are not interested in the result, they do not
play for the cakes or other prizes. These fanciers are only busy
practicing their pigeons. Some think that they lose fewer pigeons at
this time of the year. Others participate because the birds of prey are
less active. There are even participants who want to use their
performance from these fair flights for possible participation in the
Olympiad. Less than 2% of Dutch fanciers participate in this circus. 103
fanciers participated in the last pie-race above the big rivers, 58 of
which were in the results. It would be crazy that such results can be
used for I know a lot about competitions but enough about this. It must
be admitted that the basketing evenings went very well and that is in my
eyes the most important argument to join in but for the molting pigeons
it is far from ideal. Now the time has come for meetings, all kinds of
honors, national events and the start of traditional exhibitions. There
are a lot of them probably too many, so there is absolutely no question
of a quiet winter season.
WINTER PERICTIONS
It is molt time. In the past fanciers said; the prizes for the following
year are earned at this time of the year. I assume you know what this
means. A bad molt causes poor performance. So it means that our pigeons
now need to be cared for just as carefully as in the high season. The
pigeons are having a hard time and some of them are very heavy because
quite a lot is happening. When I see how many feathers I have already
cleaned up that is unprecedented and we are not there yet certainly not
with the old and young racing pigeons. The breeders are almost ready.
That is also necessary because in four weeks they will in many lofts put
together again. To help the pigeons a little during the molt can't hurt.
There are numerous fanciers who put buttermilk in the drinking water
during the molt season. I have done that for many years but I have not
done that for a long time because I see no difference. Then the cure for
various diseases. I have never been in favor during this period. Over
the years I too have been dragged along and cure the pigeons against
paratyphus in October. Then another vitamin cure, soon the traditional
mandatory paramixo injection, then another injection against smallpox
and perhaps also against head diseases. Are we doing that right? We used
to do nothing when I was still playing with my father. Pigeons that fail
something went away because my father was very hard at it. He was right
but perhaps there were no adequate medicines then so there was little
else to do to get rid of the "weaklings." Not only the pigeons that
might have had a problem were gone but also the ones that did not
perform well. We regularly ate pigeon soup at home and that is nice too.
I don't do that anymore. Nowadays you can buy a nice soup chicken for
little and that is easier than slaughtering about five pigeons every
week. In the past there were almost no veterinarians, people arranged it
themselves. They had a pig, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, and pigeons to
eat. In that regard people were less sentimental. Now there is a vet for
every animal and you can even take out insurance because it costs quite
a lot a visit to the vet. There is even a political "party for the
animals". That is not wrong because there are many things that cannot be
passed through, which is why it is good that there is control. Back to
the pigeons. Do you not think that because of all that fuss with
medication we make our pigeons weaker. For every problem there is a
powder, pill or drink, the pigeons become greenhouse plants and that is
one of the reasons that the losses are increasing. At that way we get
away the mordant, the resistance and the character from our pigeons.
TRANSPORT
We used to talk about farming pigeons. With that was meant strong
pigeons. These days the pigeons are much faster. Competitions close
earlier because many pigeons manage to achieve higher speeds. We used to
say that with strong headwinds the first pigeons would make at least
1000 meters per minute (60 km per hour). Nowadays they fly with the
greatest ease with headwind 80 km per hour. We work with modern
transport specifically tailored to the transport of our pigeons. Cars
equipped with the latest gadgets such as air conditioning, automatic
drinking water supply but with aluminum shipping baskets of which
sometimes more than 220 with an average of 20 pigeons (is +/- 4500
pigeons) are in a room. Isn't that too much? Maybe wicker baskets were
better? How does that work with the transmission of diseases, drinking
water temperature, temperature in the moving or stationary car, food in
contaminated shipping boxes, loading the car, driving behavior. Most of
us do not realize that. The pigeons are on their way and the fanciers
are preparing to be in the loft on time the next day to wait for the
pigeons. We think it's normal that they all come home undamaged and that
not one of them stays behind. The pigeons do not know that they are
participating in a competition. They may suffer from stress because
their cock/hen or children are waiting at home or because they have had
too little or no drink. They certainly don't think about their boss. The
fancier does think of his pigeons and an early arrival and that makes
him nervous. That is why he is sometimes so strange when the pigeons
stay away a little longer than he had calculated. He becomes restless,
often has to go to the toilet and if his neighbor gets a pigeon sooner
than the nerves roar through his body. It seems that every minute that
he has to wait longer for his first pigeon lasts an hour. Pigeon sport
remains a wonderful hobby despite everything!
CHANGE NEVER ADDRESSES TO FANCIERS
It is increasingly apparent that fanciers are people of tradition. That
is because the Dutch pigeon sport consists mainly of gray men. That does
not mean that nothing has happened in our sport in 60 years. Certainly,
the sport has not stood still. The hot topic is the flight program every
year which is something that almost all fanciers are involved with all
year round. Again it appears that all proposals submitted by a series of
sections become or be referred to the famous trash can. Many hours of
endless discussion preceded this. In the Netherlands a section has been
created for each part of the game. A section consists of a group
fanciers who are committed to , for example the short distance races.
Others do that for one-day long distance or the young pigeon game. The
reason that sections have been created is due to the specialization. A
few years ago that was a hot item. It was advised to keep the pigeon
game affordable and then it might be a good solution to specialize in
for example the short, middle distance or young pigeon game. As a result
that the proponents of those game components started to compile their
flight programs. That of course became much too much for the real
program players who want to participate in everything. In practice it
appears that the majority would like to participate in the entire flight
program but that must be feasible. That was how it was 60 years ago and
it still is today.
THE NPO IS COMPLEYTELY LOST THE WAY
The NPO board consists of directors with little or no managerial
experience. In addition the delegates from the 11 different departments
of the NPO are more meeting beasts than they are knowledgeable. As a
result the NPO board has hired a sports professor to steer everything in
the right direction. He has come up with the proposal to work with
"sections". It already appears that the members are not waiting for this
type of renewal. At the beginning of October there was a meeting where
all sections were present except for the young pigeons section which was
not a good thing in itself. During that meeting an employee of the
pigeon magazine the trail of champions was also present to explain the
survey conducted by the magazine. That was just not the intention. The
members could have their say and not a representative of the newspaper
who is himself a marathon player. For the time being people have to get
used to meeting in sections. Proposals such as fair play and the
introduction of sectors for the long distance game are referred directly
to the trash. The NPO flight program adopted last year appears to be too
much for the participants, the volunteers in the club and the pigeons.
After a lot of squabbling it can just happen that we go back to the
flight program of 60 years ago.
SIXTY YEARS BACK
Very coincidentally I was reading this week the Neerlands Postduiven
Orgaan of December 1958 which contained the flight program of 1959, so
sixty years back. What does my surprise sketch? 6 short distance
flights, 6 middle distance, 5 one day long distance, 8 young and 5
natour for old and young pigeons. After the last twenty years of endless
discussions we come back to a flight program of 60 years ago when we had
many more members and many more managers with a good view of pigeon
sport. Once started as an elitist sport/hobby and then turned into a
beautiful affordable form of leisure at home for the working man. The
pigeon sport grew enormously. One association after the other was
established. The simple money game ensured that the quality of the
pigeons jumped up and even those who did not participate in the money
game did not want to be slaughtered weekly and started with a better or
heavier selection method. The Netherlands grew into one of the most
popular pigeon countries. As a result there was a market for our
pigeons. So much market that there were professional players who saw
more in the sale of pigeons than in the performance. More and more
advertisements about the sale of pigeons appeared in the pigeon
magazines in the Netherlands. The cozy room sales are almost
non-existent, everything is digital. There are many fanciers and pigeon
brokers who immensely enrich themselves with the once simple hobby. But
the fact is that pigeon sport still exists today by the grace of all
those gray men who come every week faithfully to the club with their
pigeons. It is a shame that commerce is getting the upper hand. Our
sport is gradually becoming unaffordable so that only members drop out
and no new ones are added. The pigeon sport will soon be an elitist
sport where there is only room for the professionals. The ordinary man
who has made the pigeon sport great has already dropped out for a long
time. It is a shame to say so but the pigeon sport has no future.
ENJOY AS LONG AS IT IS POSSIBLE
Now that the season is over and the pigeons are in full molt it is a
good thing to make plans for the following year. In many lofts the
breeding pigeons will come together again at the end of next month. It
is therefore important to determine which may or may not remain.
Breeding pigeons that have performed well but from the moment they have
found a place in the breeding loft have not produced any good youngsters
will have to make room for new talent. It is a good thing to have faith
in the pigeons that have secured a place in the breeding loft but again
the performances count for them. They will have to perform through good
breeding. Once a great champion told me that you can already speak of a
good breeding couple as long as they have produced one good youngster.
The most important thing is that we enjoy our hobby and we are already
busy pairing our pigeons on paper. Always a wonderful activity for me.
For 70 years I think before the breeding season starts that I have all
good breeders. Couples who will certainly produce the necessary useful
pigeons and every year it turns out that I am wrong. Fortunately I breed
a couple of pigeons every year that I can keep up well with on the
flights. Unfortunately every year there are a few breeding couples who
have not brought what the boss expected of them. That's a good thing
otherwise new breeders would never be added. The trick is to achieve
good breeding results with fairly young breeding pigeons that have
performed well on their flights in their young life. Even though we have
made such a strict selection and have thought long and hard about which
cock gets which hen there is never certainty and without luck nobody
will sail. There is no one who can say in advance what a good breeding
couple is. Yet there are figures who say they can. I wonder why they
still breed as many young pigeons as you and I do.
A LIFE LONG PIGEON SPORT
From 1946 I was never a day without pigeons. Also during my period that
I was active in cycling I had pigeons and that was also the case when I
had to do my military service. I did get help from my father then.
During a cycling race I occasionally looked up to see if I saw pigeons
pulling and everywhere I rode I looked from the corner of my eye to see
if I saw a pigeon loft somewhere. Later when I was older and became a
father I looked when we were going for a ride with the children to see
if I saw a pigeon loft somewhere. My children grew up with it but only
my oldest son Marco started pigeons at a later age. He has been flying
with the best for many years now. I was unlucky that in the period with
school children I had no pigeons at home and therefore often not at
home. I was with the pigeons and that is something children will never
forget. From experience I know all too well that in many families the
sport of father had too much influence on family life. Dad's pigeon
hobby often went for the family. Holidays were a problem in almost every
pigeon family. A Sunday to the beach, father came later because he first
had to wait for his pigeons. I heard even more lamentations after I had
written a book about 100 years of pigeon sport in the Zaan region. Many
children and grandchildren bought that book because their father or
grandfather appeared in it. I spoke to many of those children personally
and by far the majority did not have good memories of the pigeons. When
the pigeons had to come home father was usually not approachable.
Children were not allowed to play in the yard and he was able to go to
the neighbors if they dared to hang out the laundry. He would prefer
that everyone stay inside if his pigeons were to come and if one came
then everyone would have to remain stiff because oh woe the pigeon could
just sit outside. I experienced it when I went to see another fancier.
Before the pigeons came home I always had a conversation about the
pigeons and most of the time I asked what I should do if a pigeon came
unexpectedly. Oh nothing special the pigeon is right in, no that's no
problem. Suddenly there was one, pats so unexpectedly at once directly
on the fall board. The man was startled and shouted "cover". I didn't
know what to do and then I just sat down on the floor. The good man who
had kept so calm was now in all states. He went in tiger sneak to his
loft and while crawling through the garden as a well-trained soldier,
the pigeon flew to the ridge from the loft. He whistled as hard as he
could and rattled so hard with his feed van so that grains were
scattered everywhere in the grass. When the pigeon remained seated like
a statue he started to throw a handful of food on the lid, it didn't
help. Then he started throwing food in the loft. Those staying at home
were fed up with the large amount of food thrown in through the window.
After a while the pigeon came in. The fancier had become so nervous that
he had to reach for the pigeon several times. The feathers flew through
the loft and after some keeper work the pigeon could be stripped of the
rubber ring. When I called him in the evening and asked about the result
he said that he did not appear in the results and that he had discarded
the pigeon the same evening. You will be married to such a pathetic man.
So I know many stories. I can write a book about it and I have been
planning that for a long time. Who knows, maybe it will happen because I
have enough documentation about all those pigeon fanciers who are never
nervous when the pigeons of the race have to come home until you are
once "live" with those men. I know stories from fanciers who didn't come
home to eat. They continued to stare into the air on the stairs of the
pigeon loft while the whole family sat at the table. Then the stories
about fanciers who were surprised by the arrival of an early pigeon.
They ran to the loft to clock the pigeon and then discovered that the
clock was still in the house. Or from fanciers who were not nervous but
still had to go to the toilet before the pigeons arrived. Suddenly there
was a pigeon and father sat on the toilet with his pants on his heels.
The whole family shouted that there was a pigeon and often he did not
believe it until it turned out that it was really true. With the pants
half up, he came stumbling over to clock the pigeon. That is almost all
over now everyone has an electronic clock system. With that a chunk of
romance has disappeared because the clocking of the rubber ring was the
highlight and for that to reach the pigeon must have entered the loft
first. That sometimes did not work because the pigeon was caught a
little too wild the week before and so now first had a look at the cat
from the tree before it went inside. Beautiful stories that are now
almost non-existent. For me 70 years of pigeon sport has been an
important part of my life. It was a golden period that I enjoy thinking
about almost every day. Too bad that our sport is going downhill so
fast.
THE YOUNG PIGEONS ARE ADULT
My passionate young pigeons are now in the molt. Unbelievable so many
feathers there are on a pigeon. My first daily job is cleaning up the
large amount of feathers and every day I just count the number of tails
and flight feathers that are in the loft. In that respect the molt goes
as it should. You see the pigeons change, they become adults physically,
they grow a little bigger and the cocks manifest themselves as real
guys. I removed all the nest material a few weeks ago. Breeders and
racing pigeons have been separated for some time and the young pigeons
are still together. They no longer need to make another litter. That is
different with the breeding hens. These are almost done with the molting
and different ladies are making love to each other in a corner. I don't
make a point of it. I must not think that the racing hens are going to
do that. I definitely do not want that because then they do that even
when they are in widowhood and then they ruin your entire season. As
soon as I see two hens lying together in a sitting area in the winter
period or together on the floor I remove one of the two. She first gets
the chance to cool down in another loft. After three weeks she is
allowed to be with the other hens again and when they start to caress
each other again it is over with the fun and one of the ladies is
permanently removed. For now I demand rest in the loft and at the end of
November the breeders get the opportunity to reproduce again. I will
certainly do everything that they are in good condition when the time
comes. First a paratyphoid cure this month. I will continue to feed them
twice a day. In the morning at half past nine a little bit and at four
o'clock they get twenty minutes full. The lamp stays off, the pigeons
have to get used to the fact that the days are very short for now. In
mid-November I will extend the days by the breeders by turning on the
lamp from half past eight until ten in the morning and the same happens
from four to eight. That is a great system for the breeding pigeons
because I know from experience that there are youngsters everywhere in
the dish around Christmas time.
SUMMER IS PAST
Today, September 23, the astronomical fall begins. The sun is exactly
above the equator and the days will be shorter from tomorrow. Sunday
September 22 in my birthplace Zaandam, the Dam to Dam run was held for
the 35th time. A running and walking event over 10 English miles from
the Amsterdam Dam to the Zaandammer Dam with no less than 60.000
participants of which 4000 were no longer allowed on Sunday afternoon at
3:00 pm to start. The heat ensured that the ambulances drove on and off
to pick up the heat-struck participants what has never happened before!
Very unfortunate for the organization. It fitted in well with the news
that the average temperature on earth has never been this high in the
last 5 years. Scientists reported this on the eve of the New York
climate summit. Too little attention would be paid worldwide to this
climate change. Probably not everyone is convinced what all this change
can bring. Fortunately more and more is spoken and written about.
Undoubtedly pigeon sport will increasingly have to deal with this. As an
old hand in pigeon sport I am convinced that the ever-increasing losses
of in particular insufficiently trained or not well-trained pigeons have
to do with it. It is not only sick or pigeons of a lesser quality that
stay behind. There is more behind the dark clouds or the clear sky than
we think. The pigeon sport will have to respond well to this in the
coming years. We can talk for hours every winter about flying programs,
release places, national championships or the Olympiad, the most
important thing for our sport is still the weather conditions and that
is not just about rain, strong winds or tropical temperatures. It is
mainly the atmospheric disturbances that we cannot perceive as humans
but that cause a great deal of nuisance for the pigeons.
SMALLER SCALE
To save the pigeon sport and to retain the members we may have to go
back to the past when the pigeon sport was no more than a pleasant
village game. Everyone was then satisfied with the game in the club
where in some cases more than 100 members participated. At the moment
there are less than 50 playing in a district or what kind of name we
want to give to an ensemble. These days it all has to be bigger with
even more flights and that while the members disappear like snow in the
sun and the Dutch newspapers are no longer interested in posting pigeon
results. In that respect the pigeon sport is almost dead. That more and
bigger has been conceived by the pros among us, for them it is big
business. Let us not forget that 95% of the members compete for the
sporting honor just like before. When I only started with the pigeon
sport I could play in the club, in the CC and in the department
(provincial). Everyone participated in the club every week and almost
everyone participated in the CC and no more than 10% of the members
participated in the provincial game. Why so few? Because back then the
fanciers realized that this was not a fair game. It was fairer then than
now. There were 1500 fanciers in Noord-Holland at the time and the
spread was much larger than today. As a result, an early pigeon could be
clocked everywhere. Competitions with more than 20.000 pigeons were the
most normal thing in the world. Nowadays our professionals with
sometimes more than 100 pigeons in the battle make the necessary
publicity with a victory against 1200 pigeons, they should be ashamed!
They ruin it for many others. Not because they perform better, in most
cases that is not even true, but because they come with baskets full of
pigeons. There is a lot of work for the volunteers in the club. It is
the large numbers of pigeons that discourage members from participating.
In many games the first clocked pigeon counts for the championships.
That is entirely in favor of the mega lofts. With us there must be
clocked for every 10 pigeons in competition one. With a participation of
63 pigeons the fancier must have 7 clocked. Of these the points earned
are added together and divided by 6.3, and those points count for the
championship. The mega fanciers do not initially play for a
championship. They want to take several pigeons on the first page of the
result which impress particularly Asian sports friends. In all those
years I have been able to sell pigeons because of my strong game. Who
would not want or do that? The people who came to me did not do that
because I had become champion in certain areas. They came because of my
strong game and the many good results that I made with my champion
pigeons. I still remember very well that Mr. Louis Massarella from the
English breeding stud Louella Pigeon World came to my house for a loft
visit. In my breeding loft I handed him one winner after the other in a
big context. Full of surprise he said; I have been to many strong racing
lofts but I have never seen so many winners and ace pigeons. You can't
get a bigger compliment while at the time I played with no more than 16
to 24 widowers. That were the days!
THE LATEST CONVULSIONS
The season is over and most fanciers have peace with it. Some
have been looking forward to the end of this tropical heat-ridden season
for weeks and there are also a number that can't get enough. The men who
played strong are ready. They see that their pigeons that have caused so
much sporting pleasure are due for their well-earned rest. Rest between
brackets because after a much overloaded flight program the pigeons
start the big molt and that does not happen automatically. Some pigeons
are pretty upset about that, we call that molt sick. That requires good
care and that is lacking in many lofts. Season is over, then it is also
done with care. Feathers in the drinking trough, feathers in the grit
trough, feathers everywhere. The molt calls for the necessary hygiene
and that is often forgotten. For those who just can't get enough of it a
number of years ago the so-called "pie flights" were created in our
country. Primarily intended to play against each other with late
youngsters. This game has become increasingly professional due to
sponsorship which can be seen in the large numbers of old pigeons that
are used. There are (according to say) attractive prizes to be won and
it means nothing at all. The original fun game has turned into a
commercial event. Of these meaningless flights attention is even paid to
the site of our national accounting office, it should not get any
crazier. I even saw in the first result a participant with a distance of
31 km and also one with a distance of 136 km. You can't let them play
against each other and that while the whole of the Netherlands is
concerned about "fair play". Eighty fanciers participated in this kind
of fairground attractions, 40 of which do not appear in the results and
a man from the organization even dares to give it the name "Autumn
Classic". It is even claimed that these manipulated results also count
towards participation in the Olympiad that will be held in the
Netherlands the next time. I have never experienced greater nonsense
before.
PIGEON SPORT 2020, HOW WILL IT LOOK?
For the umpteenth time this year I did not bring any pigeons, something
I will probably never get used to. My whole life I play along, very
often with success but sometimes with serious setbacks that is part of
every sport. Not taking part in the races is not due to the pigeons but
the boss, it takes me too much trouble. The will is still there but
unfortunately it is all too much for me and without 100% effort it will
not work. Taking a step back is not easy especially if you are used to
playing with the best. I am busy looking for a different solution and
that is not as simple as I thought. I will never be without pigeons,
that's for sure. I will keep a small number of breeders and continue to
take care them as long as it goes myself. Past Saturday was the last
flight and I went to see by son Marco. Beautiful pigeon weather, calm
southeast wind and veil clouds. We had assumed that they would make 90
km but that estimate turned out to be a little too high. At half past
eleven one of them suddenly appeared directly over the roof of the house
on the flap. That had to be an early one because he was in such a hurry.
Well that was right because in the club it was the earliest and in the
ZCC good for a 4th place. A nice closing of the season with the first
signed in front and with 14 of 27 in the list is without doubt a great
result. It turned out not to be an easy flight because from a distance
of 280 km it took 37 minutes before the prizes were earned. It is clear
at this time of the year that the molting plays an important role. As
soon as the loft is full of small feathers every morning the
aerodynamics are over and with that the winning of early prizes is
practically impossible. In a week, when all nest positions have been
broken, the pigeons will "fall bare" at a record pace. This has been the
case with me for some time. The first thing I start with every morning
is to clean up the large amount of feathers in the corridor. I
consciously leave the sliding doors ajar so that all springs are blown
into the corridor. The breeding pigeons that have been separated since
the beginning of July are almost through the molt. That was also the
intention because at that time there was no question that I would stop
the competitive sport and that is now almost certain. The breeding
pigeons that are allowed to stay are coupled at the beginning of
December, the youngsters go to son Marco and also the second round is
for him. The winter youngsters are adult pigeons when their flights
begin so that they can be raced in nest and / or in widowhood. I have
always been a huge proponent of flying young pigeons that are at least
six months old. To keep the flight feathers in place I kept darkening
all the young pigeons until the beginning of July and you will have
benefit the last and also most beautiful flights. Young pigeons that
manage to win early prizes from the races of more than 400 km will be
among the better pigeons as a yearling or at least that has been my
experience for years. What did shock me this year is the disappointing
national participation in the last young pigeon races with the longer
distances. Incredibly so little enthusiasm was there. Is it due to the
large losses or would it be due to the large number of flights. In my
opinion the young pigeon flights must start mid-June and they have
deviated from this because it appears that the losses are greatest in
June and July. It will but in the 70 years that I have been playing
there have been more beautiful competitions than disastrous ones.
Nowadays many Dutch fanciers play their youngsters on the last six speed
races of the season, there would be fewer lost. I have never heard
greater nonsense. In my opinion the young pigeons have far too little
experience. There may well be a few heavy ones where they have to go to
the extreme to get home. A little Spartan school can certainly do no
harm. Then there are also fanciers who think that the old pigeons will
take the youngsters home on those flights. When the weather is difficult
you will see that the old pigeons are home in no time and that the
youngsters stay away much longer. In that regard the pigeon sport is
unpredictable and if you think you know it you suddenly get the lid on
your nose. Our sport is simply dependent on the weather and when
compiling a flight program you can never know in advance when the
weather is good or not. Sometimes the beginning of March is so beautiful
that everyone is eager to get started. I have also experienced that
heavy snow showers fell during the same period. Just like our sport the
Dutch weather is unpredictable and we have to deal with that.
YOU CAN'T MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY
Last winter I once again let myself be tempted to attend a department
meeting. Of all associations there are often two delegates present of
which only one has voting rights, which has to do with the number of
members. The most important point was of course the flight program. For
the first time they agreed to the flight program proposed by our
national association the NPO. It took a lot of time before all the noses
were heading in the same direction. Everyone is happy that the season
started and ended on the same date throughout the country. People did
not easily agree on the release sites. Dissatisfied sounds came from all
corners of the season. The program would be too long and too heavy. So
next winter, just like 50 years ago, we are going to come up with a new
program. Certainly know that next year, after the end of the season,
there will be endless discussions if at least there are enough members
left because it is going completely the wrong way. I was shocked by the
disappointing participation on various flights and especially the last
young pigeon flights made me decide to consider how many members still
participated in each club. I opted for the South Holland department. A
department with many members some with a mega loft. I almost fell off my
seat in surprise. There was no association with more than 10
participants, most of them had five or six. My own club only had two
participants and if you don't have seven you have to take your pigeons
to another club in the area. I've always been used to playing in a club
with 40 - 50 members. Always plenty of fun, something that you will not
easily manage in a club with fewer than 10 members. That coziness is
something that I miss the most.
ANOTHER CHANGE THAT WILL CAUSE DIVERSITY
Three more weeks of pigeon sport and then the 2019 season in the
Netherlands is a thing of the past. A season that could not to tie a
rope. For the first time a national flight program. It looked promising
but unfortunately little or nothing came of it. Yes, many dissatisfied
fanciers and major problems for those who were responsible for the
releases. You don't have to be jealous of those men for that matter.
They have received buckets with comments, rightly or wrongly…. For many
fanciers the program was too much of a good thing and that will set the
tongues in motion again during the coming winter at the meetings. Our
rapidly declining pigeon sport association is more or less
over-organized. We are gradually having more board members than regular
members. I am thinking of committee members, boards at departmental
level, then all those boards of the many playing together and every
association also has its board. Our union is bursting at the seams
because of the wide variety of committees, platforms, pilots, it makes
you dizzy. How does Maurice van de Kruk want to steer this in the right
direction? I think that is impossible and that is why there is a good
chance that all those good-looking committees will work alongside each
other. Almost all people of good will with unfortunately also several
figures who are absolutely not capable of their position but who like to
hear themselves talk. In Noord-Holland the department directors have
already indicated that they will resign at the end of the year. Too
pathetic for words but that's how it goes in an amateur sports
association.
NEW SECTOR FORMATS
This will be the hot topic this winter that will have much to do about
it. I still remember that under the leadership of former chairman Jip
Pancras all flying areas/departments were adjusted. That did not go
without a struggle but it went on. It was necessary because the
departments were too large in relation to the number of members. What
was then hammered out was that the departments and districts had to be
maintained in the longitudinal direction as much as possible. The strong
western and also eastern wind would have far too great an influence on
the course of the competitions if it became latitude flight areas. And
see there ... a group of smarties have now figured out that latitude
districts, or whatever you want to call it, is the solution for better
and fair competitions. Dear pigeon friends, that will again cost members
and so we continue to dig deeper and deeper. Of course we will now again
have to deal with supporters and opponents. When there was such a hammer
on flight areas in the longitudinal direction we still had 40.000
members who had not all fallen on their heads. Guaranteed there were
many more experts than now in that group that still consists of 10.000
members, if they are still there?
ALL CHANGES ARE NOT ALWAYS IMPROVEMENTS
Within the strongly aging pigeon sport there are many members who love
traditions. These are the old-fashioned fanciers who want to participate
with their pigeons every week. The club evenings are sacred to them,
they don't want to miss the social contacts for the world. They like it
when they occasionally make a nice result in their club and feel honored
when they receive a cup in the winter. Those people are not trying to
become national or Olympic champions at all costs. If they succeed it is
a nice bonus but nothing more. They want to play every week and that is
only possible if there is a flight program for traditional fanciers
consisting of a flight every week. They are not commercially oriented,
they do not belong to the permanent group of professional players who
put everything in their power to end up with the champions at national
or even international level. Because of all those extra competitions a
lot of money goes into the pigeon sport. Fine but that is not important
for the majority of the members who are still there. They do not come
with cart loads of pigeons to play as many prizes as possible. Those
scrapers still do not realize that it is they who are the pigeon sport,
and in particular the fanciers hugely victimize. This cannot go on for
long.
PIGEON CLUBS
It burst out of it. Each village had its own club. The larger towns had
two or more and the large cities such as Amsterdam had 30 associations
with a total of 1200 members. There where I live, the Zaanstreek, were
15 pigeon clubs with almost 500 members. In Amsterdam no more 30
fanciers live in the city itself. They all live in rural areas and there
are no more than 200 members total. In the Zaanstreek there are still 4
pigeon clubs with perhaps a little more than 100 members and 36 of them
participated last week on the fifth young pigeon flight. Despite that
the existing clubs just want to continue. Usually it is because of a
single very old member who keeps fighting to keep his club within
walking distance. Then he can go to the club every week with his basket,
very nice. If that is no longer possible it is also no longer possible
for members of that kind to play with pigeons and in this way we lose a
good number every year. To maintain the pigeon sport you would say; let
the existing clubs merge with each other within a certain area. From an
organizational point of view that is by far the best solution. The
necessary mergers have taken place in recent years unfortunately that
has only cost members.
MORE FLY AREAS
To keep the pigeon sport interesting it might be a good solution to
greatly expand the number of flying areas, also known as playing
together. So, for example in departments where there are now 5 circles
or playing together there can be made 10 of them so you automatically
get more winners. You play against fewer pigeons but that is not the
most important thing for most. In the pigeon sport it is important that
you defeat your best sport friend and that you at least have a pigeon in
the clock sooner than your neighbor. That is pigeon sport and that is
what it is all about. I know those who say that everyone can sit in
front of them as long as I leave my neighbor behind. That is nice or
not?
NEVER EVER EXPERIENCED
The pigeon year 2019 goes into the books as the year of failures. For
the last four flights with young pigeons I had everything in focus. My
young pigeons look like to get through a ring. Tight in the feathers,
healthy, nice on weight and they feel like they've been pumped up a bit.
In addition, most of them have a boyfriend or girlfriend. Some already
have a young in the nest, some only sit on eggs for a few days, others a
little longer. An almost ideal situation for an extra flame this season.
I have done my best to create this situation and then the following
happens. There would be a race of nearly 400 km last Saturday for which
the pigeons had to be used on Thursday evening. I was completely
satisfied and was ready for the fight. But what is my surprise? Because
so many young pigeons were left behind most members in my club no longer
wanted to participate. As a result they had to move to another club. I
was not happy with that and certainly not when I heard that no
association in the region could process my Tipes clock system. That's
why there was only one thing to do; I had to take the basketing antenna
and the atomic clock from my club. I was not in the mood for that either
even when some members offered to take my pigeons and the Tipes supplies
away. To make matters worse I soon heard the weather forecast and my
decision was final; I would not participate. Very terrible weather was
predicted for both Saturday and Sunday. The disappointment was great
especially because I thought the pigeons looked so perfect. After I had
unsubscribed a message came through that there would be raced Friday
instead of Saturday. I have never experienced this as long as I have
been playing with pigeons. A flight was planned for that same Saturday
in which many inexperienced young pigeons would participate. Despite the
predicted "animal weather", it would continue on Saturday. End of the
song; a beautiful flight on Friday with a disappointing participation.
My chance for the championship is gone. On Saturday the pigeons could
not get away and was decided that same afternoon to bring the pigeons
back to the premises while on Sunday it was excellent weather for the
flight to continue. It looks like I will not be able to basket again in
my own room for the coming weekend and that is why I am not
participating in the races for youngsters. Everything done for nothing
but it is my own choice not to participate. The main cause is that I
cannot basket in my own club room and I have never experienced that. For
me the fun is completely gone. So now I bet my old and young pigeons
four times on the last speed races of this season and that is nice again
because then I am certainly waiting for the arrival of some forty
pigeons and that is still one of the most beautiful parts of our sport,
namely the arrival of the pigeons. It will be 27 degrees with east wind
and that is less fun.
WHAT WE CAN DO TO PREVENT BIG LOSSES
That is very different from playing hard. I still remember the time when
almost no young pigeons were lost. Of course there were also bad flights
at the time of which not all pigeons returned but those were exceptions.
Nowadays many fanciers breed twice the amount they would normally grow.
They all assume that they will lose at least a quarter of their
youngsters. Many fanciers would be happy with a quarter because usually
there are many more. Even so much that many stop early because otherwise
they are afraid not to be able to select strict enough. There is nothing
so annoying to keep pigeons in winter that you don't really like. There
is nothing so annoying to be forced to keep a collection pigeons that
you can’t trust. Nevertheless I still maintain that we can do a lot
ourselves to prevent massive losses. It is certainly not only about
quality if young pigeons are left behind. Health is the most important
thing but there is more to this globe. Because many pigeons are left
behind we breed more. That in itself is a very good system. A lot of
breeding and flying with it is very important, the basket will tells you
more. The mistake is that from everything that has two wings are bred.
Breeding from good pigeons gives more chance of usable pigeons. Two
toppers do not automatically give toppers even though all those stories
do believe that. There is still a bit of craftsmanship involved. Look at
the men who always play well. They own a strain of pigeons that they
know through and through. Every year they see characteristics of
grandparents who have put down a good performance. They have developed
their own model pigeon. They know their pigeons from head to toe, just
the external characteristics often tell them enough to determine whether
or not they will breed from them. It is not always the most beautiful
athletes that perform the best. In the sports world there is also a
clear difference between sprinters, medium-distance runners and marathon
runners. Sprinters are important in cycling, but also climbers, time
trialists and all-rounders. Whoever wants to be one of the great
champions in the pigeon sport will have to have a loft of pigeons that
possesses a variety of capacities and then you are not there yet. You
should not be too scared to let the pigeons participate in the flights.
With caution you will not get any further and we are certainly not
allowed to turn it into greenhouse plants. The boss himself must be in
control of the game. So dealing with his pigeons, a well-thought out
training system, the method of feeding and what extras he should
administer to his pigeons. The method of selection, the loft and, to a
lesser extent, the use of all kinds of medicines are just as important.
NOT SO SATISFIED
A very old saying that is also important for young pigeons. I even want
to start with the egg, it must be nice in shape and smooth. Is that not
the case, they are also from your best pigeons, away with it. Both eggs
have to hatch at the same time, a young that hatches a day later can
leave, such a pigeon will always be late. Young pigeons have to be full
and full all day long, so feeding three times a day is best, even better
than "full body" every day. After every feeding the parents start
feeding their young at full capacity they do so irregularly. Youngsters
who try to stand on their legs early on can leave. They are wrong and
will never be a good one. Squeaky youngsters can also leave quickly,
they can only squeak when fed and furthermore they have to sleep a lot
during the entire growing up period, then they grow best and the boss
will look at it with a good feeling. As soon as they can leave the
parents, they have to lie tight. Their feathers must shine, nice solid
manure around the dish then they will certainly feel good too. It must
be a party to wean such a boy. We will continue this next time.
NEVER THERE WAS SO MANY MUTATIONS IN THE FLY PROGRAM
We are probably working on the most difficult season ever in the
Netherlands this year. Everything is upset, the weather, the release
committee, the managers, the fanciers and even the pigeons. From the
start of the season there is something special going on every week. That
way the fun gets a bit off. In addition there are also the losses with
the youngsters. The pigeons are having a hard time but this week they
had it very easy with the wind in their sails, at least you would say
that. Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case. With a speed of
more than 130 km per hour they came rushing home. The annoying thing is
that it is precisely because of this that again a lot of young pigeons
flew past their lofts and ended up in the high north of our country or
maybe even further. The program for the young pigeons is now running at
full speed and unfortunately fanciers are already stopping because
otherwise they will no longer have any young pigeons. Despite the high
speed the competition was open for more than half an hour. A day later
there was another flight where they again had the wind on their tails.
There was a less strong wind and yet the pigeons made speeds of almost
110 km per hour. The strange thing is that this flight was open for 7
minutes and the losses were nihil. The program for the old pigeons is
over but they can still participate a number of times in the natour
where old and young compete against each other.
THE NATOUR; SEVEN SPEED FLIGHTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG
Originally those flights were created to train the later youngsters. It
has been many years since someone came up with the bright idea to
include those flights in the overall (general) championship. That caught
on so much that enthusiasm of the fanciers was great and the number of
participating pigeons became huge. Even today many fanciers are still
playing at the cutting edge. In the early years I only played my hens
who had served as a widow hen all year round. So at this time of the
year they had another nest and the hens that had been sitting still for
a long time without a nest turned out to be extremely motivated. Most of
the time I played with 16 hens and experienced it several times that
they all won prizes. The trick is to keep a good eye on the hens and by
playing them in the nest it works nicely. Yet it is true that especially
on the last flights the darkened youngsters beat the old ones. The
natour is loved by many fanciers in the Netherlands. At the end of
September it is over and that is a good thing because then it is almost
impossible to stop the big molt and it is high time to give the pigeons
rest.
YOUNG PIGEONS
When the last middle distance flights start, you can see the number of
participating pigeons run back quickly. This is because many fanciers
who no longer have a chance at a championship will focus on the young
pigeon game. A game where previously everyone could come along well or
to satisfaction. The game with the young pigeons is no longer fun
either. The whole bag of tricks opens to show as well as possible. A lot
is being demanded of the young pigeons while they have to work in the
toughest period of the season. Often very hot and that is not an easy
task for not well-trained youngsters. This year and also last year the
juniors have a very difficult time. Despite everything, the losses are
not that bad for me. Every now and then pigeons come home again. I am
happy with that while I actually have no use anymore. Practice is that
as soon as you give them again on a race a number stay away. A few weeks
ago I picked up a young cock that looked so great that you could
immediately play it again. I didn't do that he was able to train for
three weeks around the loft. I think it was enough for him for the time
being but I lost him again. His father is my best yearling this year and
his mother was my best young bird last year. You see, it doesn't say
everything either. Still I look forward with interest to the remaining
flights. The young pigeons are increasingly forming a pair, are cuddling
somewhere in a corner. Others already have eggs and a couple gave birth
to the first youngster two days ago. Nice nest positions for the coming
races. Performing well with young pigeons does not have everything to do
with good nesting positions. Health in particular is of the utmost
importance. Furthermore, two young cocks that hate each other can
perform incredibly well and also a young pigeon that sees other pigeons
caressing from its seat can rush away in such a way that it thunders
home at a record pace. By carefully observing the pigeons you can see
these kinds of things and that can be important to put the right pigeons
at the top of the list of participants.
FAIR GAME
In the past winter there has been much to do about this in our country,
a committee has even been set up for it. A lot has been discussed about
it and a long list of all sorts of ideas and proposals has come out are
of no use to us. Fair play is simply not possible in the pigeon sport.
Of course it was initially only about the large numbers that are used
weekly by certain members. I can imagine that such a thing discourages a
lot fanciers in advance. There was talked about pros and amateurs, that
would also be unfair. I know enough amateurs who play much better than
the pros who owe their name to the performance of one of their pigeons.
What to think of all those commercial players who think of everything to
get in the picture while they are perform far below par. Older
aficionados look up to men like that while practice shows that they
themselves play considerably better. Those men with big names sell
several times a year and always work with youngsters from only their
best breeders. The more you write that, the more fanciers will believe
that. Because we never had many pigeons at home we soon realized that
you should not breed too much from the same (good) couples. You got too
much of the same kind and that was why there was a good chance that you
would grow too closely. With long-term too narrow inbreeding you often
get the most beautiful pigeons, the annoying thing is that the speed is
grown out of it. So we broke all breeding couples every year (we only
had six). Every year the two best racing pigeons went to our breeding
loft where two older breeders had to make room. That way we only had
breeding pigeons that had won a first prize at least once and yet it
happened several times that our best young pigeon came from the racing
pigeons. All the knowledge that we think we have appears to be more luck
than wisdom.
JULY 2019 HOTTEST MONTH EVER
In the Netherlands heat records have been broken with some regularity in
recent years. For example the past month of July was extremely hot and
also the hottest month ever. Where's that going? Fortunately it receives
the necessary attention worldwide. The high temperatures are far from
ideal for our pigeon sport. We can gradually ask ourselves what
influence that has on our sport. Large losses are partly due to these
tropical temperatures and you know as well as I do that it makes no one
happy. Unfortunately we cannot influence it at all but we will
increasingly take it into account. Fewer pigeons are being used, we are
becoming more careful so that our pigeons are less able to resist high
temperatures. I myself can also not stand it if I have to hand in a few
pigeons every week, I never get used to that. At the moment many
fanciers have lost so many young pigeons that at the end of the season
there is little to be selected so they have to keep pigeons that would
otherwise be selected. I would never use such a system, I would rather
have a few empty breeding boxes. I absolutely do not want pigeons in my
loft that I have no faith in or do not like as a pigeon. Fortunately the
worst heat is now out of our country so that we will hopefully get some
nice and exciting flights before the season ends on September 13.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MAIN FLIGHTS FOR THE YOUNGSTERS ARE ARRIVING
The speed flights for the young pigeons are over. They have met well
with regard to the race for the championships. We are now going to start
on a series of four flights with two nights in the basket, which means
that the distances will be somewhat larger. The point now is that the
pigeons know where to drink when they are on their way to the release
location. If they do not drink it is fatal, in any case the chance of an
early arrival is then gone. So it's about them drinking in the baskets.
Fanciers who have made work of it don't have to worry. I myself am a bit
too easy to do that. The only thing I did years ago to teach them to
drink is to place a 70 cm long drinking trough in the cage where they,
just like in the shipping baskets, have to put their heads through the
bars to drink. Furthermore I assume that when they are in the basket for
two nights they are so excited about drinking that they will soon
imitate their fellow drinkers. I have never put young pigeons in the
basket overnight to teach them to drink. I cannot judge whether I have
lost pigeons as a result. It is true that the last flight I got a young
hen home who had been drinking for a long time. The pigeons were
released at noon so they had to stay in the basket for quite a long
time. She had probably not drunk a drop and when she returned home she
had lost a lot of weight. Now it was my third pigeon and two weeks
before my first and then she sensed that she had not left. Next weekend
they will go to 315 km, a nice distance for young pigeons. The following
week 350 km and then 400 km. My experience is that youngsters who win
early prizes from such distances as yearlings are often among the better
ones. For the coming weeks I am confident. Marco has stopped with the
youngsters. He didn't have enough time to prepare them properly which
meant he had to surrender far too much on a flight. This was followed by
a fourteen-day holiday so he decided to race the young pigeons on the
after tour. These are six speed flights that will also start this coming
weekend in which the old and young pigeons compete. Perhaps it is also
an advantage that old and young are released simultaneously so that the
young can use the experience that the old pigeons have already gained
this season so that losses among the young pigeons will be kept to a
minimum. The plans that we both had with the young pigeons fell apart.
We will try again with the natour to jointly make some nice chain
results. But those thoughts will live with multiple fanciers. In any
case we go "full" against it.
IT IS NOW ABOUT THE AERODYNAMICS
The season is nearing its end and that means that in many lofts the big
molt appears. Fanciers who have taken this into account have darkened
their old pigeons in the spring so that they have only thrown two and
maybe three pens at most. As a result, the widowers can simply be raced
in widowhood and the widow hens that are not raced will perform great as
a nest pigeon with a full wing. Those who start the after-flight with
three days of eggs can play the season 6 weeks in a row on that litter.
First week three days of eggs, then 10 days, then 17 days or bald
youngsters, then youngsters of one week, then two weeks and the last
week it is about who still has a good grip on his pigeons. If that is
not the case then the aerodynamics are gone and it is over with winning
early prizes. This time of year playing with pigeons in the nest has the
advantage that as soon as youngsters come into the dish the molting
stagnates. The pigeons can also be paired in two groups so that the
first group at the end of the season can be used to reduce the
youngsters so that the old pigeons hold their feathers and have a better
chance of coming home at full speed. I have been playing that game for
many years with great success. The pigeons have to get out twice a day
including those who are sitting on the nest at that time. They must
train for at least half an hour if necessary with the flag. After 45
minutes they can go inside and 15 minutes later they are fed.
YOUNG PIGEONS ARE STILL COMING BACK
We complain that so many pigeons stay away, indeed it is. Possibly due
to the fairly good weather conditions I sometimes get a lost son or
daughter back in the last two weeks. It is striking that they look good,
they have probably been so wise to enter a different loft and have had
food and drink there. I also received several telephone calls which I
picked up with my wife. However, the best thing is if they come back on
their own, there are pigeons that I have lost for several weeks, I like
that. Practice has shown that the returned pigeons, after having flown
around the house for a few weeks, are left behind after a short training
flight. I am convinced that it is not always the quality that young
pigeons do not come home. Weather conditions and health play an
important role in this. My team of young pigeons grows bigger every
week. In each case I have enough to make a strict selection. Whether
they are all useful pigeons that will be in my loft this winter, I hope
so. However, I have enough experience to know that they are never all
good. I also never know for sure what the bad and the good are. We must
all have made many mistakes in that regard.
CONTINUOUS HEATING SETBACK FOR PIGEON SPORT
In the Netherlands we are used to strong and sudden weather changes and
our sport is often the victim of that. The past weekend was a wise
decision to cancel all flights. We fanciers had a free weekend but that
was not entirely true. The international flight from Narbonne where 6
cars with a total of 18.094 pigeons were at the start went ahead.
Already on Wednesday the pigeons went on a journey and due to the
scorching heat with thunderstorms and heavy rain the pigeons could only
on Monday morning at 7.15 on their way home. I would like to stand still
on the international race from Narbonne. In my eyes no more than a
laugher. What the hell suggests such an international competition. The
French entered with 5438 pigeons and won all the early prizes. If you
see what kind of accommodation the winner lives then I am ashamed to
death, what a mess! Fortunately a pigeon does not look at it, it is
often satisfied with a cardboard box in which he or she can lie with her
buddy. However, you will have a neighbor with a loft that is about to
collapse and a garden as if a bomb has been hit. Furthermore the
participation was as follows; Netherlands 3835; Belgium 7465; Germany
1160; England 75 and Luxembourg 121. Monday evening at 10 p.m. 1487 of
the more than 18.000 pigeons were reported internationally, that is 8%!
The newspapers will soon be full of the most beautiful stories about the
national and international winners. You will win the first national in
England against 75 pigeons. I do not know when it arrived, but I do know
that it was not home on the day of release. In the Netherlands, Zeeland
fanciers who live in the southwest of our country, came out the best.
The fastest Dutch pigeon fell four hours after the first international
report at 8.49 pm (963 km) and became 61st internationally which in
itself is a top achievement. The first international report took place
at 4.52 pm at a distance of 717 km. With the best will in the world I
cannot understand what is so great about such an international race. The
commercial guys certainly understand that otherwise they would not
participate! As far as I am concerned; this type of unfair races soon
forgot about the big difference in distances.
SOMETHING SO INCOMPREHENSIBLE
Our international board the F.C.I. is busy with the world championship
that will be held in Argentina in May 2020. The pigeons that participate
in this race are kept in quarantine in Belgium and can/must be delivered
in September. There are still 20 places available for interested
Dutchmen. The participation fee is 120 euros. Fancy an Argentinian
adventure? Jo Vos ?? !! is the man who can show you the way. Whether
there are still places available for participants from other countries
has not been announced. All in all an unclear report about a World
Championship for racing pigeons. By the way, I don't know what to think
about a World Championship for racing pigeons. Yes, commerce and nothing
more. Well, a festive dinner for the international bobos will no doubt
be arranged.
THE HEAT RECORDS ARE EASILY RESPONDED
The past week has been tropical in the Netherlands, which is not fun at
all for many people. Temperatures of more than 40 degrees do not
normally occur in our country. The KNMI weather station has been
accurately tracking the highest temperatures since the end of the
nineteenth century. 1943 and 1947 had also a number of tropical days,
but yes, that is already 70 years ago. It is true that the average
temperatures are becoming a little higher and scientist all over the
world are working on that. Nature is not doing well and we humans are to
blame for that. Nature cannot be regulated, certainly not by humans. For
the races with racing pigeons in Europe every year we see that the
weather conditions have such an influence that our beautiful and
exciting pigeon game is regularly put in danger. Delayed releases, poor
visibility in the early morning, heavy showers, tropical temperatures
are becoming more frequent. We and certainly our pigeons are not geared
to that. Perhaps we are too careful with our pigeons. In the Netherlands
we really only have nice weather pigeons. We will certainly have to look
for the big losses with young pigeons in that direction. It is not only
the high-voltage cables and the birds of prey that cause great losses. I
know that many fanciers are very serious about preparing their young
pigeons and yet they lose at least a third every year including me!
A SEASON TO FORGET SOON
We already say that a for a few years but whatever we do the losses
remain large and that causes disappointed fanciers. Most of us are gray
or bald and already quite old and have experienced a few things. It is
precisely that aging that makes us more sentimental. We cannot stand to
have to surrender too many pigeons a year, plus our national government
is pretty busy spoiling our game. There are now so many flights that it
is no longer fun. Every week a flight is still the best, everyone will
participate. The specialization has certainly not produced any new
members in the Netherlands. Worse, it has made many members decide to
stop pigeon racing. With a shorter flight program of 5 vitesse flights,
5 middle distance, 5 long distance, 7 young pigeons and 5 natoer sprint
races where old and young pigeons compete against each other, everyone
will find what they are looking for. That is the game that has been at
the base for years. All those marathon flights and too many one-day long
distance flights are only interesting for a handful of participants.
Today's board members who are retiring too quickly cause unrest in the
organization. When existing board members resign, new ones must come and
they will usually reinvent the wheel. Well intended but it has not
gotten better over the last few years with regard to powerful drivers.
We desperately need them, I doubt if they still exist.
THE NETHERLANDS ONLY HAS ONE OFFICIAL NATIONAL COMPETITION
You can ask yourself what the purpose of a national competition is. It
must be fun to play against each other in a country with all fanciers
together. Let us not be mistaken. Playing all of the same release place
against each other is not fair anyway so actually not fun either. Yes,
for those who achieve good results. Unfortunately the pigeon sport has
more losers than winners. The differences in distance are too large even
in a small country like the Netherlands. It is generally known that the
wind influences the course of short flights. Nationally the wind also
has (much) influence on flights of even 750 km or more. On the day of
release it is easily predictable in advance on which side of the country
the earliest pigeons will arrive. With a northwest wind the first
arrivals will be in the southeastern part of our country. With a
northeast wind, Zeeland, which lies in the southwest of the Netherlands,
will clearly have an advantage. Of course a victory, especially a
national victory, is something that many long distance fanciers dream
of. You must have luck on your side on that day. This is also the case
on all other flights of different distances. The big and most important
difference is that we play per department and we have 11 of them in our
country. The 11 departments are also divided into different games and
the club game comes first. If you are not there early then you can shake
it in larger games. Pigeon sport is a very nice game. I have been
working on it all my life and I mainly look at the results in my own
environment. They are also of the utmost importance to me during the
selection period. Pigeons that achieve a victory in their own
environment can be completely eliminated in a larger combination and
that has almost nothing to do with quality. The wind and therefore the
migration of the pigeons determines a good or bad result. If your
neighbor picks up well you must pack well. If that is not the case then
something is wrong with the health of your pigeons. It is important that
you can see for yourself what is not right. If you are not yet that far
advanced consult a pigeon friend or visit the vet. Pigeon sport is not
that difficult, we make it too difficult ourselves. We look too much
behind it, suspect others of secret means or even unfair play. Stay
sporty at all times, we can all run fast but not all equally fast. This
also applies to the racing performance of our pigeons. If they are
healthy they must regularly play a prize. With me the performance of
young pigeons does not count. A young pigeon that comes home early every
week, even if it has a hump or a crooked breastbone, remains.
Fortunately we all have more pigeons in our loft that do not all
regularly win prizes. The most important thing for me is the first
impression when I take a pigeon in my hands. For yearlings I have set
the performance bar at 50%. They must achieve that minimum percentage.
If not there will be no room for them in the loft coming winter. If we
demand performance we have to take care of the pigeons optimally and
also dare to select strictly. Certainly know that you will experience
considerably more pleasure with your pigeons. Whether you will also
achieve a national victory? Don't count on that, certainly not in the
Netherlands where there is only 1 national flight per year.
SECTOR FLIGHTS, THERE ARE MORE OF THEM
The Netherlands is divided into 4 sectors, they are usually flights from
500 - 700 km. Here you can clearly see that you cannot all play against
each other from the same release location. Sector 1 played from
Chateauroux, 1003 fanciers had brought 7494 pigeons. The winner had a
distance of 540 km and made a speed of 1350 meters per minute. Sector 2
played from Blois, 688 fanciers had brought 5877 pigeons. The winner had
a distance of 549 km and made a speed of 1343 meters per minute. Sector
2 is a combination of South and North Holland. The first North Holland
pigeon starts in place 25. Sector 3 and 4 played from Chateaudun. There
was a joint participation of 1742 fanciers who had brought 13.568
pigeons. In sector 3 1411 meters (491 km) was enough for the victory. In
sector 4, at a distance of 668 km was 1.407 meters enough. That is an
"over flight" of 1777 km compared to the shortest distance. The winner
of sector 1 would have started in 218th place with his speed in sector
3. Respect for every winner but here we see that pigeon sport is
definitely not a fair game. Our national board tries to fool us that we
still have 15.000 fanciers in the Netherlands, I think 12.000.
Unfortunately, these are NOT 12.000 lofts but members. A total of 3433
members participated in the flights sector. I don't know what you think
of that, but assuming 15.000 members, that is just over 20%. With the
best will in the world I cannot find that a great participation. You can
therefore wonder whether sector flights are worthwhile and the same
applies to that one national flight. You can talk about a national or
sectoral victory but if only 20% of all members participate, which is a
good performance, but let's face it the number of fanciers participating
in a national competition unfortunately does not represent that much. I
give you to guess what amount Asian fanciers want to pay for such a
pigeon.
THE LADIES LEAGUE
A lot of tam-tam was made at the start of the new setup for female
pigeon fanciers. I understand that there are more attractive prizes to
win than the men which is certainly not wrong. What matters to me is the
sequel. I hear little or nothing about it and have only once read an
article about a flight that was held in Noord-Holland. I couldn't find
anything special in it and am already afraid that the women's
competition will disappear just as quickly as it came. I hope I am
wrong.
5 AUGUST NATIONAL BURGES
I can still remember that in Belgium the national Bourges for young
pigeons was really the top of the pigeon sport. Gigantic participation,
a competition in which all Belgians really participated. At the then
Houben family in Itegem, dozens, perhaps a hundred supporters were
waiting for the pigeons. Only when the first pigeons had fallen were the
supporters treated to a cold beer, great to see. The pigeon sport was
incredibly popular in those years. In the Netherlands too, the villagers
in particular took part in the pigeon sport. The newspapers were full of
the best stories about the national winners. Also in the Netherlands we
have had several years that the fanciers were looking forward to the
Derby competition for youngsters from Orleans. There was even talk of
the Orleans fever that had burst out. Dozens of gold watches were to win
on that flight and you can imagine what it meant if you won a gold watch
at that time. If you said that you had won that with the pigeons most
people would not believe that. Unfortunately that competition is long
gone, it would be too far. Certainly the Dutch pigeon sport owes its
good name to this world famous competition for young pigeons with
150.000 youngsters at the start. I had hoped that the race would be
restored this year. Unfortunately that will never come back and when it
comes back it will never be that spectacular again. There are far too
few fanciers and few fanciers also means few pigeons. The fairy tale is
over and the once-popular sport has dropped almost to the last step of
the sporting ladder. Unfortunately! Perhaps the national race from
Bourges on Saturday August 5 brings the pigeon sport in a positive image
again.
SPECIALIZATION DEATH STITCH FOR DUTCH PIGEON SPORT?
When I ended up in the pigeon sport, that was a long time ago, the
flight program consisted of 6 speed flights. 6 middle distance flights,
5 long distance flights, 6 young pigeon flights and 5 after flights. The
old and young pigeons played against each other. The long distance
consisted of 4 one-day long distance flights and 1 overnight flight from
Bordeaux. With that flight the season for the old pigeons ended. For
many fanciers that was a sort of "clean up" flight. Almost all pigeons
that had not met were put on Bordeaux and that race was usually won by a
speed player, that's how it can go in the pigeon sport. Those who
grabbed an early pigeon on that flight were the King too rich. It was of
course very special that a pigeon that had performed poorly the entire
season now managed to get it off to a successful marathon race. For many
fanciers that performance was of great significance, as a result of
which the pigeon was usually given a place in the breeding loft. Whether
that is a good choice I do not entirely agree or, rather I do not agree
at all. Pigeons that conquer a place in the breeding loft must have
performed very well or it must be a pigeon purchased (for a lot of
money). For me, a breeding loft must consist exclusively of own
performance pigeons or what I just said, it must be a purchased pigeon.
You expect something from a purchased pigeon so I always put it against
my best breeder I had.
A FLY PROGRAM FOR THE MODAL FANCIER
What I want to talk about now is the national flying program made by the
NPO that, incidentally, came about on the recommendation of the
fanciers. I started this column by giving an overview of what the flying
program looked like for many years. One flight per weekend and in
exceptional cases sometimes 2. I must admit that in my younger years,
when I was driven to the bone, I was as fanatical as a young dog. I had
to win and would rather have 5 flights in a day than 1. In those years I
played with 16 widowers. The hens only competed in the last 5 races of
the season. I also had 4 breeding couples that raised 2 rounds and I had
1 young from each of my 16 flying couples so that if everything went
well, thirty young pigeons could start. That was pretty much because
considerably fewer pigeons were lost from the sixties up to the
eighties. A lot has changed in the meantime, not only for me but
especially nationwide.
THERE ARE ALMOST NO MORE FANCIERS
Youth is hardly ever added, they are busy with completely different
things. They have so many possibilities that they do not embark on a
time-consuming and expensive hobby such as the pigeon sport. The sport
is aging, the largest group of fanciers are the pensionados and they are
certainly not waiting for all those changes. They want to play their
game every week. They have been used to this for many years so we should
not change that. Yet that happens. The number of members is declining
and that is not only due to the aging population. All kinds of working
groups have been formed by the NPO for each type of game. The people who
have taken part in it come up with all kinds of novelties for their
category, especially more flights. People should have thought that 40
years ago when there were enough members. There were even associations
that had a membership stop. Unfortunately the managers at the time did
not think of aging, after all it went well and everyone was
enthusiastic. Because of the working groups there are far too many
flights and after only one year playing the national NPO program there
are already many dissatisfied fanciers. I know you don't have to
participate in everything, nothing is required. But in the past it was
true that everyone participated because it was a racing program that
fanciers with a small number of pigeons could play every week. The sport
for the common man was affordable, now the prices rise out of the pan.
It is no longer fun and that is why more and more fanciers throwing the
towel in the ring. The pigeon sport is becoming too professional and
commercial. The professionals with their mega lofts taking advantage
from all those older fanciers who come to the room every week with their
pigeons. They ensure that there are still quite a few pigeons
participating in the competitions for the glory of the pros. The same
professionals can then compete for the national titles and participation
in the Olympiad which is held once every two years. Ridiculous, every
Olympiad is once every 4 years. Not in the pigeon sport. There the
commercial men can make a lot of money every two years for the pigeons
or their youngsters. Fine, but that should not be about the heads of all
those old gray males who often achieve a much better prize percentage
than all those mass players. Those who can read a result know that. Our
national board, the NPO, is contributing to this. They have forgotten
what it was like or perhaps they have never experienced how cozy the
pigeon sport was. Now a pigeon club consists of an average of ten
members. In the golden years there were many associations that had 80 to
100 members and some even more. Then there was a fight within every
club. Now it is often the same two or three that make up the service and
they dare to advertise with it. They must be ashamed of themselves. No,
there is not much fun left. You have to find the pleasure on your own
property and that has nothing to do with whether you are a member of a
club with 10 or 50 members. Pigeon sport is sport at home and the whole
family can enjoy it.
IT IS WHAT IT IS
In the Netherlands, the golden years are over. I am very happy that I
was able to experience those years. Now we are struggling on a little.
The game with the pigeons is still great fun. Every day I enjoy the care
to get a good result at the weekend. Just relax in your loft, shake off
all worries and be busy with your animals. The time that I wanted to
play multiple flights in one day is far behind me. I don't have to think
about going to the club several times a week. Friday evening is the
nicest evening for me everything else could be done online. Money play
is gone, so what does a result say. What matters now are the champion
points, there is nothing more. We can forget large numbers of pigeons in
competition, that will never come again. It just gets a bit pathetic.
This week we had in my club with 22 members 6 participants for the third
one-day long distance race and 3 of them did not appear in the results,
it really means nothing anymore. In a little while we will no longer
know in an affordable way how to take the pigeons to release places of
500 km and beyond. I don't think the NPO board is working on that. They
are busy with the organization of the Olympiad to be held in 2021 in the
Netherlands. That costs a lot of money while the event is only
interesting for the bobos and that can never be the intention of an
Olympiad. Still I hope to be there in 2 years, then I have to become 84
years old.
HANDBOOK FOR PIGEON SPORTS DOES NOT EXIST
Many wise words have been written over the years. By highly trained
fanciers, by strongly playing fanciers by everyone who cares about
pigeon sport. There is (fortunately) still no manual for the pigeon
sport which describes what you have to do to become and remain a
champion. So it comes down to whether an fancier is a type of winner,
whether he is very passionate, whether he works systematically and
whether he has it in it’s fingers. If you have no aptitude to become a
strong playing fancier then it will not work either. Everyone can enjoy
the pigeon sport in their own way. However most of us want more. It is a
competitive sport and I think everyone wants to participate every week
with the intention of achieving good results. 100% effort is needed for
this and a good pigeon fancier always has a good loft and good pigeons
otherwise it would not be a good fancier. A visit to the loft and a
conversation with a crack that has played a leading role for many years
can be very enlightening. Good listening and reading makes you a lot
wiser. Do not do everything that different players claim, make your own
choice about care, type of game, number of pigeons. We can want
everything, but it must also be feasible also for the wallet. Certainly
within the Dutch and Belgian pigeon sport I know a lot of small fanciers
with a simple loft (cozy for the pigeons) and they play price
percentages that the mega lofts cannot match. They are all men who make
very strict selections. They dare to put away pigeons and only then look
at the pedigree. Names are completely unimportant for them. The only
thing that counts are the performances and only then does the pedigree
play a role. This is not so difficult for men who have been playing in
champion style for years. They have been using a fixed care schedule for
some time and if they do not do so well it certainly does not depend on
that.
DO ONLY WHAT IS NECESSARY
My feed supplier stopped. A pity, because I have been coming there for
years. There is now a new owner who has drastically changed his range.
He has listened (too much) to all stories about food. Our pigeons need
food every day and with a very varied mix good results can be achieved
on almost all flights. However the fanciers want to have a wide choice.
Almost all the same grains are present in all the mixtures. I cannot see
whether my pigeons eat all 28 different grains and how much of them they
eat. What I mean to say; all the mixes are thought out for commerce and
have nothing to do with better performance, breeding or molting. Stick
to a versatile mix and the rest is totally unimportant. An old fancier
once said to me; write in large letters POISON on your feed bin you oh
so soon give too much of it. Then we haven't talked about the prices
yet. Look and compare then you soon find out that you often pay way too
much. The pigeons need fresh grit every day. No grit, no prizes. To win
prizes you definitely do not need all the resources that are used to
advertise so much. Keep it simple then you get the furthest. Remember
that the pigeon engine runs on fat, linseed, hemp seed and 2 peanuts per
pigeon each day ensure a well-filled fuel tank with the necessary
reserves. Once I came to a well-known hard-playing fancier. He had 6 or
7 different bags of food. Every day he threw a canister of food out of
every bag into a bucket, he shook it well and that was his secret. Laugh
or not? With this he threw the expertise of the feed manufacturers
overboard, he left the choice to his pigeons and they are expert enough,
just like your pigeons.
BELIEVE IN YOUR PIGEONS AND NOT IN BREEDS
I often smile when reading reports and advertisements about varieties.
They know how to handle this, especially abroad. I read about Hansenne
(who died more than 100 years ago). How dare you write about the pure
Hansenne breed. Someone asked me what I thought of a pairing Raoul
Verstraete x Gaby Vandenabeele, both have no race. They mainly bought
the best pigeons in their own environment, bred from them and only keep
the best. There is still no one who can tell in advance that cock on
that hen will give good results in the assembly line. With lots of
breeding and play the basket will tell you which ones are the best.
Great breeding couples exist, that is for sure and because of that they
also get those beautiful names like Super Couple, Golden breeding
couple, Marathon couple and fill it in. Not one of all these couples got
their name when they were first put together. Maybe only 2 years later
they got such a beautiful name, do you understand what I mean?
Afterwards it is always easy to talk. Although breeding couples still
have such a nice name and even though they have given a super once, that
couple also gives more bad than good pigeons. There come fanciers to me
who have ordered young pigeons. There are those who ask me which food I
give. If I tell them that I always give the same food to all pigeons
throughout the year they also want to take a few bags of food from me.
Dear people, that is not the case. I sell pigeons and hope that the
buyers have a lot of success with it and that they will return home
happy. However, I stay at home and the buyers have to do their best at
home to get results. That they are not all good pigeons they buy from me
is certain, but who is that the case with? Because you are never sure
you have to be a huge optimist to spend many thousands of euros for a
young from a couple with a beautiful name. Fortunately we have not all
fallen on the back of our heads.
WAITED A LONG TIME BUT FINALLY IT IS SUMMER
What a horrible spring this year. For the people, but certainly for the
pigeons, it was heavy. But then it became June 21 beginning of summer
and really true, the Dutch weather changed and how. We don't know where
to look because of the tropical heat. At first it was always too cold,
too much rain, poor visibility but with a lot of art and racing work the
pigeons were released every week. Not always nice competitions but there
was not a single reason for grumbling. Finally there is the long-awaited
summer weather. However, it can also be too crazy and we knew that last
Saturday. The one-day long distance flights were excellent and the same
counted for our speed flight of 110 km for the old pigeons.
Simultaneously with the old pigeons the youngsters were also released at
the same place. It was their first official race and it didn't go so
well. East wind with a crystal clear cloudless sky is deadly for
inexperienced youngsters. In addition, many young pigeons have actually
been too little in the basket for a training flight. Most do not drink
and when the pigeons were allowed to go home at 8 o'clock on the way
home the temperature also rose quite quickly. Nervous youngsters who are
experiencing a massive release for the first time and have not been
drinking get stressed. We all certainly know the result of this in the
Netherlands and Belgium. That costs feathers we say and this time it
came out again. Large numbers of young pigeons are not yet home, where
they are is not yet fully known. Two days after the race several pigeons
were registered. I myself have lost 10 of the 37 and one I just received
a message that he is about 50 km away from me. I'll go get him with Cora
tomorrow.
THE HISTORY
I told everyone who wanted to hear that my young pigeons looked so
great. Smooth as an eel, good appetite, trained as it should. Not just
laps around the loft, no they are sometimes fifteen minutes completely
out of sight. If your young pigeons behave this way too you can sleep
peacefully because they are super fine. Unfortunately the coli bacterium
came to visit me. I realized it fairly quickly and immediately did coli
cure from Dr. Van der Sluijs in the water. I know from experience that
the cure is getting on quickly and after a few days I saw them
redecorating. A day before the basketing day of the first official
competition I was away with it. All back so no problem. Yet I made a
huge mistake. Against my custom I gave in young pigeons while I knew
that there would be east would with a clear sky. Participated anyway,
stupid, stupid and again stupid. So now 10 are gone and I enjoyed my
perfect team of youngsters for months. There is nothing sensible to say
about pigeons that are gone, I know which breeding couples they come
from and nothing more. Though I can tell you that there was not a young
pigeon in my loft that you would say; for God's sake what should you do
with it. They all got a good enough from me. Don't get me wrong that
doesn't mean they were all good. You can read those kind of comments on
the internet sales sites. Only youngsters from the best breeders are
sold there and it is suggested that they are all good ones. That is why
there are still so many fanciers who pay a lot of money for it. It is
striking that almost no pigeon is bought on those sites by the Dutch.
Would that be the Dutch stinginess or do the Dutch fanciers know all too
well that with a sale of 100 young pigeons there is at most a handful of
usable and most likely no champion pigeons, it is that difficult to
breed good ones.
FAIR GAME
Last winter there was a lot of talk about fair play in our country. A
working group has even been set up by the NPO to find a good solution
for unlimited use of large numbers of pigeons. Now that we go to the
club room every week with a basket that is no longer discussed. Nothing
has changed at all. Because the first young pigeon flight with us went
bad to very bad with regard to the many who stayed behind I went to see
how the flights in other departments went. Almost exactly the same
image. At one point I came across a department in which three big and
also good fanciers play. I was shocked because of the mega number of
pigeons that these three had used. These men had no fewer than 500
pigeons at the start and that in an association where 13 fanciers
participate. In the Netherlands you can give as many pigeons as you
want. So there is nothing wrong with the regulations. I have to think of
all those small, often older, fanciers who compete with such numbers
to record. I used to say that I didn't care how many pigeons by who is
used. I flew with at most 30 youngsters against 15.000 pigeons. I wanted
to win and did my very best, you can't do more. Those 15.000 pigeons
were used by an average of 1000 fanciers. The spread was much larger
than today. In the Zaanse CC where I have been playing all my life were
only 46 players last week while 20 years ago just a little 400
participated. If such a small number of participants have a set of those
mega lofts then you will be despondent in advance. You can then catch a
few pigeons well on time but the big boys run around 20 in front of you.
This does not make any mortal happy and I think that something urgently
needs to be done about this so that the fun of the game is not taken
away in advance. I am convinced that the pigeon sport is digging its own
grave in this way and that pit is already quite deep. The atmosphere is
lost, the national organization is busy with the Olympiad and with
national championships. Do they know that this is only interesting for
commerce and not for those 15.000 Dutch fanciers who come faithfully
with their pigeons every week. Unfortunately 95% of them play an
figurate role so that the other 5% can fill their pockets. Pigeon sport
is still a great hobby / sport, no sport can do without commerce. By
this I mean sponsors who make it possible for the pigeon sport to
continue to exist. That is different from the sale of pigeons, only that
select group of commercial fanciers is wiser and not the national
organization.
CHANGEOUS WEATHER MAKES FANCIERS DESPERATE
Of course I have experienced all kinds of bad flights in my long career.
By bad I do not mean a bad result but bad weather. But I cannot remember
that we had such terrible weather in spring. Too bad for our sport
because losing too many pigeons makes fanciers drop out. The majority of
Dutch pigeon sport consists of older people. But the older you get the
more you get attached to your beasts and the harder the losses of
pigeons you've been working with all winter and where you have every
confidence for a good racing season. We are all working on that. We
spend all our free time on it. Costs and effort are spared to optimally
take care of our pigeons to bring them into the right condition every
week. This year the fanciers are not bothered by the competition but it
is mainly the heavy rain showers with poor visibility, thunderstorms and
strong winds that are the major spoilers. Almost every week I have to
write about it, it even gets annoying to complain about the weather over
and over again. We are dealing with it and we will have to take it into
account more and more. Unbelievable to read that it has not been so dry
in Africa for the last 38 years affecting millions of people are being
threatened with famine. If you think about that we have no right to
speak.
YOU WILL BE RELAESE FUNCTIONER
Fortunately they are there, you don't want to know what kind of misery
these men are currently experiencing. The pigeon sport (may we still
talk about sport) consists of all individual practitioners who all have
an opinion and all want to pull the sheet. There is not one that thinks
about the public interest. It is everyone for themselves and that is
understandable too. On flights with a disastrous race the club does not
lose, it is the members who get the blows. Their hobby is threatened and
they don't accept that. As a result, rightly or wrongly, very ugly
comments are made to the board and, in particular, to the release
committee. I assume that those people are prepared for their task. That
is why I always give pigeons (if they are in good condition) because I
assume that the baskets are not simply pulled open. It is not like that;
weather or no weather out with those pigeons! Sometimes I have the idea
that too much risk is being taken. Last weekend National Sint Vincent
was held. One of the most famous marathon flights in our country.
Minimum distance around a thousand kilometers. Those who have studied
the weather maps know that the pigeons have had to deal with heavy rain
showers en route. The same was the case in the middle distance so that
the flight was open for more than five quarters. You may wonder whether
this can all be viewed from the one-day long distance. In the small
Netherlands we sometimes have to deal with four different weather types.
Marathon or one-day long distance flights almost never have the same
weather type on the entire flight line. I don't like those flights and I
hardly ever play on them because I think it are risk flights. I have to
be able to see what time the pigeons arrive and that is almost
impossible to do on those distant flights. In addition I hate to wait a
long time for pigeons, I am far too impatient for that.
SETBACK
Setbacks are there to be overcome. But please no setbacks in the racing
season. One of the major culprits that many of us are dealing with is an
outbreak of young pigeon infection with the e-coli bacteria. There are
various methods to prevent an outbreak. In the meantime there is
something to be done about it. You often see the outbreak only when it
is too late. It starts with sitting outside of some, especially young
pigeons. A coli infection with the old pigeons is also possible but
fortunately not so often. In any case, I am now one of the victims among
the young pigeons who have an outbreak of the e-coli bacteria. Sometimes
you have to deal with it if they have been vaccinated against paramixo.
I usually put two days in the drinking water a week after the
vaccination. It also sometimes happens a few weeks after you stop
darkening. I thought I had the leak because I have not had any problems
with this nasty contamination for several years. Young pigeons in
particular can be very sick of it, have no appetite, drink a lot and it
is as if they have lost their wits. Young pigeons that have been
infected and have flown in and out the loft many times suddenly find it
impossible to find the entrance. I feel sorry for the poor animals and
something that is certainly annoying is cleaning the lofts. Dirty green
slimy manure that is almost impossible to get rid of your scraper. A
sufficient means to prevent further infection is to burn out the loft
every day. Do you suffer from this young pigeon problem do not leave the
pigeons outside. Feed less than half a diet and cure the coli in the
water. You should see them redecorate after three or four days. They are
not all sick at the same time and not all at the same time better. My
experience is that once they are healed they will not have any adverse
effects. It is unbelievable that I am fully in the shit just before the
start of the season. Fortunately I see them getting better. They start
eating well again, the manure is getting firmer, some are still a bit
'fat' and most of them start training at home. It starts Saturday and
the Wednesday before I go away with them again. Friday evening in the
basket but not all go yet I think. For both the old and the young there
is a flight of 100 km and that suits me very well in this case.
IT STARTED SO GOOD
Both for me and for son Marco the start of the season was certainly
good. Once a real spectacle and on all further flights always a ranking
within the first ten. With Marco the old pigeons are doing very well
even though the price percentage could be a little higher. In any case
he is among the top three in sprint and middle distance. I myself did
not participate last weekend. The pigeons were not in order and then you
better give them at least a week's rest. In the standings for the
championships I am in 6th place on the short distance and in the middle
distance I was even first. Pity! Hopefully the youngsters will be okay
in time. This also applies to Marco, because he too was infected with
coli a few days after me. He is still young and very passionate for a
pigeon man, then you can imagine that he is very sick of it and I am not
cheering either. Let's hope for better weather and good results with
little or no losses.
DELAYED RELEASES AND A NEW DUTCH RECORD
The changeable weather in the Netherlands does not make things any
easier. The Saturday before Easter I had the feeling that it was autumn.
Hard southwest wind with gusts of wind above 120 km per hour. In
addition heavy rain showers and hailstones as large as pigeon eggs. It
was decided early in the morning to postpone the two flights for a day.
Others were more patient. After the afternoon the weather improved and,
despite the strong wind, it was still possible to unload. For me
postponing the flights on Saturday was a very good decision. But it
meant that agreements fell apart because the pigeons had to come home
that day. Such decisions do not do the pigeon sport any good. Many women
of pigeon fanciers find that terrible and they are right too. The
pigeons that were released on Saturday were blown home by the hard wind.
It was important to cover the entire route. With such strong gusts of
wind a pigeon only has to bump into a branch and the consequences cannot
be foreseen. In the Netherlands the speed record was in the name of Coen
Kat from Amsterdam until Saturday. His pigeon flew in 1957 from Orleans
(550 km) with an average speed of 143.04 km per hour (2384 meters per
minute). After 62 years it is broken. A pigeon from the Kamerhuis
brothers from Sibculo (NL) flew 2387 meters per minute on Saturday 8
June, or 143.26 Km per hour. To improve a record you must also be lucky.
That was the case that day due to the stormy southwest wind. Yet there
was only one pigeon faster than that of 1957. For me it also became a
record but then a depth record because my pigeons made a bad result. Our
flight of 155 km was completed within 4 minutes and I clocked 2 minutes
after my son who did very well and then you are halfway through the
competition and that is an absolute low point for me. I am a sportsman
enough to know that you cannot always win and these kinds of setbacks
are also part of it. The point is that you quickly find out why they
could not go along with the best on such a fast flight that day.
MANAGEMENT CRISIS
The disadvantage of amateur sports organizations is that managers do
everything on a voluntary basis. They introduce themselves and are
elected in writing at a general meeting. I doubt if sufficient
information has been obtained in advance about the candidates concerned.
Usually they are figures who can stir their mouths nicely as
representatives of their association. They are usually well-behaved and
that has absolutely nothing to do with expertise. If such people are
chosen on the board you are stuck with it. Within the pigeon sport it is
more or less a good habit that managers who get a little bit of headache
also make their function available again fairly quickly. In that respect
very appropriate for our sport, the board is exactly a pigeon loft, they
fly in and out. If we look back to the past there were managers who were
distinguished for their long-standing commitment to the sport. These
days I cannot name one who has been a board member of an umbrella
organization for more than 10 years. Our current board has already
announced that they will leave at the end of the year. They are still
finishing this season and do not make any effort to arrange anything for
the 2020 season and there is still so much to do. Their big mistake is
that they all work together. Unfortunately, the incompetence also drips
off, consultation with other directors is almost impossible for them. It
is all too pathetic for words. They are not men with balls and the
pigeon organization can use them very well. Especially since the pigeon
sport in my eyes is already arranging his own funeral. Decreasing the
number of members due to an aging population cannot be helped but your
commitment to keeping greyish men up to date as long as possible is a
prerequisite. Spending extra time on youth is meaningless to me. The
youth no longer plays outside. The youth is inside and I don't know how
much time is spent gaming. They don't know how to deal with animals.
Scooters, they are interested in and a car can be done as quickly as
possible. It is not only the pigeon sport that is on its last legs but
many other sports have to do with far too little supply from youth
members. A large number of football clubs have now merged in my area. It
has not been so long ago that the football clubs had fields too short,
now there are far too many. The same is the case with sports halls.
There was a huge lack of them, now there are two in each village and
most of them are empty. At the moment it is more about gyms. The
characterless youth now goes to the gym to build up a little fitness. Is
because they are not used to anything. They no longer know what it is to
walk or cycle. Father and mother take them everywhere by car. No, it is
not going well but luckily that is not entirely true because they still
exist the real go-getters who want to achieve something within the
sport. I've said it before, real athletes are born, you can't make them.
The real fanatic athletes call their leaders several times what time
they leave and what they should think about. You have to call the
weaklings several times to say that they have to make sure they arrive
at the clubhouse on time and they will hear where they have to go.
Unfortunately, most have never heard of pigeon sport. The big problem is
that especially the national and regional newspapers no longer pay
attention to it. In my home environment a weekly door-to-door newspaper
appears and they are happy to post a weekly report with a photo of the
winner. That way publicity is created. Whether as a result one or two
new members are added each year? I think we can forget that. Despite the
huge decline in members and therefore also the number of pigeons that
participate every week, it remains a nice game that in the Netherlands
still some 12.000 fanciers enjoy every week.
PREPARATION OF THE YOUNG PIGEONS
It is against all sides. The Dutch weather is not cooperating. We would
officially start on Saturday 15 June but luckily the official start was
postponed for a week. Many fanciers have not had the opportunity to
train their young pigeons themselves. The organization has planned two
training flights and they have both been canceled due to bad weather. On
Saturday 22 June the young pigeons will start for the first time for a
110 km race to my loft. I hope that I have been away with the youngsters
seven times. For the time being the counter is at five. The last time I
left was Tuesday June 11. It would be bad weather that day but suddenly
he was there, the sun! Waited for an hour and then all the pigeons in
the basket and set off for a training flight of 35 km. A large group
came together at the same time and then it trickled through all
afternoon. In the evening I was lost 4, the next morning another was in
the loft and the others are still on their way. It took the pigeons a
long time to get home. That was good to see because they were certainly
not refreshed that evening. The condition is so important for young
pigeons. If something is wrong you will lose them. Their season is often
very tough, they have their races in the hottest period of the year.
This year not yet but what is not can still come. We can probably use a
bit of luck. Good luck!
WIND OF BIG INFLUENCE ON THE SPEED FLIGHTS
Nothing really new. We pigeon fanciers have known for a long time that
the wind has a great influence on the shorter distances. It is almost
always possible to determine in advance in which corner the early
pigeons arrive. However, there are exceptions. I am an example myself.
Once I won the first prize against many thousands of pigeons with a
strong southwest wind. Everyone thought that was logical because I have
one of the most easterly lofts in my playing area. Exactly a week later
I hit again but now with a strong east wind. This flight was also a
super result with 7 pigeons in the first 25 and you can't call that a
coincidence. It indicates that our pigeons know better than we do where
and at what height they can fly best. Exceptions are also the flight
days with beautiful pigeon weather, at least we think so. Still we had
to wait very long for the first arriving pigeons, not an easy flight
because despite the nice weather and a distance of only 250 km the
flight was open for more than half an hour. A few weeks ago it was much
too cold for the pigeons and when they arrived it was finished within 7
minutes. The pigeon sport remains a bit unpredictable, therefore very
fascinating and often very exciting. The Netherlands is a country with a
lot of water, often wind from the westerly direction, no high
temperatures and heavy showers regularly. At least it was like that for
many years and that is now changing. The environment, the weather and
the increasing temperatures are subject to change. Especially last year,
many temperature records were broken and a striking amount of wind from
the east and when it rained once it really rained. Yesterday, Easter
Monday, another heat record was broken, more than 28 degrees. Since
measurements have been taken, it has never been so hot during Easter.
Our pigeons also have to deal with all these changes. Whether that's a
disadvantage, I don't think so. Our pigeons are flying faster and
faster. Top speeds of 130 km per hour have still not been broken,
although the average speed is considerably higher than 20 years ago.
Then we said to each other that with a strong north wind the fastest
pigeons would always make 1000 meters per minute (60 km per hour), which
we can forget in recent years. With head wind the winning pigeons easily
reach 80 km per hour. On the other hand there used to be many more
competitions that ended within 5 minutes. The typical thing is that we
almost never experience this again.
RESULTS OF THE OLD PIGEONS
By reading it well there is much to learn. You can see how Jantje or
Pietje has performed, that is nice but you will not get further. Read
from which angle the wind blows and see at which angle the fastest
pigeons arrived. Read how many pigeons a fancier have brought along and
see how many pigeons or rather how much percent prize they play. Also
pay attention to which signed people take the lead. The little fanciers
are more likely to grab a signed pigeon than the crowd. Grabbing a
signed pigeon does not say everything, it must be in the results early.
A designated championship used to be very highly regarded. In my eyes it
doesn't mean much. A "regular" pigeon is almost always at the top and
there are still fanciers who do have a number of regular pigeons and
they are hard to beat for a designated championship while it has little
or nothing to do with knowledge. As strange as it sounds I am still in
favor of the non-designated championship. To achieve that you have to
catch an early pigeon every week. In the ZCC where I play it is made a
little bit harder. There you must for every ten pigeons clock one. So 13
with it 2 clock. The champion points that the two pigeons have achieved
are added and divided by 1.3. If a fancier has 24 with then he must have
3 clocked and those points are divided by 2.4. The person with the most
points at the end of the ride may call himself a champion. There are
more champions in Belgium than in the Netherlands, but beware of that,
it is not in better pigeons but in more game possibilities. We know
short distance game, in Belgium they play short distance short and short
distance long. They also do this with the middle long distance. The
one-day long distance, the young pigeons and then there is also a
difference in old pigeons and yearlings plus that previously they also
raced separately with hens. From a commercial point of view that is a
good system because in Belgium they therefore have many more regional
and also national champions. In addition there are considerably more
national flights in Belgium than in the Netherlands and it is generally
known that a pigeon has added value if the letters NAT (national) can be
placed for the performance. By reading the results well you will
increasingly find out how relative all those extra terms are. In this
way we see that commerce is playing an increasingly important role in
our pigeon sport and that is actually a strange matter with a
hobby/sport that gets fewer and fewer practitioners and therefore
considerably fewer pigeons in the competitions.
IT IS ABOUT THE PIGEONS AND THE REST DOES NOT MATTER
It just depends on how you view the pigeon sport. Do you want to enjoy
your pigeons or are there dollar signs in your eyes? I am a fan of the
old stamp. I can intensely enjoy a beautiful pigeon that also regularly
performs well. Others think directly about selling opportunities when
achieving good performance. This is not how it works in practice. Only
those with 100% commitment, a strict selection and good performance will
play a role. That gives a very good feeling. It is a reward for a year
to put everything in order to reach the top. Fortunately there are still
fanciers who fully enjoy their hobby if they occasionally grab a pigeon
at the top of the result. Dealing with pigeons, taking care of them,
trying to breed valuable young ones yourself gives satisfaction. Our
hobby is dealing with your pigeons for a whole week. At the end of the
week the probability calculation for the coming flight and then on the
race day the tension can sometimes be cut until the first pigeon
arrives. That is often a spectacle that give you goosebumps. Certainly
if it concerns a pigeon that you did not suspect he would come home that
day first and even very early. Or it is the pigeon that you first
expected. That is an experience in itself. From now on we will be
working on the flight every week and everything that goes with it.
Remember, nothing goes without saying, so if everything goes well the
rest will (almost) come naturally. Good luck!
WE HAVE STARTED
Even though it was just a training flight it is always exciting the
first time. The Dutch weather was not satisfactory on Saturday, the
visibility remained insufficient and yet they intended to release the
pigeons at half past one. Unfortunately, by that time the sky closed
completely and the flight was postponed until Sunday. Sunday in the
early morning it was foggy especially in the south. As a result people
had to wait until half past ten and then the crowd set off. There was a
strong cold north-east wind so that the pigeons had to pull it hard this
first race. The fastest pigeons were on the west side with winning
speeds of well over 80 km per hour. In the Zaanse CC there were 1152
pigeons of which I had 18 of the 24 in the result, son Marco took 20 of
the 36. In the club against 374 pigeons we had 20 together in the first
40 starting with a third place . The cock that achieved this was as a
youngster 1st pigeon champion and as a yearling he also played a first
in a large context. It was a super-fast flight, the 288 prizes were
earned in 5 minutes. Despite this easy flight 7 of the 18 fanciers in my
club did not win a prize. Fortunately we have an A and a B group in the
club which means that a number of members are still in the B-result.
After all it is not a good thing that almost half of the members do not
play a prize and this time it was certainly not due to the location. The
west side was in favor, furthermore early pigeons were clocked
throughout the region. So everyone has a chance to get into the results.
Next Saturday the first official flight.
IT IS ALWAYS THE SAME
This season too, the same names will often take the lead after 5 weeks
of play that's how it has been for many years. Fortunately a new star
presents itself every year and often it disappears just as quickly as it
came. They are also always the same who visit the vet almost weekly,
they are always the same who complain. They are always unlucky while
trying so hard. You probably know the expression of; I do everything to
it and it still doesn't work. I sometimes say; maybe you are doing
everything wrong. If you hear what they all give their pigeons for
remedies then it cannot go well either. Those who play the worst do a
lot more about their pigeons than the men who play strong all the years.
The lesser gods make it far too difficult for themselves and think that
the champions have secret remedies. No, those men keep it very simple.
They dare to throw away pigeons without looking at those complicated
pedigrees. I remember the time when it was about the pigeon. Now it has
not been important for years, it is now a pedigree that has been printed
in 4 colors that is also full of meaningless names and then in the
fourth or fifth generation you finally see the pigeon you have heard
about before. But what do we do with such a pedigree. There is also
someone like that in my club who has pedigrees that go back to
Napoleon's days and he knows them all out of his mind too. Maybe that is
also a hobby. We also know the fanciers who are always unfavorable. They
find fanciers who play with a large number of pigeons unsporting and so
on. The most important thing is that you have to be in control of the
game with pigeons and that you show 100% commitment. The best is fixed
care time which is also nice for your pigeons. Everything at set times
brings optimum condition. Don't get too much fuss. Beware of
overcrowding especially with the young pigeons. Warm dry lofts are fine,
too much sun is dangerous. Close the curtains because too much sun burns
oxygen from the loft. The pigeons get nasty noses and breathing problems
so that you can no longer play a noteworthy prize. Pigeon sport is
really not that difficult, do what is necessary and put your ear to the
ears of strong players. The men at the bar often have nothing meaningful
to say, but while enjoying a beer they can often tell very strong
stories. Remember that they are stories and you don't get along with
that or do you still believe in Sinterklaas?
A GOOD BREEDING IS VERY PROMISING FOR THE COMPETITIONS
For most of us the breeding season is almost over. The young pigeon
lofts are filled and then it is better at this time of the year to add
nothing more. I myself have them all of the same age and it is a feast
for the eyes to sit there for twenty minutes a day. I enjoy it immensely
and I did that even when they were still in the nest. What a beautiful
sight all that youngsters was when they were between two and three weeks
old. Full heads and they are glistening against you. This year I didn't
have a nest with thin or weak manure. The first round a few unfertilized
eggs, but not one after that. You can notice that early breeding is
certainly not natural. At this time of the year almost everything
succeeds and when we have high summer the eggs will even hatch in the
pocket of your dust coat.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Also in time when most of us didn't have a car the pigeons were trained
several times. We went with a few fanciers on the bike to bring pigeons
away. Never far, we went by ferry across the North Sea Canal to
Amsterdam West, at most 16 km and that was it. We did that several times
and all those times we usually took a cup of coffee on a terrace and
soon afterwards another drink followed and then back on the bike, it was
a good time. Now we all have our own car and way of training pigeons. I
know those who go more than 100 km from home, that is not for me, not
now and never been. Now I am not allowed to drive a car anymore, my wife
does that and she really does not go further than 35 km, is also more
than sufficient. This week I spoke to someone who had bred no less than
25 summer youngsters in the summer of 2018. Why I did not understand and
he probably did not. In any case he brought them all with him last week.
They had never been in the basket of their short lives and now he also
had the misfortune that they had to stay two nights in the basket
because of the bad weather. The old pigeons came home everywhere as
fighter jets except for the inexperienced pigeons who had a hard time.
Probably not drunk in the basket, then they will irrevocably have to
deal with stress. The latter is very bad for the orientation ability.
They go looking, don't fly in the right direction and you guessed it,
twenty out of 25 away. You've been watching that all winter. You have
cared for them and in one fell swoop everything is gone. Stupid, stupid,
that's all I can say. If you say something about it, they get angry too.
There are those who unfortunately never learn!
ARE WE READY?
We are going to start. No apologies such as no time or other excuses,
whoever does not have the affairs in order is lagging behind and it is
not easy to make up for the delay. Are the pigeons in the right
condition? I don't want to talk about an optimal condition yet because
the season is still long. Have you been to your pigeon doctor with a few
pigeons to have manure tests done? A throat swab and perhaps some
contraceptive drugs brought along to intervene immediately if something
is not right. I myself always have medication from Dr. Van der Sluis at
home against ornithosis and cancer plus condition mix that I do in the
drinking water every Wednesday and Thursday. My old pigeons have not
been darkened which is why I have already found some flight feathers
among the hens. Furthermore, I am not so satisfied with the hens. I
should have kept them a little tighter. They fly well but come in too
slow. When they see me they fly towards me, walk around as if they want
to mate with me. They are too lush if you understand what I mean. So
they have been put on ration since otherwise eggs will come in a few
weeks and we are not waiting for that. If that happens later in the
season I don't mind, I even have good experiences with widow hens that
have eggs. I certainly do not encourage it and try to stop it for as
long as possible with less fat-rich feed because hens that are going to
mate with each other also upset the other hens and that is definitely at
the expense of performance.
TRAINING
If you want to be one the first flight immediately then you must have
prepared everything to perfection and that is easier said than done.
Because I am no longer allowed to drive a car I have to rely on my
wife's help. She has been away with the pigeons three times and that is
not enough. To bring them farther away, so more than 50 km, is not
necessary. The pigeons know much better than we do what the fastest
(shortest) way home is. It is about getting used to the basket again and
also gaining some flying rhythm. Often in the Netherlands the weather is
the big breaker. My plan was to take the pigeons away several times, but
rain, fog, low temperatures and cold north wind make sure that we have
to adjust the plans many times. Pigeons can do more than we think, but I
am in favor of being careful, especially at the start of the season.
YOUNG PIGEONS COME OUTSIDE.
No winter youngsters this year. My young pigeons have been outside since
a week. I have made a runway for them and it is full of young pigeons
every day. I have 35 and they cannot all sit on the sputnik at the same
time. Most of them now fly to the roof of the loft. In the morning they
get food at ten o'clock, I do because they will soon be allowed to go
outside at nine to train for an hour. Now I leave them outside all day
and don't look back. Next week Dr. Van der Sluis approached me to
vaccinate all youngsters including Marco's against paramixo. A month
before the young pigeon season starts (mid-June) I have the manure
examined so that I can intervene if something is wrong. I used to panic
when some young pigeons flew to the roof of the neighbors. I was able to
go up on the roof so scared I was going to lose them. Over the years I
have become much easier in that. I now also live freely, few houses in
the immediate vicinity, so little can happen. A few years ago I was
bothered by the birds of prey that many young pigeons have eaten.
Fortunately that was already a few years ago. I no longer see them and
it is almost certain that it is because of the many magpies and jackdaws
that nest in my immediate surroundings. I am very satisfied with my
young pigeons, they are beautifully tight and produce nice dry manure.
Today, April 3, I am going to start darkening because I found two pins
this morning and that is not the intention, I want to keep my youngsters
under good care for as long as possible. At least they can now start
molting the small feathers, but they must hold the flight feathers. I
darken from a quarter to eight in the evening to a quarter to nine the
next morning. Thirteen o'clock twilight/dark and I will keep that up
until the end of June. In a week it will be done for them, then they
will no longer be allowed outside the whole day. I then switch over to
an hour of training twice a day and a few weeks later the flag goes on
and they have to train twice an hour in full every day. A few weeks
later the flag is no longer needed, they know exactly what is expected
of them. In the morning from 9 am to 10 am and in the afternoon from 6
am to 7 pm they go out, then eat after training and 45 minutes later the
curtains close.
SATURDAY APRIL 6
Then the start of the Dutch season. It is still a training flight, the
clocks are being tested and there are some nice prizes to be won in the
club. The first clock flight is very important. After all, it is
immediately tested whether all basketed pigeons are on the vaccination
list and whether the pigeons are in the name of the participant. If that
is not the case then the pigeons will not get into the basket and
certainly not in the results. Safety is therefore very important.
Previously, so-called "in fly pigeons" were allowed. They were then
simply put in the basket. The NPO quite rightly put a stop to that. It
is now no longer possible to use pigeons that are not registered by name
and the organization now also knows that all pigeons used have had the
compulsory vaccination against paramixo. Flight pigeons are placed in
separate baskets but go into the basket via the antenna so that those
pigeons are also checked.
BAD LUCK
Often we Dutch have to gamble to take the pigeons away in certain
weather conditions. Some fanciers dare to take very large risks with all
the consequences that that entails. For example, I have already spoken
some fanciers who have already suffered some losses. Cause still brought
pigeons while the visibility was not good. Others resolved between the
showers and then you ask for problems. I even spoke to one who lost 7 in
one day, his other pigeons came home throughout the day. I myself had
two late comers on the last training flight of 20 km with my best young
hen from last year. She flew against something this winter, breaking her
breastbone. I always let her go separately so that she could fly around
in peace, even if it was only a few minutes. She has been cured for
several months but you can clearly see that her breastbone has been
broken. She is a beautiful hen who won twice a first prize. I paired her
with a young cock who also won a first prize twice in 2018. Of course I
have two youngsters. The question now is, will I play her or not. If she
can't handle it, it is quite possible that I will already have lost her
on Saturday. I certainly give her, I take that risk. If she's home late
again I don't know what to do with her. I hate pigeons that fail
something. There is actually no place for me for the disabled, not even
in the breeding loft.
GOOD TRAINING ENSURES FLY RHYTHM
In my younger years when I was still active in cycling we agreed to make
as many kilometers as possible from 1 January. That in preparation for
the season that started at the end of March at that time. My club was
the organizer of the oldest cycling classic “De Ronde van Noord-Holland”
over 225 km and to be able to ride that one-day classic well I wanted to
have between two to three thousand kilometers in my legs. This
preparation cannot be compared with the current method of care, eating,
training, resting and so on. We did our utmost but it didn't really make
sense, we just fiddled around. However, the way we train also led to the
condition and the Netherlands had many good riders. The same thing
happened with the pigeon sport. Everything is more and more
scientifically substantiated and pigeons are also the first requirement;
make miles. I like to keep the pigeons outside for an hour even in the
winter months. Now that we are on the eve of the new season the
regularity is used, everything in and around the loft happens at set
times. In the meantime I have started bringing the pigeons to a maximum
of 40 km. In the coming period the weather forecast looks good so that
the pigeons can be taken away several times so they get better and
better in their flight rhythm. On Saturday April 6, we have the first
and last training flight is in which all members of the club
participate. The clocks are then tested and there are some nice prizes
to be won. The following week is the official start where especially the
speed players live to, to strike on the first the best flight right
away.
WIDOWHOOD WITH COCKS AND HENS
Because I started breeding later this year the start of the new season
looks slightly different. I used to pair my pigeons for a second time. I
figured it out that on the last training flight I had eggs for about 6
days. When the pigeons came home that Saturday the nests were empty so
that the pigeons knew it was done with breeding. The next morning I
brought the hens to their loft. They were less nervous because they knew
their eggs were gone. If you don't do that they will hang on the door
for the first two days because they want to go back to their breeding
loft where the eggs are in the nest. Now they are separated for more
than a week and will not meet again. From the first flight they go on
widowhood. Because of the training with own car they have been shown
several times so that they know how the widowhood game works. What I
have noticed is that the pigeons touch down at once on the sputnik of
the old pigeon loft. If they come home from a training flight then they
touch down on the sputnik of the young pigeon loft. It can be explained
somewhat because they are almost all yearlings and so as a youngster
they had to enter last year all flights the loft of the youngsters. They
have not simply forgotten that. We all know the situation of a pigeon
that has sometimes been somewhere else for two years, than being placed
in its old loft and flying back into its old breeding loft without any
problems. In any case I also leave the sputnik of the young pigeon loft
open during the first flights so that they can enter wherever they want.
With me they must first enter before they are registered. By most
fanciers the antenna is under the flap so that they are registered
immediately as soon as they arrive. My own is therefore somewhat
disabled. I often tell my friends; then they have to fly a little harder
to stay ahead of the competition.
FEED: MAIN OR SPECIAL
Or is it just a matter of the right amount. There is often something
mysterious about food and feed. Both are in any case parts of the pigeon
sport that do count. It seems logical to me that every fancier
know that a pigeon that makes many kilometers per race also needs more
and heavier feed. Fats are especially important on those flights. On the
speed flights of no more than three hours of flying no reserves are
called to account for, which means that the pigeons need a less fat-rich
feed. The art of feeding lies with the fancier himself. I once gave my
pigeons feed of 10 guilders (4.5 euros) per bag of 25 kilos. It was
certainly not a nice food. To the surprise of many my pigeons flew every
week at the top. I kept them tight until Wednesday morning. In the
evening I added a lot of candy seed supplemented with hemp seed. The
following morning they received a double portion of food. The same
evening they got a full bowl and were allowed to eat what they wanted
for half an hour. Friday morning half a ration and in the afternoon a
few more hands of candy seed on the floor. They felt like bullets and
arrived like rockets on Saturdays. At that time I only played with cocks
in widowhood and even had a year in which I played 100% prize for six
consecutive weeks. Now I give the most expensive food there is.
Nevertheless, I do not make such results as then and that while there
are now also far fewer fanciers and therefore fewer pigeons in the race.
Everything can change that quickly or is it be because the boss changes?
I really can't complain and am certainly satisfied with the results as
it has been in recent years. My pigeons look perfect and if I
occasionally read the pedigree cards then it should be a good year this
year. There is no other way with such pigeons that have several first
prize winners in their pedigree! However, there will be more people who
feel that way. The most important thing is still good pigeons and a good
coach. Everything else is a side issue.
SAFETY IN ADDITION
At the KBDB (Belgium) 22.000 transactions have already been processed
this year. Why? The renewed sports regulations state that pigeons may
only be entered in competitions registered in the name of the
participant. In the Netherlands the NPO has decided the same. All
pigeons that go into the basket must have over the basket antenna. All
pigeons are entered in the clock from the graft list. The proof of
ownership has also been checked so that the organization knows that all
participating pigeons have received the compulsory vaccination against
paramixo. The last three years my son and I have ordered a series of
rings for both of us. Because of this I am now obliged to put my pigeons
which are now in the name of Marco's in my name which has since
happened. According to the new method it is now impossible that a
fancier can play with other pigeons.
WE WILL START IN THE SECOND WEEKEND OF APRIL.
In that respect not much has changed in the pigeon sport. Everything has
to be arranged at the very last moment. For example, there was our club
members' meeting last week. The next day the Noord-Holland department
met and another day later it was the turn of the members' council with
the entire NPO board. If you ask me a little too much of the good
especially for directors and delegates. In my club nothing has been
arranged yet for the new season, incomprehensible but true. Nevertheless
I am convinced that maybe with some improvisation we will start on 13
April. At our department meeting the first hour was only debated about
the greatly increased freight rates. No one is really happy with a price
increase of 30% especially the elderly among us, and most of them are.
At the national meeting it was mainly about the long distance and
marathon flights, every year all kinds of changes have to take place
there. I can understand that somewhat the annoying thing is that only
15% of Dutch fanciers participate in all those distant flights. I even
heard that the province of Limburg did not participate in some flights
because they did not get their way. It is true that most votes apply and
then it is normal for people to accept that. Organizational problems
have arisen between the South and North Holland departments during the
winter season, there would no longer be any question of cooperation.
Noord-Holland now wants to do a few flights together with the Central
Netherlands but North Holland fanciers are not happy about that. The
central part of the Netherlands is too eastern and that would give too
many advantages for fanciers there because in the Netherlands the wind
mainly blows from a south to northwest wind. Here too it is about
one-day long distance flights. Another important point was the debate
about the minimum number of members that an association should consist
of. More than 25 years ago there was even a membership stop at our
association with 40 members because our room was not big enough. Now
clubs have to be on their knees and pray and beg to get new members.
There are currently clubs that only consist of about 6 members and that
is not enough for the safety of a competition. Clubs are therefore more
or less forced to work together or even to merge, not in itself a bad
thing that must be realized by 2021 at the latest. In any case with the
new national flight program there are plenty of opportunities for all
members to participate in all kinds of flights over a period of six
months. At the end of the season, everything can be evaluated so that
changes can be made from October to February and not, as it has now
largely gone, everything at the last minute. Just talking is not enough,
decisions must also be made.
THE WIDOWERS NOW HAVE ALL ONE YOUNGSTER
After a few setbacks I have to say that we are extremely satisfied with
our breeding results. The youngsters of the first and second round came
up nicely. They looked beautiful especially at the age of more than
three weeks. Two youngsters in the nest with well-filled heads and nice
dry manure next to the dish. They were fed three times a day so that
they did not lack food all day and night. My racing hens have been
transferred to the young pigeon loft with one of their youngsters and
the hens are leaving at the end of next week and will no longer be
coupled for a second time. From March 22 the racing pigeons are in
widowhood and if the weather permits the cocks are released twice a day
and the hens once. From May all pigeons are released twice a day. The
hens at 7 o'clock, the widowers at 8 o'clock and the young pigeons at 9
o'clock, the ritual starts from the beginning at 4 o'clock the hens, at
5 o'clock the cocks and at 6 o'clock the young pigeons that will be from
mid-April darkened 13 hours a day. The curtains remain open 24 hours a
day from the longest day. All pigeons are allowed in the bath every
Wednesday. The pigeons are fed every day after training and get fresh
water twice a day. There is always something extra in it from Monday to
Thursday. Do not imagine too much of that, we do it because we have been
doing it for years and have a good feeling about it. Especially if the
pigeons perform satisfactorily nothing but nothing is changed.
ADDITIONAL ATTENTION FOR THE NEWLY WEANED YOUNGSTERS
The young pigeons are currently in the young pigeon loft with their
mothers. It is unbelievable how many times some hens feed the young and
yet there are always a few hens who no longer look after them or the
other young. All the young are lying close together in the straw in a
corner. The food and water trough are placed against the layer of straw
so that the youngsters quickly understand where they can grab water and
food. The first days I keep an eye on them all drinking. Those who do
not can be recognized by blinking eyes, that indicate they are thirsty.
Youngsters that
not or insufficient food have bad luck because I do not help them. My
experience is that young pigeons eat independently much earlier than we
think, they really don't die that fast. If the others eat well then
those who do not eat will not be that smart and we do not need such
pigeons. Everything has to be right and luckily that is currently the
case. Soon they will be vaccinated against paramixo what you can do best
at the age of four to six weeks, then they will suffer the least. In the
not too long time they will use the wings more intensively because
pigeons basically hate sitting on the ground. I keep a close eye on
which pigeons are first at the top of the seats. They are all of the
same age, with a difference of three days at most. I even note the ring
numbers of the pigeons that are first at the top and my experience is
that they are usually the better ones. So don't think I remember that,
write down everything that you think might be important. We forget more
than we remember.
LATEST NEWS
The board of the Belgian pigeon sport the KBDB is just like a pigeon
loft, they fly in and out. The then elected national government has not
survived for a year. A few days ago at the national meeting two more
important managers flew out of the KBDB loft. New drivers were already
ready so there seems to be intention in the game. In any case not a good
thing at the start of the Belgian sports season. Yes, you read that
right in Belgium the season has started. At least on paper, the first
speed races would be held in the weekend of 10 March. Unfortunately the
weather did not cooperate. Rain and strong winds with even gusts of wind
of more than 100 km per hour ensured that the Belgian pigeons were given
a week's rest. In administrative terms it is just as bad as the weather.
The internationally renowned Dutch fancier Jan Hooymans (known for his
sadly deceased top pigeon "Harry") will measure his strength at European
level on various on loft races. He also tries to conquer the Netherlands
by placing an extra loft under the name "Team Hooymans NL" with
Christian van de Wetering in Wijk and Aalburg, who has been making
furore with pigeons from his boss Jan Hooymans for many years.
WE WILL START IN THE SECOND WEEKEND OF APRIL.
In that respect not much has changed in the pigeon sport. Everything has
to be arranged at the very last moment. For example, there was our club
members' meeting last week. The next day the Noord-Holland department
met and another day later it was the turn of the members' council with
the entire NPO board. If you ask me a little too much of the good
especially for directors and delegates. In my club nothing has been
arranged yet for the new season, incomprehensible but true. Nevertheless
I am convinced that maybe with some improvisation we will start on 13
April. At our department meeting the first hour was only debated about
the greatly increased freight rates. No one is really happy with a price
increase of 30% especially the elderly among us, and most of them are.
At the national meeting it was mainly about the long distance and
marathon flights, every year all kinds of changes have to take place
there. I can understand that somewhat the annoying thing is that only
15% of Dutch fanciers participate in all those distant flights. I even
heard that the province of Limburg did not participate in some flights
because they did not get their way. It is true that most votes apply and
then it is normal for people to accept that. Organizational problems
have arisen between the South and North Holland departments during the
winter season, there would no longer be any question of cooperation.
Noord-Holland now wants to do a few flights together with the Central
Netherlands but North Holland fanciers are not happy about that. The
central part of the Netherlands is too eastern and that would give too
many advantages for fanciers there because in the Netherlands the wind
mainly blows from a south to northwest wind. Here too it is about
one-day long distance flights. Another important point was the debate
about the minimum number of members that an association should consist
of. More than 25 years ago there was even a membership stop at our
association with 40 members because our room was not big enough. Now
clubs have to be on their knees and pray and beg to get new members.
There are currently clubs that only consist of about 6 members and that
is not enough for the safety of a competition. Clubs are therefore more
or less forced to work together or even to merge, not in itself a bad
thing that must be realized by 2021 at the latest. In any case with the
new national flight program there are plenty of opportunities for all
members to participate in all kinds of flights over a period of six
months. At the end of the season, everything can be evaluated so that
changes can be made from October to February and not, as it has now
largely gone, everything at the last minute. Just talking is not enough,
decisions must also be made.
THE WIDOWERS NOW HAVE ALL ONE YOUNGSTER
After a few setbacks I have to say that we are extremely satisfied with
our breeding results. The youngsters of the first and second round came
up nicely. They looked beautiful especially at the age of more than
three weeks. Two youngsters in the nest with well-filled heads and nice
dry manure next to the dish. They were fed three times a day so that
they did not lack food all day and night. My racing hens have been
transferred to the young pigeon loft with one of their youngsters and
the hens are leaving at the end of next week and will no longer be
coupled for a second time. From March 22 the racing pigeons are in
widowhood and if the weather permits the cocks are released twice a day
and the hens once. From May all pigeons are released twice a day. The
hens at 7 o'clock, the widowers at 8 o'clock and the young pigeons at 9
o'clock, the ritual starts from the beginning at 4 o'clock the hens, at
5 o'clock the cocks and at 6 o'clock the young pigeons that will be from
mid-April darkened 13 hours a day. The curtains remain open 24 hours a
day from the longest day. All pigeons are allowed in the bath every
Wednesday. The pigeons are fed every day after training and get fresh
water twice a day. There is always something extra in it from Monday to
Thursday. Do not imagine too much of that, we do it because we have been
doing it for years and have a good feeling about it. Especially if the
pigeons perform satisfactorily nothing but nothing is changed.
ADDITIONAL ATTENTION FOR THE NEWLY WEANED YOUNGSTERS
The young pigeons are currently in the young pigeon loft with their
mothers. It is unbelievable how many times some hens feed the young and
yet there are always a few hens who no longer look after them or the
other young. All the young are lying close together in the straw in a
corner. The food and water trough are placed against the layer of straw
so that the youngsters quickly understand where they can grab water and
food. The first days I keep an eye on them all drinking. Those who do
not can be recognized by blinking eyes, that indicate they are thirsty.
Youngsters that
not or insufficient food have bad luck because I do not help them. My
experience is that young pigeons eat independently much earlier than we
think, they really don't die that fast. If the others eat well then
those who do not eat will not be that smart and we do not need such
pigeons. Everything has to be right and luckily that is currently the
case. Soon they will be vaccinated against paramixo what you can do best
at the age of four to six weeks, then they will suffer the least. In the
not too long time they will use the wings more intensively because
pigeons basically hate sitting on the ground. I keep a close eye on
which pigeons are first at the top of the seats. They are all of the
same age, with a difference of three days at most. I even note the ring
numbers of the pigeons that are first at the top and my experience is
that they are usually the better ones. So don't think I remember that,
write down everything that you think might be important. We forget more
than we remember.
LATEST NEWS
The board of the Belgian pigeon sport the KBDB is just like a pigeon
loft, they fly in and out. The then elected national government has not
survived for a year. A few days ago at the national meeting two more
important managers flew out of the KBDB loft. New drivers were already
ready so there seems to be intention in the game. In any case not a good
thing at the start of the Belgian sports season. Yes, you read that
right in Belgium the season has started. At least on paper, the first
speed races would be held in the weekend of 10 March. Unfortunately the
weather did not cooperate. Rain and strong winds with even gusts of wind
of more than 100 km per hour ensured that the Belgian pigeons were given
a week's rest. In administrative terms it is just as bad as the weather.
The internationally renowned Dutch fancier Jan Hooymans (known for his
sadly deceased top pigeon "Harry") will measure his strength at European
level on various on loft races. He also tries to conquer the Netherlands
by placing an extra loft under the name "Team Hooymans NL" with
Christian van de Wetering in Wijk and Aalburg, who has been making
furore with pigeons from his boss Jan Hooymans for many years.
PIGEON SPORTS A FAMILY SPORT?
Everything is possible but it is certainly not easy. It is just how you
want to experience the pigeon sport. The start is usually wrong but
moving. Many fanciers have started with a stray pigeon. Nice to feed
such a creature so that she keeps coming back again and again. It would
be even more fun to grow a few youngsters yourself, so for the stranger
a male or female is sought. To breed a few youngsters little knowledge
is needed, the pigeons go their own way. They build a litter and after
17 days of breeding the young come out of their egg. After 4 weeks the
pigeons are mature and will explore the area. After some time they will
keep flying around the loft for half an hour. That's fun and the whole
family lives with it. There is usually one in the family who will then
go deeper into the pigeon racing event. Most family members have heard
that pigeons come back home from afar. This is of course tried with the
parents and their young. One of the family members then occasionally
takes the pigeons to school or to work and when they return home the
pigeons have also been home for a long time. That is fun and the pigeons
are getting further and further away and the whole family is amazed that
the pigeons come back again and again. It is great that the pigeons
always know the way home and they are thinking about the speed at which
they will do so. If there is now so much interest, in many cases is
thought to become a member of a pigeon club to participate in the
competitions and see if their pigeons come home as quickly as those of
the other members. It often turns out that their strangers legion speed
is too short. If the ambition remains, it must change and people look
for other faster pigeons and that is the beginning of a new family
hobby. It would be nice if the whole family stays interested. The
practice is often different because after some time pigeon racing does
not seem so easy.
OTHER PIGEONS AND ANOTHER LOFT
From a pure hobby it becomes more and more a sport. It usually appears
that participating in the races is the best, the most fun and the most
exciting. Care is intensifying so that not all family members remain
equally enthusiastic. The others will read more about it, within the
family there will be a conversation about the pigeons as if it is the
most normal thing in the world. Especially against the competition
weekend it is about the probability calculations. On the competition day
the whole family is on the lookout and waiting for the arrival of the
first pigeons. Because each family member has given up the ring number
of his or her favourite pigeon they are all waiting for their winning
pigeon. That way there is always a race within the family. The tension
can then be cut because it is about who his pigeon is first at home.
Then comes the moment that a pigeon emerges from the airspace like a
comet. Everyone holds their breath because now she has to go inside.
Nowadays the pigeon clocks itself because the electronics have also
entered the pigeon sport. On the display of the clock the ring number of
the pigeon can be read and at that moment it is known who of the family
that day is the winner. In this way many sportsmen started. There are
those who continue to see the pigeons as a hobby, there are also those
who want to win with all their might, they want to perform better and
better. Pigeon sport was in the seventies and eighties in the
Netherlands even a general national sport with more than 100,000
members, all with their own supporters. The once popular sport has now
changed into top class amateurs, specialists and professionals. There
are currently worldwide professional fanciers who have considerably
enriched their pigeons through the internet. For the layman
unbelievable, especially because for many our sport is an unknown sport
and we owe that to ourselves. Pigeon sport is that old man with a cap
on, slippers and wrapped in a grey dust coat. It is only old men who
still keep pigeons. Unfortunately it goes that way and that is why it
would be nice that the "old bite" try to interest their grandchildren
for the pigeon sport. Unfortunately practice is completely different.
The youth has other interests, they have much more possibilities than
when we were young.
IS PIGEON SPORT STILL INTERESTING FOR YOUTH?
I think so and we as older fanciers can do much. When I was young and
very passionate I kept my children away from my pigeons. A lot of time
and attention went to the pigeons and when other children went to the
beach with their parents on Saturday or Sunday those of me stayed home
because the pigeons had to come. In their eyes pigeons were definitely
not fun. I once wrote a book waiter the racing pigeon sport in my region
and I mentioned many names of old and deceased pigeon breeders. Because
of the advertising that was made for my book children and grandchildren
came to buy the it because their father, grandfather or uncle came in
for it. When I asked them what they thought of the pigeon sport I did
not get a positive answer. Most people found the hobby of dad terrible.
Not only me, others also kept their children away from the pigeons.
Understandably that there was such a reaction. The strange thing is that
my grandchildren were allowed to come into the pigeon loft and then I
realized that we fanatical pigeon fanciers have placed the importance of
our hobby above that of the family and now that we have found out it is
(almost) too late. However, salvation is still possible.
THE COMPUTER WITH ALL ITS GAME POSSIBILITIES
A lot of fun for today's youth but in reality it's a disaster. What is
happening in the electronic age is almost impossible to follow for many
elderly people. The youth, even the smallest, have no problem with it,
we the elderly are even a bit afraid of the computer. The youth does not
move anymore or at least far too little. They have insufficient
knowledge about keeping and caring for animals. This is partly due to
the fact that animals can no longer be kept at and in many homes. In a
following article I would like to describe how my son Marco has become
enthusiastic about the pigeon sport and how we now practice the pigeon
sport together and how I used to do that with my father. It is and
remains a nice hobby at home, even now I am almost 82 years old I still
have a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I have no grandchildren who are active
within the pigeon sport. There are a few who now live on their own and
then the time is ripe to give them a few pigeons for their children. Who
knows, then they will have the same thing with them as I started this
column with. TO BE CONTINUED.
SPRING FAIR
In the weekend of 2 and 3 March the now traditional spring fair will be
held in Houten near Utrecht. This will unload the unofficial starting
shot for the new flight program established by the NPO which will start
in the first weekend of April. This means that a considerable number of
folds have to be smoothed out in the month of March. The exhibition
itself attracts many foreign visitors every year. The last purchases can
be made to get well prepared at the start. A large number of young
pigeons will also be offered for sale. The attentive reader has often
seen that every year the necessary successes are achieved with a "Dutch
pigeon from Houten" purchased at absolute friends prizes. Furthermore,
of course, all known suppliers are present in the field of the pigeon
sport. A must to visit this fair though it would only be because of the
reunion-like character. In Belgium two weeks ago a sort of equal fair
was held under the name Fugare and a week later the tribute of the
"golden pigeon competition" was organized by the famous Belgian pigeon
sport magazine De Duif of Jan and Rik Hermans. To get a podium place
there is definitely not a simple task. To score the first three
nominations must finish in the top of the results every month and that
is not a sinecure, especially for the men who use large numbers of
pigeons. As gold winners came on the scene; Sabrina Brugmans, Halen (B)
with 7 mentions; B. Martens & Zoon, Elsloo (N) 6 mentions; Comb. Fuchs &
Wolf, Hochheim (Ger) and John Crehan (UK)
SELECTIVE BREEDING
For a good number of years Dutch and Belgian fanciers have been
struggling with great losses during the young pigeon races, and for the
same number of years we have written about this life-size problem for
us. Yet there are fanciers who know how to get back the big losses in
their loft. Losses will always stay there, it's just like falling during
a cycling race at the sport but we should not find it "normal". Partly
due to the large losses many fanciers have decided to breed from all
pigeons. Why not? They have all come through the selection so they are
also worth growing from. The only risk we face then is the large number
of young pigeons that may have to be accommodated in too small a loft.
There must therefore be good ventilation, certainly no draft or moisture
because then there will undoubtedly be another problem around the corner
and that is overpopulation. For youngsters health is of the utmost
importance, in this case more important than quality. With strict
control, regular care and training at fixed times, an observant fancier
should be able to see daily that the condition is right or wrong. Make
sure that the sun does not burn too much oxygen out of the loft so the
pigeons do not like to train and there is a chance of an ornithosis
outbreak. By observing the pigeons daily you reach more than with shit
crabs. I make every year a selection which we will breed because
breeding couples who only give good are not that much. Most breeding
couples can produce youngsters, but the point is that every year we have
enough usable pigeons. Especially in the breeding loft is bred quite
regularly from pigeons that have not produced anything special for two
years. I absolutely do them away, it's just time and money waste. Of
course I like to keep a few couples of youngsters because I have 100%
confidence in the parents, even though they are still young or because
they have a flat head or a crooked sternum. We must always keep trying,
you must dare to take a chance. It is important to breed from pigeons of
which we know a lot. Especially from pigeons from a family that have
given us useful pigeons for several generations. It is also important to
adjust the number of young pigeons to the loft capacity and we will have
to learn to live with the fact that there are now considerably more
pigeons behind than older fanciers used to be and then also had the
advantage that there is also no big population of birds of prey existed.
THE BREEDINGLOFT BRASPENNING
The breeding is as expected and of course a number of setbacks have been
taken into account. This week almost all of the eggs from the second
round are coming out. I say almost because unfortunately only two
youngsters were born with two major racing couples. A hen had only laid
one egg and the other couple had an unfertilized egg. From an old
breeding couple already two unfertilized eggs, so we must assume that it
is over and out. With another couple a dented egg and when the others
come out I'll have already too much to my liking. Marco wants to have
something more like his father so that is not a problem. Long ago I
wanted to have a lot of youngsters. I had the space and thought it was a
beautiful sight when a large couple was training around my loft. I had a
friend then, who unfortunately passed away last year, who did fly 300. A
beautiful sight, but that was a bit too much for me. Now I have enough
in 35 or so. Last year I became champion youngsters. I started with 31
and ended with 28. really a result to be proud of. The annoying thing is
that I did have to do some away. So what is more fun, that they stay
away from the flight or that you have to do away with a set that is
actually worth it to stay, it is always something. Halfway through the
week my first youngster can be ringed so that they can get away from the
parents in the middle of March. According to our planning everything is
ready on time and we can start focusing on the first speed flights that
I am a huge fan of.
THE CAGE
The first week of March is another deadline to put the last dots on the
I. All departments in the loft are completely clean and treated again
with the burner. My racing loft consists of six different departments.
On the southeast side three for the hens, cocks and youngsters. The
other three departments on the northwest side are empty and remain
empty. Previously I had the youngsters there. I could pitch three rounds
in a separate loft and when they all flew around I opened the sliding
doors and usually also left them open during the racing season. Now that
I have kept fewer pigeons I have three empty lofts. On the ground floor,
underneath the racing loft, the breeders are in a 5 meter loft with 24
breeding boxes. The windows are usually open so that the pigeons can
spend the entire day in the indoor aviary that is even 1.50 meters
longer than the racing loft. Space enough so and yet I will not keep
more pigeons than I have now. At Marco's home there are 18 racing
couples and 50 youngsters. With me 12 racing couples, about thirty
youngsters and a beautiful collection of breeding pigeons. Many of them
are descended from the best Olympiad pigeons from the Netherlands and of
course my own old Gebr. Janssen species has now been crossed with the
best of the best of Willem de Bruijn that he got by Leo Heremans in
2005.
STILL SIX WEEKS
It is mid-February. In the past my father and I coupled our pigeons on
February 18th because then you could release the pigeons when you came
home from work. In that respect, a lot has changed. It is now the most
normal thing in the world that the pigeons are put together on November
26, not only the breeding pigeons but also the racing pigeons. The
phenomenon of darkening and updating did not yet exist. At the start of
the racing season we were happy when the pigeons dropped their first
pen. It was a general understanding that the form was coming. Everyone
was happy when the pigeons started to moult. Now they make every effort
to stop the moulting. Logical because a pigeon season runs from the
first weekend of April to the third weekend in September. So there is
still some demand from the pigeons. Especially the hens now have a hard
time. They are played every week in many lofts. They could easily stand
there. I really do not know why and have never tried it myself. In the
past the cocks were seen as better, now it is exactly the other way
around. In Belgium they flew (even now) with cocks, hens and yearlings
in separate competitions. That means they all went at the same time,
however, separate results were made for those three categories. It was
thought that the cocks were stronger than the hens and the yearlings
still had to learn a lot so according to the Belgians it was a fair
system to make separate results. About honestly, in the Netherlands
there is a separate committee that should promote the "fair game" within
our national pigeon sport. Whatever happens, fair play never comes. That
does not mean that it is all unfair now, certainly not. It will always
remain so that none of our pigeons have to cover the same distance. When
swimming, running, cycling, each participant completes the same course
and they all have the finish as redeeming finish line. Imagine that we
are going to cycle and when I am at home you still have 40 km to go,
that will be a difficult task. So you should also compare our pigeon
game. How we turn it or turn it, it cannot be fairer. Once a few years
in the Netherlands a competition was held from the Norwegian Skagen, a
long distance flight from the north. This was done to accommodate the
northern fanciers. They had the longest distance on every flight from
the south and that generated the necessary resistance. Unfortunately,
the flight from one of the Scandinavian countries was not successful and
therefore has since long since disappeared from the race calendar.
WHETHER THE NECESSARY WILL CHANGE?
I have my doubts, especially if we continue to hold on to the subject of
"fair play". To make it fairer, a separate commission was set up in the
Netherlands last year that will work to meet the wishes of the fanciers.
Various proposals were submitted throughout the country. These were
discussed in the committee and put on paper for the fanciers. I think
they better should not have done that. What should fanciers do with the
whole jumble of various changes and improvements. Most fanciers really
have no interest in that. When I look at myself I think so too; what do
I have to do with all those proposals. It would have been better to
elucidate some of these well-intentioned proposals and implement them in
2019. In my opinion there is still talk and nothing happens and that
while we start the new racing season in six weeks. I occasionally read
nice stories from our new enthusiastic chairman Van der Kruk. The man
meant it all well but there is little sensible behind the board table.
The fanciers want concrete information about the flight program, the
collection and sending of the pigeons, the total freight costs and
whether in 2019 a maximum number of pigeons can be used per fancier. We
want to know that but not everything is published about it. However, I
have read that our NPO chairman has been appointed as chairman of the
international doping committee within the FCI. What do we have? After
all, there is so much right to be set up in our own organization. It
would be much nicer that he, in consultation with his committee, told
something concrete about "fair play". This count not only for our
national administration. In my department is about the racing season,
that starts in six weeks, nothing exactly known, how and what will
change in 2019 and what the fairer game will look like. As I look at it
now there is a lot of talk behind the national board table and that is
largely the case. It is high time that there is now clarity, the
fanciers want to know where they stand. The compliments about the
successes achieved have already been expressed many times. The
festivities are as good as over, it is now about further matters. Now we
have to hit nails with heads, otherwise I see that the board is under
attack. I say the board because unfortunately I do not know one. Only
chairman Van der Kruk who is always in the picture, perhaps he is even
too much in the picture. There is still a short period to go, time is
pressing and to this day we still do not know how it will go. What
exactly will change, what will be improved? If you ask me what I expect
from it, I can only shrug my shoulders.
THE FIRST YOUNGSTERS ARE RINGED
No, not with me yet. The first eggs went to Marco and they have all come
out except for a few, we have experienced it differently. This breeding
season could not be better and also the second round of eggs that lie
with me are all but four fertilized. If it continues like this we will
have far too many pigeons again and I want so much less. With little
pigeons give the competition many times a beating is sporting the best
thing that exists. Let's not go too far ahead of things. The youngsters
are not big yet, so anything can happen. Fortunately, the days are a bit
longer and I feel good about that. I have really seen very much against
the winter but that is all improved because we really have not had real
winter. I am now motivated to take care of the pigeons optimally. They
come off every day, the temperatures rise a little and the coming
weekend they even predict 15 degrees. That is already a temperature for
us Dutch to sit in the sun for an hour. Also the pigeons feel well, they
like to fly and I see every day the necessary down feathers in the loft
and that is a sign for me that it is good.
SATISFIED ABOUT THE BREEDING RESULT
The first month of 2019 is already behind us and still it was not really
winter here in the Netherlands. Whether we ever get a real winter the
scholars doubt it. The biggest winter event in our country is the world
famous eleven cities tour, a skating race over 200 km. Some people think
it will never come again. The warming of mother earth is the cause of
this. Fortunately a great deal of attention is being paid worldwide to
this life-sized problem. Meanwhile, we are in the second week of
February, occasionally night frost from -2 to -4 degrees Celsius and
that represents very little. However, the past weekend our country was
again a world champion richer. During the World Championships in Norway,
Matthieu van de Poel became world champion in professional racing and
the day before two Dutch ladies finished 2nd and 3rd. In the highest
category the Netherlands picked up gold, silver and bronze which does my
cycling heart very well. In that same weekend the first youngsters of
2019 was born in my loft. There are not many because most of the eggs
have been transferred to the loft of Marco who had to deal with a true
baby boom that weekend. The planning to put the second round of eggs
from the breeders under my racing pigeons was completely correct so that
the eggs of the better breeding pairs, at least that we think, could be
placed under my racing pigeons. As far as the weather conditions are
concerned, it looks fine for this time of the year. In the coming days
the temperature in the Dutch cold frog country will rise to 10 degrees.
Actually that is not normal, but for those who do early breeding it is
ideal. I have already spoken to several fanciers who are very satisfied
with their winter youngsters. I have even seen flocks of youngsters
flying around. I do not have to think about having a loft full of young
pigeons again. I have been a bit calmer for a couple of months now.
However, the loft for the youngsters is already ready to put in forty
youngsters and hopefully there will be enough to give the boss a
satisfied feeling. For me the first eggs are there from 2 February and
on 6 February all 12 flocks were brooding so that my youngsters will be
born from 19 February. The coming weekend will see if the eggs are
fertilized and then we will determine which eggs come under which
flocks. From the third round a number of youngsters are raised, again
from the better breeders, who all get a new boss. This week Hans van der
Sluis comes to our association to vaccinate the pigeons against paramixo
and possibly smallpox and paratyphoid. Both old and young from 2019 can
be vaccinated. It is even very good to have youngsters vaccinated at the
age of 6 weeks. Our old pigeons are already vaccinated in the second
half of December. Our first and second round both at the age of 6 weeks
because they have the least problems. What do we pay attention to when
the youngsters are away from their parents in the first few days. I
always make sure that there is a bed of straw on the bottom for the
first two weeks. Usually they crawl close together and are wonderfully
lazing in the warm straw. I also experienced that no youngster in the
straw were lying while the temperature was around freezing point. I can
only guess why they did not. Straw maybe too old, not fresh or too hard,
it could be. Maybe too little sun in that spot, but what do you do when
the sun stays hidden behind the clouds for a few weeks? A stove or
heating plate is not in my loft because I have beautiful bone dry lofts.
Of course there is the possibility that the soil is slightly damp, which
is because it is rainy weather, or fog or snow. They have to save
themselves, I do not want to make greenhouse plants from them under any
circumstances. Experience has taught me that even weaned youngsters can
easily withstand low temperatures, perhaps better than the enormous
tropical heat of the past year.
ONCE THEY ARE SEPARATELY TWO WEEKS
If all goes well, they look exactly like when they were almost grown up
in the nest dish. At that age I can really enjoy the shiny young guys
who is lying close to each other with a full head enjoying their first
days of life. As soon as they are away from the parents they can
retrograde the first few days, they have to get used to the environment
that is foreign to them. In addition, they now also have to eat
independently without the help of parents and what is so important that
they have to find the drinking trough. The first days I place it near
the bed of straw and do not put a lid on it. I clean that bin three
times a day because they crawl in and sometimes do their needs. I also
sprinkle some fresh grit every day in the vicinity of the young stuff.
After two weeks the straw is gone, the water and the food bowl are in
their usual place and that also applies to the jars with grit and
minerals. They are vaccinated around that time. It is then mid-March and
hopefully the sun will shine regularly so that they can go outside every
day to explore the area. It is therefore time to take all the pigeons in
the hand again to view them more critically. Are the plumes well
ingrown, feels the pigeon well, you must have a pigeon in your hand and
not a starling. We must not forget that they are still babies. If I
think they are in good health, they can stay even if they have a small
deviation in my eyes. After all it takes a long time before we go out
with them and before that time I have already looked at them several
times. I only want complete pigeons in my loft and I also happen to have
a nice type of pigeon. There are fanciers who do not look at anything. I
do so because a pigeon that I do not like to see get no chance to get
into the results. With this I certainly do not want to claim that I have
the wisdom in lease. Because in all those years that I play pigeons
several times I have pigeons in my hands that I would not want in my
loft. But when I saw the results of such a pigeon I had to scratch my
ears and thought to myself; Bras you also knows the balls.
THE OLYMPIADE
I have not been there but for years I was a regular visitor and
sometimes a participant. The last times I fail, the reason is the age
and less and less interest. The latter is because I do not think it is a
real sport event anymore. Commerce has also struck this wonderful event.
Most visitors are mostly people who want to be seen, the real pigeon
fanciers have little to look for. You notice everything that the
enthusiasm of joining is sinking to an absolute low point. This is
especially the case in the standard class. Internationally, but
especially nationally, this sporting event, which is the highly
achievable for us, is hardly or not given attention in the press. Is
there no one in the NPO who can and wants to take care of the publicity
needed for our hobby? As an Olympiad participant you are as proud as a
monkey with seven tails but the layman who hardly knows anything about
the pigeon sport, let alone from a racing pigeon Olympics, gets no
information from the national press. It is also strange that "our"
Olympiad is held once every two years while all other Olympiads are once
every four years. There are plenty of options for devising game rules so
that absolute top pigeons of any age can participate once every four
years. Maybe then there is more attention for our Olympiad. Now the
pigeons are standing, where everything revolves, just to stand there.
The best and most beautiful pigeons in the world can be viewed from very
close, actually a pity that the commercial stands still claim the most
attention. With which eyes we view the Olympiad it is and remains a
great honour to be able to participate.
THE INTERNATIONAL RESULTS
Fanatic as I am I was curious on Friday morning how the inspection had
gone. Would the Netherlands have won? Wherever I looked, there was no
result anywhere, not even on foreign sites and not even on Pipa. If you
want to know something about pigeon sport Pipa is often the first site
to be consulted. Nothing, even now no letter about the Olympiad.
Suddenly I discovered the Dutch results that, frankly speaking, were
hard for me. The Netherlands, for many years one of the leading pigeon
countries, managed to achieve a podium place with 5 of the 44 pigeons.
With the yearlings even on the highest step of the honorary pot.
Meanwhile the pigeon has been renamed in Olympic Janneke owned by the
father / son combination Yong and Jiabin Lin, truly absolute world
class. Her mother was previously Olympiad participant in Brussels and so
we see that the good still come from the good. By the youngsters,
yearlings and the marathon pigeons a 2nd place plus a 3rd place with the
youngsters. In a response from NPO chairman Van der Kruk I read that he
was extremely satisfied with the excellent result of the Dutch
delegation. You can also be too enthusiastic! With the 20 standard
pigeons a complete departure and that while we have expert judges and
beautiful pigeons in our country. Would it still be true that there is
no interest in joining? In the country classification the Netherlands
finished in a modest 7th place. I have not been able to read a letter
about the international result at the moment. From the Belgians I know
that they have no interest in the standard pigeons. I hope that in the
short term we will be able to read somewhere about our southern
neighbours and also the other participating countries.
WORTH KNOWING
It is striking that more (almost) total sales are being held. This week
293 pigeons from the Belgian Team Freddy de Jaeger will be sold via the
internet. All pigeons from 2017 and older, that is another number! With
a week to go the counter is well above the thousand euros on average.
And next year they just join again. There will be more because the sales
season will definitely continue until April. In the Netherlands it is
currently mainly about the Ladies League. As it looks now there can
certainly be talk of a huge success. Now first have to wait and see if
the success also continues during the races with the youngsters because
then the ladies start. Their pigeons are clearly recognizable by the
striking pink chip rings. I wonder how many times a lady is taken on the
shoulders after a victory, can pigeon sport still be cosy. The good news
comes this time from the FCI. During the congress in Poznan the
Netherlands was appointed as the candidate organizer for the Olympiad of
2023. Forty years ago the Netherlands organized the Olympiad in
Amsterdam in the halls of the beautiful RAI complex. About 25 years ago
the Olympiade was held again in the Netherlands, this time in Utrecht in
the halls of the Royal Trade Fair. I can still remember very well that
during the gala evening it looked like a complete migration of people.
There was not counted on so many public, so chairs and tables had to be
brought from all kinds of halls. After all pigeon stories a short
article about my favourite cycling sport. In Belgium a young rider is
discovered that is predicted to win the Tour de France a number of
times. Those kinds of stories are not new to me. In all those years that
I have been involved in cycling I have seen several talents come and go.
Young boys who managed to win one course after another until they meet
the real opponents. Suddenly it was not so easy anymore and the
enthusiasm of those guys got considerably less and suddenly they had
disappeared from the battlefield. Too bad because there were drivers who
won every race with two fingers in the nose. In any case, I continue to
follow the predictions of this young talent. Today he was 19 years old
and this weekend he makes his debut as a professional at Quickstep. He
crushed the competition the previous World Cup for juniors. Despite a
fall he drove them in minutes. Remember his name; Remco Evenpoel.
IN THE WIDE WORMER
Yesterday a wonderful bike ride, sun but cold. In the evening I felt
like I had been on the ice all day. Now it looks completely different,
heavy clouds and light snowfall. So the pigeons and I do not come out
today. After I had cared the pigeons I armed with my notebook again
entered the loft because I had seen yesterday that there were already
some hens for the second time laid. Also with my racing pigeons, that
have only been together for a week, I already saw an egg. Everything is
accurately noted because as soon as they are brooding for a day or five,
the necessary eggs have to be laid among other couples. Youngsters are
not there yet but that will not last long, the first eggs will come out
on February 1st. Our hen who had not laid for two weeks is no longer
there. It looked like she was soon to lay, but unfortunately she could
not get rid of her egg. We could not help her either and then rescued
her from her suffering. Setbacks are part of every hobby but so far we
are satisfied. Have seen with one of our older couples that the eggs are
not fertilized. It will not have come through the cold because that was
not so bad, here the cause is old age and maybe too early in the year
paired. Can you imagine that I am not so fond of old stuck breeders? If
there are setbacks it is usually with older pigeons.
JANUARY MONTH OF OVERVIEW AND SEE FORWARD
A little optimist sees that the days are getting longer. This means that
in the afternoon there will be a little longer light and that is where
we have been waiting as pigeon fancier for quite some time. With the
longer of the days more and more life comes in our lofts. Several
fanciers have already deposited their first young. Others have not been
coupled so long ago and so we are all working on the preparations for
2019. Looking back to 2018 is as good as over. Most champions are
honoured and have a few more months to enjoy their achievements. Looking
ahead happened already in the first weekend of January when the national
days were held in Dortmund. In the meantime Blackpool is once again a
thing of the past. For me still the most fun days of the international
pigeon sport, what good memories I have of that! My age is causing me to
have failed in the last few years. The next weekend is the pigeon
Olympiad in Poznan (Poland). In 2011 I was there myself with my Big Leo
who was the best young cock in the Netherlands. It was a perfectly
organized Olympiad so that everyone can now again confidently look
forward to this important international event. The Olympiad the highest
achievable in every branch of sport! The best and most beautiful pigeons
in the whole world can be admired there. More importantly, you are
represented as a pigeon man on behalf of your country because one or
perhaps two of your very best pigeons have performed in such a way that
they qualify for participation. A great honour and a sincere
congratulation worth.
SNOW
While studying the national flight program 2019and drinking coffee it
snows. King winter has turned our polder into a beautiful white
landscape. Very nice to see, careful taking some pictures and then
quickly back to the warm stove. At half past ten the pigeons have had
food and now I go back to the lofts to clean up the stuff for the
umpteenth time in my long life. A cold job but you have honour of your
work when everything looks neat and tidy again. With these winter
temperatures the pigeons look beautiful. A couple does not have any eggs
yet. On Saturday the 26th they are together for 14 days and as I watch
now they have certainly laid then. We used to say to each other; if you
have everything on eggs within 14 days it’s a sign of a very good
health, let's just keep it up. On the 17th there really was a true
bombardment of eggs. Our plan is now that Thursday 24 January the eggs
of the breeders will be transferred to the racing pigeons of Marco. My
racing pigeons come together on Wednesday January 23 so that a part of
the second round of the breeders can be placed there. In the night still
lightly frost but not yet once in the morning the water tanks were
frozen. I do not have heating on the loft but I had closed the cranes
for certainty which until now was not necessary. Until yesterday I have
left the cocks every other day and then the hens are left outside for an
hour. Now that everything is white, I keep them in for security until
the snow has disappeared and as it looks now it will not take that long.
In the night a light frost and during the day more and more chance of a
few hours of sun. Before we go put over the eggs we will first hold them
piece by piece against the lamp light to see if they are fertilized.
Always an exciting activity. If all the eggs are occupied you can sleep
on two ears, if that is not the case then you can speak of a problem.
The breeding has failed in part and there is no good feeling for the new
season. Fortunately there is still time to intervene but ideal it’s not.
BREEDING FROM YEARLINGS
Yes, why not? In conversations with other fanciers I sometimes hear
contradictions. One does not start because he knows too little of his
yearlings. Another says he does because he regularly breeds very useful
pigeons from his yearlings. Would it not be the same with yearlings as
with breeding pigeons? Maybe with some older breeding pigeons there is
more certainty, but with me, who regularly changes the breeding couples,
there is no certainty at all. The only certainty we have is that we have
breeding pigeons and yearlings that have come through the selection.
They are all pigeons that we would like to have in our loft. The
yearlings are usually born from the breeders or they are bred from
racing pigeons that meet all requirements. Personally, I do not have a
problem at all of which couples get the better ones. If it is not that
the breeding fails because something is hidden under the pigeons. That
can be all kinds of things so that the growth of the youngsters does not
go according to wishes. Irregular care, quality of the feed, too little
attention to fresh grit, minerals or some extra nutritional supplements,
pests, humid lofts or even contamination while the manure looks good. In
a good loft with healthy pigeons the breeding is smooth without any
problems even though the quality of the pigeons is not quite great. The
breeding remains a very important part of our hobby and it is a pleasure
to enjoy when the youngsters in the dish are shining at you. Quiet
youngsters in the nest, nice dry manure around the dish, well-stocked
throats and also the parent pigeons have to look perfect. You can hardly
see at the parent that they feed youngsters and hear them beep. An
exception is that they can be heard during feeding time because they
have appetite for food.
LAUGH MOVIE
Recently there was something about racing pigeons on TV. If I know that
I will definitely look. The pigeon sport has my great interest. It
turned out to be a very enthusiastic young fancier, one who calls
himself a "pigeon coach" and also aspires a position within the NPO. I
immediately have a look at such foreground figures. In the Netherlands
and also in Belgium someone who has racing pigeons as a hobby is called
a "pigeon fancier", for me still a name to be proud of. Pigeon fancier
is a long standing concept and then suddenly figures come to invent the
word "pigeon coach". Our image as a pigeon fancier is not too high, but
it is a concept. So let's keep it there and just continue to do it. This
young fancier also occasionally tries to put something on paper that we
have read thousands of times. Fine, but act as nothing performing pigeon
fancier as if you have the wisdom in lease. This same mischief, I cannot
say anything else, ran like a fool screaming and waving with the Dutch
flag in his hands through his garden. It was not really to be seen and
many would have wondered; what is this fool doing? We pigeon fanciers
know that, he was busy keeping his pigeons in the air. They did not want
to train and that is why the flag was needed. That is not so bad if you
have no close neighbours. Those neighbours see that behaviour perhaps
every day and then you do not immediately build up an intelligent name
as a pigeon coach. The nice thing about that movie was that the female
reporter asked the wife of this man; how does it feel to be married to
such a man?
THE EMERGENCY CLOUD IS LOUDING
Of course we are going to 2019 with the best intentions. Fortunately I
hear a lot of positive sounds, but we cannot put our head in the sand
for the negative sounds in the international pigeon sport. In the first
place I was shocked by the news that in a large Belgian ensemble there
is a significant decline in participation on their 9 middle long
distance flights compared to 2017. Then 25.500 pigeons were still
starting, in 2018 there were 9000 less . The decline in the number of
participants is alarming. In 2017 another 4500 and in 2018 there were
only 3400 which is almost 25% less. Positive or negative, it is just how
you look at it, is the message that many rich Chinese, and there are
many, little by little Belgium and the Netherlands buy empty when it
comes to (good) pigeons from fanciers with a famous name . It is
unprecedented how many pigeons move weekly at idiot high prices to the
country of the Rising Sun. Technically it is not good for the survival
of the high quality pigeons within the two famous pigeon countries which
are Belgium and the Netherlands. It is of course very attractive for the
commercially minded fanciers who keep each year in the winter period
several sales of their, as they say, best breeders or champion pigeons.
That candy store is once emptied, appealing fanciers are no longer
there. That also applies to the pigeons, because within a few years they
will only race in competitions with very few pigeons so that their
market value will drop sharply. Our Asian pigeon friends will surely
become wise once. Furthermore you read every so often that fanciers with
a commercial good name sell totally or almost totally. These are men who
can still collect the necessary euros because if the current development
continues this way other prominent countries will take over the
commercial top positions within the foreseeable future and where we
Belgians and Hollanders will have to go on hanging paws to be able to
purchase some reasonable pigeons at an affordable price.
ALSO IN BELGIUM COMES A LADIES LEAGUE
Good example does follow well is a well-known saying. Only recently the
ladies league in the Netherlands has been accepted. For the ladies 5000
fixed foot rings and the same number of chip rings in the colour pink
have been ordered, what a treat. Where is the emancipation and gender
neutral in the pigeon sport? However who knows what nice contacts there
arise when a pigeon with a pink ring with a male opponent walks into the
loft. It is not yet known whether the ladies will receive a separate
champion honouring. In any case in the wake of the Netherlands there is
now also the opportunity in Belgium to compete against each other as
female fanciers. It is to be hoped that the ladies will feel at home in
the grey men's world. Certainly know that for the ladies a Netherlands -
Belgium title will also be created. In every branch of sport matches
between these two countries are always super exciting, so NPO and KBDB
think of something nice. Furthermore the KBDB has decided that ALL
pigeons participating in competitions are registered in the name of the
fanciers. Only the proof of ownership is therefore no longer sufficient.
If this is not met the pigeon will be removed from the result and the
prize won will be declared forfeited. An exception is made for pigeons
that stay in the breeding loft and are NOT played.
REGIONAL PIGEON SHOW
Sunday January 13 I once again let myself be tempted to visit a regional
pigeon show where there was also the opportunity to wish sports friends
still a healthy and successful season. For me it was an old-fashioned
friendly pigeon afternoon. We drank a beer and talked to some old people
from the trade. As usual the pigeons received little or no attention
again. The afternoon was mainly about fun and it was not lacking. In
between selling the boards for the rotating wheel I also got a diploma
in my hands. A plasticized sheet of paper with an image of a dark pigeon
(I do not like that at all) and in large letters the name of the
department in which this title was achieved and in very small letters it
also stated that I was 2nd champion become with the youngsters. No
signature on it from two managers because it is a department without
managers. Maybe it is modern or is it still poverty? Among the sportsmen
it is known what has to be done in order to achieve a title against more
than 150 fanciers. For half a year there is a 100% commitment to this
every day and then you get by chance an award in your hands and that’s
it. A great example of how it should not be done. It shows how nothing
saying the pigeon sport is becoming. Where did the full rooms go during
the champion ceremony? The stage was always full of luxury prizes won by
the fanciers in the last season and all champions were given their won
sports prizes by the chairman. Nowadays a sports prize is a
self-assembled piece of paper that one of the well wanted has made on
the computer. Poverty trump, I cannot say anything else!
AFTER A WEEK
I can say that after a week that the pigeons are paired I am still very
satisfied with what happens in the breeding loft. Everything is well
connected and also cock and hen know where they live. On Saturday, so 1
week after the pigeons are put together, 2 hens have laid, the day after
that 3 hens, another day later 5 and today, 15-1, it is the tenth day
and I cannot say how much have laid. However I can say that today the
remaining hens will lay because they were all pretty tight on the nest
this afternoon. In total we have put 30 couples together including
feeding couples. The eggs that we cannot place under the feeding couples
go under the racing pigeons of Marco. As it looks now I'm going to
assemble my racing pigeons next Monday so that some eggs from the second
round of the breeders can be covered. More I cannot say at the moment
just that we are both happy and that is enough for the moment.
THE BREEDING PERIOD
Pigeon racing is a competitive sport and when it comes to participating
in sports the will has to be there to win. Winning does not happen
automatically, a lot has to be done. We are currently in the middle of
the breeding season which means that we are working to make our colony
stronger. All attention has been paid to putting together the breeding
couples. This is certainly an interesting activity that requires the
necessary professional knowledge. Putting the best pigeons together is
in my view the most important thing. Because we can think that we all
know about it unfortunately that does not seem to be entirely true. It
happens all too often that the better pigeons are born from two pigeons
that we did not really expect. It is even more common that out of two
pigeons that have performed formidable not a single usable youngster is
born. But how often it has already happen that from two yearlings from
the racing loft a real whopper I born? We can still select so strict it
still gives no assurance for good performance or for a good breeding.
Books and newspapers are written with all kinds of methods and ways to
perform well. Theories are built up to arrive at a good strain of
pigeons. Fortunately, that has succeeded in many lofts. But also more
pigeons are born that do not live up to expectations than that real
performance pigeons are born. The pigeon sport depends on so many facets
that no rope can be tied to it. The happiness factor also plays a very
important role in our hobby.
CONVERSATION OF THE DAY; GOOD MUST YOU HAVE
They are there for sale enough, at least they are described but no
vendor wants or can guarantee that it is indeed a real good one even
though the pigeon comes from such good parents. Another problem is that
the pigeons are much too expensive for us Dutch. It is completely
irresponsible to spend so much money because there is nothing more to be
gained in our country. When I see how many pigeons are sold weekly it
appears that only a few of them stay in the Netherlands and that while
it is suggested that they are all youngsters from the best breeders. I
wonder how many best breeding couples are on such a champion loft. It
may well be best breeders but I have nothing to do with that. Everyone
wants them from the best breeding couples and that is a completely
different story but enough about that. What remains is how do we get
pigeons to which we have something, pigeons with which we come forward
and then you can select as strict as you want you will have to have
quality. When I look at my own loft I think every year that I have a
great bunch of breeding couples. The practice is that every year there
are only a few and that after 70 years of pigeon sport! One year the
breeding results are a bit better than the other and I am happy when in
the next three years I will still have 5 out of the 40 pigeons I will
breed. If so, I have nothing to grumble because then I have had a good
breeding. Is that because I dare to clean up pigeons, is that because I
select very strict? But what do I pay attention to? Performance of young
pigeons do not tell me everything, others only select on the basis of
achievements. I also do not do that with youngsters. I do not want big
hens, others choose that. I want to see clearly the difference between a
cock and a hen. I already have so many well-performing cocks in my hands
that I would not want to have my pigeon as a pigeon. They would be
selected by me as a youngster. I sometimes wonder; how much good will I
have disposed of in my life? Fortunately I have not always done it
wrong. Recently I had two pictures in my hands from two hens with a list
of numbers of pigeons that you no longer see. One managed to bring it in
1999 to 3rd National Ace Pigeon sprint with the following performances:
1st - 1757; 2e - 3612; 2e - 4029; 1e - 1208; 2nd - 4439 and 2nd - 3486
pigeons. The other was in that same year 1st Provincial Champion pigeon
natour against 2000 fanciers with: 5th - 4572; 1e - 4439; 1st - 3486 and
7th - 4032 pigeons. Those are two pigeons of which we all dream. From
the champion pigeon natour I did not breed anything noteworthy and the
other gave at least a first prize winner with three different cocks. You
have to have that luck! And as far as that strict selection is concerned
that does not make sense. It is normal that you do away a deformed egg,
it is still normal that you take away young pigeons that only produce
watery dung. What do you have to do with youngsters that are all day
long are squeaking and so I can continue for a while. Everything has to
go naturally during breeding, everything has to be right. Young pigeons
have to lie shine in the nest and when they leave the parents they have
to feel "full". You have to have a pigeon in your hands that you think
"Yes, that's one" is not that way get rid of it.
WE HAVE PAIRED THEM
The intention was that this would happen between Christmas and New Year
but that was not succeed. On Saturday January 5 we spent almost the
entire day there. The lofts are burned out once again, filling the
scales, replacing a hinge of the breeding loft doors here and there,
repairing a grit bin and cleaning the drinking bowls. The cocks had been
in the breeding lofts for some time so they knew where they live. Almost
all hens were given another breeding loft. Two hens that were paired on
paper were set aside because they were not liftable, they seemed like
flopped chickens. Actually strange because the other hens were fine on
weight. One of those hens had a place in the breeding loft for the first
time but if she still go along with that I have my doubts. The other has
been bought for a lot of money (not via internet) and in 2018 and gave a
young bird that won 6x prize including a first against 1400 pigeons. It
is that I have paid a lot of money and because she has given a good
young otherwise she had already gone away. She now first gets a slimming
treatment and afterwards we will decide whether she should disappear. It
is now Tuesday evening and all pigeons are loose in the loft. No fights
yet, but what is not is can still come. To date we are very satisfied. I
hope to say that in six weeks.
SUCCESS WITH ALL GOOD CONCEPTS
The same song every year. On the last day of the year we wish each other
all the good but what comes of it. World leaders hold beautiful
speeches, politics tells us that the economy will move forward,
unfortunately I cannot see little or nothing let alone understand
because on 2 January everything will become more expensive and there is
little added. The Dutch gas prices are slowly rising, the care becomes
more expensive, the VAT goes up and I as a pensionado can only give in.
While I entrust my letters to the paper I notice that I am working on a
real Dutch story that conveys a little dissatisfaction while I recently
wrote that everything in our country is as well arranged as it is😉.
Together with my son Marco we have arranged everything well for our
pigeons for 2019. The question is what will come of our national pigeon
sport. At our own loft it will go, we are completely ready for it.
Another important question is how will it go nationwide. Dark clouds get
together if it goes about game pleasure and the survival of the more
than 250 pigeon clubs. Transport has also become a hot issue due the
strong decline of members. This week I was traditionally visiting a
large pigeon sport center. As always there were the doughnut and apple
turnovers. It was the last time because the owners stop, the shop is
sold. Many pigeon fanciers from the wide area gathered there weekly
shopping which was always very pleasant. With another owner you have to
wait for that. I have been there for 40 years because there is no pet
store in my area that sells pigeon feed. There used to be six but it's
all over. Champion ceremonies, always crowded halls and the whole crowd
stood on the dance floor. Now we are old, we dance once in a while and
we can not resist that hard music. We only want to talk to each other so
that we no longer have a party. We old men enjoy the sport in our own
way with a drink and a snack then most of us are already very satisfied.
A few days ago in our Country there was a sale of 75 summer youngsters
offered by the well-known player Willem de Bruijn. The first of the sale
was also the most expensive and went for 26,000 euros to his new boss.
Total the sale brought 250.000 euros or 3000 euros on average. A
wonderful result.
SATURDAY 5 JANUARY WE GO PAIRING
It is indeed high time that the breeding pigeons are put together. The
mild weather for the time of the year makes the hens start to get
interested. We have been stopped for a while with light and have the
hens in the open aviary all day long. They look perfect but their
behavior shows that they need to be paired. The cocks all have their own
territory. I can tell by the manure that they are too crowded, they are
not quietly in their breeding loft but fly too much in and out, leaving
only trampled manure and I do not like that. Fortunately I know what is
the cause of this. The next Saturday is reserved to clean the breeding
lofts even more, the burner and the vermin syringe will be used again
and then the pigeons can go into it. The hatching bowls have been ready
for a long time, everywhere a mat and some tobacco stalks. Now we hope
that we will be free of the necessary brawls. My experience is that you
can prevent a lot of trouble with good guidance. On Sunday evening the
first couples are allowed to leave the loft and my experience is that
two days later all pigeons know exactly where they live. Because I have
enough time I will stay alert the first week and after that they will
check it out. Marco also pairs his racing pigeons that day so that a
large part of the eggs of the breeders can be placed under those
pigeons. When the breeders are brooding for three days my racing pigeons
are coupled and after 5 days of breeding the first eggs from the
breeders go to Marco. Two days before the eggs go to Marco I couple my
racing pigeons so that the second round of the breeders can be placed
underneath. In this way I try to get my racing pigeons and the breeders
back to eggs at the same time.
A GOOD BREEDING IS A KEY MEASURE FOR THE NEW SEASON
If the preparation for the breeding season is good there are two eggs in
the nest within 14 days. Maybe there should be a little longer waiting
for too young pigeons or too old pigeons. Actually it is not good to let
youngsters or very old pigeons do winter breeding. Winter breeding has
more advantages than disadvantages. The biggest advantage is that the
youngsters of the second round can also participate in the youngsters
program. The other advantage is that they quickly start to moult the
small feathers and hold the flight feathers. Darkening did and I do from
the end of March and end at the end of June. Now first wait and see how
good or bad the pigeons come on eggs. Already then begins the selection.
Small eggs or deformed eggs I do away immediately. After that remains to
see whether most eggs are fertilized and whether both eggs are similar.
If that is not the case I keep an eye on that youngsters. After a week
the difference is still clearly visible, then the smallest goes away. I
think you can not be strict enough in that. After all it is not about
quantity but about quality. Besides good breeding I wish you all a good
health and a successful 2019.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO MAKE OF IT IN 2019
The holidays are already over so fast it all goes. The whole month of
December everyone is busy with Christmas and before we realize it we
want to wish each other a Happy New Year. When I look back at the days
before Christmas it looked like we were going to have a white Christmas.
When I opened the curtains of the bedroom one morning everything was
fairytale white, would we still get a white Christmas? Unfortunately
that same evening all the snow had disappeared. It is now even 9 degrees
and now and then the sun shines. Certainly not a winter image but ideal
for the breeding pigeons. In many lofts the early youngsters have
crawled out of the egg but there will also be lofts where it does not
run as hoped. Too many unfertilized eggs indicate poor health and
therefore poor preparation. The fairly mild weather has contributed to
the fact that there are already enthusiastic fanciers who tell rubbing
hands that their winter breeding is particularly good, at least almost
no unfertilized eggs. Their first youngsters are growing so fast that
they will have difficulty to ring them January 1. Always very exciting
because many fanciers like to ring the youngsters of their better
pigeons with the same final marks as their superior father or mother in
the hope that they will be just as good or maybe better. Every fancier
is of course very curious about the growth of the babies and especially
the youngsters of newly purchased pigeons or the with great care
compound couples that have performed top in 2018. All in all an
important part of our hobby. Someone who is not interested in the new
young talent is not doing well with his hobby. In my younger years I was
able to watch the first youngster from the breeding scale so curious I
was about my new champions. Our breeders have to wait a little longer.
The idea was to put them together between Christmas and New Year, but
due to the Christmas rush this was postponed for a week. Everything is
arranged on paper, all the cocks are on the bins. Because of the mild
winter weather it is time that they are coupled because there are
already a few hens who love each other and I just do not wait for that.
They can ruin the game in the summer months because they start cuddling
again. That is why I have always a few hens to use a reserve hen in case
of need. Of hens who like each other certainly one of the two has to
disappear because they ruin your game, at least there are always a few
hens that will perform less well
THE CLUB LIFE
Is it because I am getting older or does it happen that the modern day
managers think and act completely differently than we did before. A
quiet season did not exist, there was going on and everything was
organized. In my club, it is a pity that I have to say it, is gathered
once after the racing season and that is it. Nothing but nothing is done
there, nice and easy, a lot of members find it quite so and that way
everybody is asleep to wake up in the first weekend of April because
then it starts for them. They do not realize that they already have a
round behind that they can no longer make up for. That is why I have to
laugh when it is written that someone is the champion of 200 members,
that sounds nice but it becomes a different story if only 40 of those
200 participate. If I see how many members the NPO has and who regularly
participate then that is to cry. The sprint still has the most
participants and just to those races is often a bit inferior looked at.
No, the one-day long distance that is, it will be, but nationally only
15 to 20% of the members participate. I sometimes wonder why so few of
the 17.000 members participate. The pigeon sport is inflated too much
while it does not represent much more in terms of participation. The
strange thing is that for the attraction flights after the official
racing season is more enthusiasm than for the last five speed flights
with which the racing season has been closed for many years. It becomes
more difficult each year to get sufficient participants in the club so
that for each discipline in their own club building can be basketed.
There are still more than 250 pigeon clubs in the Netherlands of which
at least 200 have to deal with the aforementioned problem. Furthermore I
understand that in 2019 will be cut in the collection schedule, this
means that in the Netherlands the pigeons are not picked up anymore or
because too few members have to join them to another club. Partly
because of this the number of participants goes back even more because
the older ones among us have problems with this. Not because I am also
an old male but the old greybeards may be a bit more cherished because
the pigeon sport currently owes much of its existence to the large group
of seventies or even older.
LARGE LOSSES WITH YOUNG PIGEONS
We are on the eve of a baby boom youngsters 2019. In my opinion far too
much is being bred. I know you can be lucky enough to breed an "extra"
out of two moderate pigeons. Actually this also applies to two
high-quality pigeons that do not breed well on the conveyor belt. What
matters to me is that it is now very normal to breed from all pigeons.
There is less attention paid to the quality of the old pigeons, it is
more or less necessary for many to breed as many youngsters as possible.
Why? The problem is the large number of youngsters who for some reason
can not find their way home. That can not only be on the high-voltage
wires, not even on transport or birds of prey. It has a lot to do with
quality and health. For many money purchased pigeons still has nothing
to do with quality. Poor fanciers who have been influenced by well
thought-out sales texts. Just this week I once again studied a number of
pigeons that were offered for sale with a lot of fuss. By far the most
pigeons that are beautifully photographed have done nothing but nothing
at all, while there are wonderful results. The attentive reader must be
able to see that they are being led around the garden. What tells me the
description of the mother who has put 10 first prize winners in the
world and that sisters and brothers of the pigeon have achieved great
results, of the pigeon that is offered for sale is nothing. Yes there is
a long story with super performance but not one that is achieved by the
pigeon offered for sale and because she has an appealing name thousands
of euros are added to it. Then there are now also the necessary sales of
youngsters from the best breeders. Just a meaningless story, what do we
do with this? Oh poor pigeon sport, where does that go? A good advice;
breed only from the very best you own and dare to select strictly. Do
not be afraid that you are clearing up a good one because everyone has
no more than a handful or even that.
TO PUZZLE AT OWN LOFT
The preparations for the new breeding season are getting more and more
started. Some have already put their breeder together at full moon,
others wait a bit because they are afraid that they will no longer get
the rings of 2019 on the legs. Still others find January early enough to
start breeding and the long distance players have more patience because
most of them are not so concerned about the fanatical game with the
youngsters, these men go on with their hibernation. What matters now is
the composition of the couples. With us in the loft the couples are
changed for at least 80% and we do that mainly not to get too much of
the same. Also the proven couples are changed after two years together.
In addition there is always the possibility to re-link them which seldom
happens. As soon as our racing pigeons are three years old (have
participated in the races for 4 seasons), we look at the performances
and possible breeding results. Based on this it is determined whether
they deserve a spot on the breeding loft. Our selection method looks
like this; the performance of the youngsters is not decisive. A
youngster we should like to see. This is often the first impression when
you take the pigeon in your hand, the look is also very important. For
me, the color is also important, I like blue and light scratches (that
is also a hobby) while my son Marco also accepts other colors in his
loft. I still hold on to the Janssen tradition, those guys also had
mainly light and blue pigeons. I will often tell other fanciers; do not
pay too much attention to the color. An ugly pigeon that arrives with
the first every week is getting better and better. A good friend of mine
once had an unsightly measly little fat-blue hen, that pigeon would not
have had a chance with me in the loft. But he got the change with him
and that was also because he possessed many more pigeons than I did. I
told him from the beginning; get rid of that thing what do you do with
such a bantling? As a youngster she came home on the last two races of
over 300 km so she could hibernate. In the following spring I saw her
again and made the comment; do you still have her? He had looked better
than me. Unbelievable as that animal has performed, just incredible but
true. When I returned to him in the summer months he told me about her
performance and made the comment; Bert you have to see that pigeon
through my glasses then she looks very different. I assume you
understand what he meant.
HOW WE GO PAIRING
The first thing I do is look at the 5 best breeding couples and with
best I mean the couples with the best breeding results. Do not think
that these are couples who only fly headers on the world, such exist but
not with me. I sometimes read something about such couples and usually
on a sales site. The strange thing is that you do not read anything
about a youngster of that couple who performed well above average. A
very famous fancier from earlier years once said to me that you can
speak of luck if you have a breeding pair that has given only 1 good
young, but then a real good one. Still I was fortunate that I had
breeding couples several times that only gave us useful pigeons, which
regularly became a real topper. If you are in those happy circumstances
you always belong to the great champions but that was another time. Just
look at the famous names of now, they all have their name from a super
performance of one of their pigeons while they have a few hundred. I
already made a study of the breeding pigeons in my own way, I was
working on it all winter. That changed many times even on the day of
pairing I changed at the last moment 1 or 2 couples. When everything was
together I thought it was all very good couples. It could not have been
wrong because one pigeon had performed even better than the other and
that's also how it was with their construction. Beautiful in the hand
because I love beautiful and especially good pigeons. I have succeeded
in my entire pigeon career, it did not matter which couple gave good
youngsters the most important was that there were always some couples
who did what the boss expected from them. Frankly, most did not do what
the boss expected from them. I always thought I had a nice look at
pigeons, I thought I would get the best out of whatever loft I came
from. I did not completely misunderstand but to get the real topper out
of it I usually do not succeed. Top pigeons are always well built, you
actually do not see much. There is much more to see on a badly built
pigeon and even then it can be a good racer. In my breeding loft is
never a badly built pigeon but that does not mean anything about the
breeding value. They have performed well to very good in my eyes, they
have come through the selection and yet best people the majority of
their youngsters are completely unsuited to perform well. What is
wisdom?
BEAUTIFUL AND GOOD CAN GO TOGETHER
In the 70 years that I have pigeons I am still looking for even better
while I also breed my entire life out of pigeons that meet everything
and yet I am never satisfied. I really enjoy my pigeons, I have always
been a very fierce rascal with a preference for the speed races and the
small middle distance I count on that too. I won many hundreds of first
prizes, most of course in the club, but I also often played the first
violin. Most probably due to age the intensity has largely disappeared.
Because of your age you change a little every year without being aware
of it. Suddenly there is a period that you notice, especially the
condition and the perseverance are the reason that you become easier
every year. The "must" touches a little bit away, I do not want to see
that, I cannot believe it. I am definitely motivated because the plans
for 2019 are already largely completed. A joint breeding loft with my
son, 12 couples to fly and 35 young pigeons have to ensure that I play
with along with the best and even a single victory in a big context
should certainly be possible. Next week I will continue to review the
breeders who may meet between Christmas and New Year. This weekend I
will go to the national days of the NPO, next time I will tell you what
I thought of it.
IS THE SINKING SHIP STILL TO SAVE?
Everything is possible but then there must be a will. It is as if the
Dutch pigeon sport has completely lost its way. In my opinion that is
the case and the reason for this is the strong decline of members. There
has never been invested in, the pigeon sport runs for many years as a
well-oiled machine. So why should people (the board) worry about
something? Plenty of members, lots of pigeons, a national fleet with far
too large transport wagons, an increasingly extensive flight program, it
could not be done. If everything runs smoothly within a sports
organization this often goes hand in hand with too little attention for
a future-oriented policy. That is how it also went with different
branches within the business community. Very well-known national
companies have thus disappeared from the scene. The pigeon sport also
goes that way, it is too late to turn the tide. In addition there is
also the difficulty that our national board itself cannot take any
decision. They are completely dependent on their supporters who make the
service. As a result our national administration is the same as a pigeon
house, the managers fly in and out. Unfortunately there is no rest in
pigeon land and I fear that it will never come back. The national board
has created a number of working groups with the best intentions for
every discipline within our sport. In itself an ideal image for a
perfect organization. The annoying thing is that the short distance
players do not speak the same language as marathon players and among the
fanciers of competitions with youngsters play different things than
within the group long distance players. I think that we can all
understand how difficult it is to get everyone in the same direction.
There are far too many different interests in the way of sports
experience. There are sports friends who experience their sport very
professionally, others have their pigeons their club and participate
weekly in the game they like. They have never thought about the
organization before. That can be seen during the club meetings. There
are always the same ones who have immersed themselves in the matter,
which are usually the spokespersons and the rest looks in silence.
OLD AND GRAY AND THEREFORE NO LONGER INTERESTED
Because old and grey forms the largest group gives that often a
distorted image within the result of a vote. Many elderly people think;
it will take my time off and I think it's fine what their club decides.
They assume that in 2019 they will be able to use their pigeons once a
week and that they will be picked up. That they on their way to the
unloading place be cared, that they are released on time, that a weekly
result is made and so they live from one week to another. Nice and easy
but that's not how it works in practice. To make sure everything runs
smoothly a lot of manpower is needed. Despite the automation there is
still a lot of manual work to be done and the group that has to do that
is getting less and less motivated and unfortunately is getting smaller
and smaller. Now that several working groups have been created will also
be new life in the brewery, especially by the "fair play" working group.
They called on all members to express their wishes in relation to fair
play. Of the approximately 15.000 playing lofts (I do not think there
are more), just over 200 responses have arrived. Within a sports
association where there is so much movement we can speak of a
disappointing result. Those who have taken the trouble to read the
overview of all those reactions become dizzy. It is true that the large
majority of Dutch fanciers want to get rid of the unlimited number of
pigeons that can be used on every flight. The majority prefers maximum
numbers. The preference is for a maximum of 25 old pigeons and 35 young
pigeons. With those numbers there is competition for the championships.
It is now the case that a number of internationally known fanciers come
to lugged weekly with baskets full of pigeons and that discourages the
modal fancier. Certainly know that within the Dutch pigeon sport it will
be or will change in 2019. There is certainly the maximum number of
pigeons that can be played for the championships. After all we also play
football eleven against eleven. We should not lose sight of the fact
that all changes are not improvements. The pigeon sport as it was will
never come back.
NATIONAL MANIFESTATION
Our annual event will be held on 1 and 2 December in Nieuwegein this
year, a different location. Admission is free and that has been made
possible thanks to the fact that leading fanciers have donated a pigeon
for sale. On Saturday there is also a pigeon day organized for the
youth. Furthermore everything is in the sign of the pigeon sport.
Hopefully many national and international sports friends can find their
way to the NPO days. I hope we will meet each other in large numbers.
Here the address: De Beursfabriek, Symfonielaan 5, 3438EX - Nieuwegein
near Utrecht.
WINTER BREEDING
Pairing at full moon. Many fanciers believe in that, especially if you
have been doing that for several years and the breeding results speak
for themselves why would you deviate from that. I am also a herd animal
because I have tried it. The first year was great as my youngsters
performed, the next two years it was three times nothing. One year it
was remarkable that I bred several pigeons of which two toes had grown
together as it were there was a kind of fleece between them. I really do
not know what the cause was in any case not too close inbreeding. I
blamed the full moon and then I paired the breeding pigeons between
Christmas and New Year and never looked at the moon again. This year on
the 23rd of November it is full moon again and I know that there are
again a lot of fanciers who will pair the pigeons. Scientifically there
is nothing proven but if you have success with something you should
certainly not depart from it at least that is my opinion. It will not be
the case if you put together two pigeons at full moon that have never
won a prize that you then breed prize winners. I still look for it in
the quality and still assume that you have a higher chance of breeding a
top pigeon from two top pigeons even if you put those summers together
at half-moon.
WE DUTH DO NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHINH ANYMORE
Or maybe it is. In our eyes the pigeon world is completely runaway. What
has happened in the past two weeks is almost unbelievable. Daily
newspaper De Duif held their annual Golden Ten sales for the umpteenth
time. A number of super commercial fanciers were invited to make six
young pigeons available for a hall sale with a lot of tam - tam. The
organizing newspaper spoke of a great success. In all simplicity we can
ask ourselves; For who it was a great success? Does it add anything to
the popularity of the pigeon sport? No Belgian or Dutch citizen gets it
in his head to start with the pigeon sport after reading all
astronomical amounts paid for young pigeons. Pigeons that have never
been in the basket and will never come in the basket are immediately
destined for breeding. Why? Especially because they are so expensive but
that has nothing to do with breeding value. A proceeds of 1.179.000
euros for 168 youngsters (average 7020 euros) are madness at the top. It
got even crazier on the internet sales of the famous Belgian Gaby
Vandenabeele. This very sympathetic fancier had more or less forced his
pigeons away because of a pigeon lung. Gaby has through his appealing
achievements built up a very good reputation over the years partly
because others are also very successful with his pigeons. We know Gaby
from his strong game with a not too large number of pigeons in the race.
Great was the surprise when the sale was announced of no less than 815
pigeons. Where does he suddenly get that? Others who are forced to stop
can bring half or even more to the poulter. A professional pigeon broker
company known as Pipa thought differently. They really got everything
out of the closet to prepare a spectacular internet sale. Something that
you can leave to this company with a clear conscience. The end of the
story is a record yield of an average of 8000 euros per pigeon, or a
total revenue of 6.5 million euros. The most expensive of the entire
circus went to China for 376.000 euros where more than 60% of the
pigeons (482 units) went, the other 40% went to 30 different countries.
Of the old pigeons that were sold 2 went to the Netherlands and that
says something for a leading pigeon country. It is unfortunate that
there is never mentioned anything about the breeding results of all
those pigeons that are sold to all kinds of sales sites for breeding.
Just look at your own loft how much good, I mean real good, be bred
there. Count only the 4 year old and once you know exactly how difficult
it is. It must be said that it was fantastic to be able to follow this
sale on the Internet for three days especially because I think this will
never happen again. But…. Never say never!
MILLIONS TRADE WITHIN A SPORT THAT NEVER GETS ATTENTION IN ANY NEWS
PAPER
It is so sad with the Dutch pigeon sport. At the time that there were
still 100.000 fanciers in the Netherlands there was half a page of
pigeon news in every self-respecting newspaper at the beginning of the
week. That is over. The sharp decline in the number of pigeon fanciers
is also the cause of this. Pigeon sport is no longer a national sport.
In the past years the pigeon sport also had a large number of supporters
who wanted to read weekly in the newspaper who had the best
performances. That was talked about at work, in the family and by
friends and acquaintances. Now people ask me if I still have pigeons and
if there is still pigeon racing because they cannot read a letter in the
newspaper anymore. That is something that our national sports
administration should discuss with the writing press. Without publicity
the pigeon sport sinks further and further into anonymity.
PREPARATIONS ON THE BREEDING SEASON
It does not take so long for our pigeons to start a new breeding season.
The winter months are ideally suited to purchase (valuable) breeding
material. Nowadays certainly not a simple matter especially if you read
all those dizzying amounts that are counted for a pigeon. I consciously
say a pigeon because many pigeons do not deserve a place in the breeding
loft. Nevertheless in our sport all pigeons that enter the breeding loft
are called breeding pigeons. With all these pigeons are every year a
number of purchased pigeons, received, exchanged, bought for a lot or
little money, everyone dreams of a good breeding result. Personally I
spent a lot of attention on pigeons that earn a place in the breeding
loft. Each pigeon that won first prize in the ZCC entered the breeding
loft. That did not mean that they immediately ended up after winning a
victory. No, that required more. In any case they had to play the entire
season. Sometimes there were pigeons that had won a first prize three or
four times or a first plus some real top prizes. I think that is the
only good method. Of course I also purchased at least 1 pigeon every
year. At that time there always had to be one with at least 50% blood
from the world-famous Janssen pigeons. Honestly those pigeons have given
me a lot of sports fun. More beautiful and better pigeons did not exist
in my eyes. There were also other good and beautiful pigeons but Janssen
pigeons made the crown. I have never understood that they were not
appreciated in their own country. Jealousy perhaps? The real Janssen
pigeons are now eliminate all over the world, there is little or nothing
left of it. I still own the kind of the Belgian brothers, they still
look the same but they are crossed. However to cross has chosen for
another champion loft. I certainly do not get them anywhere. Meanwhile I
have together with my son built up a beautiful breeding collection their
youngsters performed excellently this year. The breeders are not all
first prize winners or champion pigeon yet but this year there are still
five added plus 2 new acquisitions. We have, just like all those buyers
of the Vandenabeele pigeons, every confidence. But as an old hand in
racing pigeons I know very well that most breeding results will not be
as good as we hope. I have had years that I thought I only had top
breeding couples, unfortunately that turned out not to be the case.
Despite that I have played at the top for many years and now that my son
Marco has been added I am motivated again on the bone to the bid and
that for an 81 year old. That promises something!
THE WORLD CHANGES
How we turn it or turn it we are on our way to the cold winter months.
At this moment not to believe because the high temperatures for the time
of the year continue. Cause are the hurricanes far away from our country
causing a lot of misery and grief while in the Netherlands the beautiful
holiday weather continues. Our beaches are full of sun worshipers every
day, you hardly dare to watch the news on TV in the evening because
there is a lot to see differently than we are used to. The one natural
disaster follows the other, the annoying thing is that we humans cannot
control nature. The only thing that remains is to help as many fellow
sufferers as possible, no matter how difficult that is in many cases.
The world is changing, it is the conversation of the day. We ordinary
people cannot influence that, war, violence, sadness, disasters,
corruption every day we are confronted with it. Unbelievable that there
is so much fuss in the Netherlands about the old Sinterklaas feast,
without doubt a fantastic children's party that is celebrated on 5
December. Action groups are busy because Sinterklaas has a sooty black
servant with large earrings and scarlet lips. It would go back to the
slave time. No child knows about it, at the schools all children have
been taught that Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet are big children's friends
and therefore on 5 December when the Sint celebrates its birthday to all
children will bring a gift. I remember the day of yesterday that I was
surprised in 1947 on Sinterklaas evening with 2 racing pigeons and
despite the fact that we have been taught that Sint and Piet come from
Spain the pigeons did have Dutch rings. I thought that was strange at
the age of 10. Not so long after that I found out that both did not
exist, now I am 81 and still enjoy the party especially when I see all
those happy little children's mussels.
CONTACT WITH SPORTS FRIENDS IS GOOD FOR MOTIVATION
When the molting is over pigeons are paired again in many lofts.
Preparations for this are already receiving extra attention from many
fanciers. Old breeders who have not provided good breeding results for
some years have to make way for the younger generation because the youth
has the future. We are now in a period that we can only watch how
everything goes in the loft. Come the pigeons well through the molt and
remain free of diseases, more is actually not to experience. It is the
quiet season and then you have to be well motivated to continue to pay
full attention to the ups and downs in the pigeon loft and that is not
always easy for many older fanciers, I just look at myself. I do not
really feel like it anymore, it gets too much for me. The days that I
went whistling to the pigeons every time are less, many of my old pigeon
friends are no longer there. A few times a week visiting a pigeon friend
has not existed for a long time. Club life is getting less because there
are almost no members left and worse there are no new members. Yes,
sometimes one who does not like it at another club but that does not
stand up either. I have to really pick myself up while it used to go
automatically. If you hardly speak to anyone who has the same hobby the
pleasure will go away especially if the care starts to weigh too
heavily. That is why I have decided to make more contacts, yes also in
writing, to talk more about pigeons. It is mostly about the past but
that does not matter, the sport becomes more lively and makes it a bit
more enjoyable. Even now I am still dubbing to do everything away and if
someone happens to come along and wants to take over the chance is there
that I will do. But what if they are gone and I regret, you fall into a
hole. Fortunately that is not quite so because my son has the breeding
pigeons so if the need is the man I can always start with a few
youngsters. At the moment I am a bit more cheerful because in a short
time I have had some nice conversations with old friends, two of whom no
longer have any pigeons. One does not miss them, the other can no longer
keep them because of relocation but would want to return to the old
situation. Keeping pigeons is a great hobby at home, yet it turns out
that it is definitely not a hobby to experience at home alone. Keeping
in touch with sports friends brings more pleasure to the hobby,
exchanging ideas with each other, talking about the past and making
plans for the future is something you do just with each other.
WHO ARE DELEGATED TO THE 37th OLYMPIADE
The battle to participate in the racing pigeons Olympiad has been
fought. The sport pigeons that will be from all over the world have
finished their matches. The regulations set by the FCI apply in all
participating countries. Of course there are still some beauty flaws
attached to it but in general it is now; equal monks, equal hoods. Also
in the pigeon sport participation in the Olympiad would be the highest
possible. I totally disagree with that but it feels like a great honor
to be honored especially in the sporting class. I have also been allowed
to experience that once and that gives you a bit of a feeling that you
have delivered a sporting performance. In the Netherlands no fancier has
to submit the best performance of his best pigeon himself. This is
provided through our national accounting agency so that only those
entitled are invited. All kinds of champion pigeons will be shortly
presented to us. There are all kinds of titles or championships to think
of. They are very strong at Pipa. In almost all cases it is not about
the performance but about the commercial value. Within the pigeon sport
it is teeming with championships and championships that actually do not
represent anything at all. There should be only one title and not a 2nd,
3rd, 4, 8th or 10th championship. Get rid of that fooling! If we all
together, I better can say with a number of compatriots are in the
Polish city of Poznan, because who are going there? you will see that
pigeons on an Olympiad get a lot of international interest . At other
events these are the exhibitors, at an Olympiad the fanciers will marvel
at all those pigeons that are present according to the same sporting
conditions. The organization can safely be left to the Poles. In 2011
they were allowed to do that once and that looked great. Poland has
become a full-fledged pigeon country which they prove on all sides. It
still takes 3 months which seems to be very far away. We are so there
and in many lofts there are already big youngsters in the dish and in
some lofts the first youngsters are already weaned. All honors are
behind us, yet all the greats can enjoy their achievements in 2018 and
then we all start with a clean slate again.
SPECIALIZATION
That was a number of years ago a new concept within the pigeon sport. It
had a bit to do with unfair play back then. It was created by our
national organization. The directors at the time realized that our sport
was going the wrong way. At that time our country had many fanciers
especially small socializing players. The flying programs became more
extensive, there were more possibilities for play for everyone. The
problems also came with the expansion of the flight programs. Sometimes
three flights in a weekend. For a lot of players that was fantastic, I
belonged to that group. Rather four flights than one I thought.
Wonderful waiting for the pigeons on Saturday. That day was my pigeon
day and the whole family plus friends knew that I was occupied on
Saturday, then the pigeons went for everything. When I got older I
started to notice more and more that due to the amount of competitions
the hobby became very expensive. With school-age children and a little
more pigeons because there were more flights, that turned out to be no
feasible for me. At that time I could not spend 50 guilders per week on
my pigeon hobby and with me many others. With great regularity was
written in the pigeon magazines about specialization. If you belonged to
the category of socializing players it was better to specialize on one
or two parts of the pigeon sport. You did not want to measure yourself
with the big men who owned many more pigeons. In itself a very good
idea, and so it happened. Fanciers enough so no problem.
LESS PIGEONS
Due to the specialization came fewer and fewer pigeons after a while. A
new phenomenon were the "fly in pigeons". Those were the pigeons that
were used to practice or to train but did not participate in the race
and therefore were not clocked. Then you got situations of a
participation of 400 pigeons of which only 150 entered the race and that
was not the intention either. Because of the specialization you got
fanciers who only played short distance, others played short and middle
distance. Some only youngsters, others only one-day long distance and
others preferred the marathon races. There was therefore a possibility
for everyone to play until at a given moment it became clear that the
number of pigeons per discipline fell sharply and that is how it is
still today. In some clubs it is even the case that due to too small
participation one has to switch to another inventory room especially on
the one-day long distance and the last middle distance races. At first
the specialization was to let everyone play their own game. The strong
decline of members shows that the specialization at many clubs becomes
problematic in connection with the survival of the club. There are no
participants enough! What would be a good solution?
OTHER FLY PROGRAM?
For years the flight program consisted of 5 sprint, 4 middle distance, 4
long distance of which an overnight flight, 6 youngsters and 5 natour. 1
flight every week, no specialization and everyone participated weekly.
Now it will be clear why the general championship in those years was so
important and currently because of the specialization nothing more
because almost no one participates in ALL competitions or can
participate. Over the years so much has changed we start to wonder why
those changes were well thought through. Reducing the current extended
flight program to 1 flight per weekend is likely to cause major unrest
but we should have to go a bit in that direction. The pigeon sport will
become more attractive less time-consuming and perhaps also less
expensive. Of course it is also about keeping the existing group of
members together. If there is more drop out we will come closer to the
end of the pigeon sport as we know it.
WHAT IS OUR TARGET GROUP?
For years there was no target at all. Members enough so why worry about
the future. With such an ill-considered policy many companies and sports
clubs have gone to the buttons. When people realized that the pigeon
sport was starting to age important managers awoke from their sleep.
Based on the decline of members people started to calculate how long the
pigeon sport could continue. The outcome of the calculation did not look
rosy so action had to be taken but in what way? Almost all arrows were
aimed at youth. That took a lot of energy but not shot is always wrong.
They started by placing a free pigeon loft with a number of children who
had chosen for the pigeon sport without parental help. The same was done
at schools, playgrounds and a single petting zoo. It did not deliver
anything, that is money thrown away. Suddenly somebody came up with the
luminous idea of a making a promotional film. Everywhere in the
Netherlands the film could be screened, every club had access to it so
they could go on to promote our sport. 40-50 were thought of. They had
finished their own sports and the pigeon sport would be a welcome
addition to that. Also for this form of promotion was heavily tapped in
the pouch. Final conclusion once again wasted money, goal not achieved
or no extra members can note and so muddled through. No real vision, no
substantiated proposals, but in a short time several goodwill board
members and unfortunately that did not deliver anything either. Still
people are fighting to win the youth for our sport. However let us not
forget that despite the fact that the youth of today will always exist
there is now a youth of today who looks completely different. They have
so many opportunities to spend their free time and in that list the
pigeon sport does not belong. Just too expensive and too time-consuming.
Those who visit the national days in early December will again meet
large groups of children at the event on Saturday. Youth members who can
also bring their friends. Very well intended but what matters .........
I think no new members are listed. If children come home
enthusiastically and tell their story to parents who know nothing about
pigeon racing, they start to shatter when they realize what all this
will cost and what will the neighbors say about it. No, that is
absolutely no simple matter. There is little promotion via newspapers.
There are still a huge number of weekly magazines in which the pigeon
sport can be promoted in a professional way. Within our pigeon sport the
expertise is available to work on it. A nice start is perhaps the
attention for the pigeons that participate in the final selection for
the racing pigeon Olympics in Poland, also a nice item for a sports
program at TV. After all the Netherlands is a world-wide leading pigeon
country and we have to show this in a positive way as much as possible.
WHY?
In the Netherlands, or better said by the Dutch pigeon fanciers, there
is more and more talk of the proliferation in the large number of
pigeons that is used by more and more fanciers every week. That
discourages many fanciers and therefore there is dissatisfaction. The
fanciers now finally let their voices heard, they revolt and insist that
playing with an unlimited number of pigeons is restricted because as it
is now it is absolutely the wrong way. The game for the common man has
grown into a gigantic large commercial event. It is no longer a
household price or a small amount of money. In many departments money is
not even played anymore. The hobby fanciers play for a championship
title and the mega lofts play for chain results because that is big
business for them. Championships are not interesting for the mega lofts.
For them are champion pigeons and especially results where as many of
their pigeons as possible occur important. It is a pity that the
hobby-moderate is disappearing more and more. The amateurs still want to
take up against the professional players but with equal weapons and no
more 100 against 10. That is an unequal battle that the little man can
never win. So something has to change.
FAIR GAME
That is what it is all about in the Netherlands. The hobby fanciers
certainly does not have to set aside for the mega lofts that have made
their hobby their profession. The little man can definitely clock a
pigeon for such a professional which fortunately still happens very
regularly. The bread players should not think that they only have the
right to display top prizes and nice results. Those who can read a
result know better. But to organize competitions where 100 against 10 is
the most normal thing in the world must be put an end to very quickly.
Only then can we speak of fair play. The pigeon sport is far too
expensive for many fanciers while the pros can enormously enrich
themselves thanks to the participation of the hobby players and with the
cooperation of the sales sites. Within such a potty hobby as pigeon
sport that is too crazy for words. The day and weeklies are barely
interested in the pigeon sport while millions are involved every year.
Soon there will be a total sale of star player Gaby Vandenabeele. I have
read that there are just over 800 pigeons under the hammer. Certainly
know that they will pay a dizzying amount mainly thanks to the victories
against Jan with the cap. The frustrating thing is that Jan with the cap
is not able to buy a pigeon from such a famous loft. No they can only
basket their pigeons so that the ever-growing group of professional
players can shine with performances achieved against a respectable
number of pigeons. Especially fanciers from other countries kick in
there. They absolutely do not know what an unfair game is being played
especially in the Netherlands and Belgium. Fortunately more and more
fanciers in Belgium are revolting against the absurd situation that the
mega lofts or unsportsmanlike pocket fillers bring about.
DO NOT BE AFRAID FOR THE BIG FANCIERS
That's how it was years ago. In the first place years ago not such
nonsensical numbers of pigeons were used by a fancier. If someone with
40 pigeons came he was laughed at. Certainly afraid that you go under
was soon said. It was during the time that only the first pigeon counted
for a championship title. So 40 against 10 were found unfair at that
time. At that time there was also clocking with rubber rings and that
took much more time compared to electronic detection. I told in that
time that I did not set aside for anyone although they came with 200. I
would not say that now because the decline of members, the far too large
flight areas, the smaller number of participating pigeons, the
electronic detection and the mega big fanciers has changed the pigeon
game completely. It is said flat finally out of the clutches. The big
men make the service and it will not be easy to change that in no time.
Yet it will have to!
WHAT WILL BE THE OBJECTION
The season is over and the meeting season is coming again. From my
department I have already received the first proposals to change all
kinds of things. After reading everything I immediately sat with my
hands in my hair. All of those proposals that have been on the agenda
for 50 years. Ideas conceived by one or two diligent club officials who
think they are going to invent the wheel again. What would it be nice if
our national sports association would prescribe it? This is how we will
do it and not otherwise. What should be the problem if we all start and
end on the same date. What will be the problem if we start at least 100
km and end up at 600 km. An exception can then be made for the handful
of marathon players that we have in the Netherlands. What will be the
problem if we all play through a homogenous championship system. What
could be the objection that we all participate weekly with a maximum of
25 pigeons, the ring numbers of which are specified before the start of
the season and still add 5 reserve pigeons in case a few pigeons are
lost. Fanciers of many pigeons can keep 500 without problems but to
participate 25. Then see if the professionals have such a good look that
they weekly play everything on firewood. In Malta they are allowed to
use up to 10 pigeons. In Portugal they mostly play with yearlings and in
China with youngsters. I assume that in those countries they enjoy the
pigeon game as much as we do. What would be the problem if we all basket
centrally, as a result of which a large part of the collection costs
will be canceled. What could be the objection if more and more will be
transported centrally? What could be the objection if we work together
more and more (in not too long time) instead of working against. What
would be the objection if there were smaller flight areas through which
no one is played away and no one has any extra advantage. More and more
ideas will be able to be launched especially now that a committee is
working in the Netherlands with the main goal FAIR GAME!
ONE LOFT RACES
At first I thought that this could be of vital importance for the pigeon
sport. I soon came back to this because it is impossible to keep large
groups of pigeons healthy and also give good training. Large numbers
always stay together, do not pull away and remain as stupid as the horse
of our dear Lord and that was a donkey. No, one loft races are not in my
opinion either. Coincidentally, I recently read a report of the "Derby
Costa del Sol" which was held for the 6th time. 1200 pigeons were used
of which 827 participated in the final race. According to the report the
organization had everything down to the smallest detail that I
immediately believe. However, I am always very curious about the end
result. The pigeons were released at 7.40 am and the first 6 pigeons
registered at 2.22 pm which means they have flown for 402 minutes. The
winning speed was 1,112 meters per minute so the distance must have been
plus minus 447 km. So far it looks promising, but now it comes. On the
day of release 35 pigeons from the 827 were at home, yes you read that
correctly. What is so great about such a race? I do not know how it
ended in the end but I cannot see such a flight as excellent. For me
this is a disastrous course and maybe it ended in disaster, but my
information does not go that far. Unfortunately it is not just the case
at the Derby Costa de Sol in the southern Spanish city of Malaga. In my
opinion one loft races are casinos for gambling pigeon fanciers. The big
winnings are very important and the pigeon ......? Unfortunately that
does not count. At least that is my opinion.
THE WORLD CHANGES
How we turn it or turn it we are on our way to the cold winter months.
At this moment not to believe because the high temperatures for the time
of the year continue. Cause are the hurricanes far away from our country
causing a lot of misery and grief while in the Netherlands the beautiful
holiday weather continues. Our beaches are full of sun worshipers every
day, you hardly dare to watch the news on TV in the evening because
there is a lot to see differently than we are used to. The one natural
disaster follows the other, the annoying thing is that we humans cannot
control nature. The only thing that remains is to help as many fellow
sufferers as possible, no matter how difficult that is in many cases.
The world is changing, it is the conversation of the day. We ordinary
people cannot influence that, war, violence, sadness, disasters,
corruption every day we are confronted with it. Unbelievable that there
is so much fuss in the Netherlands about the old Sinterklaas feast,
without doubt a fantastic children's party that is celebrated on 5
December. Action groups are busy because Sinterklaas has a sooty black
servant with large earrings and scarlet lips. It would go back to the
slave time. No child knows about it, at the schools all children have
been taught that Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet are big children's friends
and therefore on 5 December when the Sint celebrates its birthday to all
children will bring a gift. I remember the day of yesterday that I was
surprised in 1947 on Sinterklaas evening with 2 racing pigeons and
despite the fact that we have been taught that Sint and Piet come from
Spain the pigeons did have Dutch rings. I thought that was strange at
the age of 10. Not so long after that I found out that both did not
exist, now I am 81 and still enjoy the party especially when I see all
those happy little children's mussels.
CONTACT WITH SPORTS FRIENDS IS GOOD FOR MOTIVATION
When the molting is over pigeons are paired again in many lofts.
Preparations for this are already receiving extra attention from many
fanciers. Old breeders who have not provided good breeding results for
some years have to make way for the younger generation because the youth
has the future. We are now in a period that we can only watch how
everything goes in the loft. Come the pigeons well through the molt and
remain free of diseases, more is actually not to experience. It is the
quiet season and then you have to be well motivated to continue to pay
full attention to the ups and downs in the pigeon loft and that is not
always easy for many older fanciers, I just look at myself. I do not
really feel like it anymore, it gets too much for me. The days that I
went whistling to the pigeons every time are less, many of my old pigeon
friends are no longer there. A few times a week visiting a pigeon friend
has not existed for a long time. Club life is getting less because there
are almost no members left and worse there are no new members. Yes,
sometimes one who does not like it at another club but that does not
stand up either. I have to really pick myself up while it used to go
automatically. If you hardly speak to anyone who has the same hobby the
pleasure will go away especially if the care starts to weigh too
heavily. That is why I have decided to make more contacts, yes also in
writing, to talk more about pigeons. It is mostly about the past but
that does not matter, the sport becomes more lively and makes it a bit
more enjoyable. Even now I am still dubbing to do everything away and if
someone happens to come along and wants to take over the chance is there
that I will do. But what if they are gone and I regret, you fall into a
hole. Fortunately that is not quite so because my son has the breeding
pigeons so if the need is the man I can always start with a few
youngsters. At the moment I am a bit more cheerful because in a short
time I have had some nice conversations with old friends, two of whom no
longer have any pigeons. One does not miss them, the other can no longer
keep them because of relocation but would want to return to the old
situation. Keeping pigeons is a great hobby at home, yet it turns out
that it is definitely not a hobby to experience at home alone. Keeping
in touch with sports friends brings more pleasure to the hobby,
exchanging ideas with each other, talking about the past and making
plans for the future is something you do just with each other.
WHO ARE DELEGATED TO THE 37th OLYMPIADE
The battle to participate in the racing pigeons Olympiad has been
fought. The sport pigeons that will be from all over the world have
finished their matches. The regulations set by the FCI apply in all
participating countries. Of course there are still some beauty flaws
attached to it but in general it is now; equal monks, equal hoods. Also
in the pigeon sport participation in the Olympiad would be the highest
possible. I totally disagree with that but it feels like a great honor
to be honored especially in the sporting class. I have also been allowed
to experience that once and that gives you a bit of a feeling that you
have delivered a sporting performance. In the Netherlands no fancier has
to submit the best performance of his best pigeon himself. This is
provided through our national accounting agency so that only those
entitled are invited. All kinds of champion pigeons will be shortly
presented to us. There are all kinds of titles or championships to think
of. They are very strong at Pipa. In almost all cases it is not about
the performance but about the commercial value. Within the pigeon sport
it is teeming with championships and championships that actually do not
represent anything at all. There should be only one title and not a 2nd,
3rd, 4, 8th or 10th championship. Get rid of that fooling! If we all
together, I better can say with a number of compatriots are in the
Polish city of Poznan, because who are going there? you will see that
pigeons on an Olympiad get a lot of international interest . At other
events these are the exhibitors, at an Olympiad the fanciers will marvel
at all those pigeons that are present according to the same sporting
conditions. The organization can safely be left to the Poles. In 2011
they were allowed to do that once and that looked great. Poland has
become a full-fledged pigeon country which they prove on all sides. It
still takes 3 months which seems to be very far away. We are so there
and in many lofts there are already big youngsters in the dish and in
some lofts the first youngsters are already weaned. All honors are
behind us, yet all the greats can enjoy their achievements in 2018 and
then we all start with a clean slate again.
IT IS AS IF IT IS HIGH-SUMMER
I just came out of my pigeon loft with the sweat on my forehead. I
thought it necessary to clean three departments well today. Because of
an inflammation in my arm I neglected that for a while. Now that the
suffering was almost done I just wanted to clean the lofts well and
halfway through the afternoon I thought it was enough. Tomorrow I will
continue because today the weekly column must be written and from
tomorrow on I will continue to clean the lofts every day. In a clean
loft I enjoy my pigeons much more. They are heavy molting and that is
how it belongs in this period of the year yet I will be happy if I am
rid of the large amount of feathers. Everything is dry, in that respect
we do with the weather. It is likely that Dutch records will be broken
again because I cannot remember a year with so many sunny days and such
high temperatures at this time of the year. It is autumn and many plants
are still in bloom, it is as if the seasons are changing. The racing
pigeons from different departments come out every two days but they do
not have a lot of sense to fly. They still miss too many feathers and
when they fly to their seats in the loft from the floor you hear that
they have to make extra effort to rise. Once they are through the molt
they float up as it were but it is not that far yet, so be patient. From
next week I start all pigeons a two-week paratyphoid cure through the
drinking water. From experience I know that it has no wrong influence on
the molt. It is now ideal again to refurbish the loft, here and there
some needs to be repaired and a lick of paint does not hurt either. A
sputnik must be completely renewed and the fence around the balustrade
is also in need of renewal. There is also a lot of pruning work in the
garden but I do not do that myself. By the way I am no handyman at all,
painting, carpentry and all that kind of work is not spent on me.
END CYCLING SEASON
Another cycling year over. I have been involved in cycling for many
years and I still cannot get enough of it. I have not been active in
sports for a long time and I also said goodbye to the organization a
while ago. The sport itself continues to fascinate me enormously.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that I do not agree with in
amateur sport but that problem may be solved by others. Two weeks ago
the first team of my club DTS - "strong by training" was second during
the National club championships on the road, they had to give 16 seconds
to the winning team. In the last six years they finished first three
times and twice as second, "we" are the best cycling club in the
Netherlands. On the first Saturday of October the Noord-Holland cycling
season was concluded with the fairground round of Assendelft. There was
fought for the Dutch Championship Criterium, you know them the famous
circles around the church. The victory went to one of our promising
members, his father has already won that title and his grandfather even
has been world champion behind the big motorcycles. Professional cyclist
Nikki Terpstra, member of DTS, became second in the autumn classic
Paris-Tours on Sunday. A week later, the Tour of Lombardy follows and
then the season for the cyclo-cross starts. For now I have again enjoyed
the many beautiful and exciting cycling races.
FAIR GAME
For a long time there is a lot to do about "fair play" within the Dutch
pigeon sport. Our national organization the NPO finally sees that the
sport is not going in the right direction. What matters most is the
unlimited use of pigeons on all flights of the official flight program.
The number of fanciers who play with a lot of pigeons is increasing
enormously and it is precisely there that the shoe wriggles, the members
do not accept it anymore. There are examples of fanciers who use more
than 250 pigeons while others participate with a tenth of that number
and get a good beating every week. That does not make a person happy, it
spoils the mood in the club, the enthusiasm to join goes back and the
appreciation for the "big" winners is noticeably less. Commerce within
the sport can no longer be ignored, that is where most sports clubs are
running, unfortunately the Dutch pigeon sport is not getting better.
Within our sport and a number of other countries, it is all about a
number of individual fanciers who can enormously enrich themselves by
selling their pigeons. On the sales sites it becomes more and more
nepotism. Those commercial fanciers sell a lot of pigeons at huge
prices, they do not because they have achieved championships, they do so
because they play with large numbers of pigeons which gives them a
better chance to catch some early pigeons in the results. Here too the
law of the big numbers counts or the more tickets the more chance of a
prize. That is why it makes no sense. Tha’ts why it does not make any
sense at all to let the first 35 pigeons of the basketing list count for
the championships. This gives even more advantage to the big men because
they come every week with 35 random pigeons so that most titles will go
to them and who can play with 35 pigeons every week? With me sports
friends have never come to buy pigeons because I won championship titles
they only did that because I made remarkably good results in my younger
years. After all we all want to improve our pigeon colony and you can
only do that by buying good pigeons. You can buy a dog, but not wagging
his tail.
PIGEON SPORTS FOR EVERYONE
That’s how it was but that has been a long time ago. Why do not new /
young members join? First of all the reports in the newspapers about
idiotic prices paid for pigeons. A new starter or youth member must
invest far too much in order to be able to get along fairly quickly,
even so much that almost no parents can afford that so that his son
cannot keep pigeons. The sport takes too much time and is much too
expensive while there is nothing to do with it. All older players and
those who have been participating for years and never win anything worth
mentioning are encouraged every week to participate but for what? But
still there are every week a reasonable number of pigeons in the
baskets. But for whom? Only for the ever growing group of commercial
fanciers who can show results and do business the rest of the
participants are extras. Our national administrators are all volunteers,
they spend a large part of their free time on the organization, question
is with what purpose?
NATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND OR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THE OLYMPIADE
It makes no sense at all. It is a game but not a fair game. You cannot
play against each other under 500 km, there are too few fanciers and
therefore too few pigeons. There is not enough dispersion while the
flight areas are too large so that weekly large groups of fanciers are
played away by weather influences or enormously favored. Middelburg
cannot play against Groningen and Den Helder cannot play against
Maastricht, or ZW Netherlands cannot play against NO Netherlands and NW
Netherlands cannot not play against ZO Nederland which distance
differences are far too big. The best thing is to go back to smaller fly
areas, we will have to get used to it in the Netherlands and certainly
in Belgium that we will play against each other with fewer members and
fewer pigeons. It is no different, but fairer!
ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION
A fantastic invention in the beginning. Then a fancier who gave 50
pigeons a very big one. Nowadays they come with a variety of lashes.
Those men take 30 minutes in a minute and that is also mentioned with
large letters in a pigeon magazine. Who are we in the name of God for
busy? Not for the little fancier who is allowed to put the mega numbers
of the big men in the basket every week. The NPO board will take steps
to change the above. I sincerely hope that they will succeed together
with the members. I am now 81, if they do not succeed I will experience
the demise of the pigeon sport.
WHO MAY REMAIN
Our lofts indicate how many pigeons we can keep. Because of possible
losses we determine how many youngsters we are going to breed and
because of the space it is already determined during this period how
many pigeons we can keep in the winter and how many pigeons will be bred
for the next season. That is a given whether we have to decide to build
a smaller or larger loft than the numbers change. Most of us are
inclined to breed more young than we can store. That is where the first
mistake is already made because overcrowding can have serious
consequences for health. I always go from; better a couple of seats too
many than a few too short. At this way you also achieve that the
youngsters will stay healthy more easily, the losses will also be less.
Few young pigeons can also cause a luxury problem. I use as much as
possible that I start in the spring with about 50% yearlings and as many
old racing pigeons. This year the youngsters performed extremely well
and then you are usually in the fortunate circumstance that you also
lose less, so you have too much to spare. In other words, losing a lot
is not fun, but having too much is also not always fun. We all want to
keep a lot of pigeons because it is better to select from 30 pigeons
than from 4. The commercial lofts will think differently, for them there
cannot be enough for the sales. I do not believe that they sell their
best and keep the lesser ones, but that is my opinion. Now that my
youngsters have performed so formidably we will probably be able to keep
more of them this year and that will be at the expense of the old. So
one year you can be one of the favorites of the loft and the next year
have to make room for another well performing and promising youngster.
That is how it will always go because we are always looking for even
better ones. Being able to make a wide choice from a well-performing
group of youngsters gives a considerably better feeling than having to
keep a number of young pigeons. But you do not just have enough of good
performing youngsters there is a little more involved.
THE BASKET IS THE BEST SELECTEUR
We all know that it is not self-evident that a well-performing youngster
will also be a good yearling. There are plenty of examples that a real
top performing youngster is totally failing as a yearling. This
preseason I spoke a strong playing fancier who had one of the best
youngsters in the entire country a year earlier and until the moment I
had spoken to him that same pigeon did not win any prize. Of course
there are also plenty of examples of young pigeons that did not win a
flat prize and played the stars of heaven as a yearling. That is why I
ask the question; is the basket the best selector? On the other hand you
can say that if the basket is not what then? I think we are all the best
selector in our own loft. We know our pigeons because we are busy with
them daily, take enough time to observe them, study their fly and
breeding results and what is very important, what is the health and
flight condition? Are we also able to determine top condition and
recognize diseases in the loft. It is not necessary that we are a pigeon
doctor but it is important to be able to quickly see that something is
stumbling on the pigeons. That is why I became a judge many years ago. I
traveled all over the country to judge pigeons at all kinds of
exhibitions. That was a great time but I mainly did a lot to learn about
pigeons. In the early years many fanciers with their better and
especially beautiful pigeons came to the show so I often got the cream
of the crop. Those years are unfortunately over, I am too old and the
fanciers have no real interest in what judges think of their pigeons.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PIGEONS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST
Look at other branches of sport, the most beautiful athletes are
certainly not the best and look at your own loft, there you discover
exactly the same. On a show it is less difficult to point out the best,
in your own loft it is almost impossible to appoint only valuable
pigeons. Nevertheless we have to work on that in the coming period. If
all goes well the first pigeons have been selected in many lofts, you
can notice that at the sales that are starting to come again. Those
pigeons have already received a cross behind their ring number or name
in the past season and that is a good thing because in a few weeks they
will be nice again and then it will be a lot harder to get rid of them.
Which can we do best? I think the first and the best choice is to only
keep pigeons that you like as a fancier. You know those pigeons that you
say, yes that is one! You can feel the compactness, the soft plumes, the
firm carcass, the tightly closed coccyx and the model of the pigeon. We
all have a predilection for a pigeon and that is usually a model or type
or even the color where you have achieved the necessary successes. In
addition, the descent comes as an important argument in which important
pigeons from ourselves must occur. Do not look too much at the extensive
descendants of pigeons for sale, which can be made so tempting that you
think that the guy who sells the pigeons is not good at his head
otherwise he would not do away such top pigeons (?). The practice is
very different. Especially keep it with own bred pigeons. Your pigeons
that have performed super remain without any doubt and are also worth
breeding in every way. The other pigeons that do not have a lot of good
to tell about can best be kept or discarded at own intuition. You will
always have to make your own choice somewhere or in a few cases you
could ask for help of a good sports friend. My advice is; dare to make
your own choices because with damage and shame you will quickly become a
lot wiser
OTHER CARE TIMES
The season is (finally) over. We can let the reins be celebrated because
the "must" is now over. Fortunately, because I really have the end in
the mouth. It was not even that many years ago that I did not want to
stop. As far as I am concerned, the pigeon game could continue until
Christmas and then start again immediately after New Year. I was so
obsessed with the pigeon sport. Fortunately I have come to a different
insight over the years. Many times I have written a pigeon year lasts a
whole calendar year and not only in spring and summer. For many of us
that is the most important period but the best fanciers do not think too
easily about the period immediately after the racing season because even
then the care requires attention. The big molt has started, the lofts
are full of feathers. Large amounts of feathers are found in every nook
and cranny, also in the drinks and grit trays. So paying extra attention
is more or less a must. To prevent the feathers from blowing through the
entire loft I place one or two baffles in each corner at an angle
diagonally against the wall so that the springs blow behind and can be
taken away in a grip. I have now stepped off from the accurate care and
feeding and releasing of the pigeons at fixed times. All pigeons now get
almost simultaneously between nine and half ten food and water, in the
afternoon that happens around five o'clock.
WHAT NOW
Today I have by the 10 pairs of racing pigeons, after they have been
brooding for 12 days, all the eggs removed and the hens have been
transferred to another loft. The breeding pigeons have been separated
for a long time so that they are in the right condition at the end of
November to be paired again. We are already working hard now at least on
paper but from experience I know that these links will change several
times. We almost ended up in the same situation as in the late
eighties/early nineties when our breeding loft consisted only of first
prize winners and champion pigeons with some pigeons purchased. The big
difference with that time is the number of pigeons that are played every
week. Now that the flights are over I sometimes read the old results, it
is shocking how the number of participating pigeons has dropped and with
the number of pigeons, of course, the number of fanciers. We will have
to learn to live with that, even if it is not easy. For example; I was
the prize-winner last Saturday at the prize-giving ceremony of the North
Holland Golden Rings race. But it was good that in the days before I
inquired where and when the prize-giving ceremony was because the
organization had forgotten to invite me and that while I am even the
owner of the 1st Ace pigeon of this competition. A beautiful young light
blue hen who achieved her performance on a small youngster. When I
entered the room at half past six there was about 30 men and that was
it. You will understand that you will not immediately achieve a real
party mood and despite the good intentions of the one and a half
organizer who was there I think we experienced the funeral of the NH
Golden ring race. Again another nice event away. You are gradually
wondering what the fanciers still like. I am convinced that in the
coming winter months we will see more things that we will be shocked
about.
HOW WAS IT
The season 2018 enters the books as a year with excessively high
temperatures and on most competition days wind from the east. No simple
circumstances, especially for youngsters. Nevertheless, the losses in
our region generally fell very badly. There was a member in my club who
only participated in a few races because he lost too many youngsters
from the beginning. Let's just say that I belong to the lucky one
because I have lost 3 over the entire season and the old 2. Yet I keep
saying that many fanciers do not seriously deal with their youngsters.
They have to accompany them every week, which means that they do not pay
attention to their condition and health. Of course quality and weather
conditions also play an important role and in some areas the birds of
prey cause even greater problems. Only we pigeon fanciers know what it
means when a promising young bird is caught by a bird of prey. By the
old it happens several times that a real top pigeon is caught. People do
not know what an emotional value can be attached to that and then I do
not even talk about the financial value. It is said so easily that we
have to learn to live with that. Perhaps we may ask to keep the
ever-increasing population of different species of birds of prey a
little more in control. It really runs out of spools now even so much
that large numbers of pigeon fanciers have stopped their hobby.
Next time I will go into the selection, unfortunately I will not succeed
now. I go to the doctor first, I think I have a nerve infection in my
left arm and that is too painful to sit in front of the computer for a
long time. Unfortunately!
Till next week
NATIONAL ORLEANS YOUNG PIGEONS IN 2019 BACK ON THE CALENDAR
For the older fanciers among us a complete surprise. For years this
competition was called "the flight of all flights" and suddenly it was
over and out. A committee of wise men ensured that this national
competition was banned, it would be too far. A decision made by people
who understand little or nothing of the game with youngsters. The Dutch
fanciers were extremely disappointed, the biggest young pigeon
competition in the whole world no longer existed. A competition that
lived enormously, the whole Dutch pigeon sport was working on it, there
was even talk about "Orleans fever" so exciting this flight was. In the
golden years 180.000 youngsters came to the start, a number that will
never be reached due to the enormous decline of members. It is great
that the NPO has come up with a national proposal for youngsters. The
start and the end of it is the same for all Dutch, the program consists
of 12 flights. Of these the first two do not count for the national
championship, furthermore the program consists of 5 sprint and 5 middle
distance flights. In order to qualify for the national championship the
four best results count on each component. The National competition from
Orleans will, as the majority of Dutch fanciers agree, take place on
August 31 2019. For now it is only a proposal that must be ratified at
the general members meeting of November 10th.
JURISDICTION OF THE NPO
I am convinced that not everyone agrees with the above proposal.
Whatever one thinks up will always remain for and opponents. In itself
that's fine, everyone should be able to express his opinion. When the
mood is over the minority will have to stand by the majority, that is
democracy, unfortunately easier said than done. Usually then the
conversations along the street and in the clubs start again which in my
opinion would be very unfortunate. What would it be nice if we as pigeon
fanciers once completely agree. Actually it is a pity that a well
thought-out proposal must be voted on. In other large sports federations
the national administration writes how it is going to be and everyone
should stick to it. Within the Dutch pigeon sport the national board has
little say, the departments generally make the service. In this case it
would be nice if the proposal for 2019 is simply implemented, excluding
discussion. Only a blow with the chairman's hammer and with that the
case is settled. We'll know more in two months.
IT IS OVER
The season and a long hot summer are behind us. Almost all pigeons have
started the big molt and a large group of fanciers have the end in the
mouth so to speak and are happy that it is over. For the great
champions, or rather the men who still have a good pace in the hall, it
may continue for a while. Most have given up the courage that was
evident from the participation in the ZCC (my game area). On the program
was the semi national competition from Fontenay, around 500 km. This
flight also counted for the young pigeon championship in the ZCC. Last
winter that was decided but experience taught me that this flight does
not appeal to most fanciers. Why? Probably too late in the season and
there is a big difference between semi-national and national. Semi
national means that four different sectors are flown, or rather four
flights each with a different release point. In the ZCC 17 fanciers
participated who brought 238 pigeons to the start and 7 fanciers did not
win a prize. That same day there was another flight with 47 participants
and 16 of those did not appear in the results.
INSTEAD OF
Because the national competition from Orleans was withdrawn for
youngsters from the calendar the four sectoral competitions were
replaced. The past weekend it was that far again. In Sector 1 704
fanciers started with 8527 pigeons, sector 2 had 738 participants with
14.516 pigeons, in 3 there were 1044 fanciers with 14.422 pigeons and in
sector 4 there were 12.019 pigeons from 999 fanciers. In total 3485
fanciers participated, that's a nice number and the more than 57.000
pigeons is something that appeals to the imagination. Suppose they were
in 1 competition that would be even better. A national competition from
the same release point will appeal to the participants even more so that
the participation will be considerably higher. Despite these nice
numbers I have to conclude that only 20% of all Dutch fanciers have
participated in these sector competitions. That is very little and says
enough.
WHAT ARE OUR BIGGEST ENEMIES
You would immediately be tempted to say that the birds of prey or
perhaps the high voltage wires, the weather, the air pollution, the
tropical heat or all sorts of other things, it will all be. Without you
realizing it you will discover more and more that our biggest enemy is
the age, I am experiencing that more and more. For years I flew through
the lofts as it were and at a record pace I had everything clean. I like
clean lofts because the pigeons look even more beautiful. Now that I am
getting older, or rather old, the enthusiasm drops to clean the lofts
every day, even though I have decided to keep fewer pigeons. However, it
is the case that within the pigeon sport the law of large numbers counts
enormously. I saw that last weekend again on a result of a sectoral
flight. As a fancier I usually only look at the first sheet of the
result and then I see again and again that the men with many pigeons are
the most eye-catching. That is no longer possible for someone with 15
pigeons in the race. The electronic observation also contributes to
this. Give a bath every week and at least once a week fresh vegetables,
it keeps on increasing. It is all a bit too much and that is absolutely
at the expense of the results. The point is therefore that in old age
you still have to invent a proper care system so that with a minimal
effort you still occasionally have a pigeon in the top of the result.
That keeps you going and also ensures that you stay motivated. The aging
process continues and without noticing we go back a step backwards every
time unfortunately. Most important is to continue to enjoy your hobby.
However, if you are used to always playing with the best and that less
and less succeed the fun ends. Conclusion; growing old has more
disadvantages than benefits, at least that's how I think about it.
SURPRISED
Frankly I like surprises but there is an exception and that happened to
me during the third natour race. On Thursday it was decided that the
pigeons should not be basket on Friday but on Saturday. Throughout the
summer we enjoyed or had trouble, it is just how you look at it, of the
often tropical temperatures. This time Pluto was bothering us, heavy
rains and thunder caused our managers postpone the flight for a day.
Saturday night we had to go to the room and that's why the pigeons came
home on Sunday. It turned out to be a good decision afterwards despite
the fact that several flights were still going on Saturday. On Sunday we
had the most beautiful weather in the world but there was a catch. It
was indicated that it was windless during the release and also in our
garden you could not see a leaf on the trees. This time no influence of
the wind so it became a race of which we say "own speed" that comes down
to around 80 km per hour. My supporters were not there yet and because
the weather was nice and sunny I told my wife that I was already sitting
in the garden. I did not count ten times when, according to me, there
was a pigeon in the loft. Because I could not see it properly I decided
to look up. There were already more on the loft and there were also some
in the loft. Early in the morning I had turned on the clock, the valves
open and everything else in order. I could not believe my eyes, they
were barely one and a half hours away and the distance was 155 km. How
is it possible I ran into muttering myself, incredible, cannot and even
more of those surprised cries. But they were there and the boss was
clearly surprised and at the same time disappointed. There were eight in
a minute gone inside. Big question that always will remain unanswered
what time would the first have been. I sat almost four minutes after my
son who was first and flies 1 km shorter. So I did not care much I
thought but that was wrongly thought. It was an incredibly fast flight
with speeds of just over 100 km per hour so they must have had the wind
on the tail. Against 13.060 pigeons I started with the 697th place, then
you still have more than 12.000 behind you. Who thinks so deceives
himself, in competitive sports it is about how much you have for you. If
you are second you have delivered a great performance but you have lost.
The flight that I expected so much was a huge damper for me. Soon
forgotten and the natour championship I can also forget now that we have
only two flights to go. A disappointing end of the season 2018.
Fortunately there are also plenty of nice memories so I can look back
with satisfaction on a super sunny year with and a number of absolute
highlights. You must remember that and forget the rest soon.
THE BIG MOLT
For a large part of the racing season I have been busy braking the molt
which keeps the aerodynamics intact. That has succeeded for a large
part. My youngsters are now still on 7 pens, the old birds on 4 and the
breeders on 2. The racing pigeons have only dropped some cover feathers
when they were only paired for the last five races. After 10 days of
breeding that is stopped and now they have bald young in the nest the
molt is as good as quiet. If the youngsters is away in two weeks they
will start the tail molt immediately. The middle feathers let them fall
first and when the one outer is fully grown they are also ready with the
big molt. With the youngsters that will take some time, I assume that in
December that job will be done. Maybe there are some who have an old
flights, my experience is that it goes out as soon as they have been
brooding or even during breeding. The person who observes his pigeons
well can see whether the molt is going well or not. Young pigeons become
adults and usually become somewhat stronger. Unfortunately it sometimes
happens that youngsters have problems with the molting. I see that as a
kind of weakness, perhaps too reckless or too much played. Pigeons that
struggle to get through the molting I absolutely do away. Last winter I
decided to keep fewer racing pigeons. I started with 12 couples and
there are 11 of them, in that respect a nice result. However those 11
couples have not all met the demands of the boss. There must be 5
couples away and that while I am so glad that I only lost two pigeons.
It is never really good, you lose a lot of it, you are disappointed, you
do not lose a lot then you are faced with the problem that you still
have to clean up some. It is my intention that in 2019 I will start
again with 12 couples, divided into 12 yearlings and 12 years old.
SELECTION IS NOT SIMPLE
My youngsters took the champion title just like last year and pigeons
that perform well and are therefore in a good condition are not easily
lost. I still have 30 but only 12 can stay. Maybe 14 but that means that
only 10 old can stay. I absolutely do not deviate from my point of view,
breeding boxes add certainly does not happen. With the youngsters there
are about six or so which I can say goodbye quite easily, but then. Then
a number of sleepless nights will follow, because who else needs to get
out. Maybe there are still a few who can get a place in the breeding
loft. Breeders who have not given anything for years is not that
difficult the problem is that I have been working on it for years. This
means that Marco and I have breeding pigeons that we are keen on,
despite that some older ones will have to leave the younger breeders
often have our preference. So there is an end to a season with very few
losses, in other words we have (a lot) too many pigeons but certainly
not all good, I wish I could say that. Selecting is always based on
intuition with help from the result list. In our breeding loft are
pigeons that have performed in such a way that they are well worth
breeding and if that is not possible this year we will have to change
some couples. When I had only a few breeding couples I changed them
every year. I was never a fan of many pigeons and if you do not give the
breeding pigeons a different partner you get too much of the same strain
in your loft which makes it very likely that it will be too closely
inbreed. You can breed the most beautiful pigeons in this way I think
the quality will deteriorate in the long run and I have always been
careful. Just a little longer and we do not have to worry about
performance anymore, the period that will soon come is even more
difficult. Who may and may not stay on. I wish you a lot of wisdom.
SUPER WEEKEND FOR SPORTS LOVERS
Wembley treated us again to top tennis, even a game of 6.5 hours just
stans up. The Tour de France with two days in a row the Hollander Dylan
Groenewegen as winner. The World Cup football with the highlight of the
match France - Croatia. The gold heads have rightly won but Croatia was
a revelation to many. The battle for the third place was won by
neighboring Belgium who sent our English friends home empty-handed. And
now it's a few days in a row enjoying the tough mountain stages in the
Tour that finishes on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Sunday. In addition
the competition program for our pigeons is running at full speed,
several races in a weekend and that each time with tropical temperatures
and wind from the east so that the western resident fanciers are already
in the advantage from the beginning of April. Fortunately, but we cannot
control the wind and the weather conditions what would it become a chaos
in the pigeon sport, you are most likely agree with that.
BLACK PROSPECTS FOR THE YOUNGSTERS
I think I have never experienced such a long period with so many summer
days in my life. It is unprecedented and then you go on thinking at a
given moment. We hear and read almost daily about global warming. The
North Pole ice melts faster than ever before it really gets serious now.
Even in the watery Netherlands the prolonged drought causes a lack of
water. Something we Dutch can only imagine and because the Arctic ice
melts the dikes in the Netherlands have to be raised because we live
well below sea level. The Netherlands has always fought against the
water, we have expertise enough. It is now a world problem and then we
pigeon fanciers are busy when there is a dulled egg in the nest. How
crazy do you have to be? Despite the tropical temperatures there are
weekly flights for the youngsters until mid-September. The organization
is gradually don’t know what to do with it. A flight has already been
canceled and I wonder how we should proceed. Perhaps the only solution
is to organize flights of up to 150 km. On the other hand we cannot be
too careful either. There are countries where at temperatures of 30
degrees it’s normal to play and there are also countries where they only
start play with pigeons when we are skating. It is as if the seasons are
moving up and the pigeon sport will have to respond to that. Maybe there
should be a summer break if the temperatures remain so high in the
middle of the year. In any case there are planned for 2018 young pigeon
flights until mid-September, we will see where the ship is stranded but
with all these losses we cannot continue this way.
ABOUT MY YOUNGSTERS I AM MORE THAN SATISFIED
We now have three competition flights. In the weeks before my wife took
them six times and between the flights they were taken away every
Wednesday which I have never done before. As soon as the matches started
it was done with bringing them away I then have absolute rest on the
loft. For many years I have been darken young pigeons until the first
week of June, this time to the first week of July. Last year I did that
too and then and now (yet) I did not suffer from the coli contamination
and that is a nice feeling. I find it terrible when the youngsters get
coli they are really sick of it. My experience is that once they are
better they can come with the best. So they do not suffer from it only
in the period that they are ill they are really sick, vomit, dirty bad
green oil like thin manure, poor appetite and drink far too much. Loft
cleaning is then a very dirty job but I do it twice a day and then I go
over there with the burner. I put the sick pigeons apart and give them
only very little food and of course the coli cure from doctor van der
Sluis in the drinking water. After a few days the suffering has been
suffered again. The third flight on July 14 I had 30 with which 22 price
to start with 6-7-8. If I manage to keep them as they are now it could
be a very nice season. The losses are not too bad, only 2 old pigeons
have not come back and to date I only lost 1 young pigeon. Let me beat
that because we have just started the season is still long.
MORE DAY FOND
A very good acquaintance of mine from my time that I was a cyclist did
running with a preference for the marathon. You do not want to know what
a training job involves. I would not be able to do that maybe because I
really dislike running/walking. Riding a bike for 6 hours is not as bad
as running for 1 hour. Despite the heavy training of a marathon runner
they only do two or three matches more is almost impossible to make.
That is why I watched with great amazement at the flying program with
which the marathon player can participate with his pigeons. In my
opinion just absurd and if you want to participate in all these flights
you have to own lofts full of pigeons. Most of these men also have lofts
full, the big question is how many pigeons are involved that can handle
such long distances. Coincidentally last week I saw two results of two
marathon races that were held in the same weekend. Then the first thing
I do is look at the names you read a lot in advertisements or on sales
sites. It is sporadic that you encounter those greats in the head of the
result. I did see one who had more than 80 pigeons on both races and did
not play 15% prize. There was one very early and we will soon read a
comprehensive report about y because of the top performance of that one
pigeon the other loft mates have to raise a huge amount in the coming
winter. I do not want you to withhold the marathon program, here they
are; 15/6 St. Vincent; 22/6 Bordeaux; 23/6 Pau; 29/6 Agen; 6/7
Barcelona; 7/6 Dax; 14/7 St, Vincent and Agen; 20/7 Marseille; 27/7
Cahors and Perpignan. A number of flights are unloaded in the morning
and the other in the afternoon. I assume that marathon pigeons can
finish a maximum of 2 and at most 3 of these races. No one is obliged to
take part in all flights, there are those who do. Perhaps there will be
more participants if the number of flights is drastically reduced. When
I view the results the number of participants is shockingly low. A good
friend once said to me; do you know why some of those men have such a
good name on those flights? I would not know, I said. That is because we
program players do not participate, he said. Maybe he spoke the truth.
HEAT BRINGS PIGEONS IN PROBLEMS
What a great spring we have had and also summer spoils us with radiant
weather. High temperatures, plenty of sun and occasionally a strong east
to north east wind. Great to sit back in a comfortable chair in a shady
spot in the garden. That is enjoyment and we do not experience that
often in the Netherlands. Rain is often a game breaker of various fun
events. The world is changing, we have never had such long periods with
beautiful summer weather. However this also has disadvantages because it
has never been so dry. From above it is even asked to no longer spray
the garden and to use water sparingly. Normally everything is in bloom
and now the grass is as dry as hay, plants dry out and the fresh green
is slowly disappearing. For the major sporting events it is especially
for the spectators sublime again unfortunately for those who have to
perform in different sports not so ideal. But unfortunately for the
athlete that is also part of it.
EVEN FOUR COUNTRIES ARE IN THE RACE
The World Cup is the tournament of the surprises. Favorite countries are
home now it is still between England, France, Belgium and Croatia. If
you see this article it is known who will play the final. Frankly I
award them all four titles but it does not work like that. We will fight
until the last game. If I can make a forecast is the final between
France-England. But who am I, because I have never won the football pool
so to say that I have some view certainly not. If it is a nice final a
lot of neutral supporters are satisfied and that's what’s is about.
THE TOUR DE FRANCE
There is still little to say about this. What struck us was the unfair
behavior of the French by expanding Chris Froome. Unfortunately we know
that the behavior of the French certainly when it comes to a foreign
rider who has a chance to win the final victory. In the first stage it
only became interesting in the last 10 km. Due to a crash, a number of
favorites were already running a little behind. World champion Sagan
showed in the final of the second stage that he behaves like a kamikaze
pilot and does not move aside. After the team time trial the Belgian
Greg Van Avermaet came in the yellow leader's jersey and that
classification will certainly look very different now. Last Tuesday they
went into the mountains after the first rest day and then the entire
classification is turned upside down. Those are the stages in which you
watch at the tip of your chair without you noticing it yourself.
VERY HEAVY CLASSIC FROM BARCELONA
Friday was not released. On Saturday morning at 9 o'clock the 15.000
Barcelona racers were allowed on their way home. Under ideal
circumstances for the real long distance pigeons it became a murderous
flight. For most pigeons it was not a simple task. The distance, the
heat and the north-easterly wind prevented any pigeon from reaching the
loft on the day of unloading. It became a race for the real go-getters.
None of the participating pigeons could realize a speed of 1000 mpm. The
international victory went to Belgium. Team Freddy de Jaeger from
Knesselare clocked their winning pigeon LLOYD, a 3-year-old cock who
arrived on Sunday morning at 10.14 and made a winning speed of 952
meters per minute (57 km per hour). In England it was again a national
victory for Mark Gilbert, Windsor. In the Netherlands it was J.L.de
Bruin from Nieuwerkerk who had the fastest and in Germany the national
victory went to Peter Nitsch from Boppard. At the moment it is not yet
known what the outcome is of the world's most appealing multi-day long
distance race. Very deep hats for all pigeons who have accomplished this
heavy task.
YOUNG PIGEONS COME FROM THE START BLOCKS
The first official flight took place on 23 June. An early release was
necessary to give the inexperienced pigeons the opportunity to be home
for the worst heat. That only partially succeeded. The flight was not
bad, but it was true that many pigeons came home over a large part of
the day. A week later people did not dare to continue the flight. Again
too hot for the youngsters who have already suffered much from the trip
to the release point. The specially equipped pigeon trolleys are
equipped with all modern gadgets. It is the inexperience of the
youngsters who play tricks on them. The biggest handicap is drinking in
the basket. Most of them have not realized yet. Added to this is the
necessary stress because if you suddenly have to go home between
thousands of pigeons some things have happened. On the first Saturday of
July, just like the first flight, it was discharged at a distance of 110
km. Again early so that the pigeons were already home about nine. Very
well done, for the beautiful it is for the fanciers something too early
at least that is my opinion. I like to have the loft extra clean on
Saturday morning, read newspaper, drink coffee and then take a seat in
the garden and wait for the arrival of the first pigeons. There was no
opportunity for these first flights. Too bad for me but good for the
pigeons.
IT IS DIFFENTE THAN WE HAD THOUGHT
Marco was full of fire at the start of the season. He had it in his head
that he would fly the whole competition during the speed races. It was
not what he had counted on. Wait, he said as soon as the middle distance
races begin. That too was not what he expected. For me it was about the
same song. More than the 2nd championship on the speed was not there,
also some nice results in the middle distance but I did not get the
pigeons in the condition they need to get into the spotlight. Both we
were going to shift our focus to the game with the youngsters.
Unfortunately it was so warm that it was irresponsible to drive with the
pigeons. Only a few days before the first flight it was, in my view,
justified. Marco had no opportunity to do so because of busy work and
skipped the first flight. We both participated in the past weekend. I
played the first flight the 2nd and on the second flight even 1 and 2
while Marco claimed the 3rd place. Tropical temperatures are also
expected for the coming flight. I have already proclaimed it several
times; young pigeons have a harder time than the old ones. In any case,
it is the case that they have to race in the hottest period of the year.
Yet I participate because everything they learn in their birth year will
benefit them later.
PIGEONS AND CYCLING
On Saturday 7 July the Tour de France started. The world's largest
cycling spectacle for the 105th time and that same day were the arrivals
of the Barcelona racers. For most of the 15.707 international pigeons
(in 2009 there were still 27.669) this very difficult course is over
while the 178 riders (22 teams of 8) still have three weeks of top sport
which is certainly no fun at all but much to abandon. The World Cup is
also nearing its peak. Surprises were enough, known football countries
have long been home. As things stand at present probably Brazil is the
biggest favorite and we Dutch are of course very curious what our
southern neighbors the Belgians are going to bring and let us also our
English friends do not forget because they are still in the race for the
world title . France, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, England, Sweden, Croatia
and the organizing Russia have qualified for the quarter finals that
started last Friday.
THE PRESS CAN MAKE OR BREAK EACH SPORT
You cannot open the paper or turn on the TV the press only pays
incredible attention to the major international sporting events. Other
sports hardly come into play. Regardless of which station or newspaper
they write all the same, one tries to outdo the other with even larger
letters which is actually a pathetic spectacle. Why in regional
newspapers do not pay extra attention to regional sports. Here too
football gets the most attention and other sports are a bit more
involved. Does the editorial staff of the regional newspaper not realize
that their subscribers are very interested in the regional region and
sports news? Every sports association and of course other associations
can certainly use some extra attention. As a pigeon fancier I get
annoyed green and yellow in the attitude of my regional newspaper.
Previously there were two and there was competition, now that they have
merged the newspaper has the display right. For years there was a
half-page every Tuesday in the newspaper with pigeon results. Everyone
read it because everyone had a neighbor, family member, colleague or
friend who was a pigeon fancier. So those results were read by a lot of
people and they were talked about. The pigeon sport lived and knew many
supporters. The newspaper no longer considers it important to report on
this increasingly smaller group of pigeon fanciers. The youth has other
possibilities, they are not interested in pigeon sport partly because
there is no publicity anymore. The youth is inside the computer every
day. The youth no longer moves, they become more and more robots become
totally dulled. No, it goes completely wrong with many sports. In my
environment one after the other merges. Clubs are becoming too small due
to aging and insufficient accretion. For many clubs break even more
difficult times. The flourishing club life unfortunately does not exist
anymore and what have we elderly people enjoyed a lot of fun. That will
never come back and what comes in its place I would not know. Probably
everything will play out on the internet soon. Shops are closed, club
buildings are being demolished and there is a new generation coming that
do their shopping and all sorts of other things via the internet. I must
not think that it will come this far and hope never to experience that
situation.
PIGEON SPORTS BECOME LESS AND LESS FUN
The law of large numbers also applies in pigeon racing. It is still the
case that the person who buys the most lottery tickets is also
theoretically most likely to win a prize. It is no guarantee that the
person who bets the most pigeons also wins the match or has the most
pigeons in the result. What matters is that we fight each other with
equal weapons in every branch of sport. I think more attention should be
paid to that. Participants who use a lot of pigeons do nothing wrong in
the Netherlands. The regulations do not provide that a maximum is bound.
For many fanciers it is and remains an unfair feeling when you have to
play 10 against 50 or 20 against 100. There are countries where this is
arranged. Is not there a clean task for the FCI? Coincidentally I saw
this week the club results of the Snelvlucht from Bodegraven. That is
the club where Gerard and Bas Verkerk and Willem de Bruijn are members.
Father and son Verkerk and also Willem de Bruijn are good acquaintances
of mine, plus I have great admiration for them because they have played
a leading role in the Dutch pigeon sport for many years. While looking
at that result I had to think of the fanciers who play against these
greats and get a beating every week. It was about the middle distance
flight Melun. 12 members of this club had jointly deployed 336 pigeons
and only 4 members managed to win a place in the result. Verkerk had 135
with it and had 46 in the results, the Bruijn played 35 prizes of the 87
pigeons, a member with 14 pigeons became 52nd and another member with 11
pigeons was 64th and 66th. The other 8 participants did not play a prize
and that is often the case week after week. How will those 8 feel? What
kind of fun do these people still enjoy in the pigeon sport? Something
like that does not keep a person full. I then continued my search and
came to a startling discovery that nearly 50% of the participating
members won no prize in almost all clubs. Why do you think the
membership is declining so fast. That is certainly not just the bird of
prey.
WHERE ARE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE STAYING?
In the early years when we still had several pigeon weeklies in the
Netherlands there was a regular section every week "Where are our
pigeons?". In that respect not much has changed. At that time there were
many more fanciers and also many more pigeons. That has changed
considerably. Our group is getting smaller and with that the number of
pigeons. Flights with a disastrous course have always existed and that
will remain so despite the modern equipment. Nature cannot be arranged
so that this always remains an uncertain factor. Everyone is doing his
best to stop the big losses of now only we do not know exactly how, it
remains a big mystery. We cannot say that all the pigeons that were lost
were not healthy. We cannot say anything about the quality or the
transport, who knows it has something to do with the food or with the
stay in the metal boxes or with the wrong ventilation in the cars. Air
pollution is probably one of the biggest causes and we don’t now know
what we can do about it. Pigeon sport, it does not get any easier.
SPORTS LOVERS ATTENTION
For the club of long await this week the multi-day classic Barcelona is
on the program. The cycling fanatics get their money as the Tour de
France starts and football fans now get the most important and hopefully
also the most exciting matches of the World Championship held in Russia.
In addition the races for the youngsters started in the Netherlands plus
the competition program for the old pigeons is in full swing. All
sporting events that interest me enormously. I do not participate in
Barcelona but I follow this appealing race from the beginning to the
end. I have a lot of appreciation for the pigeons that are in the basket
for almost a whole week before they can start their homeward journey.
For days on end in the car eating and drinking and also for almost a
week to do their needs in the basket, not just stretch their wings,
maybe here and there a fight and then comes the day that they all have
to cover more than a thousand kilometers for several glory of their
boss. Let's not forget that somewhere on the way home you have to stay
overnight and where do they do that. Not in a four star hotel, perhaps
somewhere on a roof of a house on the silent heathland where life starts
only late or they take place on a high church where every hour the clock
strikes so that long sleep does not end up. Those pigeons are chased
away so they can take an important advantage over many competitors. The
weather plays an important role at this time of the year, it is never
completely dark at night. With that clear weather and the wind from
behind it is possible that many pigeons fly a large part of the night.
Mist and rain are also possible because once they have been unloaded
little more can be done. All elements that can make Barcelona so
exciting. For me this kind of flight is far too far, I will sleep well
that night, for sure that most Barcelona participants do not close their
eyes that night. Am very curious who will write this marathon on his
name.
THE TOUR THE FRANCE
I am already looking forward to that, three weeks of cycling at the
highest level. Without other big rounds shortage remains the Tour de
France the world's largest and most appealing cycling event. Cycling has
become a real TV sport, something has to be done and it is immediately
visualized. Niki Terpstra (NED) starts as one of the leaders. Once he
started as an 8-year-old at the cycling club DTS where I was then
chairman, you will understand that I am proud of him. He was already
three times Dutch champion on the road with the professional cyclists,
he is not a Tour winner but is capable of very much. However there are
so many other toppers and, like other years, the battle to bring the
yellow jersey to Paris will at most go between 5 participants. I can
predict who that is, but there is no point in that. I am convinced that
there will be several stages were the viewers sit on the edge of their
seat.
WC SOCCER
Now that the first and second place are known in every group it really
becomes serious. The chaff is so to say separated from the corn which
means that the lesser football countries are home. Surprises were
enough. The Moroccans have disappointed me the most and the Belgians
have ended up in the list of contenders because of their two big
victories. Argentina, England and Germany are still in the race and
Croatia is doing extremely well up to now. I've seen most of the matches
and in between there was time to take care of the pigeons. They behave
as they should and I consider them great things in the coming weeks.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONE-DAY AND MORE-DAY FOND
Last week, Chateauroux was on the program for me 668 km and I think
that's too far. When I looked at the results I noticed that many
fanciers who made their name on the overnight races had a lot of pigeons
on this one-day classic. It was a fairly easy flight because within an
hour all prize pigeons were at home. What stood out was the performance
of the overnight players. Large numbers of pigeons and the big crowd did
not qualify until the second half of the result. Some of those men
clocked their first pigeon only 45 minutes after the winner and then I
wonder how that is possible. Can these pigeons do not make high speeds
at these distances, do they orient themselves so badly or do they really
get going after they have 500 km behind them. The difference between
these men and the program players is that they never ask each other what
time they have clocked, they usually ask how much they have at home.
Program players have nothing to do with homecoming, in principle every
pigeon comes home. You have to have those who know how to class
themselves several times on the first sheet of the result. But yes,
tastes differ, let's keep it there.
EXCELLENCES
There is so much talk about good pigeons, if you do not have them you do
not count. I think there are a number of good pigeons in each loft.
Pigeons that occasionally race in the list or even regularly do so are
good pigeons or do I see that wrong? Most fanciers among us entertained
weekly because some of their pigeons play a prize. For many the arrival
of their pigeons is something to get goose bumps. However pigeon sport
is a competitive sport and among the practitioners there are a lot that
want to win at any cost. They even have a lot of money to achieve that.
Too bad for them, but results and championships are not for sale, they
are not in a box or bottle. To a large extent it is still the mental
doping and that is the interplay between boss and pigeon. If that is
good the results will come almost automatically. In addition you must
have "excellent" in your loft. These are pigeons that can win at least
three victories and the necessary top prizes in a season. Unfortunately
there are few of them and you are a lucky if you have one or two of
these supers in your loft. For many of us a dream but there are those
who have a few of those clappers almost every year. I've had them too,
but having had is an ugly word you have to have them now. I have enough
good pigeons frankly I have been waiting for two years for one or two
extras and I do not have much time anymore but it remains a fantastic
hobby for me.
AFTER 10 WEEKS OF PLAY
The season is running at full speed and like previous years there are
more losers then winners. Fortunately there are also who play the tiles
from the roof but I hear from different sides they also have to deal
with setbacks. This means that there are already several fanciers who
have given up the courage to play with old pigeons. They have already
focused their arrows on the game with the youngsters. Even there,
unfortunately, it does not succeed with the right preparation cause the
high temperatures and the easterly wind. I write that for several weeks,
believe me for our untrained youngsters that is far from ideal. Those
who have driven the pigeons themselves have all had to deal with a huge
setback at least once. Four, five times it goes well and then there is
just one day that they come home all day plus a number is not coming
back at all. I also hear those comments about the old pigeons and it is
very striking that so many proven pigeons stay behind. Today I happen to
speak to two fanciers who both lost their pigeons last Saturday that won
the first prize against more than 2000 pigeons the previous week. Last
week was the first training flight with the club for the youngsters. The
weather was of that kind that only in the afternoon could be released.
The course was abominably bad, many pigeons on the same day not at home.
Today, Tuesday the second training flight and again it is so bad weather
that the pigeons are being released close to home this afternoon. I did
not give pigeons myself because I did not trust it again. My pigeons are
ready in the basket so that I can immediately leave when the air breaks
open. I will not drive as long as that is not the case. I say that I'm
not going to drive but that is a bit of a big speech because I still
cannot drive so as soon as the weather improved my wife Cora goes with
the pigeons away. It is the first time and she does not go further than
8 km. Hopefully tomorrow again and also the following days I hope we can
ride with them. Saturday the 23rd of June is the first race and I hope
they are gone once or 7. After the first official flight there is no
more driving. Then it is every Saturday race and through the week rest,
but they go out twice a day for an hour. With me the youngsters look
perfect while I hear from all sides that there is a lot of problems.
Especially ornithosis and that is because every day the sun shines
brightly and then especially the lofts with a lot of glass get problems.
The sun burns all the oxygen from the lofts so I leave the roller blind
on the south-west side. I shut out the sun just like in the southern
countries. Sun is fine for humans and animals but can also be crazy.
People should not lie too long in the sun and the pigeon loft better be
a little darkened when the sun shines so brightly.
SECOND ONE DAY FOND FLIGHT BACK TO A SHORT DISTANCE
I am absolutely not a fan of the long distance flights. I follow them
and have respect for the fanciers and their pigeons who perform well at
great distances. My experience is that if something goes wrong it is
mostly on the long distance races. In my opinion these flights get too
much appreciation from the writing pigeon press. Is that because those
pigeons know how to bridge large distances or because participation is
so big or does commerce play an important role. The fact that these
pigeons are able to bridge large distances is in my view not at all
sensational. They are bred for it, at the short distance races they
always come home much too late. They have a better endurance than the
speed pigeons. Speed pigeons orient themselves faster and cause an
explosion on the shorter distances and are soon return home. In my view
the flights up to 450 km are undervalued in the press. There is always a
bit of inferior talk about it, while those flights have the most
participants. Last weekend the long distance players had the bad luck
that on Saturday and also on Sunday they could not be discharged at the
planned release point. Low-hanging clouds and mist were the cause. What
to do? The board decided to go back Sunday to a distance of (for me) 335
km. There it was such weather that it was safe to unload the pigeons. It
was also decided that the flight would count towards the long distance
championship and that was against the agreements made. The agreement was
that if it was not a good weather at the unloading place one would drive
back to minimal (for me 387 km). Now I saw a fancier in the result that
played 298 km, such distances you cannot count for the long distance.
Long distance officially starts at 500 km. Anyway it is also not nice to
let the pigeons fly for nothing.
Here we see again that in the winter months good thought has to be given
to making arrangements because it has already happened several times
that one regrets it in the summer months
YOUNGSTERS
A little while and then the game starts. Many fanciers look forward to
it because they assume that everyone can play with young pigeons. So it
was many years ago but also the game with the youngsters has become a
specialized game. Look at the results later, then very different names
come forward as we could read weekly in the snout of the results with
the old pigeons. With me I see the youngsters becoming more and more
mature. The young cocks try to court the ladies, nice to see how they
dig out. The disadvantage is that the length of flying around the loft
is less. The young stuff wants to enter the loft where they can lie down
in a seat or on the ground to court. Only when the flights have started
for them I will encourage them by creating some dark spots, the small
breeding boxes will remain closed until then. Throughout the season,
cocks and hens stay together and they can nest as much as they want.
Nevertheless there are always a few unpaired youngsters that can achieve
prefect results. Often they jostle themselves by being jealous of a
couple that is somewhere to cuddle. As the weather looks now the
youngsters will be basket again this afternoon for a short training
flight.
MOST ATTENTION FOR GIRO AND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
This was preceded by the superhuman achievement of Chris Froome (UK).
He, the big Froome went off on Saturday 26th May as a hare to wear after
80 km solo the rosé leader's jersey. After two weeks of tough races only
one could win and that was Simon Yates (UK). Almost two weeks the rosé
around his slender shoulders who could do something about it. After the
individual time trial of 34.5 km Yates came completely deserted across
the line. I told everyone who wanted to hear that the candle by Yates
was burned out. Very sorry for him the fit was out of his body and two
days later he was a big disadvantage and it became clear that there was
nothing more to win for him. From that moment Froome became the biggest
contender for the overall victory after Tom Dumoulin. Sure enough he
performed it and nobody but no one could do anything against him either.
Now he is one of the greatest people who managed to write all three big
rounds on their behalf. Last year's winner had to settle for the second
place. Let's see who is the best in the Tour de France. First the World
Cup in Russia where the Netherlands is the big absent. In another big
sporting event the decision was made that same weekend. Real Madrid and
Liverpool had to decide who would win the Champions League. Real Madrid
succeeded for the third consecutive time. Tasteful moments in that match
were the blunders of the German Liverpool goalkeeper and the formidable
nick of the Englishman Gareth Bale. An incredibly nice kick was a goal
that the whole world has passed.
LONG DISTANCE SEASON GET INTO GEAR
It is now June and that means that the fans of the long distance races
are wide awake. Last weekend the first long distance races were on the
program in the Netherlands. In Belgium a national long distance flight
was started immediately from the famous relocation center Bourges. For
me the distance is 620 km and that is a nice average distance for a
national flight. The Belgians like to play nationally and do not take it
so closely with the distances. On this first national Bourges the
victory went to the Family 3D, a combination of three different
fanciers. It was their hen Beatrix who was too quick to finish all
20.280 other competitors. They covered the distance of 390 km (in my
view much too short for a national flight) with an average speed of 1275
meters per minute. As second came the famous champion formation Kurt and
Raf Platteeuw, they had put 103 in. What did not work last year did
succeed this time. The national results could be read on the internet
two days after the race and that was fun for our Belgian sports friends
because last year we had to wait for the right results for weeks.
Hopefully the National Board members of the KBDB have gained some more
friends because of this quick result.
WAR IN THE CLUB OF LONG WAITERS?
The neutralization time has been a hot topic in the multi-day long
distance races in recent years. I can still remember the time when
people told us that pigeons cannot see anything in the dark. Then came
the time that a pigeon arrived in the night hours. That could and did
not exist, it was an incredible achievement. Those nocturnal arrivals
occurred more and more. Was it cultivated or were the pigeons trained in
the dark? it will certainly have something to do with it. An arrangement
was made that was called "neutralization time". This wanted to prevent
groups of fanciers from being completely eliminated. The world changed,
small villages where a lamppost used to illuminate the village center
are now much more and what to think of all the brightly illuminated
advertisements. That is not only the case with the small villages, the
big cities are a sea of light and it is therefore never dark in the
summer. The quality of the pigeons is also getting better and in the
summer months when most long distance races are being held, more and
more pigeons continue to fly at night. Try to come up with an
arrangement that everyone agrees with. It has gone (reasonably) well for
a while until more opposition came. Another arrangement had to be
devised. Many proposals have been submitted and the end of the song is
that despite all good intentions the fans of the multi-day long distance
are not next to each other. It will be quite a job to get the noses of
the ZLU and KBDB managers in the same direction. This mouse certainly
has a tail, so ... .. will be continued.
TROPICAL TEMPERATURES
For Dutch standards we have beautiful weather every week. It is full
enjoyment of the fresh green, everything is in bloom and the
temperatures are sometimes not to last. Around our house is water and
every day mother ducks with their children pass by. There are those who
have started with 12 youngsters and now there are only 2 left. The
herons and pike eat a good number of them every day, those little ducks
are a real treat for them. Nature is hard on that matter. There are also
many fanciers in the Netherlands who have lost the necessary young
pigeons to the birds of prey. In our country there are absolutely too
many birds of prey, beautiful animals that many people don’t get bored.
As far as pigeon fanciers are concerned more urgent measures must be
taken to keep the bird of prey population under control. As long as
there is allowed to place nesting boxes for these killers in all kinds
of places we are not at that problem for now. Why are pigeons not as
protected as all birds of prey? Today finally a heavy rain shower and
that was badly needed for our garden.
HOW IT LOOKS FOR THE COMING PERIOD
The old pigeons do it as desired but to be honest I expected more from
them. In the club they are doing fine because every week at least two in
the first ten is a dream for many. In the ZCC I still participate with
the best, the long distance I skip. I now focus more on the game with
the youngsters that starts on 24 June. Today I have them by Dr. Van der
Sluis all vaccinated against paratyphus. They got a little bit of it. I
did not release them that day and also the next day they stay inside.
Next week the last speed flight and two weeks later the youngsters
start. I currently have 35 to play with, that must be enough to resist
at the highest level. The old pigeons get a few middle distance races to
finish and now it is already known which pigeons get their last chance
on the last five natour races. They are no longer on the old pigeon
program. I do not leave them because they provide atmosphere in the loft
and maybe the poorly performing pigeons are good enough to keep their
neighbor sharp so they continue quietly with good performance.
WHIT SUNDAY FALL BY A LOT OF FAMILIES BY THE PIGEONS IN TATTERS
I cannot speak for all Dutch pigeon fanciers but I can say how things
are going on the west side so far. The weather will not let us down
until last Saturday. However, this year every week east wind and you
know everything about it because I've already written so many times so
that it is annoying at the end. I have already written that we can
arrange a lot in our sport except the weather, the wind and the
location. Unfortunately the majority of the Dutch pigeons could not be
released on Saturday May 19th. Especially in Belgium and the south of
the Netherlands it was outright bad, with such weather you would not
even leave your dog outside. The annoyance of all that was that all
pigeon fanciers families who had made an appointment to do something fun
on whit Sunday that had to blow off. However there was enough time on
Saturday to follow the tough mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia. It was
a magisterial victory for the great English champion Chris Froome who
showed that he certainly is not without a chance and that he is most
likely going to make a throw at a podium place. Today 22-5 in the 34.5
km long time trial he clearly showed that he was still among the
contenders. It is going to be an exciting last week with three more
mountain arrivals. Biggest contender is Simon Yates, although I thought
he was over the mark today after the time trial. However he is in super
shape and therefore still the big contender for the final victory
although we certainly cannot write off Tom Dumoulin, Pozzovivo and
Froome. On Sunday it was again for the cycling fans to enjoy Simon Yates
who drove the entire peloton on his own. On Monday there was a day off
and that was also a great opportunity for the fanciers to lick the
wounds. There were quite a few stayed behind and from different sides I
heard that the pigeons were very thirsty. Here and there even pigeons
were fished out of the water, thirsty and then no more power to fly up
again from the water. My son Marco missed 7 hens in the evening and I
still 3. Typically that it was predominantly hens. From a good friend I
heard that his best pigeon was not back on Tuesday. A pigeon that
already won two victories against a few thousand pigeons this year, you
do not want to lose such a pigeon. In my opinion the pigeons were
unloaded too late. At 10.30 am for a race of almost 400 km with a hot
north wind turns out to be too heavy task for many pigeons. To the
pigeons that were on time at home you could clearly see that they should
have put on a lot. Even on Tuesday morning I had to drive two cocks out
of the loft and that says something.
DISAPPOINTMENT
The middle distance races that can be so beautiful have many
participants but among them there are already some that will throw the
towel in the ring. In that respect we fanciers must have a very strong
character to participate in the next race after such a bad race. I had
secretly thought to participate in the one day long distance but still
look away from it. In the first place because I only participate with
very few pigeons, secondly because I lost three hens and thirdly I find
520 km with again north wind and very high temperatures not a flight
that I look forward to. This weekend the one-day long distance races
start and we also have the last speed flight of about 220 km. That
should be good, especially if the pigeons can get out early. It is not
that warm yet and usually the wind is not that strong either. I do in
any case participate to keep my second place for the speed championship.
How Marco thinks about is to guess if you have handed in 6 hens on a
flight. It is not an excuse but he is currently too busy. Fortunately
his own home furnishing business requires a lot of time, then he has
been in the middle of a renovation of his own house for a long time plus
that he has a family and is also crazy about his grandchildren. I used
to be so fanatical that the pigeons almost always came first. It was a
nice time but if I have done it all just right that you should ask my
wife.
YOUNGSTERS
I currently enjoy a lot of fun with my youngsters. They are as healthy
as a fish and therefore they do things that every pigeon fancier likes
to see. They eat like madmen, they train like idiots, when I call them
they call in as kamikaze pilots, the manure is to eat so nice, they are
still darkened 13 hours a day. If that remains the case the competition
will find people at home. For the moment I am very enthusiastic. We all
know that something can happen from one day to the next. I am already
hesitant to cancel the eclipse because a few weeks later you can have a
chance of a coli outbreak or even worse. Those who read other pigeon
magazines know that they have a lot of problems with the adeno virus in
some countries and unfortunately that is often fatal for youngsters.
When I release my youngsters in the morning and I go out of the loft to
see where they are I do not see one anymore. This morning they returned
in small groups. On the one hand I like that but on the other hand you
have a problem with feeding. It did no harm to them because tonight they
flew again that it was a sweet delight. What is pigeon sport than a
wonderful hobby, unfortunately our sport also has to deal with many
setbacks. You know those situations, fully enjoy the pigeons and then
suddenly a sickness outbreak or a heavy flight so that a number of
pigeons have become totally out of shape. This week my youngsters get
their chip ring and on June 4 we start in the club with the first
training flight. Before that time I have been away with them for at
least three times. I certainly do not go further than 30 km. All very
successful but you know nothing goes spontaneous
PIGEON AND CYCLING SPORTS
Both have my interest and I like to compare them. Currently we are with
the pigeons at the 8th stage and in the Giro d'Italia they have today
the 10th stage. The Englishman Yates rides in the rosé leader's jersey,
the Dutchman Tom Dumoulin who defends his title is in the general
classification in second place and the great English favorite Chris
Froome is still looking for his right form. As for the pigeons we cannot
grumble about the weather. So far fine weather to wait for the pigeons
and that is also an important part of our hobby. Cozy with all in the
garden enjoying the beautiful spring weather with the tension of the
arrival of the pigeons. Every afternoon I watch the Giro match report if
possible. As far as cycling is concerned I leave no possibility
untouched to follow the many races that are present today. Cycling has
become a real television sport. If anything happens it is broadcast
immediately, which can be a demurrage, a crash or great nature shots of
the beautiful Italian landscape. Especially the mountain stages are
fascinating and attract a lot of public. Do you know that the
possibility exists to follow the pigeons during their home trip. I doubt
the pigeon sport become more interesting by that the surprise element is
completely gone. However, it is important that you continue to research
the behavior of the pigeons during short and very long flights. The
pigeons and cycling have a lot in common. We pigeon fanciers are the
team leaders of our pigeons, but also the mechanic and the doctor. Just
like in cycling we have to ensure that some of our team's athletes are
among the first. The different distances in the pigeon sport are
comparable with the stages in important cycling races. For example in
both sports winners can arrive solo or in a leading group and it can
also be the case that the winner has to come out of the bunch sprint. In
both branches of sport weather conditions can play a very important role
on the game element.
THE MIDDLE DISTANCE RACES HAVE STARTED.
These races with distances of 300 to 500 km are seen by many fanciers as
the most beautiful distances and have the largest participation. Last
Saturday we had the first race in a series of six. For me the distance
was 334 km, the pigeons were released at half past eight and there was a
calm southeast wind that usually produces a surprising race. This was
also the case this time. On the North Sea coast the pigeons made a speed
that was 100 meters per minute higher than on the eastern IJselmeer
coast. The speed that the first pigeons made was higher than we expected
because in the garden the weather seemed very calm. There we noticed
nothing of the wind and therefore wet had the speed wrongly estimated.
We expected that the fastest pigeons would arrive at about a quarter
past eleven at my distance. None of these, at 10.53 am the first ones
were there and made a speed of 100 km per hour and within 20 minutes all
prize pigeons (that is 25% of the participating pigeons) were at home. I
got a hen in front who was my second pigeon the week before. I do not
play with her cock, that is a summer youngster of 2017 who has never
been in the basket. Perhaps here a proof that it is important that the
pigeon knows that the partner is waiting when he comes home. I have the
idea that hens are better off that the partner is not there when they
come home from the race. With cocks it is as if they are disappointed
when the wife is not there. Fortunately there are plenty cocks that
perform well on widowhood and set several times a good performance.
FOR THE FORTH TIME ANOTHER RELEASE PLACE
In the winter months the flight schedules for the next season are
determined. I have the feeling that they throw the cap in North Holland.
Last year relocation was changed with great regularity. Now that is the
case again, of the seven flights we have already been unloaded four
times at another location. The last time it was really laughable. This
time the unloading place was not changed because there was an annual
fair or fun fair at the unloading place, no one changed because on
Saturday sometimes an east wind could blow and then there is the
possibility that there are pigeons above the sea with all the
consequences. In the UK and Ireland the pigeons fly weekly over the
English Channel and the Irish Sea and then I do not even talk about the
Canaries islands where many fanciers live and the pigeons are discharged
at sea each week. This is also often the case with the pigeons that live
on the island of Malta. They have a really hard time because there are
no other options. My experience is that in the Netherlands pigeon races
with east or southeast wind always have a strange course and in young
pigeons races it is even the case that the losses are gigantic. But to
change flights for old pigeons because of predicted easterly wind that
is going too far. Despite that change it turned out to be a strange
flight. We can arrange a lot inside the pigeon sport except for the
weather conditions and the pigeons' traits that they do themselves. This
Saturday is the second middle distance race and next week we have the
last speed flight and also the first one day long distance race.
MANY FANCIERS SURPRISED
Because of the beautiful weather and the calm south-easterly wind the
pigeons were earlier in the lofts than their bosses. Many fanciers had
gone wrong by the speed. I started extra early cleaning the lofts in
short I had everything ready in time for the pigeons to come. From a
sun-drenched garden I called my son Marco to talk about what we could
expect from this game. Frankly my expectations were not so high because
I found that the pigeons from mid-week did not pick up the food quickly
enough. Pigeons have to be able to eat quickly and at the end of the
week that may be slightly less because they are well prepared for the
upcoming race. Their behavior was fine, the manure was nice there was
down in the loft but eat they did very badly. I imagine that I have
pigeons long enough to know how to feed them and I was not satisfied.
While on Saturday morning I had my son Marco on the phone there arrived
a pigeon in his loft. He had not seen her come and when the clocks were
emptied he turned out to be justly beaten for the first prize. I then
had to wait two minutes before I got a pigeon. For me it was not so bad
because both of us got two in the top ten and that's all weeks. I do my
best to get an old-fashioned beautiful series, I'll keep you informed.
HAS THE WIND ALWAYS THAT MUCH INFLUENCE ON THE CONTEST
During the competition season there is every week a lively discussion
about location and wind it is a hot item. In the case of westerly winds
the east side has the advantage and the west side in the east wind. If
the wind comes from the north there is benefit for the for flight
(shortest distance) and in the south wind there is benefit for the most
northern (longest distance) living fanciers. In most cases that is true
but we never have security. On the 5th of May we had a flight where all
theories fell apart. There was nothing to be said about the weather. In
Belgium the wind was blowing from the south-east and in the Netherlands
he was right east and certainly not the fanciers from my playing area
are happy with that. Our pigeons that often come home on the western
side of the Netherlands have a beautiful orientation line on the Dutch
coast. It has to blow very hard the pigeons want to blow inland so that
our western participants so to speak often lie on the first teat. Last
Saturday nothing of that theory was correct. While we and some fans were
waiting for the pigeons there was of course a lot of philosophizing
about how the flight would take place and where the fastest pigeons
would arrive. Speed was also discussed extensively. If it was correct
that the pigeons in Belgium were discharged with southeast wind then
speeds of 120 km per hour were possible. We were informed that the wind
in the south of the Netherlands was east and that is pushing the speed.
Because of the beautiful weather with a cloudless sky, I think that is
not ideal for pigeons and certainly not for youngsters, our pigeons were
already released at 8.15 am and the distance for me was 243 km. I took
into account 90 km per hour which was estimated too high. The
temperature rose very quickly and the humidity was very low. The boss
got soon a need for a soda during the wait, it was still too early for a
beer. The pigeons were facing the same problem. In short, in our opinion
it was an ideal situation for the western living fanciers. Soon the
place name Zandvoort fell a beautiful seaside resort on the North Sea
where at one of the shortest distances live strong fanciers. We soon
agreed that the fastest pigeons would arrive there, I do not think so!
It became a race in which many fanciers had the opportunity to clock an
early pigeon. How that is possible is still a mystery to me. Relatively
speaking in my playing area most early pigeons fell while we live in the
middle of the province. Even the eastern fanciers achieved excellent
results. The story that with the east wind the western fanciers the
whole competition pulling towards itself went this time not on. We see
once again that theory and practice can sometimes be very far apart.
ON THE ROAD TO THE MIDDLE DISTRANCE
The speed flights are almost over. There will be one on the program for
26 May, the same day the first one day long distance race will take
place. This weekend the middle distance flights will start of which we
also have 6. My son Marco has his mind set on the middle distance but
also on the short distance, he knows how to play his game well. He beat
his father last weekend. Marco started with 1 and 3 and Dad had to
settle for the 4th place against 333 pigeons. Pa takes second place in
the intermediate classification. In place 1 is a fancier who has three
absolute top pigeons. Every week the pigeons are there and very early
too. It must be an experience to have a few of such toppers in your
loft. Honestly I do not have such pigeons the last two years but ......
the season is long and who knows which pigeons are still in the
spotlight. I have seen it more times that in the middle distance only
pigeons emerge that at the speed only a few mediocre prices flap
together. The miracles are not yet out of this world and I have the idea
that two hens are still going to surprise me. I am not dissatisfied with
the results of my pigeons. Every week Marco and I catch two or even more
at the top 10, the series should in my eyes be much better. The pigeons
look good so I think they should follow each other faster. Unfortunately
I do not succeed with that but also with most fanciers, the price
percentages are too low. There are also a couple that rattling quickly
behind each other in a row but that has to come with me. Also because I
play with much less pigeons now and the law of the big numbers always
plays an important role, also in the pigeon sport.
KBDB PROVINCIE ANTWERPEN MAKES CLEAR AGREEMENTS WITH THE NPO
On 26 April a conversation took place between the Province of Antwerp
and the NPO at the KBDB office in Halle (B). Point of discussion was the
unloading of pigeons within the Province of Antwerp for which no
permission was granted. That agreement has been running for a long time
but in practice it appears that the Dutch fanciers, playing together and
things like that do not adhere to it. There is an agreement that only on
Wednesday Saturday and Sunday may be released. There must be a permit
issued and there may only be released in the presence of a mandatary
(director) of the Belgian Federation. So-called wild discharges (without
a license) have caused losses of Belgian youngsters many times within
the Province of Antwerp. Belgian fanciers are asked as soon as they see
a truck unloading pigeons somewhere to take a picture of it including
the license plate. Appointment is appointment so do not do it anymore.
AN ICON WILL LEAVE THE PIGEON SPORTS AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.
Through Pipa we heard that at the end of the year a total sale will take
place of the well-known Belgian champion Gaby Vandenabeele due to health
problems (pigeon lung). The season 2018 is finished and then the canvas
falls. Very sad because we cannot miss such champions.
STRANGE COURSE
I cannot say that it was a gamble to unload the pigeons last Saturday.
At the release place excellent weather but the closer the pigeons came
to the house the worse it became. Heavy low-hanging clouds and heavy
downpours caused the competition remain open for too long despite the
strong southwest wind. Races of 180 km must be completed within a few
minutes. Now it took 25 minutes before all prize pigeons were at home
and that is far too long. The fastest pigeons went 108 km per hour or
1790 meters per minute. It was all in all a typical flight. Most
fanciers got the wrong pigeons in front and their signed pigeons failed
in many cases. Some fanciers clocked more than 50% of their pigeons in
the results but most did not. Fortunately there were few to no
stragglers. Because the flight has a strange course you start thinking
about what it can be. Could it be the loading of the cars? The agreement
is that our entire department resolves all the pigeons at once. No
problem but it can become a problem if all pigeons are distributed over
the available space so that it is possible that the pigeons living on
the east side come in the car where most of the pigeons are from the
west side. It is precisely on the short speed flights that this can
adversely affect the competition. Another possibility is the weather.
For Sunday was very bad weather predicted with great chance of heavy
gusts of wind, rain showers that could cause a lot of flooding, hail and
thunder. That all came true because in Belgium and southern Netherlands
the police and fire brigade fell short because of the enormous flooding
and burning houses that had been struck by lightning. I am not saying
that as a result the flight from Saturday was a strange course. However,
I have already experienced several times that we were waiting for the
pigeons with good weather and that it was a flight with a disastrous
course. There are then situations in the atmosphere that we as humans
cannot observe while our pigeons have major problems to orient
themselves. Who knows that the predicted weather for the Sunday already
on Saturday the pigeons confused.
A VICTORY BUT NO GOOD RESULT
On Saturday morning our pigeons were already on their way to the
Zaanstreek at 9.15 am. The release point was the same as the week
before. The release message indicated that the pigeons had a quick
departure and there was a moderate southwest wind. In my area it was
completely windless so I assumed 90 km per hour which meant that the
pigeons could arrive at 11.15 hours. It was a good thing that my regular
fans were on time to watch the arrival of the pigeons because at 10.57
o'clock a yearling cock was diving at a huge speed inside. It had to be
an early one, you can just see that in the enormous haste that a pigeon
has. I was completely surprised but then it took 8 minutes for my second
and third pigeon to burst into the loft at the same time. Then it was a
long wait again. The winning pigeon was no fluke he had already
registered twice this season and now he took the victory against 1569
pigeons. As a youngster he was also the best and became a champion
pigeon. Let's hope he can continue his good series. His sire is a
grandson of my famous Sprint Pair who won 12 first prize winners and his
mother is a granddaughter of the European Cup couple who won 16 first
prize winners.
BELGIUM IS THE LAND OF THE WICKER BASKETS
In the early years of the pigeon sport the pigeons were transported in
wicker baskets. That tradition is still being continued in pigeon
country Belgium. They are baskets that are still being pulled open by
hand. But also in Belgium they do not sit still and go along with modern
developments. Because the pigeons are no longer shipped by horse and
wagon but with modern trucks they have also switched. Especially for
pigeon transport developed cars equipped with the latest gadgets become
from now on only on plastic boxes allowed. In the Netherlands these are
still the aluminum boxes where about 25 pigeons can be sent. Belgium
opts for the unit of transport so that the fancier cannot feel
disadvantaged when their pigeons are not placed in plastic boxes.
Hopefully a problem less.
PIGEON MARKET IN LIER (B)
The pigeon market in Lier is probably known about the entire pigeon
world. For years thousands of pigeon friends went to the market in Lier
during the first winter months of the new year. In the freezing cold
thousands of youngsters were offered and from many countries fanciers
traveled by bus to the biggest pigeon market in the world. Bird flu and
the declining number of fanciers sometimes caused panic situations. It
sometimes looked as if the Lier market no longer had a right to exist.
Fortunately there is an initiative to place a bronze pigeon in the
middle of the big market in Lier. The Municipality agrees but does not
guarantee that it will pay the 20,000 euros that the bronze statue has
to cost. As a result, "de Heren van Lier" founded in 1973 started with a
nice initiative. They place in one of the most famous pigeon cafes a
large glass bottle in which the pigeon friends can lose their loose euro
cents so they hope to be able to finance the statue. The last market day
of 2018 took place on April 29 and the slogan for the bronze statue is:
"Give your copper money, you will get a bronze statue".
PIGEON SPORT IS OFTEN A SECOND GAME
To perform well in any sport an unbridled effort is required. Those who
cannot deliver that are as good as hopeless. Real toppers have no
problem to use the full 100%, with that deviation they are born. Nothing
is too much for them to achieve their stated goal and that is also
within the pigeon sport. Here the condition of the fancier may be a tad
less bad he must be in the right form to take care of his pigeons
perfectly. For those who do not want to win at all costs it is not so
precise and unfortunately most of them. Not bad at all, maybe they still
enjoy more of their pigeons than the ones who go every week for the
victory. They have to, others are already happy when they occasionally
catch an early pigeon. I have always been enormously driven, actually
still but a bit different. In order to perform well you must be able to
tell yourself that you have done everything to put the pigeons in an
optimal condition so that you cannot blame yourself for a disappointing
result. As soon as I made a result that was not to my liking I went
harder against it. Yet you always remain dependent on a number of
factors. Especially on the speed races everything has to be in order to
finish in the snout of the result. We all know how important this is on
flights with a short distance, location and wind direction play a very
important role. But also the place in the car and with whom. In my game
area we drive with fairly large cars in which up to 250 boxes with 26
pigeons can be loaded. They must be equipped with a perfect ventilation
system. It is a huge difference whether your pigeons are in the top of
the car or at the bottom. If you have ever been in such a large pigeon
container you know how warm it can be there especially at the top. The
+/- 5000 pigeons that are transported produce a huge amount of heat.
They already have a body temperature of 42 degrees and since the warm
air rises upwards the pigeons can sit better at the bottom.
Unfortunately that is not possible, but it is advisable that this is
taken into account when loading the transport trolleys so that the same
associations are not always above or below the car. It even makes a
difference whether you are in front or behind the car because the
baskets do not all open at once and since every second is one, in the
short races it counts. However let us not make that problem bigger then
it is. What is very bad what happened to my association. In the
Zaanstreek, that is the area where I live, we have a beautiful ensemble.
This year it appears that on the first three flights the baskets of our
association are loaded in another car than the other ZCC associations.
Something like this makes you almost without chance on flights up to 200
km.
Obviously there was a lot of commotion about this unfortunately a
correct solution has not yet been found
BERT FIRST AND SON MARCO SECOND.
Whether the baskets of our club may or may not at the other ZCC cargos
are in the car makes fortunately for the club result no difference. This
time there were 310 and father and son take the two fastest of them. A
nice result for which we are working all week. You see, commitment is
rewarded. It was a nice flight, unfortunately my first signed failed. In
the evening I saw that he missed his half tail. Cause? Probably a bit
faster than the bird of prey. Within 8 minutes the prices on this 180 km
flight were earned, despite the northeast head wind the fastest pigeons
still made 77 km per hour. The next weekend we will go 50 km further. It
is to be hoped that not too many fanciers keep it up. Once we had 450 in
the ZCC, this year only 74 participated on the first flight, a week
later 70 and this time 68. Too bad, it is a pity that in this way the
once beautiful pigeon sport dies a slow death. Who knows, this year the
fairly new national board will come up with a good plan to interest
several people for the pigeon sport, I heartily give it to them.
NPO CONTROLLER; PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR NEWSLETTER WILL NOT BECOME A
SCHOOL PAPER
Some time ago our national board (NPO) started its own newsletter. A
great initiative to pass on the (important) federation notifications to
as many as possible members digitally. The members are given the
opportunity to subscribe to this newsletter by just passing on their
email address. It is a shame that at the head office they are screaming
for a copy. Volunteers are asked to pass all kinds of news from the
associations. With this I think they have missed their goal. A
newsletter from the national central administration should not be filled
with data from all kinds of exhibitions or reports from youth members
who have visited lofts. With this the effect has disappeared and the
national newsletter has been written with club activities and that is
not why he was created for. The name of the newsletter is UP TO DATE,
which means that the NPO board keeps its members informed of new
developments at national and international level. What they are doing
now I do not like, but who am I? I wanted to drop this anyway because in
my opinion were the gentlemen started very well and now with the changed
newsletter slip just like the number of members into the abyss.
INTERNATIONAL AGEN / BORDEAUX UNDERGO SMALL CHANGE
This year the ZLU exists for 60 years. This Dutch organization has been
successfully working for the extreme long distance game all these years.
Partly because of this jubilee and because the international race from
Agen / Bordeaux is held for the 40th time, this race gets a festive
character. The pigeons are released on June 29. The release point is now
17 km to the south and will take place at the Hippodrome Beaumont de
Lomagne.
FINE INITIATIVE
The manager of the high-voltage wires in Belgium is going to make a big
change in marking these dangerous wires. The bulbs applied for air
traffic do not serve as a warning mark for birds. Every year 170.000 to
500.000 birds fly against the high voltage wires including many racing
pigeons. The new marking is a kind of large spiral that can be mounted
on the wires at a short distance from each other. This will take some
time. An attempt is made to first provide the wires on the important
flight paths with this new marking.
ALL TIME LOW
In our ensemble the mighty ZCC played plus minus 450 fanciers against
each other. This was for the Zaanse fanciers a very important game. A
few thousand pigeons flew each week in a fairly small area. The short
and middle distance game, not to mention the youngsters, had the most
participants. Because all those fanciers lived close together it was
about seconds. Three laps around the loft cost at least 50 places in the
result. Playing 1-2-3 was almost an impossible task, I'm talking now
about the time we clocked with the rubber rings. Before you had stripped
three pigeons off their rings just thirty seconds had been tagged away.
Now there are mega lofts that tackle 20 or more in half a minute, tackle
is not the right word because we do not need to do anything about it.
Every week we had 15 winners within the ZCC because we had 15 clubs at
the time and there was an extensive report in the regional daily
newspaper every week. Now we only have 4 winners every week because the
number of clubs has dropped to four which is not interesting anymore for
the newspaper and that is a shame. In the time that we had 14 winners
there were also the same number of second and third prize winners and
all that was read by family members, neighbors, colleagues, friends and
acquaintances. There was a lot of talk about the pigeon sport. It was a
popular sport that had many admirers. It is all over, it is as if the
pigeon sport is being ignored by the press. There is only 1 pigeon
magazine in our country and those people are doing their best to make
something of it. Unfortunately the news coverage does not go beyond its
own members. The layman will not know anything about pigeon racing in
the future. The youth is not interested, they have many more
possibilities that are not so expensive and time-consuming. With
astonishment I watched the results of the first flight of this season.
Only 74 participants in the entire ZCC. I could not believe my eyes, I
read it three times but it stayed 74 and not one more. The second flight
there were that still 70 and how will it look in six weeks. Will we
still get the 50?
LOTS OF SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS HAVE TO DEAL WITH RUNDOWN
In the whole of our country is probably golf the only sport which is
increasing. Several other clubs have to forced merge with as result
renowned clubs disappear from the stage. You wonder what all those
members do who have said goodbye to their sport. I read in the newspaper
today that only 15% of youth regularly play outside. In the time that I
belonged to the youth that was over 70%. In today's youth, also called
back seat generation, there is not that much spirit. They are taken
everywhere and picked up again, walking or cycling is no longer
possible. They are massively at home behind the computer and are upset
with all kinds of lugubrious game games that make them far too little
physical exercise. This is becoming a big problem worldwide. Far too
many children eat wrong become way too heavy, have no sense, become lazy
and lose their condition. If we do the same with our pigeons not much
will end up. Healthy eating, a regular life and sufficient exercise
every day ensures a good physical condition. Then you do not need a pill
for anything, that will come later when you really get very old.
THAT MAY ALSO BE SAID
A known pigeon doctor in the Netherlands is Dr. Hans van der Sluis from
Kockengen near Utrecht. As long as I have pigeons he is my vet. He has
his own medicine line and because I have every confidence in him I use
his medication. Do not ask me what those medicines are made of, I know
nothing about it and do not want to know it either. If my pigeons have
coli I use his medication, against paratyphus he vaccinate my pigeons,
against ornithosis I give his cure. In short he has developed medicines
against all pigeon diseases and if necessary I use them. Fortunately
there are some specialized pigeon doctors who can protect our pigeons
against various diseases and they have medication against almost all
diseases that can occur in our lofts. This week I noticed the wonderful
result that Hans van der Sluijs and his assistant Stefan Gobel have
achieved on the first speed flight. From the Belgian Minderhout with a
participation of 2007 pigeons, whereat 56 of both white jackets, the
result was as follows: 1-2-3-4-5-7-14-16-22-23-24 total 34 prizes. What
is more beautiful to have a pigeon doctor who also plays fantastic.
KBDB WARNS ITS MEMBERS
All members and affiliated associations of the National Belgian pigeon
organization (KBDB) have been informed that Article 56 of the national
sports regulations is strictly applied so that everyone must meet the
set requirements. Fanciers who own several clocks must offer them all
during basketting. The clocks must be provided with the stamp recognized
by the KBDB. Pigeons that are clocked on clocks that are not provided
with that seal are not included in the results. Clocks whose seal cannot
be identified must be presented again for inspection.
PIGEON SPORTS HERITAGE.
In the Netherlands is last year pigeon sport recognized as a national
heritage. This means that our sport is protected for posterity. In
Brugge (B) a national heritage day was organized on 21/22 April which
the pigeon sport also received the necessary attention. Furthermore
there was a continuous exhibition about everything that has to do with
the pigeon sport. Interesting lectures were also held on the pigeon
sport now and in the past. Good idea to organize something like that in
other countries. The pigeon sport can use some extra publicity.
THE SECOND SPEED FLIGHT
Saturday April 14 had to wait until half past one before the pigeons
were allowed on their way home. Heavy clouds and mist at the unloading
place. The wind was blowing from different directions. Yet, just like
last week, it was the most westerly lofts that made the top rankings. In
the big interplay of the ZCC with almost 2000 pigeons it went reasonably
well. In our club son Marco had the fastest, I had to settle for a 7th
and 11th place against 340 pigeons.
EASTERN LIVING FANCIERS WERE COMPLETELY PLAYED AWAY
The first speed flight of this season showed huge differences. This
winter it was assumed by majority vote that the pigeons from
Noord-Holland (section 6 of the NPO) all flights would be discharged
together. The first flight was hardly over or the disappointed fanciers
let their voices immediately hear. It was not a style to unload 20,000
pigeons at once. You should not nag afterwards. This decision has been
passed by a majority and if that has to be changed it will be possible
to vote on it again in the coming winter. I am convinced that if the
wind direction had been north west or north east this would be better
for this first speed flight. Now the pigeons were blown massively to the
North Sea coast on this short distance and that means that the western
fanciers, and there are quite a few, almost all early prizes picked up
and a large number of pigeons in the result knew. This means that the
eastern fanciers have got a huge turn around their ears. Question is;
what can we do about it? It has been known for a lifetime that the wind
acts on this kind of flights. In addition, it was certainly not a normal
flight. The competition duration was almost 30 minutes in many places
and that for my distance of approx. 110 km. In the vast majority of
cases it is viewed within 10 minutes. The speeds between west and east
were also considerable. The west side made 1876 mpm at the shortest
distance, the longest distance made 1863 mpm. This indicates that the
western fanciers all had a chance to win early pigeons. On the east side
it was a lot more difficult, the fastest pigeons went 100 mpm slower.
The last prize pigeons made 1350 mpm more than 500 mpm slower than the
fastest. What is the cause of the much too long concours duration is in
the first instance the southeast wind. On such a short flight the still
inexperienced pigeons are flying after each other and have all by no
means the idea to leave the peloton in time so that they will cross the
finish line too late. The coming weeks there will be some more regular
income but if the weather is east or southeast wind this will not go
well for the eastern fanciers again and the chance of a provincial
championship has already become very small. Perhaps something was
released too early with a view to inversion at a height of 70 m. Also
there appeared to be quite dense fog in some places. However we will not
let ourselves be discouraged. The season is still long and there are
still plenty of opportunities to make a long nose to the competition.
Who knows it’s already the case this weekend.
NOT QUITE SATISFIED
With an 8th and 9th place against 350 pigeons you cannot be dissatisfied
and 11 of the 20 pigeons in the result is not bad either. Due to the
strong southeast wind my expectations were certainly not high and at the
arrival of my first two pigeons I could already see that they came all
the way from the wrong corner it could not be a super result. I too
belonged to the group that had to deal with a big bang. It could not be
the condition of my pigeons. They are in a good condition, that I can
see in the morning when I come to the lofts, all neat little dung balls.
The hens and especially the cocks gleam at you. They also like to train,
so if we move on for a week or six we'll see how the fork is in the
handle. I have a lot of confidence in it despite having only a small
number of pigeons. However last Saturday I lost a promising yearling
hen. I understand that there are considerable losses here and there and
that is always a shame at the start of the racing season but that is
also part of the sport. I am very satisfied with the youngsters, that is
fine, although I have more than the intention. The counter is now at 38
and that's it, it can be less, but certainly not more. The youngsters
look good, they are darkened from 1 April and are already beginning to
molt. Some start to fly around the loft longer and longer, others stay
in the loft with the younger ones. In two weeks the ball will go on
regularly and they will have to stay in the air for a bit longer.
Tomorrow the last youngsters picked up by their new boss and then it is
over with the breeding.
LOVELY TEMPERATURES
We are increasingly heading in the right direction with the spring
weather. May also because it is already 3 weeks spring. Nature is coming
to life more and more. The birds are busy with nests and because in my
area there are many chew and magpies I have absolutely no problems with
birds of prey. That is a wonderful feeling and just by writing this I
know that a lot of fanciers are very jealous of that. I have experienced
too for a couple of years that the birds of prey flew on and off. I lost
some old pigeons but especially young ones to those animals. There are
too many of them and they are still protected from above. We pigeon
fanciers would like something to be done and that is now also true. The
NPO has good contacts about that, so ...... who knows.
PARIS-ROUBAIX
Did you also enjoyed this tough cycling classic? Almost 300 km of
splattering over the cobblestones, the audience is enjoying it. The
riders love this race very much even though it is a torture for many.
Kilometers long the bicycle lurches away from you in some areas.
Blisters on the hands of the vibrating steering wheel. The luck was the
riders at their side because in the early morning it had rained and then
the cobblestones were very slippery with a chance of falling. The big
men in the race soon realized that quickly made sure they were in the
front of the group because then the chance of falling is the smallest.
In Paris-Roubaix you cannot escape the necessary falls. That makes this
very heavy classic so special. This year a blemish on the course because
of a serious fall that a Belgian rider of 23 years made. Later it turned
out that he had a cardiac arrest and everything that was done could not
help, in a word horrible. The race was won magisterially by world
champion Sagan. My big favorite Niki Terpstra had to do the heavy work
for a large part on his own. Yet he managed to demolish so hard in the
last 2 kilometers that none of his fellow pilots could keep the wheel so
that Niki came solo as 3rd on the track of the beautiful cycling track
in Roubaix. Now see what he is doing next weekend in the only Dutch
classic the Amstel Gold race.
THIS WEEKEND WAS THE CYCLING SPORT YET MORE IMPORTANT
Football I like to watch, unfortunately more and more footballers no
longer behave nicely, not in or outside the field. They are over the
horse lifted "losers" who earn far too much money for their age. No this
has nothing to do with jealousy. Unfortunately they forget that
hard-working people have to pay a lot of money to watch an entire season
to their home club. Respect and appreciation unfortunately our football
boys understand not. My heart is more in cycling because I know what you
have to do in order to become a professional cyclist. Those who are not
able to ride up quite easily today are hopeless. Only a real sprinter
would like to be included in a team. But there are also riders of "out
of category" and Niki Terpstra is one of them. The year 2017 was
dramatic for him. Three heavy falls made 2017 a disaster year. Among the
pigeon fanciers are many supporters of cycling. I know that many of my
pigeon friends watch as much as possible the spring classics and the big
rounds. Certainly know that internationally many cycling supporters have
been watching "our" Niki Terpstra with great respect. Two years ago he
won the cobblestone classic better known as Paris-Roubaix and this year
he came solo about the meet in the E3 prize Harelbeke (B) and two weeks
later the same stunt in the most important classic of Belgium the Tour
of Flanders about 300 km. Niki just drove the competition out of the
wheel, what an engine should be in that body. I still see him coming as
an 8 year old boy at our Zaanse cycling club DTS where I was then
chairman. Now at the age of 33 it is one of the biggest riders we have
in the Netherlands and beyond. Already three times National Champion at
the professional cyclists on the road and then a beautiful honors list
in the one-day races. You will understand that I am very proud of him.
NO WEATHER FOR THE PIGEONS
The season is about to begin and the nice weather is coming. In recent
weeks it was always too cold for the time of year unsuitable to learn
the pigeons yourself. Saturday was the first and last training flight
for the entire club. The weather forecast was not optimal and so I
thought it would be better to keep the pigeons at home. Well I had
misjudged that and that I have already once. The older I get the more
careful I become. The pigeons were released on time and the wind ensured
that they were home in record time. That day it was once again clear to
see what influence the wind has on a speed competition. This does not
only apply to the wind and the location, the time of unloading can also
cause major differences in speed which was also the case on Saturday.
The organizations that dared to unload in the early hours had the best
concours and especially in the back flight the altitude speeds were
achieved. The ZCC where I and Marco play in flew 20 km per hour less
fast than those who live at the farthest distances and the eastern
fanciers of mine were there for another 10 km short. On the 7th of April
the real start of the season and then all pigeons from the province of
Noord-Holland will be released at the same time. In the past it was
always group unloading’s that were mainly done to prevent losses from
young pigeons. Practice has shown that this does not matter. So the
total release is still the best of all unloading’s. The wind will again
play an important role now. As it looks now the wind blows from the
south-west on Saturday so the fanciers on the east side of their playing
area have the biggest chance to clock one or more early pigeons.
However, it is not Saturday yet!
THE CLOCK IS LOADED
That means that he is up-date. The pigeons that are no longer in the
loft are also removed from the clock. Only the racing pigeons that will
participate in the 2018 season are in it and there are only a few. With
11 cocks and 11 hens I will fight against all fanciers from North
Holland. There are men who play with a lot of pigeons but there are also
many who, like me, only participate with a small number of pigeons.
However it does not mean that you cannot win an early prize, certainly.
The advantage is that you cannot get rid of that much but a disadvantage
is that you cannot get too much in the list and that is a lot to look
at. Especially the fanciers from the Far East want to see many pigeons
in the results because they are used to playing a lot of pigeons. With
22 pigeons in the battle it will not be easy to catch a couple of
pigeons in the top 100 against a few thousand pigeons. I keep it that it
should be possible to regularly play with 1 or 2 pigeons at the top,
just look at how many small lofts have a number of champion pigeons.
That is why I have always bought a few pigeons mainly from this kind of
fanciers. But I also deviated from that. Marco and I have also been to
Willem de Bruijn and with the pigeons that come from this very big
fancier we have also succeeded very well.
SUCCESSFUL BREEDING
We are basically done with the breeding for ourselves. Now it's time to
deliver the youngsters for whom Marco donated a number of tickets for
various charities in the winter months. The first round went almost
entirely to Marco, the second round was for me. Now there are only
youngsters for people whom have been placed orders. It is our intention
to stop breeding this year in time with the intention of doing winter
breeding at the end of November. We skipped this winter. The youngsters
did a great job with me in 2017 so you could say; why grow early? My
opinion is that you can do more with early youngsters. They are usually
brought up in a cold period which does not seem wrong to me. They are
mature when the important races start and you can play them in
widowhood, it is just what you like. On the basis of the performance we
will see if we will breed another half round (with each breeding couple
1 young), during the season there will always be requests for young
pigeons. Only if that is the case some will be bred. If not then our
breeding pigeons are separated from the end of May and all attention can
go to the game with the old and also the youngsters. Next week I hope to
tell you with some pride how the results from Marco and me were on the
first flight, but if there is no good result I will tell you that too.
IT WILL BEA DIFFICULT START THERE IS NO OTHER WAY
The weather forecast for our pigeons does not look good. When I went on
vacation it was 14 degrees and you think when I come back the
temperature will still be slightly increased, but not. During our
holiday the Netherlands was cold, wet and foggy. Unbelievable when you
are at 30 degrees with no cloud in the air at the edge of the pool in
Egypt. The intention was that after returning from vacation I would
drive daily with the pigeons. To date, nothing has come of it. Every day
mist and far too low temperatures. In addition I have a disability that
I still do not dare to drive my car due to my poor visibility so I
mainly depend on my wife to go out with the pigeons. If I look at the
weather forecast daily, which pigeon fancier does not, there is no
improvement for the time being and next Saturday (March 31) is our only
joint training flight. I hope that the board will not allow this flight
to continue. If they do not participation will probably be minimal and
the shipping committee will have to pay a lot of money. In Belgium
several flights have not been continued during several weekends. Very
annoying but better than that the pigeons come home totally in a state
of disrepair and probably there will also be those who are not at home
anymore. In that respect pigeon sport is certainly not a simple game. We
are dependent on the weather every week and that can be very changeable
with us. Because the weather predictions for the rest of the week are
totally unsuitable for pigeon sport I have already decided to skip the
training flight. Should the weather still improve then I do not
participate. I prefer to drive myself so that I can view it per day. How
it all developed I have no idea but I do know that Saturday April 7 the
launch will be released for the official start of the season 2018. It
will be the 72nd season that I play with pigeons. In all those years
quit a lot have changed.
A BIT OF NOSTALGIA
It was in the time that old and young pigeons were together in a loft.
Nobody had breeding pigeons and in most of the cases were played on
nest. Most fanciers had at most 24 old pigeons and 15 youngsters.
Pigeons lost and the bird of prey problem did not exist yet. I can
remember it as the day of yesterday that we (my father and I) started
with 16 youngsters and that we certainly had 14 left. It was also in the
time of the rubber rings, that was much more exciting than now with the
electronic clocks. If you used to have 3 pigeons at the same time you
need almost a minute before the rings were in the clock. Now the mega
lofts get 40 in half a minute. Then it can be said that those big
fanciers do nothing wrong, certainly not. You can use as many pigeons in
the Netherlands as you want. However it is becoming more and more an
unequal struggle. I have never had trouble with it and still not to take
it with my 36 racing pigeons against anyone. From the moment the
electronic clock was introduced in 2000 the big fanciers are able to
clock up striking mega series. Despite this every fancier regardless of
the number of pigeons he gives has the possibility to win a first prize
or to qualify at least at the top. But oh woe if such a mega player that
day has a favorable location and get about twenty in a few seconds at
home than he runs at a record tempo so that you as a small player
becomes nauseous and dizzy. That’s just the way it is this film cannot
be turned back. Whether it has improved in the interests of the pigeon
sport is not so sure. The little fancier here is the child of the bill.
So it will become a lot clearer why so many older fanciers stop and we
still have the most of them. Just assume that this will not take that
long. What then remains are the big ones and they can only play against
each other and the fun will soon be over.
DARKEN
In the Netherlands summer time started. This weekend I will start by
darken the youngsters. The last 7 youngsters are still added and they
are immediately darkened it is no different. My other 27 youngsters were
away from the parents before my holiday. I have no real early winter
youngsters this year. The first round went to son Marco and only after
that it was Dad's turn. Not bad at all maybe even better because I've
experienced so often that youngsters of the 2nd or even 3rd round at the
end of the young pigeon races perform better than the very early ones.
Maybe it is a bit of coffee because in the pigeon sport it is often
await you never have certainty. I have never darkened my old pigeons. I
may only play the first two or three one-day long distance races and
then it is not really necessary to darken the pigeons. At least that is
my experience but I must also say that I have never been a fanatic long
distance player and not yet. My preference is still for flights up to
400 km and we have enough of that. I am going to darken the youngsters
in the months of April and May that is more than enough. From the first
weekend of June, the curtains stay open day and night.
GOOD YOU HAVE TO HAVE
How often we read that its all about good pigeons. But the point is that
you as a fancier can go well with pigeons. A strong remark statement is
extremely important. You should be able to see at a glance what is going
on in and around the loft. What matters is that you can see that pigeons
behave differently. You must immediately see that they show an extra
condition but also that something is wrong. Pigeons that behave very
well you have to keep an eye on they are the ones that can surprise you.
Fortunately there are very good pigeons which we can see during the
season at the intermediate positions of the various competitions. We
also all know that there are only a few real good pigeons. You would not
say that to the prices paid for pigeons. On sale sites it looks like
there are only good while most birds are not good enough for the boss
and therefore are sold. There are plenty of examples of pigeons that
just make a super performance because they just have a boyfriend or
girlfriend. There are performances put down because some males cannot
stand their neighbor so they are motivated and come very rapidly home.
So let's not only talk about good pigeons there's a lot more to it.
THE BATTERY IS CHARGED
With my health it did not go very well from the beginning of this year.
Finally my wife and I decided to go to the sun for a week and that
really did me a lot of good. Our choice had fallen on Egypt. Nice days
in the sun on the edge of one of the beautiful pools, close to the bar
and lazing on the lounger which was prepared every day by our regular
lifeguard. Every day at least 30 degrees and in the evening it is great
to have a nice dinner outside and then a drink. In our opinion a must
for those who want to be assured of super sunny weather and do nothing
but laze in the sun. The wind ensured that it was also fine in this sun.
With a tanned head we are now back home and I immediately started to
take care of everything according to the summer time. The day after our
homecoming was the first walk to the pigeons. What would the youngsters
look like? The old cocks and hens had not been outside during the
holidays as I understand it could not be. It was very cold in the
Netherlands with lots of wind and rain. You cannot imagine that it only
rains 5 to 6 minutes per year in Egypt. I think Egypt is becoming a new
popular holiday country but to live in that immense sandbox seems to me
nothing at all. In two weeks the new season will start while the pigeons
are not really ready. They look really good and that is a compliment to
my sons Marco and Michel who have provided the pigeons during the
holidays and also during my illness period. This morning it was a
cloudless sky but it looked white outside because it had frozen again
tonight and at this moment it is half cloudy. The coming weekend I hope
to be able to start with bringing the old pigeons away. From experience
I know that they become very fast in their flying rhythm and also the
punctual care at fixed times contributes to a good condition. They have
to take care of the flight condition themselves and they get it when
they have to do their training work twice a day at set times.
RUNNERS ARE DEAD RUNNERS
That is a well-known saying in every branch of sport in the Netherlands.
Many fanciers quietly build up the performance curve on what does not
apply to the speed players, at least not to the Dutch speed players. In
Belgium that is another story. There they can play a speed or a middle
distance race every week from the end of March until the end of
September. In the Netherlands we start with 6 speed flights. Then the
same amount of middle distance races and then the one-day long distance
races have started. At the end of June we start with eight young pigeons
flights, then finally a series of 5 speed races in which both old and
young pigeons are allowed to participate and then it's over again.
Coming back to the fast starters I also like to hear. If you make the
first flight a good result then you know that the condition is right. It
may also be because you were in the right corner on that flight because
as we all know in the short races the wind plays a very important role.
So do not immediately cheer after a first good result. It is true that
after the first flight I prefer that the crowd has to go after me than
that I have to make up for the lost gap. It is also true that when you
want to end with the champions you will have to finish in the snout of
the result from the very beginning. Among us there are guaranteed to be
a number with whom this will succeed but even more certain is that the
group with whom it will not succeed will be greater. So put it on and
just do your utmost to never cross the line in the last group.
COLOUR
For many years I am a big fan of light blue pigeons. This year I am
forced to deviate from it, the reason you know. Marco and I have a
breeding loft together and there are not only blue pigeons, there are
even quite dark pigeons and I now have some youngsters in my racing
loft. Marco says I should not complain about the colors. I used to mix
everything and then I said to everyone who wanted to hear that ugly
pigeons become more and more beautiful as they win early prizes,
whatever they are. It may be due to the years that you get other
preferences. Now I say it is my hobby and I decide what happens in my
loft. I should probably assume that the time of blue alone is over.
Given my age I do not have that many opportunities anymore. I do not
want to say that I have had my time just think about it now and then. I
still intend to count but I notice that it is all more difficult.
THE CLOCK
One of these days my electronic clock is being updated. The pigeons that
are no longer there are removed from the clock and a single pigeon has
to be added so that I can use the clock next weekend to see how the
pigeons have come home from their first training flight. On Saturday 31
March there will be a training flight for the whole club. It is a kind
of attraction flight and because it is a day before Easter the prices
consist of eggs. In the past when I had a family with small children I
thought it would be nice to win a few boxes but now that we are still
two I do not have to think to eat all those eggs. Yet it is always nice
when there is something to be gained. That is just like playing card
games, if nothing is going on there is not being played seriously but as
soon as it is a penny everybody wants to win. The will to win must
always be there, without any interest you get nowhere and have always
respect for the winner. Once that is known, shake hands and congratulate
him on the success achieved. Who knows you might be next weekend.
THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN
With most fanciers the breeding is largely completed. With a large
number of fanciers the early youngsters have been flying their daily
laps around the loft for some time. In others the hens were transferred
to the loft for youngsters with a youngster. With other fanciers,
especially the long distance men, it has all just begun. If all goes
well the program players and the speed men are already well advanced
with the preparations for the first strength measurements. Of course it
must all start with caution. Especially now that the severe frost and
icy cold from the Dutch air has disappeared there is more and more
opportunity to ride with the pigeons. The temperatures are about 8 to 12
degrees and that is a good temperature for training flights of 20 to 30
km. I have seen several groups of pigeons flying over, you could clearly
see that they were on their way home. Now pray that we keep this type of
weather for a long period so that we get a good start of the season and
also wants to apply for the further course of the coming season. With
me, although I still do not feel 100%, the regularity is very nice. The
pigeons are currently released twice a day. Today they have had a bath
again and tomorrow the hens with each a young go to the young pigeon
loft. The cocks remain with their youngsters for a week in the racing
loft. If I go on holiday for a week the youngsters the cocks and also
the hens are separated and then get a 5 day yellow cure in the drinking
water. They have to do with it they have had all the vaccinations so
what medical support concerns they are ready. When I looked at the
racing pigeons this week I was very happy with them. The weight was
fine, they felt good and you could hardly see that they feed big
youngsters. I hate it if you can clearly see that they have feeders
beak. Still I have ones, yes that was a very long time ago, a hen who
won 12 times the first, was always played on nest and with such a beak
he won the first several times. She also won the first twice on an empty
breeding dish. Her young had been moved to the young pigeon loft for
more than a week and she still had not been laid. She went along just as
well and believed it or not she was back and gave up the competition. It
was a little fat-blue hen, just an unsightly creature but in my eyes she
was terribly beautiful. I will never forget that animal. The crazy thing
is that in the last twenty years I did not have such a pigeon in my loft
because they would not pass through the selection and therefore get no
vhance to perform. Now there is a small pigeon in our breeding loft
again. It is a bit party colored too and I do not like that either. She
has, also because of her formidable descent last year got the chance to
raise a few youngsters. A large shale cock was found dead on the golf
course next to our house. The nestmate, a small fur hen, did not miss.
No, they were not all top prizes but when she played eight out of nine
with twice in the first ten she is good enough for us to show her skills
in 2018 as well.
CONSIDERABLE YEARLINGS
Last year was not my strongest season. The breeding did not go well and
that was reflected in the performance. The strange thing was that the
youngsters did performed to complete satisfaction, in the club they were
not even beating and the champion pigeon was mine. I have bred a few
youngsters from a number of these yearlings and all other youngsters
come from our joint breeders. That is why I will also have to get rid of
my faith. I prefer to see all blue pigeons in my loft but that will
change now because not all breeding pigeons are blue. Color is also a
part of my hobby, red, pale, white, black, very colorful, I do not want
them. Other fanciers do not care whether their pigeons are green or
brown with them it is about performance. Also with me, but preferably
achieved by beautiful light blue pigeons with possibly a single white
pen. The racing pigeons for 2018 are all blue, the youngsters will have
a number of other colors in between and they will have to come from a
good house otherwise they will not come through the selection. When I
talk about selection I am already busy with 2019. In that year I will be
82, will I still have pigeons? Let me not go too far ahead first 2018
and then we see further. It is indeed very unfortunate that the number
of active fanciers decreases so quickly. Our national organization
devises everything but unfortunately I do not see a bright spot that I
think; yes, that might well have a chance of success. There has been
worked with all kinds of committees for so long. Youth has long been an
important target where a lot of time and money has been invested in. The
number of members continues to decline further despite the unbridled
efforts of our managers. No, the dark days for the pigeon sport are
still there and if I see how many peers still are active then the
downward trend in the number of members will be of increasing influence
over the next two to three years. Associations will lose their right to
exist and if the last club from the village or city ceases to exist more
members will drop out because many older fanciers do not want to have to
cover a large distance with their pigeons to basket. I would like to see
it differently but this is the reality. In addition the mood in a small
club can be very quickly influenced if some members do not agree with
each other. In a club with at least 50 members you will not be bothered
by that. How many clubs of 50 members will still be there? In my opinion
not one and then to know that in the golden years there were several
clubs with more than 100 members. Unfortunately this time I cannot knit
a cozier end. Fortunately the season is approaching quickly and then
there are to discuss completely different matters. Let's keep it that
everyone in their own way will fully enjoy our hobby again.
DUTCH OLYMPIC TEAM HOME AGAIN
More than two weeks of Olympic winter sports on TV was a bit too much of
a good thing. Especially for the Netherlands because for us only skating
was interesting because in the other sports we had a single participant
but not really a contender. Our skaters have met the expectations, it
could not be better. For me as a viewer it was all too much of a good
thing. From the early morning to the midnight Olympics, I cannot see
them anymore. On Monday evening in the Olympic Stadium of Amsterdam,
where in 1948 the Summer Olympic Games were held, our athletes were in
the presence of several hundred supporters and relatives in the icy cold
honored. The announcer did not know how hard he had to scream to
announce our Olympic champions. It became a shabby and anti-social
display. That could have been much better and more stylish. This week
they are invited to the King.
IN MARCH THE SPRING CLASSICS STARTS
Cycling is done throughout the year. In the past years there was a
winter break and there was room for track cycling. Nowadays the first
cycling classics start right after the turn of the year. In the past it
was only in March and Belgium was the first to take part in cycling, now
it is the warm countries like Australia, New Zealand, Dubai and so on
where the first races have already been held. Last weekend the first two
classics in Belgium started in the icy cold and the next weekend "the
drive to the sun" or Paris-Nice starts. Now it is freezing in the
Netherlands the skating sport gets the most attention. Today the first
marathon skating race on 200 km is held on natural ice. The skating fun
is probably over at the end of the week. Too bad, because for the skate
enthusiasts it could have lasted a week and then just rain hot water.
But what do you get for weather, you better have dry weather with nice
clear freezing than occasional sun and then rain again. Fortunately we
do not have that in mind.
SPRING IS COMING
Despite the cold in our country it is fine weather to let the youngsters
out. This is not the case with me yet they are only more than 14 days
old. The first round is to Marco and only then it’s father's turn. After
the bad luck with unfertilized eggs in the first round everything went
well after that. The big problem was with our two better breeding
couples. We had unfertilized from both the first and second rounds. The
third round of the one couple is again not good but from the other
couple it is. The youngsters who sit at Marco look perfect and with me
they are shining in the nest. Beautiful manure around the dishes partly
because of the cold and during the day a lot of sun it’s almost ideal
for the growth of the youngsters. Not only the spring is coming the
racing season is approaching with great speed. As I have seen it
everything is ready on time. Second half of March we go to the sun for a
week and when we come back we have 14 days left for the first speed
flight. The pigeons can therefore still be tossed five times depending
on the weather and that must be enough. The pigeons are still being
cared by my sons Marco and Michel, I go only there at noon. Then you can
see that the sun gets more and more strength, just wonderful to be with
the pigeons for an hour. I hope that if it gets a bit warmer soon I will
also become a bit more active. With my condition it is not worth
anything at all after two months sick and quail. If I do something I am
tired and to my age that will not so fast restore anymore.
IT WILL NOT BE TRUE
I was really shocked when I read the news that there was an outbreak of
bird flu in Groningen (North Netherlands). All 36.000 chickens have been
culled and a transport ban for poultry is in the immediate vicinity. We
as pigeon fanciers do not like that at all. It has happened several
times that on the eve of the new racing season an avian flu outbreak
took place so the start of the season was pushed up for several weeks.
It was then also in the period of the spring fair and immediately became
a ban announced that no pigeons from different lofts could be placed
together in a room. Think of all the young pigeons that have been bred
especially for the weekend of this weekend and there is a prohibition
proclaimed you should not think about it anyway. Now the outbreak is
still in the far north of the Netherlands the control is becoming
stricter throughout the country. There only needs to be an outbreak in
the south and Belgium will close the border and how will it go with the
famous pigeon market in Lier (B) and the spring fair of this weekend in
Houten (Utrecht). I will not go there would not know what to do.
Fortunately, there are many fanciers who think differently about this.
There is even more risk, because fanciers in Belgian Limburg have been
diagnosed with adeno virus and the risk for the young pigeon disease is
very high. Because of the infection with adeno the e-coli bacteria in
the intestinal system get the upper hand. The pigeons get sick of it,
the appetite goes away, drink more than usual and produce that slimy
green smelling manure and the end of the story is that those poor little
animals to pay for death. Away nice breeding results. In that respect
our hobby depends of disappointments to each other. The strange thing is
that never all youngsters get sick. Are they the best, the strongest or
is it coincidence? If these symptoms appear on the loft consult your
veterinarian at all times.
THE NETHERLANDS VERY SUCCESSFUL DURING OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
The whole international sports world is currently under the spell of the
Winter Olympics held in South Korean Pyongyang. Already from the first
day on the Dutch skaters committed an attack on the highest achievable
the gold medals, but silver and bronze are also not safe for skating
land the Netherlands. The Dutch are both for woman and man in all parts
of the long track skating and short track Lord and Master. It started on
the first day with gold for Sven Kramer on the 5000 meters. Also in 2010
and 2014 he won gold at that distance and that has never been achieved
before. A day later gold, silver and bronze for the ladies on the 3000
meters and so it continues every day. Irene Wust took gold at 1500
meters and that was her tenth Olympic medal. Never before has there been
a lady who has won so many Olympic medals at the Winter Games. The
presence of King Willem Alexander will certainly have contributed to
this, wonderful to see how he behaved like a fan of our skaters in the
stands, great enthusiasm! And it does not stop. The skating mile
produced a gold medal for Kjeld Nuis with outsider Patrick Roest as the
winner of the silver medal. If this continues it will be an
unprecedented success for the Netherlands that has no chance of
competing in the other parts of the Winter Games. Is not bad at all
because we are a skating country and we have once again clearly shown.
RACE PIGEON OLYMPIAD ONCE IN THE TWO YEARS.
Why the racing pigeon Olympiad is held once every two years is not clear
to me. If that happens in all sports once every four years why then for
the pigeon sport an exception. There are so many exceptions in our sport
in the far too long series of championships. Only for commerce and
nowhere else is it interesting to hold an Olympiad every two years. It
does not take a year and we have again a race pigeon Olympiad in Poland
that will be held in January 2019. Also in 2011 the Poles were allowed
to organize the Olympiad in Poznan. A bit of a good thing don’t you
think? The Netherlands is not only a skating country it is also a pigeon
country par excellence and that means that, just as with skating, it
should be possible to strike in the same way. We still have a race year
to go so there is still everything possible. The pigeons that have
performed strongly in 2017 can be used with some caution this year, do
not take too much risk, but especially the latter is easier said than
done. Even on the most simple flights a good pigeon can stay behind and
locally the danger of the birds of prey remains. You do not have to
think that an Olympiad candidate will be caught by such a robber.
A LIGHT LUNG IGNITION KEPT ME A WEEK AWAY WITH THE PIGEONS
If you come back after a week to the pigeons you see how much has
changed. The youngsters who were then a day or twelve are now so old
that they can almost get away from their parents. Where two eggs lay in
the nest are now bald youngsters. Those are the first impressions I have
gained this morning. Furthermore I have only fed them, the drinkers
refreshed, everywhere new grit in the jars, fresh minerals and they
needed it because in no time the pigeons had eaten the jars empty. They
are also ready for a nice bath, it is cold but otherwise nice sunny
weather. They still have to wait a while because the article must be
ready first and then they will have a bath in the afternoon. The racing
pigeons are allowed outside for a while and then I can clean the lofts.
As far as I am concerned the condition is completely back to zero. A
week of being really sick is a real attack on your body especially if we
look at the figures that are for the age.
THIS WEEKEND IS TAKING THE FIRST YOUNGSTERS ARE WEANED
Other years that happened already in the third week of January. This
year we consciously waited a bit longer with pairing. We have this year
more preferred to our breeding pigeons. Most of the eggs from the first
round are placed under the racing pigeons so that Marco and I both have
two youngsters from the breeders. There were also the necessary setbacks
so that I cannot immediately say that I am very enthusiastic about the
start of the breeding season. By my racing pigeons I had four couples
that I wanted to have youngsters from. Of the 12 couples there were 2
unfertilized and that was exactly 2 out of 4 that I wanted to keep. We
have chosen to submit as much as possible, a choice that I think
afterwards; we should have done that differently. With that I indicate
that I am not really satisfied. Now do not panic because it is of course
also how the total breeding results are going to be. After all, it is
about quality and not about quantity. In general I hear from different
sides that the culture is going well. Those who did winter breeding all
have the youngsters outside and in addition the weather helps a little
hand as well because until now all days are fine to let the young
pigeons out every day and number of hours. Unfortunately I have been
informed that there are again the necessary victims because of the
predators. It is a pity that this problem cannot be solved for us pigeon
fanciers. There is a lot of work done, such as registering places where
the bird of prey strikes. If it stays that way it does not really help.
I also known the problem for three years in a row but fortunately the
last three years no longer. I live on the edge of the golf course, in
some places pretty many trees. The number of jackdaws has increased
enormously in recent years. In the evening there is a huge swarm, a
beautiful sight and a huge noise when they finally land in the trees to
go to sleep. It does mean that I have absolutely no problems with birds
of prey. It seems that the jackdaw keep the birds of prey away. Let me
not be too enthusiastic because something can change. From an Irish
pigeon friend I received a photo on which one of his pigeons was caught
by a hawk. He takes care of the pigeon that has a gaping wound, they are
the real animals lovers doing something like that. You may wonder if it
makes sense. We have pigeons to play with and we have to be careful that
we do not make a hospital out of our loft. Despite the fact that I have
been possessed by pigeons for a while it goes too far by me to care
seriously injured pigeons. I'll do them away, maybe very hard but you
have to wonder if it will ever be okay with such a pigeon. No, I would
rather save them a longer period of suffering.
BEAUTIFUL WINTER WEATHER
The weather forecast looks fine for this week. At night light to
moderate frost, during the day plenty of sun and temperatures slightly
above freezing. If this stays for another day or four we can skate in
the Netherlands. As most of you will know the Netherlands is the skating
country par excellence. That will also be noticed in the coming weekend
when the Olympic Winter Games take place in South Korea. Naturally the
Netherlands is also represented there primarily for the skating sport.
In the other winter sports we Dutch people do not have much to look for.
But who knows suddenly a Dutchman dives into skiing which would be a
huge surprise. In any case there is a lot to enjoy on the TV for the
sports enthusiasts next week. That's what we thought last week. Then the
world cyclo-cross championship was held in our own country. Our biggest
favorite was Matthieu van de Poel. He had already won 26 games this
season and according to insiders he would also take the rainbow jersey.
Well not, it was clear to see that it was not his day, it became a
complete agony. It was a very heavy course but that counts for everyone.
Our national star had to settle with the bronze and our representatives
in the other categories did the same. The youngest of all took by the
youthful ladies gold and that made the surprise complete. Now wait and
see if our skaters win gold and who knows the whole of the Netherlands
is on the ice at the end of the week. Because skating we do prefer and
the pigeons cherish themselves in the winter sunshine.
COLD NIGHTS
There are fanciers who already have their first round of youngsters
outside, there are also those who have recently paired. In any case we
are now in the middle of the breeding season. Some long distance players
have postponed the breeding for a while but it will not be long before
they will start. My oldest youngsters are now about twelve days and the
coming weekend the eggs from the second round of the breeding pigeons
will come out. Even now unfertilized eggs from our two best breeding
couples. I do not want to say that Marco and I are becoming despondent
but we are certainly not happy about it. Last Sunday the necessary eggs
have been transferred so that the breeding pigeons can start on the
third round. Maybe a bit too soon after each other but we have breeding
pigeons for that. This season also shows that early or winter breeding
is not conducive to older pigeons. Nothing new, annoying if it does not
run as we had hoped. We thought that we would breed from our two top
couples soon each two youngsters but we do not have one. At this moment
there are 39 ringed and there is will come the same amount and then we
have enough. Marco a 50 or so and I around 30. That should be enough to
get the necessary good results if we do not lose too much before the
price flights start.
ALWAYS UNNECESSITY WITHIN THE BELGIAN PIGEON SPORTS
The period from October to the start of the new season is also called
the quiet season. Nothing is less true. That used to be the case but now
it is teeming with awards, champions days, local exhibitions and last
but not least the great diversity of all sorts of meetings. Especially
the latter sometimes runs into crap. For example there was the fraud
case in the Belgian East Flanders which has chairman Dirk Schreel of the
National Sport Committee has cost the head. Now there is again the
necessary commotion in Antwerpen so a new board has to be chosen. The
name of provincial chairman Alfons Buurs is already mentioned as
National President and is also associated with chairman of the National
Sport Committee. Most likely he is not eligible for both positions
because he is not perfectly bilingual. In Belgium in the southern part
is spoken French and in the other part Dutch or Flemish. At this moment
there is still no clarity as to how the two new boards will look like.
More will be known during the meeting of 28 February.
LAST CHANCE
To be aware of the latest developments concerning the pigeon sport there
is still a possibility for Belgian and fanciers from the surrounding
countries to visit the International Pigeon show "Fugare" which on 10
and 11 February for the 8th time will be held in Kortrijk. Also there
will be the prize ceremonies of the one-loft races from Zimbabwe, Spain.
Portugal, Tenerife, Romania and Bulgaria have been held.
QUIET PIGEONS
If I hate something then it is shy pigeons. You sometimes have one that
when you enter the loft immediately flies from his seat, I can live with
it a little bit. There are also those who fly out of the breeding loft
and I absolutely cannot stand it. I always do my very best to keep the
pigeons quiet. You can do a lot of it as a fancier. Do not make
unexpected movements and walk through the lofts in slow motion. Let your
voice be heard and I think it is also important that you are always
dressed the same way. Take the time to feed the pigeons. While they are
eating you can safely take one in your hands once in a while and put
them down again shortly afterwards. The pigeons must not be afraid and
if they are it is usually up to the boss. Sometimes it is not easy to
stay calm. Especially if the pigeons are just paired and are allowed to
leave the breeding lofts for the first time. Especially young cocks can
sometimes uncontrollably fly into several breeding loft. They are
sometimes so passionate that they fly everything that moves. They can
also take care of the necessary brawls if they fly into the wrong
breeding loft again. If they do that multiple times you are able to
swing them against the wall. Do not and never do! You can really ruin
them forever. You deprive them of an urge to come home and what is worse
they also refuse to come in. Usually the first arriving pigeons are not
shy or afraid. A matter of poor entry always lies with the boss. He has
made the pigeons so because he behaves completely different when they
arrive home than when he does the whole week. I have been with fanciers
who went in tiger creep to the loft when a pigeon arrives. The pigeons
are not crazy and stay if the boss does not behave like they are used
to. When the pigeons return from a flight behave always the same as you
do during the week. Some fanciers want the pigeon quickly inside and
throw hands full of food into the loft while they never do it during the
week. Some fanciers start to whistle like an idiot when they see a
pigeon coming at a high altitude. Assume that pigeon has seen you before
you see the pigeon. The pigeons have to be happy when they see the boss
so do normal then you do crazy enough!
HOW WENT WINTER BREEDING
It is like less and less fanciers do winter breeding. There may be
several reasons for this. As far as I am concerned the reason is I now
belong to the older fanciers and I was very happy that the season was
over, finally a period of absolute rust. Others are waiting for breeding
because in a number of departments the young pigeon season starts later.
For years I have done winter breeding, wonderful to look at the newly
weaned youngsters in the second half of January because what are they
beautiful when they are just weaned. Then there is a short period of
some relapse but that will all be fine if they first start to eat a lot.
I always say when they are beautiful in the nest the will become later
on also beautiful. Of the become usable or even good ones I cannot give
a good answer. However I do think that the chance to breed a good one is
greater if the parents have performed well. Every fancier gets a good
feeling when a couple of pigeons are born that care in the racing season
for pleasure certainly when that youngsters comes from a couple that he
has paired himself. But how did the breeding for the young pigeons have
been before they were weaned? By me from the first day I put the pigeons
together everything went smoothly. The pigeons were well prepared by me
for the breeding period. Ten days lighted and daily a little bit of hemp
seed for each pigeon. I have also started to give a breeding mixture,
not too much because locked up pigeons fats very quickly and that is not
conducive to a smooth leg. When I pair the pigeons I always try that
they look like they go into the basket during the racing season. I have
written before that, despite the good preparation and the smoothing of
eggs, a number of things can go wrong. In older pigeons unfertilized
eggs, young cocks if they are paired well still visit the neighbor’s
with consequence fighting and broken eggs. That is even possible yet if
there is a small youngster in the dish and I also got to deal with that.
FIRST YOUNGSTERS ARE RINGED
That means that the first youngsters will be weaned the last week of
February. That are not too many because most of the breeders' eggs went
to my son Marco and he will have more than me at that time. This is the
case with father and son who play against each other and have to draw
from the same breeding loft. Still I had two unfertilized eggs from two
different couples each and with Marco there were two trampled youngsters
dead in the nest. To date no problems with the growth of the youngsters
that is going well. The pigeons from which the eggs have been replaced
have almost all been around the 25th laid and are now brooding for the
second time. The youngsters that are born out of it are for the most
part all for me. If I have about forty I am satisfied, that is a nice
team I have hardly ever had more. I have tried in my wild years to breed
a hundred that I could fly with. I have never completely succeeded, 80 I
think is the largest number I have ever had. I was and am absolutely not
a fan of many pigeons. This year I am going to play double widowhood
with 12 couples, that's what I have to do with it and why that will not
work out. You only need one for victory. I stopped to leave the light
on. I currently feed all pigeons at six o'clock and half an hour later
the lights go out. In the morning at 8 o'clock out of bed. Eating a
sandwich, quick read the newspaper, at half past eight to the pigeons
and then I start cleaning the breeding loft. There are 22 couples and
there is the most manure. At 9 o'clock all pigeons get food. It is then
light enough so there can be eaten without a lamp.
THE OLD PIGEONS COME NOW AND THEN OUTSIDE
I have moved away from my religion. Last week it was such nice mild
weather that I could not resist keeping the pigeons in. I left them at
11 o'clock and they could go in and out all day. At 3 o'clock the
sputnik were put in such a way that they could only get in and before
they were all inside they could still enjoy a bath in the open air
between 12 and 1 o'clock, something they really like. Yesterday it was
cold and in the afternoon it started to rain, I had left the sputnik
open (forgotten) and when I came up most of the pigeons lay in the
pouring rain, not to believe because I was flapping with my old body
from the cold. So most had to get soaked into the night. I do not know
if they have been cold, in the morning they all still lived and looked
fine. In the racing season I would get nervous of death, supposing they
would perform badly on the first flight you can hit yourself in front of
you. It does not mean that I now every day let pigeons outside that I
view every day. I have noticed that since I let the pigeons outside the
down molting has increased, sign that the outside air does the pigeons
well.
JUST A SECOND ABOUT A SUCCESSFUL BREEDING.
In the winter season you usually have more outages than in early spring.
A small number of unfertilized eggs, eggs with a dent or an egg with a
young in it that was not strong enough to get out of the egg. They are
all matters that have no influence on the racing season. It will be a
completely different story if half of the eggs are unfertilized or if
too many youngsters die after about ten days. Only then will the chance
of a good racing season become very small. The fault lies with the
fancier himself. The preparation for the breeding has been insufficient.
Too easy, forgot to let the pigeons vaccinate in time and failed to do
manure research. By making time to observe the pigeons once in a while
you can avoid a lot of trouble.
NEVER WAS JANAURI 24 SO WARM
When I get up in the morning it is a regular habit of me to read
extensive teletext. That has to do with my deafness. The whole day the
radio is on but for me too soft to be able to follow the spoken word
well. However in order to keep up to date with the latest news I use
teletext and only later in the morning the newspaper is read during
coffee. I also read teletext in the evening before going to bed. So I
read this morning with amazement that since the beginning of the
measurements in 1901 it has never been so hot in the Netherlands. The
day started with a temperature of 12.2 degrees Celsius and the
expectation is that it can be as high as 14 degrees. For Dutch standards
these are spring temperatures. Normally it would be that at this time of
year is skated, there is snow and there is plenty of ice fun. It seems
that this is going to be a thing of the past for our country. It will be
the books where our grandchildren can read how it used to be in the
Netherlands. The Netherlands the country of skating, the big question is
how often will we experience the fact that ditches, canals and lakes are
frozen so that long skating trips such as the world famous
Elfstedentocht of 225 km can be organized. Fortunately a lot of
international attention is being paid to global warming, a pity or
rather incomprehensible that certain countries do not worry about it
because it will have major consequences for the whole world. When I read
this great news about the record high temperature in the Netherlands I
also had to think about the possible consequences for the pigeon sport.
We and our pigeons live in the Netherlands a country with often huge
differences in weather types, we have been raised there and we do not
know better. That is the same with the inhabitants of the southern and
other warm countries and for the Eskimos. All those people are used to
their climate. The same applies to the pigeons. We Dutchmen panic when
our pigeons have their matches with temperatures of around 30 degrees
while such a thing in the hot countries is the most normal thing in the
world. In any case, it is important to think about how in the future
(does the pigeon sport still have a future?) our sport will look like.
For example; let us stop for a moment on the period in which pigeons are
played in the Netherlands. Normally from the last weekend of March to
the second half of September. Is that still possible if the temperatures
get higher every year and that is not the only thing, including the
increasingly large rain showers play a big role in this. In the
Netherlands I hear more and more the call to start the racing season
later, there are a number of well-founded reasons for this. If we
especially look at the weather for our sport there is probably something
forced to change. Who knows, maybe we will play until the end of
October. Or maybe the racing season should be shortened to just over 4
months. It is all still looking at coffee, that something is going to
change is as certain if twice to is four. In several southern countries
a summer break is very common and necessary.
SMILE FOR A BIT
We pigeon fanciers are all champions. There are so many different titles
that you can gradually see the forest through the trees. So this week my
eye fell on a report about a prize ceremony held in Belgium. If a lay
person reads something like this the wrinkles in the forehead will
abruptly more than double and, if present, the hair will stand up
spontaneously. The pigeon sport makes himself ridiculous on all sides.
Or has everything been done with premeditation? I am still of the time
that there were no middle distance races, everything under 500 km was
sprint and above was the long distance. One day and multi-day long
distance plus marathon did not yet appear in the pigeon dictionary. A
designated or demonstrated championship did exist, why did I never be
able to understand. It would be something for the real connoisseurs
among us, do not make me laugh. It has nothing to do with a match. At
the time it was all about the two top pigeons from the participation
list. The one who clocked these pigeons first or in time was eligible
for the title. Well, well what an achievement. The title was and still
is won by fanciers who own some regular pigeons and they are always at
the top of the list, that is not that difficult after all? It would be a
different story if everyone can give up a small number of pigeons that
are at the top of the list all season. Why such a title? We mostly play
every week in the Netherlands with a fixed number of pigeons that
compete for a championship title and that too is spreading sand in the
eyes of the average fancier. The large and mainly commercial fanciers
laugh at a lump, they can draw from a large number of pigeons every week
while the average fancier usually have no more than about thirty old
racing pigeons. They have at least the chance to rank among the
champions. By the commercial boys it’s about the total result where all
their entered pigeons can occur even though they are in their first ten
clocked pigeons no pigeon of their 25 or 30 pigeons that count towards
the championship it remains the same to them. They do not sell any
pigeons because they have become champion, in that world it is the
number of pigeons in the results. We will stop because there is enough
said about it. I am still for 1 champion and the ones that follow are
finished as 2nd or 3rd and so on, but under no circumstances may they be
called champions. Get rid of that fool! Despite the fact that we are
bursting with titles more and more commercial inventions are made, such
as the best Bourges pigeon or the best Chateauroux pigeon all with the
intention of selling pigeons where not only the boss something on. Here
is a summary about the "championships" about which this report started;
general champion, small speed youngsters, small speed yearlings; small
speed old pigeons, big speed youngsters, big speed yearlings, big speed
old pigeons, small middle distance youngsters, small middle distance
yearlings, small middle distance old birds, big middle distance
youngsters, big middle distance yearlings, big middle distance old
pigeons, grand middle distance old and yearling pigeons, long distance
old pigeons, grand distance old pigeons, in addition there are still in
18 different disciplines at least 3 ace pigeon (ace pigeon) titles to
win. There are games where up to 15 championships can be won per
discipline. Should go crazy if someone does not know how to classify
them in one way or another and then he may call himself champion. I've
been laughing for half an hour already.
HOW IS IT WITH THE GOOD INTENSIONS?
More than 1 week and then the first month of this new year is already
over. Fortunately it is a little longer light because I hate darkness. A
little while and then the wild birds start to make a new nest. Nature is
getting under way and the first drop-outs of good intentions have
already been reported. There is still a large group that cannot stay
away from their familiar cigarette and every day a little more exercise
appears to be too difficult for many people. Healthier eating is an
almost impossible task for young people in particular. A pizza and a
fries with a coke or a hamburger with extra sauce are dishes that are
still being served in large quantities in the beginning of this new
year, this is the time in which we live. The developments in the
electronic world are also continuing. You can count on it that the
coming 25 years will change a lot. In the car world we go to computer
send with fully electric motors and a step further and we drive on
hydrogen. The new cars are all equipped with a reversing camera, one
step further and they are equipped with a front camera and then it is
boarding and the car does the rest. And then we have not even talked
about all the possibilities that us all mobile phone has to offer in the
near future. For us elderly people it is even a bit creepy while our
grandchildren just consider it as a toy. In this new year I had decided
to give myself a little more insight into the use of the mobile phone
but I still have not got it and I'm afraid it will stay with the good
intentions. Every one's hobby, I keep it with my pigeons but it does not
mean that I close my eyes to the new developments. Can I keep it up? I
do not think so.
SETBACKS ARE THERE TO OVERCOME
Easier said than done. Today the eggs of the breeders have been laid
down for as many as possible with the racing pigeons of Marco. First of
all it was checked whether the eggs were fertilized and whether there
was a dulled egg in the nest here or there. When I arrived in the
breeding loft this evening there was a broken egg on the ground which
was the first setback. On paper we had recorded everything which eggs
would be placed under which flying couple. By one of the most important
pairs there was a dented egg in the dish. Bad luck, but that can be
overcome. We all know the expression "whether the devil plays", that
expression was very appropriate for what we were doing. Marco checked
all the eggs and then it comes; of exactly our two proven breeding
couples all four eggs were unfertilized. Unbelievable, isn’t it? We will
certainly not be the only ones where such a thing happens but it is and
remains very disappointing. You can talk about that for hours that does
not make any sense. The couples whose eggs are gone or unfertilized may
make a restart. At the same time I have put my 12 pairs of racing
pigeons together with the intention that a few eggs from the breeders
can be accommodated there in three weeks. I must confess that I was very
impressed with the condition of the hens, beautiful on weight and super
tight in the feathers. You would say that cannot go wrong but practice
is often a bit different. Tomorrow we'll have a quick look at whether
the couples have accepted each other and a day later we will cautiously
start letting the couples loose in the loft. The cocks have been "in the
box" for some time as we call it so they know where they live and the
hens will soon fly after hubby. We started by the breeders with the
6-day traditional drinking water cancer cure from dr. van der Sluijs.
THE SOAP OF THE FIXED FOOTRINGS
What name should we give to this blunder. I cannot name it anything
other than a blunder. Where that blunder is made I do not even want to
know. It has created a lot of conversation material. Many ugly words
have been used, perhaps not serious but intended as something of
powerlessness, anger and an expression of disappointment. It is
incomprehensible to us pigeon fanciers that something like this can
happen. Especially because it is not the first time that we as a Dutch
racing pigeon organization order a large amount number of rings. Many
fanciers have been panicked, fortunately a solution was found by
providing those who urgently needed rings emergency rings where it is
not possible to apply the chips. Hence emergency rings, admittedly a
solution but not ideal. It is to be hoped that hard work is being done
behind the scenes on a method whereby it is never possible that rings
are not delivered on time. I assume that NPO board and supplier are sick
of this extremely unpleasant situation. Only tranquility can save us. As
I understand the suffering has been suffered. I have read that I can
pick up the rings and also the golden rings on Friday night. What
matters now is that the golden rings are pushed onto the right pigeon's
foot because with this golden rings race an interesting amount can be
won. I like a bit of extra tension.
BLACKPOOL
I have written it so many times, the annual English manifestation in the
famous resort of Blackpool is unique in its kind. Unfortunately I was
not there this year either. I used to think that if I were not there
that it would not go on! It gets busier every year. More and more
visitors from the mainland of Europe know to find the way to Blackpool.
That's where it all happens. An unprecedented number of sales in
different locations, from a football canteen to the most luxurious hotel
where thousands of pigeons change owners. All large commercial boys are
present there personally or through their sales organization. It is very
unfortunate that commercialism is increasingly dominating. In that
respect it is absolutely no fun anymore. What is really fun the whole
city of Blackpool is dominated by the pigeon sport and until the small
hours there is plenty of fun. I cannot afford to go to Blackpool for a
weekend. From the Netherlands you are there within two hours, but then
...... you're going to beat that weekend especially if you like me also
like socializing which means that the days in the weekend of January 20
are very long and the nights very short. I am very happy that I have
been there several times because of the great contacts I had with mister
Louis Massarella. You may know that I'm a bit jealous of all those who
were there this year. You never know, if health permits I might risk it
again in 2019.
PIGEON SPORTS ALL YEAR ROUND
Fairly new within the pigeon sport is the game with the late youngsters.
The fanciers who are doing that have their youngsters, who were born in
October, flying around for quite some time. Despite possible problems
with the birds of prey these late youngsters have to go outside. They
have to train and therefore also have to deal with the hardness of
nature. Birds of prey must also eat and as we all know they prefer a not
to be scorned pigeon's bolt. The late youngsters are therefore more
attentive and keep a close eye on everything. Once they have been
introduced to an unexpected attack by a bird of prey they will soon
realize that the loft is the safest place. The boss does well to let
them train with an open loft. The winter breeders have seen the first
eggs come around the Christmas days so that their young acquisitions
could be ringed in the first days of 2018. Hopefully that has not caused
too big problems. Why problems? It has been a good practice for years
that in the Netherlands the rings between Christmas and New Year are
delivered to the administrators so that they can deliver the rings on 1
January to those who need them urgently. From that years of use had to
be deviated because the rings manufacturer could not deliver on time
which is definitely a bad thing. According to the reports the last rings
would be delivered on January 12 and the fanciers who urgently need
rings could submit a request to receive at least 1 January a number of
rings. I do not know if that has caused major problems. For us it is no
problem at all. We have put together the breeding pigeons on December 28
and when the eggs hatched the rings will be delivered. The pigeons came
well on time with eggs. After 12 days two couples had not yet laid, big
question is whether one of the hens is still laying. She has been stuck
on the nest for several days but not an egg, she is open but I fear with
great fear that things go wrong. The other couple let themselves chase
out of their breeding nest in the beginning, that cock has already a
cross behind his name. I certainly do not like that pigeons let
themselves chase out of their breeding loft, it is a newly formed couple
and the cock is only 1 year old. It is a grandson of the famous "Harry"
but that does not mean everything abvious.
A PART OF THE EGGS GOES TO THE RACE PIGEONS
We do not have any foster pairs so if we want to have more youngsters
from the breeders we will have to use the racing pigeons. My son Marco
has put his racing pigeons in line with the breeding pigeons that are
all with me, of that a number go to Marco. As soon as that happens I
will pair my racing pigeons so that part of the second round of eggs
from the breeders can be placed underneath. In this way we get a few
youngsters from the best racing pigeons plus that we have four
youngsters from the breeders in a short time if everything runs at least
as we hope. Yes, that is how we are all working in our own way with the
intention to breed a number of usable pigeons again this year which we
will enjoy and with which we can strengthen our colony. I have been
working like that for 70 years, I am still not a world champion but
despite the necessary setbacks I have been enjoying my pigeon hobby all
these years. Unfortunately there is now the first setback of this
breeding season. With a new breeding couple consisting of my best
breeding hen who is now eighth year paired with a one year promising
cock the neighbor has visited. What I have not experienced before with
that neighbor happened now. He apparently had such a need for brooding
that he tried to sit on the eggs of my best breeding pigeon. That was
obviously not accepted and that was fighting. In the morning the two
eggs next to the breeding dish were both with and dent so I could do
nothing but throw them away. I did put two stone eggs directly on it and
they are now brooding. The neighbor cock is locked up and that is also a
situation that I do not want to know about, but for the time being I
leave it that way. As soon as part of the eggs go to Marco I will also
remove the stone eggs so that a number of breeding couples start the
preparation of their second litter simultaneously. Now it is waiting a
few days to see if all the eggs have been fertilized. I must tell you
that my racing pigeons are also clearly ready to be coupled. That will
most likely be on Sunday the 14th of January. It gives me a good feeling
that the breeding pigeons are now coupled, no problems with fights and
yet it happens that a cock, otherwise a very good breeder, has destroyed
the nest of his left neighbors. In spite of the cold I can still afford
to stay with the breeders for a bit longer and also get a little more
pleasure in cleaning the lofts. It lives on the loft again and we need
some more time for the care. As of January 1 everything goes a little
more at fixed times which is good for the pigeons and certainly for the
boss. In the morning when I get up everything feels stiff, but when I'm
done with the care of the pigeons I feel a bit fitter.
THE CARE
I already know that it will be different than before. The hens do not
come outside in the morning. In the racing season I started at 7 o'clock
in the morning. I definitely do not do that anymore, it's just too early
for me. I decided to release the cocks at 8 o'clock as soon as possible,
then I'm ready at half past nine. In the afternoon the hens leave at
half past four and I hope that they can keep their training labor up for
an hour and a half. They get food at five o'clock and the cocks are
allowed to go outside for an hour. When the youngsters are away from
their parents they may spend an hour outside in the morning. As soon as
they are older and fly around the loft they go out twice a day. In the
morning from 9 to 10 o'clock and in the afternoon from 6 to 7 o'clock
but then we already live in April. Until that time I will see it per day
but for now all pigeons stay inside. They have not been outside since
the end of October and this is how it will be until mid-February. As of
March 1 everything will be accurate again. My son sometimes says; "Dad,
how the hell did you last this 70 years!"
A NEW YEAR WITH NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYONE.
When I still actively practiced cycling January 1 was the start of a new
road season. That was at the end of the fifties, the cycling calendar
indicated that there were almost no competitions. The months of November
and December were the night of entertainment for us and we almost did
not train. The weather conditions were often bad and we had never heard
of a foreign training camp. But as soon as the calendar gave January 1
it was done with the fun and was seriously lived again. We started
fitness training and as soon as we could we sit on the bike. The club
that I was a member of and am still (next year 65 years) already
organized in March the cycling classic De Ronde van Noord-Holland over
225 km. Now that the sport is much more professional and work is being
done with sophisticated training schedules it’s in the early spring not
even allowed to driven a course of 225 km at that time it did! Cycling
has always been a tough sport and certainly in those years. Everyone had
to figure it out for themselves, we trained like madmen and did not
really know whether we did it right or not. We must and would have at
least 2000 km in the legs before the Tour of North Holland started. In
any case it was a wonderful time that I still think back to with great
pleasure. Within the pigeon sport it is just like in cycling. Everything
starts much earlier and the programs are getting heavier. Throughout the
year there are cycling races and also the pigeon calendar shows a
crowded program with sometimes three races in a weekend. Not surprising
that there is more and more specialization in every branch of sport.
Within the sport of cycling it is now the six days that demand attention
and also the cyclo-cross is running at full speed. For the pigeon sport
the time of the honors of all kinds of national competitions breaks up
and there are also a number of big shows of which I still think
Blackpool is the most beautiful and spectacular. Next year also for the
very first time the tribute of the VERY BEST pigeons from the
Netherlands. This is a competition with the same conditions that the
F.C.I. is prescribed for participation in a racing pigeon Olympiad. The
competition the "very best" is organized by the Neerlands Postduiven
Orgaan.
THE "VERY BEST" ARE KNOWN
Immediately in the beginning of the new year is started the presentation
of the 10 best pigeons completed with their performance list achieved in
the categories speed-middle distance-one-day long distance - marathon -
yearlings - old pigeons - all-round pigeons and last and certainly not
as unimportant the youngsters. No less than eight categories with the
best pigeons in the Netherlands. It is almost unbelievable what our
pigeons are capable of so it is not surprising that the Dutch racing
pigeon is highly regarded all over the world. After the presentation of
the very best pigeons on our site has taken place there is obviously a
worthy and stylish ceremony. There is plenty of work behind the scenes.
The final date will be announced very soon.
WINTER BREEDING IS NOT A JOKE
Now the first youngsters to be born it is important that everything in
the loft is set accordingly. In this time of the year it can be cold and
therefore a well-filled brooding dish with a mat underneath is not a
luxury. When the fancier spends all the care on the new generation he
will be amply rewarded from the summer. I've known fanciers where the
winter youngsters just lay in a bare stone bowl, I do not understand how
someone is capable of doing that. They are fanciers who wanted to
participate in winter breeding as well but had not prepared anything and
did absolutely did not want to do anything for it. They were winter
champions with strong stories at the bar and in the summer they were
invisible. Our pigeons should not lack anything especially now that they
do not come out at all and everything is focused on a good breeding.
Fresh vegetables, minerals and fresh grit are a prerequisite. Drinking
water is also something like this, the pan must never be empty and as
soon as it freezes the boss must ensure that there is no ice on it. As
soon as the youngsters are about ten days old I feed the pigeons three
times a day and I give water three times a day when the weather is cold.
Maybe that's not necessary at all but it gives me a good feeling and
that's why I do that. I hate if something fails during the breeding
where I can blame myself. No, it all has to be correct and if you then
have a nice team of youngsters running that gives a good feeling. It is
still the intention that our breeders come together between Christmas
and New Year. However, there is still a problem and these are the mice.
I have tried everything, put clamps and put glue paper everywhere, I do
not catch one. I sometimes see one or two run away, they are very dark
in color, I think it's not the gray house mice but field mice. Possibly
I have more knowledge of pigeons than of mice. I hate those little
rodents an because they are ideal disease transporters. They also
disturb the rest in the loft and as soon as the pigeons are brooding and
they get a visit at night of those scum you even have a chance that the
pigeons will run from the eggs. Mice are even able to crawl under the
mat that lies at the bottom of the breeding bowl. I do not want to pair
earlier than the mice in my loft have been exterminated. For the time
being that seems like an almost impossible tasks
PLAYING WITH LATE YOUNGSTERS
It is becoming increasingly common for fanciers to play with youngsters
that were born in the period August / September. It is not new and there
are more and more fanciers who try it because here and there fantastic
results are achieved. It is a game that costs quite a lot of pigeons. I
myself have played with some late youngsters and I will have done it
wrong because I did not have one left. I also did not have that much
with late youngsters, they just walk in the way and to breed with you
have to wait more than a year and I did not feel like it. I know
fanciers who are formidable with late youngsters and I even know that
late youngsters in the long distance of the best pigeons of our country
have ended. To achieve this these pigeons have to be taken away many
times and that also happens, even in such bad weather conditions that we
do not think about going out with them in the summer months. It is just
what you love it is not for me and maybe I would also do it if I was 40
years younger then nothing was too much for me.
PARTY MONTH DECEMBER IS BEYOND, EVERYTHING IS AS USUAL
In the first place I want to start by wishing you all a very prosperous,
healthy and successful 2018. After all the fun that the month of
December had to offer us it was a nice feeling to pick up the thread of
all days again. We are going in the right direction, the shortest day is
already a few days behind us. We are on our way to spring but we are not
there yet we have two cold months ahead of us and in March we can have
plenty of snow fun. The situation in the world is still not rosy but we
are concerned about a dent in an egg of a bald young lying next to the
dish. What the hell are we talking about? Last weekend we had our annual
club exhibition, it became a top-class debacle. Never has there been a
year that I did not participate in my more than 70 year old pigeon
career. It is first and foremost a fun weekend in the quiet winter
period and it is fun to look back and of course to the plans for 2018
with sports friends. Curious about the results of the judge is almost
nobody. It is mainly about commerce in our sport. It predominates
unfortunately the overtone which through fanciers do not spontaneously
talk anymore about their hobby. The large lofts are increasingly
dominating and little fanciers are increasingly taking off against the
big boys. Maybe not quit right but it happens and that goes ten expense
of the atmosphere in the club. In our club we have no big boys and no
commercial boys. In that respect matters are in balance which is not the
case with the performances. Fortunately we have an A group and a B
group. In the A games we play with 8 men and the rest of the members
play in the B. In our show 13 members join and the rest failed and that
is especially disappointing for the organization. Fortunately I have
experienced very different times, as far as social life is concerned
"golden times". It is no more, most of us are old we are not anxious to
go on the dance floor. Yet it happened much more disciplined in my
younger years. We felt obliged to participate in everything the club
organized, we were real club people. That seems to be a dying kind. More
and more clubs are defunct, we have to get used to the situation that we
are with lesser fanciers and therefore play with fewer pigeons. That is
not to say that it is less fun that is why it is important that every
club has an active board because there are lots of things to think that
are good for an atmosphere. Then the members must see that something
only can happen as if each member cooperate
WILL CHRIS FROOME COME SOON IN THE LIST OF USERS OF BANNED RESOURCES?
This summer the Dutch pigeon sport was startled by a fraud case. A
manager from the province of Noord-Brabant had seen opportunities to
cheat the things and he still managed. Until a day came when he fell
through the basket. Worse than to bug your sports friends is not there.
I understand that the man is now suspended for 5 years and what else is
attached to him I do not know at the moment but I'm going after it! Only
a penalty of 5 years for what he has on his conscience is insufficient.
The next important question that needs to be answered in the cycling
world is; "has the English top cyclist Chris Froome also found his way
to the candy box?" Would be a great pity if that were true. For the time
being where there is smoke fire is usually also present. We cannot do
anything else then wait and see and this is almost certain again a rider
ends up on the list of fraudsters. Riders who have ensured that we have
been sitting on the tip of our seat several times to watch the
incredibly exciting moments in the big cycling races. The American Lance
Armstrong took care of that, the Dutchman Michael Boogerd, the Belgian
Freddy Martens and what about Tommy Simpson and that way I can name 50
more without much effort. Commerce and doping / fraud, we will never get
rid of it within the sport. Unfortunately!
FLIGHT PROGRAM 2018 KNOWN
For years there is too much time spent on that. Recently a national
program has been adopted and now it is all about keeping our 11
departments there. In my department there is a speed flight added and
further the whole program is equal to 2017. In itself I think it's a
great program, I honestly did not go into that in depth. That time is
behind me and now the youngsters (unfortunately there are almost no
longer) are allowed to commit to this. I have seen that there are game
opportunities for me every week and I can live with that. Just as the
ideal car does not exist, the ideal flight program will probably not
exist. Yet every year there are a number of those smarties who think
they know better. That is how it has been for so long I am a member of
the pigeon organization. In any case, on 7 April we will start with a
series of 6 speed flights and on 7 September we will be ready. A week
later there is still the possibility to play a joint competition with
our sports friends from South Holland. So everything is arranged that
there is opportunity for everyone who wants to play with pigeons every
week.
NEW YEAR RECEPTION
A nice start in the new year. Our club has that on Friday evening
January 5. Then the rings for 2018 can be collected. I have the idea
that several members on January 1 at the ring administrator have been at
the door because they urgently needed their rings. If you pair November
26 then you have the first youngster on Christmas and they will be on
January 5 too big to be able to ring them in a decent way. There are
fanciers who can ring them so to speak when they are 3 weeks old. This
has to be done with a lot of art and flying work and I think it is with
a lot of pain and effort, I just do not like it. Unfortunately, there
are fanciers who have almost forgotten that their pigeons are living
creatures and that they have to be cared in a good way and that includes
rings in time.
DUTCH POST PIGEON SPORT ON LIST OF IMMATERIAL (CULTURAL) HERITAGE
The signing of the certificate took place on Sunday 10 December during
the national days of the NPO held in Rosmalen. This is an important step
for the preservation and future of the Dutch pigeon sport. The NPO thus
has the obligation to consciously and actively set in to keep its
immaterial heritage alive and to give it a future. The NPO has made a
good care plan for this. Even Monday night in the TV program Hello
Netherlands attention was paid. Heritage is the term used to indicate
what one inherits from ancestors (inheritance). The importance of
heritage is determined and supported by a society. In other words the
term heritage is awarded to matters that people value, identify and want
to preserve for future generations. As a foundation of a society works
the matter also in a future-oriented way.
INBREEDING OR CROSSING
A part of the pigeon sport is the breeding period. At many lofts this
period has started. This means that many fanciers have determined how
they will or will have coupled the breeding pigeons, inbreeding or
crossing. Both are done with the intention to breed a number of usable
pigeons again. It is inbreed as soon as twice or even several times the
same pigeon occurs in the pedigree of a pigeon up to and including the
great-grandparents. Niece x cousin is the lightest form of inbreeding
and often gives the desired results for a usable racing pigeon. Too
close inbreeding, brother x sister, parent x child will not produce the
desired result. Why would you do something like that? After all pigeons
cannot pass on what they do not have in themselves. Inbreeding can only
be done with the very best you have in your loft and then especially to
keep up the good quality you have in the loft. Those breeding products,
provided they meet the strict requirements of the final selection, can
be used for a new breeding couple in crossbreeding. The children from
that couple can be put back against their own kind. Certainty to breed
better quality is almost never there but it is a good method to try to
build up your own tribe. Beginners can best start with pigeons from two
different lofts that have a good inbreeding family, so a well-bred
strain. Those two lines against each other give a greater chance of a
good after-breeding. In my own loft I have tried everything in the 70
years that I have pigeons. I made so much work of the breeding that I
sometimes could not sleep. With what I described above I still had on
average the best results. But ... best fanciers there are so many
examples of all kinds of coincidences that you just as well cannot make
a study to form the right couples. Why would you? Too close inbreeding
is not advisable, free pairing is just a bit too far away. This week I
heard a story from a leading fancier who probably has the best middle
distance pigeon in one of the national competitions. The mother was a
good racing pigeon but because she had a so called "lay butt" she got a
place in the nursery loft. A lay butt occurs in hens who feel as if they
have to lay an egg but there is nothing, but the coccyx is completely
wide and her ass feels fat. That hen was courted by a young cock who had
never been in the basket. She lay one good egg but there arise one of
the best middle distance pigeons in our country, so more luck than
wisdom! For example I was once with a fancier who had put his pigeons
together that same day. There was another breeding loft available and
there were still about thirty pigeons running on the floor. At the last
moment a dark hen was chosen and a dark cock with a number of white tail
feathers. The man had so many pigeons that he hardly looked at the
pedigree of the pigeons. Two years later the pair of the white-tailed
male turned out to be by far the best breeding couple, one good after
another rolled out. I have put together two champion pigeons several
times and the breeding results were not immediately to write home.
Occasionally it was the case that their nothing-performing nest mate
produced much better youngsters. Try to discover something like that,
what do you have to look at? Are that the eyes, the feathers, the
temperament, their strong coccyx, their limp at the top, the short rear
wing, the broad chest, the short or long sternum, the narrow flight
feathers, the breeding feathers under the wing. We can look and do what
we want, we can think we understand it, forget it! The late Jos Klak
once said it; we all know absolutely nothing about it. And yet we keep
looking in the eye, pull out the wing and name it. It is all hobby and
does not make any sense. There are fanciers who do not look at anything.
They keep every year all the remaining youngsters and bring their older
or lesser pigeons to the poulter or to the sales because they bring
something more than with the poulter. You wonder how you get better
pigeons that way. In any case I will go to the fancier himself.
THE STATE AT THE LOFT
There is more and more overview on the loft. Not all pigeons that can be
gone are gone. However the 24 breeding couples that I now own together
with my son Marco are paired on paper. Almost certainly we put them
together on December 28 and then the party can begin. The cocks all know
their own breeding loft which prevents the necessary fights when they
are allowed out of the breeding lofts for the first time. The first two
days they remain locked up and then they can turn loose in the loft. I
am then often in the loft to be able to intervene if there are heavy
fights. The days are currently extended with artificial light. The hens
are nice on weight but the cocks are a bit too heavy but that will be
reduced as soon as they are coupled because they will pay more attention
to the female than eating. My son Marco pairs the racing pigeons with
the breeders at the same time so that eggs can be placed under his
racing pigeons from certain breeding pairs. I wait for a while I am glad
that I have a little more overview. Because a large part of Marco his
pigeons were with me now I finally get some more air. I pair my racing
pigeons so that I can lay a number of eggs from the second round of the
breeders. At the moment we are on a mouse hunt, they are mostly field
mice that pull through the cold to the houses. Those sorts do eat the
bags of food and I would not have any of that. Everywhere there are
clips with a piece of cheese, peanut butter or bread. I only caught one
in five days. I used to have glue to catch those critters, that always
succeeded because even though they were stuck with a whisker they never
came loose again. That glue can no longer be sold, I have now let myself
be told that there are sheets of paper with a layer of glue on it. I'm
looking for that now because the sooner the rodents are gone, the
better. I'm still worried that mice can transmit diseases, they urinate
in the grit and food bowl and they play water polo in the drinking
trough, away with it!
THE DOWN MOLT IS THE INDICATOR OF A GOOD PIGEONS LOFT
A well-known saying within pigeon sport is; "in the winter the prizes
for the following year are earned". That expression is based on the
molt. All birds are subjected to this natural phenomenon. A good molt
gives good health and is for our pigeons of the utmost importance for
good breeding and flying results. With good breeding results is meant
the growth of the young pigeons. It has nothing to do with quality. Even
the worst pigeons can have beautiful youngsters in the nest. We do not
know what the flight performance of the young guard will be until the
end of the season and we do not know everything yet. It happens all too
often that youngsters who perform more than well in their year of birth
do not make a difference as a yearling. The opposite happens even more
often and you only will know if you keep pigeons that have performed as
young moderately. It regularly happens that they play the stars of
heaven as a yearling. Usually this is done by pigeons who the boss like
and have not come through the selection on the basis of performance. The
molt of our pigeons lasts the whole year and that is just as well. The
boss can see how it is done with health. Every morning when I come into
the loft the first thing I do is check if there are a few tufts
everywhere. Especially in the racing season with the widowers it is
enjoyable to look in the breeding lofts and see beautiful little dry
manure balls on which there are a few tufts. Then you start whistling
with the general care of your colony because you have seen that it is
good with health. The big molt normally starts in August. The season for
the old pigeons has been done and in fact it would be good for the
pigeons not to play them anymore. But other interests also play a role
in that period. Especially nowadays with all those different (national)
competitions commercial interests. That is why every effort is made to
slow down the molt. Or if that has a good or bad influence we can see in
January then all pigeons must have passed through the molt. Those who do
winter breeding can do so only with breeding pigeons that are already
separated from the beginning of August. It would be even better to have
the eggs of these pigeons hatched by feeding couples and that means we
have to keep more pigeons. The season has only just ended but we are now
already busy with breeding and at the end of January all lofts are full
again. I never have had any problem with that but now I do not have to
think to care for so many pigeons and caring is something more than
throwing a handful of food into the loft every day. We can do that to
keep our chickens to the leg but pigeons where performance is expected
require a different treatment. They are all top athletes, they may lack
nothing and for that you have to establish a complete training and care
schedule. A lot of work but if everything goes as the boss has in mind
the effort is not for nothing and that gives a more than satisfied
feeling.
THE FIRST EGGS ARE THERE
Not by me yet. Our breeding pigeons, indeed our breeding pigeons,
because from this year Marco and I have joined forces by making use of
our joint breeding loft. Between Christmas and New Year the 24 couples
are put in the way we recorded it on paper some time ago. Certainly know
that something will be changed at the last minute. Maybe because a
couple does not want to know anything about each other or that we think
that the particular cock can be better placed against another hen. All
events that belong to our hobby. Free pairing we do not accept. You also
have more honor from your work if you have bred some very good pigeons
that you have put together yourself. I used to pay attention to the fact
that I did not put two pigeons together with the same eyes. I do not
want to say that it is silly but I do not look at it anymore and breed
just as much bad and good as before. When forming the breeding couples I
paid attention to the fact that I put as much as possible a large one
against a smaller pigeon this with the intention to breed a type of
medium size. Do you know what happened? Whether large or small types
came from that couple, compensation breeding is almost impossible at
least that is my experience. Obviously you put the two best pigeons
against each other and if you can you must try to breed at least four or
even six youngsters from that pair. In itself very good but it does not
guarantee the quality. It regularly occurs that a top pigeon is bred
somewhere in the racing loft of two yearlings who have not yet produced
any noteworthy flight performances. That is why I have always bred out
all my pigeons. Pigeons that, according to the boss, are worth a place
in the racing loft are in my opinion also worth breeding. The problem is
that we all have too many pigeons. In most lofts there are too many
breeding pigeons (at least that is how they are called), that is why
only two youngsters are bred from most of the pairs, in fact this would
have to be at least four for that we have breeding pigeons. If you only
breed two youngsters every year you will never find out what the
breeding value is. If we breed four youngsters from all breeding couples
and also keep a few pigeons from the race pigeons the lofts will bulge
out. Then we come to the point of how many good pigeons come from one
and the same breeding couple. Usually not one and sometimes one and
fortunately there are also examples of breeding couples who regularly
put usable pigeons on the world. It shows how difficult or complicated
it is to breed a number of pigeons by a minimum occupation each year to
keep our colony up to standard but that is also the charm of our hobby.
The bottom line is that we know very little about it and that we need
every year a dose of luck to breed good ones. I still argue this way.
Together with my son Marco we have 24 breeding couples and they are all
there for us and for no one else. They are our breeding pigeons and we
do not care what pairs of pigeons produce pigeons that get enough. It
cannot lie on the descendants, if that would not be good such pigeons
are not in our breeding loft.
THE PROPERTY OF A TOP PIGEON.
They are bred every year and are a rich asset. It is a great feeling to
have bred a pigeon yourself and it is absolutely fantastic to have a few
brothers and sisters of that qualitatively almost inferior to that one
absolute topper. Such a loft has a particularly good commercial value
and is even of vital importance to a number of fanciers. We can ask
ourselves whether it is still commercially important to have a top
pigeon in our loft. The past weekend I have followed a two-day Internet
auction, a bigger success is almost imaginable. Great what a gaining for
mainly youngsters with a beautiful pedigree of mostly famous commercial
fanciers. But we have already mentioned it several times, that does not
give any guarantee. There was also a sale of young pigeons (from each
breeding couple only one) that had never been in the basket but had been
bred especially for that internet sale, average yield more than 5000
euros each. Without doubt a fantastic result, something to be jealous
of. Commerce can no longer be seen separately from any sport. Every
sport depends on it and within the pigeon sport there are even more
fanciers whose simple pigeon hobby has become vital. Fortunately that
these men are not dependent on sales in their own country, poverty would
be a trump card. The time that there was a proof of ownership from a
pigeon with the ring number of the father and mother on the back,
despite the fact that I also profit from the trade, yet many times more
fun.
SINTERKLAAS IS IN THE COUNTRY AGAIN
Oh, oh what a beautiful children's party. Every year the Good Holy
Father celebrates his birthday on December 5th and presents with his
followers a gift to all small children. A party that has existed for a
long time and where there has been a lot of commotion in recent years.
Sinterklaas and his faithful servant is Zwarte Piet and in addition the
Saint still has more servants of the same color. The discussion is about
the black color and the name servant, which has already disappeared,
which is according to the anti-Black Pete group is discriminatory. Many
find this far-fetched but unfortunately the discussion has ensured that
the assistants of Sinterklaas are not everywhere black anymore. Too bad
that big people go so far. Luckily the children do not know and they
sing Sinterklaas songs every night until December 5 in the hope of
finding a present in their shoes the next morning. Also I as a child
went to sleep every night after I had song by the stove to be sure that
I had something in my shoe the next morning and I would definitely put a
carrot and some hay for the beautiful white horse of St. Nicholas. As a
child you could not sleep and in the early morning I went out of bed to
see if the saint had been. Now I am a grandfather myself and together
with my grandchildren I sang the highest song, unfortunately they are
now too big to believe in Sinterklaas. At my age you almost really
believe in Sinterklaas again. There have been many years that I only had
stuff for my pigeons on my wish list. In the Netherlands the Sinterklaas
feast was more important than Christmas for generations. More and more
Christmas days take the upper hand by surprising family groups with a
valuable gift. Christmas is a big family celebration although many do
not know what it is all about. We are already busy with the
preparations, unfortunately that is not the case in a large part of the
world.
WINTER BREEDING
In pigeon land is the winter breeding where we worry about. At many
lofts the breeding
and perhaps also the racing pigeons are together again. The season is
emotionally only just coming to an end or the new generation is already
coming. I am sure that in many lofts the final selection has not yet
been completed. It is also no easy task to decide which pigeons may or
may not stay. It is not easy to say goodbye to pigeons that you have
been working on for a couple of years. Especially with the older pigeons
it is difficult to decide about life or death. Everyone knows that we
cannot keep all pigeons. After all our hobby also demands race
improvement and that includes a strict selection. As a child I could not
sleep if my father had said that there were too many pigeons. I knew
then that we would eat pigeon soup for several weekends. My brother who
had nothing to do with pigeons was crazy about pigeon soup and was
usually the first at the table. I ate it but with every bite I took I
had to think of the pigeons and in my thought I heard them still cooing.
So it was with our rabbit. You cared him the whole year with the
knowledge that he had to believe it with Christmas. That was not only
the case with us, it was the most normal thing in the world in my
childhood. At that time we had never heard of winter breeding. Our
pigeons were usually coupled during the third weekend of February, we
did not have breeding pigeons at that time. The racing pigeons were also
the breeders. These were not just breeders they were all performance
pigeons without a name. We only knew the last three digits of the ring
number. With pigeons that were sold or donated was only a proof of
ownership with at the back the ring number of the hen or the cock. You
had to do it with that and that was enough for that time. In my opinion
the breeding results were also better because the selection was much and
much stricter than is currently the case. Most fanciers did not have the
money to keep many pigeons. In many lofts money was played was played
for money even though it was not large amounts it counted. Most fanciers
bought their food with at most five kilos at a time and that cost no
more than two guilders (90 eurocents). Such amounts could be earned
several times per flight so that the pigeons could earn their own costs.
That’s how it worked, pigeons where the boss had all confidence got
money with but had to bring home the fivefold. If they did not succeed
several times they signed their own death warrant. Nowadays are mainly
played for championships in the Netherlands. The money game, even if it
concerns small amounts, has largely disappeared from the sport and with
it the quality of the pigeons. Every pigeon had to earn its place even
if he or she had such good parents or performing brothers or sisters,
every pigeon had to perform. Perhaps that is the main reason that fewer
youngsters were lost in those years. Nowadays there is only just breed.
Wherever two wings are attached it is allowed to produce youngsters
especially if a beautiful name has been made up along with a pedigree
where, for an observant fancier, nothing but baked air is placed on.
About the pigeon itself there is almost nothing but it’s mostly about
the great-grandparents who once made an appealing achievement. But what
the hell do we have to do with such a meaningless pigeon. I cannot say
that we are not doing well right now but it is true that we were doing
different and better in the seventies and eighties. Now that we all have
more money to spend the buying craziness has erupted so that the number
of disappointed fanciers is increasing. In the Netherlands the fanciers
have it through. They do, except a few, not participate anymore to count
astronomical amounts. Pigeon sport is becoming more and more commercial
while you cannot even win a brush and a can in the Netherlands. Name
pigeons you must have, then you can sell something on the internet.
Whether you can prove the buyers a service is doubtful. In this article
we were talking about race improvement of racing pigeons, so think
carefully about how to act. With proven racing pigeons you do not even
have the guarantee to breed good pigeons let alone with the kind
described above.
ARE THE BREEDERS READY?
The weekend of November 26 is for many fanciers the beginning of a new
season. Those who are going to do winter breeding have put the couples
together on paper for a long time. From experience I know that there are
still changes made on the day of pairing. It is a matter of deliberation
and weighing which cock is against which hen, always an exciting
activity. In my younger years I could lie awake for nights because I did
not manage to form the couples in such a way that I would breed nothing
but good youngsters. When I finally knew how I would put them together a
heavy burden fell off me. I was almost certain that it would become top
with this new coupling. In my dreams I challenged all competitors
because I was so sure of my case that I would not know with the best
will of the world who could beat me. Beautiful thoughts that never and
never came out, now I know better. It is the same song every year. Most
with lots of care composed couples are disappointing and that is a good
thing. For the pigeon sport it would be disastrous if every year only
good youngsters were born in all lofts. In every loft it is still
feasting when a youngster is born that performs remarkably well
especially when the same pigeon as a yearling can once again achieve
excellent performances. They exist, however you have to look for them
with a light. If you have doubts about what I am writing step into your
loft now and see how many real good pigeons you have from 5 years and
younger, maybe there are ten. You do not believe that yourself or you
have to believe all those wild stories of fanciers who know how to breed
nothing but just good pigeons. Suppose the average fancier breeds 50
youngsters per year, that's in 5 years 250. Just count how many of those
250 are left. If there are indeed ten top pigeons you will undoubtedly
belong to the national top. Just a little longer and there is plenty of
breeding and all fanciers have 100% confidence again. Maybe the newly
purchased breeding pigeons bring good luck or maybe that formidable
widower of 2017 will produce a bunch of pigeons in 2018 with which we
can go a few years further. So we all have our dreams or expectations it
is just how you want to call it. Fortunately it is not just about
disappointment. Most fanciers are happy if they can come along
reasonably well, it's not just about victory. Other (head) prizes also
ensure that we enjoy our hobby. As in other sports there will always be
fanciers who perform better. Do not be jealous but have appreciation for
performances maybe there will be a time when you give the other a sporty
beating. This is how the pigeon sport works. The rivalry ensures that
pigeon racing remains a nice game. As long as everyone tries to beat his
neighbor there will be a healthy fight every week, think about that. To
beat the neighbor is more beautiful for many than a victory in a big
context.
EXHIBITION IS DISAPPOINTMENT
I have remembered these wise words from my father. It comes from the
time that many fanciers took part in a show with their best pigeons.
Everyone was curious how the man in the white coat judged the pigeons.
Then there were judges who evaluated the pigeons on the basis of the
regulations and unfortunately the best racers were almost never
considered for a prize. The spirit ran back, fanciers hooked of because
they did not want to go off at the annual club show. It had to be said
that in the past years there were many judges who themselves performed
below par. Then you soon get the remark; what does that guy imagine
himself he cannot come along and does he have to condemn my pigeons?
Because it was like that, pigeons with low points were condemned in the
eyes of the fancier and not judged. There were also judges who were able
to judge a pigeon. Just as good as there are good football coaches who
cannot kick a dent in a packet of butter, that is also possible. Still
there were then many fanciers curious about the results of the
inspection but that time seems to be over. Fanciers find that they can
do it better themselves. Here too the best mates are still on shore. Yet
it is a shame that everything is different. Nowadays you have to lie on
your knees to get participants for your own club show, actually too
crazy for words. At our last meeting was asked who wanted to use pigeons
for the show of our ensemble, no human! In the end our club joined as
expected with 5 quartets. Last year we were the best and that is what we
wanted to be again. That same afternoon the pigeons that were eligible
for participation were selected in our club building. This time too our
20 pigeons (5 quartets) were judged the best so that the club prize was
won by my club. No applause but the necessary commotion. It would not be
not fair that our pigeons were pre-selected and that was reminded by the
chairman during the award ceremony. Envy and unsportsmanlike I cannot
make anything else.
FANCIERS ASK AS HOW LONG IT TAKES
This summer the Dutch pigeon sport was startled by a serious fraud case.
The fraudster is the president of the local pigeon club, has a board
position at provincial level and was even involved in the use of the
pigeons. The man has admitted that he did indeed play unfairly some
times. Despite this in his club of barely 20 members there are still a
number of members against the dismissal of their chairman. Cause; no
statement has yet been made by the NPO. For many fanciers the statement
is far too long. You may wonder why? After all the man has known debt
and from a later check it appears that he did not just piss off the pot
this year. The good man had been monitored for a longer period of time
but could not be caught immediately. Is not a simple matter and a
question was asked about this at the last NPO meeting. Nobody knows
exactly how to act when someone is suspect. That is indeed a serious
matter and if you do not know exactly how to act crucial mistakes can be
made. In spite of that it should not be that difficult to release the
suspect (who has known debt) from his position and to exclude him from
further participation or membership. "Your own fault, big bump", they
say by us.
EVENTS
Our national football team has many loyal supporters which is not
surprising because it belonged for many years to the best national teams
in the world. Unfortunately, the number of loyal supporters is after the
Netherlands has not placed itself before the World Cup in Russia
drastically reduced. Understandably, the nauseating behavior of the
players, the disappointing results and the too high upgraded quality of
the national coach are far below par. Perhaps the press has written our
orange team up too much. The same is now the case with our skaters. The
Netherlands is the ideal ice-skating country but if other countries do
not stand still with development competition will increase. That was
seen during the first World Cup matches in the Dutch skating temple in
Heerenveen. It is annoying to have to note that the Dutch skaters more
or less drove away what was caused because the noses of especially the
men skaters were not the same way. So we will also have to be careful
that something like this happens in pigeon land. For some time a new
board has been working to set out uniform lines for everyone who wants
to join the races. That the decisions are not satisfactory for everyone
is simply an impossible task. The positive thing is that for every
fancier every week are game possibilities, a situation with which we
have to be very happy. Nevertheless there are all kinds of
counter-proposals. When is the time that we are largely unanimous, which
should actually be very simple. We must have confidence in our national
board but not only confidence we also have to support them. Only in this
way pigeon sport will have a healthy future. On November 4 another step
in the right direction was taken during the national members' meeting.
IN CONVERSATION WITH A BEGINNER
It happens sporadically that you get into conversation with someone who
has chosen pigeon sport as a hobby. Fortunately there are plenty of
opportunities to start. We older fanciers can contribute our part. The
best thing is to tell novices nothing about pigeon magazines or even
worse give information about sales sites. Advise them to read a lot of
books about the pigeon sport, a beginning pigeon fancier will learn
something from that. From sales sites and magazines with only a list of
all kinds of results beginners become not wiser. Tell them that they
will take a look at regional pigeon shows at this time of the year.
There they can admire the finest pigeons from fanciers in their
neighborhood. There is also a possibility to get in conversation with
the winners of the show or with other famous players from the area.
Everyone is then in the opportunity to make an appointment for one or
even multiple loft visits. That is interesting and educational. At such
shows you often have the opportunity to buy a voucher or pigeon from
famous regional and even national champions for a reasonable price.
Recently I got into conversation with a starter. It was someone from the
back of the fifties who had as a child pigeons and never did anything
with it. Here we see that it is important that at a very young age
knowledge is made with keeping pigeons then there is a big chance that
in later life will they will come back. It is comparable to someone who
once sat with his ass on a road bike, you will never forget that feeling
again and cycling will always keep them interested. That is also the
case with our pigeon sport that is also a kind of addiction, once
pigeons always pigeons! It is important that beginners hear nothing but
positive stories. The pigeon sport is and remains a wonderful hobby at
home. The pigeon sport is not a cheap hobby but which hobby is? You can
make every hobby as expensive as you want. It is better to build up the
hobby slowly, everyone will have to start with a learning period. The
pigeon sport will have to play a lot more on this. With newspaper
reports about a pigeon sold for 500,000 euros we do not get any new
members. The beginner I spoke last was with 500 euros in his pocket went
to a room sale with the intention to buy a young hen of high-performing
parents. The man went home disillusioned because there was no pigeon
below the thousand euro. I told him that the price paid for a pigeon
says nothing about quality. I have not told him what happened last week
in North Limburg. There was a sale of youngsters brought together by
prominent Belgian and Dutch fanciers. The craziness was complete there.
Among the four most expensive pigeons of the sale were three of the
Belgian Willy Daniels. He is the man whose pigeon was sold a few weeks
ago for four tons. Without doubt a very good pigeon but for 4 tons you
can also do a lot of other fun things. Willy is also a fancier who
easily sells his best pigeons and always ensures that he has one or even
several good pigeons in the cage in no time. Selling such a very
expensive pigeon also has other very large commercial advantages, the
entire loft is upgraded. The proof of this was delivered last week
during an room auction. Three youngsters were sold for respectively
80.400 49.200 and 43.200 euros. The total yield of the 168 pigeons
offered for sale was 941.000 euros (average 5.600 per pigeon). If during
a regional show tickets and pigeons are offered for sale with the
intention of giving the club cash a financial injection then there is
loud applause when for 20 pigeons in its totality around 1500 euros is
offered and then I do not talk about the quality because it will
certainly not be inferior to those pigeons that are sold for an average
of 5.000 euros or more. Those expensive up-written pigeons come only
from commercial fanciers who often owe their name to top performances
from one of their pigeons. They breed throughout the summer to sell as
many pigeons as possible in the winter months. In regional sales the
donors do their utmost to supply a high-quality pigeon that usually
comes from their best breeding or racing couple. No, all those gigantic
amounts are not good for the pigeon sport but for the fanciers himself.
Who of us would not occasionally want to sell a pigeon for a gigantic
amount? Of course most of us want that. We can ask ourselves whether we
get new members as a result. It seems more obvious to me that we lose
more. That is how the novice I spoke last thinks about it.
DISAPPOINTING
We recently had our fall meeting from the club. The attendance of the
members was good, unfortunately the reactions to the new proposals for
the next season were not immediately positive. I then thought about the
novice I had spoken. There flashed through me "if that man had
experienced this meeting he might have been screaming run away". Just as
badly I found the enthusiasm to participate in the annual exhibition.
Nobody raised his finger as a sign that he was participating. Only when
father and son Braspenning indicated that they certainly participated
were very careful still some fingers up. Last year our club had the
finest collection then you surely want to defend that achievement.
Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that way.
WINTER DAYS
The preparations for winter breeding has started although we are not yet
ready for it. Neither is it necessary because we have still three weeks
to reunite the sexes. The para-coli cure of doctor van der Sluis is
behind. Something more than two weeks in a row ALL PIGEONS have had this
cure in their drinking water. As previously responded my son and I
combined our strengths by cultivating one another. The breeding cage has
been completely made up. Dust free, spider webs removed, all corners
sucked out with the vacuum cleaner. After that everything done with the
burner (a better disinfectant does not exist) minor repair and then
everything with the syringe against pests, lice and other spikes. The
nest boxes had been cleaned some time ago. The next week they get a
vaccination against paramixo and make a throat to see if they're free
from cancer. Also the grit bins are cleaned well and burned with the
burner. Everything looks new and the pigeons also look extra beautiful.
Especially with the sun on the loft it’s enjoyment of the pigeons
although they are not done with the molt they glow against you.
COLD AND SUNNY
It was great today enjoying a fantastic weather. A steel blue cloudless
sky, plenty of sunshine and a temperature just below 10 degrees. The
pigeons also enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather. First the hens were
allowed outside for two hours and then the cocks. At the pigeons you
could see that they were fit as a fiddle because they flew that it was a
dear lust except my two three-year-old pigeons. They breed longer than
the other pigeons and therefore have some backlog in the molt. They just
dropped their eighth pen and they are not feeling so beautiful yet.
That's the case with the other pigeons especially the breeders who are
already are through molt but yes they never come outside so you cannot
judge them on fly lust. The department for the old race pigeons is still
empty. I was planning to let the young cocks search a box but I’ll wait
for it. The reason for this is that I do not know who is finally
assigned a place. I have enough time with them because they will not be
paired before January 1e. Fortunately I do not have a charge of birds of
prey. Two or three years ago that I had and if you're not used to that
misery it's a horror if you suddenly get along. Over the years I have
spoken many fanciers who suffer from it all years. You hear their story
and you have no idea what these people experience. If a single young
pigeon is caught, ok you can say that's nature. It's going to be another
story when they go with one or two of your better pigeons. You do not
have to think about it and we know all too well what the commercial
value of a true top pigeon is today. I know we all have our own top
pigeons on the cage. We all know that one fancier's top pigeon is worth
more than another. The same applies to all of us; none of us are waiting
for the moment when our best pigeon is being puzzled by a robber.
THE WHITE PEACOCK TAIL
They lived together in their pile house with us in the front yard. They
were intensely happy with each other and occasionally rear up a
youngster of the race pigeons. I did not like them because they are
white and I do not like it at all, but there were two very nice pigeons
on the yard.
These two nice white pigeons called "peacock tails". They are as easy as
a lamb but now it's coming; the cock is not anymore. He came to the end
of his life in a not so enjoyable way. In the early spring an magpie
couple wanted to nest in that pile house. My white peacock tail wanted a
stick for stitching he had enough talks to fight with those white/ black
intruders, unfortunately he had to die with death. The pigeon is now
alone and no longer in her pile house, she is between the breeding
pigeons and gets a new husband in January. I have get ready a haired
white pigeon for her. They can bring up two youngsters and they can then
take place in the front yard so that I can enjoy a few white pigeons
daily who can scramble around and around the yard. The previous two
never got a bath, never got grit, they had to pick them up in the
garden, they never received a medicine, never get a bathe they did when
it was raining. They never felt anything and they always looked as white
as snow. Especially my wife will be happy if the new "whites" are to be
admired every day around the house.
AUTUMN MEETING OF NPO
From the first minute this meeting was possible to follow via internet.
There had a big agenda to be finished and that was not equally
interesting to everyone. Just like before they were mostly the same
speakers who spoke and I have to say that our chairman his business was
fine. He hardly had to think to give a well-formulated answer. It was a
long time to follow this national meeting from ten to half past three.
Of course I come back in a following article to explain the most
important decisions. For me as a non-long distance player there was a
very long discussion about the one-day long distance and the marathon
flights. The proposed national flight program took also a long time but
that’s never been others.
MOLTED UN-FLOWN SUMMER YOUNGSTERS
Of these 22 are sold on the internet via GPS. Simple yet, but it's not
that simple. A few weeks before the sale the pedigrees must be handed in
and two weeks before the sale all pigeons must be in the picture. A job
of almost half an hour and there are high costs involved. In addition I
had the bad luck that we landed in a 6 km file that caused 50 minutes of
travel time. What am I glad I'm not on the road every day. During the
return journey no setbacks and so on my way home together with my wife
we have eaten deliciously. Now wait for the internet sales from 12 to 19
November.
THE SILENCE SEASON RUNS AT FULL SPEED
As soon as the race season was over there was talked for years about the
silent season but it has been a long time ago. The quiet season has
never really existed. With a silence season is meant that the races were
over. In winter the association exhibitions followed and there was no
more. In some regions a lot of work was done on the annual championship
ceremony and, in order to make the evening more cozy, there was
sometimes a singer, a gagman or magician. The public was entertained and
now these evenings are romanticized by saying that it used to be a lot
more cozy. That's right, it was not comparable to what is being done
now. At that time the people were used to nothing and had the greatest
fun for the simplest things. It was real pigeon evenings, there was
talked well and after the official part went on until the small hours
the feet of the floor. It's different now, we're old and no longer
getting on the dance floor, we just want to talk about our hobby. Now
every pigeon event has always a few standers who sell all kinds of items
for the pigeon sport but the main goal are the by-products that will
perform pigeons better. Much work is being done of natural products
which would be much better and less harmful than antibiotics.
Unfortunately we cannot do without and what many may not know is that
antibiotics are also a natural product but it is translated in a
different way. Internationally the Kassel weekend (Germany) has been
behind us. What ever begun in a simple hall has become an enormous
international trade fair were in particular a large part of the entire
commercial pigeon world comes. In the Netherlands is worked hard on the
annual event of the NPO which is held this year on the weekend of 9-10
December, the entrance is just like parking free. On Saturday night the
national champions will be honored and this always attract a lot of
audience. It is also possible for the "standard" pigeons to be approved
in advance for possible participation in the January 2019 Olympics held
in Poland. Also the standard pigeons must have flown a number of
kilometers determined by the FCI. If there are among the beautiful
standard pigeons, who have flown the required mileage by 2017, the
fancier can decide if the pigeon has to race a less heavy program in
2018 or that the pigeon needs to get some more out of the box. Anyway
it’s so that the Netherlands is already in process of preparing for
participation in the next Olympia. It's a pity that the heartiness for
that category is not too big and that's very pity. In the past Dutch
pigeons played a leading role in both the sport and the standard class.
Fortunately is now working hard to recover that more or less lost
position. The Netherlands has to go back to the place where they belong
they go for gold and for less than bronze they do not. It is only that
competition knows the Netherlands is coming on again, all countries are
warned. How it will go with the sports class will depends largely on the
Dutch weather. For the national league it does not matter so much,
internationally it does because the weather conditions on the day of the
race still have a major influence on the course of the matches held from
early April to mid-September. Also from the sports pigeons are kept
track of statistics so that a pigeon that makes a real chance for
participation in the Olympics can be kept in on time.
THIS MONTH
In November a series of championship events will be held usually
accompanied by a pigeon show. In my region it is the ZCC (our
combination) that will hold the annual show and championship ceremony on
17 and 18 November. For the first time in the existence of the ZCC my
son Marco is honored as the champion of speed and the middle distance
races with which he takes the permanent place of his father. I ever did
that from my father and so three generations of Braspenning play a
leading role in Zaanse pigeon sport and also far beyond. This month is
also the championship celebration of the North Holland long distance
club. On December 2 the entire North Holland department, in which more
than 1500 fanciers play weekly, will honor her champions. A week later
on 9th and 10th December the national pigeon event and again a week
later is the party weekend of my own association. Nationwide there are
festivals every week. The one who want can visit several pigeon shows
every week. Often this is worth it because every organization will have
a sale of donated pigeons or vouchers for a young pigeon 2018 during
such a weekend. Especially at all those regional festivities you can
strengthen your pigeon colony for a very beneficial amount. In any case
many times cheaper than the prices you see today on the increasing
number of sales sites.
THE WORST WE HAVE HAD
The big molt is almost is as good as over by most pigeons. In my
darkened young pigeons there are some still standing on two old pens.
They still have some time because the young pigeons do not do winter
breeding. With the breeding pigeons we have been working for some time
to form the 24 couples which gives me sleepless nights. I cannot
actually write it but we really have a luxury problem. I did not even
have so many breeding couples anymore. The pigeons I held in the winter
of 2016/2017 have been through the selection so many times that they
have all been well enough. Perhaps I still do some way because my son
Marco has a formidable collection of breeding pigeons. What was first of
all by me only the old-fashioned Janssen pigeons the descendants have
now been crossed with the champion blood of the great Dutch all-round
champion Willem de Bruijn. With that coupling we have been very
successful. The hardest is yet to come. At the moment it is still not
known which breeders from Marco can stay for sure. We are not going to
put any breeding boxes at all. We have a loft with 24 breeding boxes and
there rather stays one empty then there is one added. I am an enormous
fan to have only performance pigeons in the breeding loft and that is
not yet the case. We have again picked up some others among two
grandchildren of Harry. We did that because Marco also wants to play his
part on the one-day long distance. I have never been a fan of it but I
have participated in it for several years. No, not all flights but with
different successes. I would like to point out that my old Janssen type
could also run up to 650km. It's a matter of want to and also daring to
race the pigeons. Especially for the latter I was far too economical on
my pigeons. Now that I'm old I'm thinking about it easier because my son
Marco wants to enjoy those flights. Hence we will do our utmost to give
the big boys whack. We never loved a figurative role.
AMSTERDAM IN DEEP MOURNING
On October 5 after a debilitating disease the highly respected Mayor of
Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan died. Shortly before his death he was
still on the arm with King Willem Alexander for a walk through "his"
Amsterdam. In his farewell letter to the inhabitants of the capital he
wrote among other things, "take care of our city and for each other,
goodbye". Thousands of Amsterdammers say goodbye in the concert hall on
Friday October 13th to "their" precious mayor who was buried in a closed
circle on Saturday. For us fanciers it was a pity that no pigeons were
released during the funeral ceremony. Pigeons also belong by Amsterdam,
at the Dam Square before the Royal Palace crimson it. Some hate them for
others a tourist attraction. In the golden years of pigeon sport there
were more than 1500 fanciers in Amsterdam. Amsterdam had its own
department of own transport and of course its own board of directors.
The Fond Club Amsterdam was very famous in the Netherlands and had many
top players among its members. Their annual festival evening with the
highlight of the championship ceremony was held at Grand Hotel
Krasnapolsky. To be there you should, even if you were a member, order
timely tickets otherwise you did not get into it. The Amsterdam
department also held their championship ceremony and the annual
exhibition with a separate honorary class for the first ten general
champions of the city. Usually were represented Mr. Staal director of
Krasnapolsky who had his pigeon loft on top of the roof of this
immensely large hotel and also in that time a man with respect Mr.
Gerhard's director of the Mars chocolate factories for years he was the
man who could not be beat. For those events there was always plenty of
interest and with so many Amsterdammers in the hall you are assured of
full of cosines. Twice I received an honorable invitation to judge the
honors class which was one of the highlights of my career as a judge.
Later the exhibition of Amsterdam was held at the Hilton Hotel after
which it went unfortunately downhill. Consumption was found to be
expensive and forced out into a simpler and cheaper accommodation. It
eventually became the death strike for the ever-busy Amsterdam
exhibition and it meant the end of many stylish party nights. At the
moment many fanciers have left Amsterdam, they have been devoted to
various outside communities because keeping pigeons in the overpopulated
city was almost impossible. The department of Amsterdam, like the
Haarlem department, has gone up in section 6 - Noord-Holland, but in
this fusion department the membership is sadly returning and in the long
run a large nostalgia gap will be lost. The Amsterdam humor will remain
but unfortunately that's we can say.
NIGHT OPEN DAY AT HABRU
Habru enjoys great publicity in the Netherlands because of their
high-quality pigeon sports products. Carefully started making aluminum
sputniks but after all those years the range has been expanded with a
whole range of articles. During the 9th Habru day all products were well
organized in the company's spacious hall so that the ever-increasing
number of visitors could admire the latest new gadgets. Also from our
neighboring countries was great interest in Habru products. The day was
entirely a sign of charity and a strong forum was formed for the
fanciers consisting of four strong players as; Willem de Bruijn,
Stickers-Donckers (B), Opdebeeck-Baetens (B), the thriving Zeeland
talent Frederik Dekker with as presenter the Frisian "self-made man" GJ
Beute. The forum brought little news forward it took too long and there
was too much talked about medicine, cure and vaccination. The pigeon on
its own does not seem to be so important today either the pedigree and
the name. The most beautiful response came from Stickers-Donkers, his
answer to the question "how do you plan your pigeons if you want to"
peak "on a particular flight he said; we have 40 flights a year and I
want to win all of them so I do always the same. My pigeons can choose
what they want to eat every day, there is plenty of food all day because
the food tray is always filled. He is also in favor of driving a lot
with the pigeons sometimes four times a day. Responding to the visitors'
reactions it was definitely a successful day. I think so too because I
like something different within our pigeon sport. All national and
provincial annual return pigeon events will be very boring in the long
run.
STILL NO OFFICIAL END POSITIONS
There was a time when every fancier had to submit his pigeon's
performance in order to compete with national competitions. Not
everybody did that which there was no pure picture of who the true
champions were. There was a lot of discussion in the pigeon magazines.
Known champions did not join at least that was what they told. Suddenly
there was one year that two strong players had a good pigeon. Yes you
read well, 1 good pigeon while they had 200. The pigeon sport is really
not so simple when it comes to real top pigeons and yet they are there
every year. Those two players who find all those extra championships
nothing were in that year that they each had a good one the first to
submit their participation form. Both ended high in the final
classification but did not have the best. One of the men has died the
other one still talks after 25 years about it remaining what indicates
how difficult it is to score high. Still there are fanciers, counting on
the fingers of a hand, who almost stand there every year. That's partly
because everything in the computer is being calculated and saved and
what appears now, there are still games, associations or regions who
still count themselves. Almost all of the Netherlands will calculate
their results at a nationally known accounting firm, some do not and
therefore the final stages of all competitions at national level are
still "official" at this time.
BREEDING PIGEONS
Now that the fly season is over and many fanciers are already quite
advanced with the selection the conversations will begin to form the
(new) breeders. I admit that winners give winners rather than ace
pigeons do. That's why I always pair two winners. A few years ago I had
more than the last two years. The cause I'm looking for is the age,
motivation and fitness of the boss. These are the biggest dangers for an
elderly fancier to be able to sustain. Elongated discussions can be held
about breeding pigeons and the formation of breeding pairs. No-one can
tell in advance what a good breeding couple is even the eye judges
cannot, if they could they would have enough to one pair. Also they
breed a large number of young pigeons every year which they indicate
they also do not have a look at it. A good fancier once said to me; if
you have a pair that has given 1 topper you already have a good breeding
pair. There are couples who have given several useful pigeons and there
will also be breeding pairs around the world that produced more real
good. In general it’s so that all carefully compound breeders give more
bad than good. So we do not know much about it, a dose of luck we
certainly need to breed now and then a good one but for most of us it
will always be a dream.
EVENTS OF ALL DAY
This week my mother would have been 109 years old. Four days ago was the
cremation of a good pigeon friend with whom I spent many years in the
board of our combination. Today I read in the newspaper that the widow
of a good pigeon friend has passed away. After months of political
consultation the Netherlands has again a new government since Tuesday
the 10th. Last week I went to a cycling race near me, a real fun fair
round that closes the cycling season in Noord-Holland every year. Last
Saturday we went to a perfect dinner show in one of the television
studios. The same Saturday we had the annual goat trip with which some
renowned pubs participated. The purpose of this is to drive by bike from
one bar to another and drink a buck of beer. The weather conditions were
too bad so we had skipped that event this time. Monday evening was my
fixed card evening and Tuesday I use to write some articles about the
pigeon sport. No, I'm not bored because I'd like to be everywhere.
PIGEONS SPORT IS ON A LOW PITCH
I go to my pigeons only half past ten every morning. I will first have a
nice breakfast and reading my newspaper, then I release a department of
pigeons and start cleaning. Most pigeons get food and clean water at 10
o'clock. After the afternoon another group of pigeons will be released
and at 5 o'clock it’s dinner time again. They then get more like in the
morning because they have to spend only 7 hours from one feed to another
but after 5pm it is 17 hours. They have already been used to the new
feeding times. Not all the lofts are cleaned every day. The young and
old cocks are separated and that's also the case with the hens. However
they still get a bath and fresh vegetables every Tuesday. The molt runs
well and the pigeons now have a para-coli cure of Dr. Van der Sluis.
Furthermore it’s the intention to vaccinate all pigeons in early
November against paramixo and at the end of that month the breeding
pigeons will be re-paired. They are almost ready. They are divorced from
the beginning of June and most have only one old pen. The tails are
almost full and when the one after another tail pen is renewed the big
molt is behind.
POWERS CONNECTED
In 2016 my son Marco returned to his birthplace again, he is living 5
minutes with me it's sky wide about 800 meter. He immediately tied up a
simple loft so that before he moved to his new address had fly a number
of young pigeons. He played them in the autumn flights and that meant
little or nothing. Of the 20 14 left and they were allowed to stay all,
only two of them had played a remarkable prize. With those 14, 6 hens
and 8 cocks, the season for old pigeons began in 2017. The expectations
were not super highly tensed. The pigeons were not selected they could
all stay because they did come from the breeding pigeons. That does not
say anything because how often it does not happen that two proven
pigeons do not breed any good. Fortunately there are also (breeding)
couples who regularly produce useful pigeons and because we both do not
add so much to the performance of young pigeons there was the confidence
that a couple of yearlings could provide fireworks. And yes, it even
exceeded expectations and they even grabbed the title on the speed and
also on the middle distance. Without a doubt an unprecedented success
for father and son because the pigeons come for the most part from me.
We are also pleased with the young pigeons who have performed well and
we have not lost so much so for 2018 choice enough. All breeding
pigeons, 24 couples, are housed in the existing breeding loft in the
Wijdewormer. Still I have not been able to decide whether or not to play
with old pigeons. As it looks now that is certainly not the case. It is
the meaning that I am going to play with young pigeons in 2018. At least
two sections for the young pigeon game are made ready to play "on the
door". To say goodbye to all my pigeons I think it is too big risk. When
you have 71 years pigeons, that's almost my whole life, the daily format
is largely filled out and if it ones goes away I do not know what to do.
I’m too old to occupy another position in some board or committee.
Remains cycling and cards a few times a week because I like to play
cards and occasionally together with my wife play bridge. But my pigeons
were and are still my big passion. The cycling sport still has my
interest too.
ONWAY TO 2018
Marco and I are neither lovers of a large amount pigeons we must be able
to overlook. I never had many pigeons all my life that was also my
father's advice. He always said; we need only a few but all tops. That
has succeed for a great deal but there exist no loft that has only good.
Nowadays it might be possible. The trade in pigeons has gone
unbelievably from the claws, all with wings is for sale nowadays. The
Belgian hen sold last for 4 tons (400,000 euros) has opened many eyes
again. I can still remember that we went on bike to the Jordaan
Amsterdam where in the neighborhood building the Palm was held in the
winter months every Sunday morning an auction. The pigeons were deployed
for two guilders fifty (which is now 1 euro 20). The hall was full, only
Amsterdam had more than 1500 fanciers at that time, now there are no
more than 100. The auctioneer stood on a kitchen staircase and when the
highest bid was released he hit with a whisk on a can and the pigeon was
sold, great to experience. Now everything is internet, only the pedigree
is checked and the pigeon is side issue. It becomes very interesting if
it is an "ace pigeon" and all the way if it is a national winner. Does
not matter against how many pigeons if he only won national. In such
pigeons many wealthy people (there are many in pigeon land) are
interested for commerce. It is also interesting for the little fancier
who has such a pigeon on the loft. With such dizzying amounts paid for
top pigeons you can do lots of fun. In my view it's not smart to not
sell such pigeons. You must smear the iron if it is hot.
WHAT NOW?
In the Netherlands it has been four weeks since the last official flight
was held. Many pigeons could not be played anymore but maybe there were
even more in blurred form. Now that the big molt has reached its peak it
is no unnecessary luxury to give extra attention to the pigeons. Many
fanciers are like their pigeons at rest and many take that rest as well.
However that does not mean that you can throw the hat right now. You
know a pigeon season lasts a whole year, proper care is needed from
January 1st to December 31st. I say consciously a proper care which
means that the bow does not have to be stretched anymore. Release the
pigeons every day is nice if there is the opportunity but it is not
necessary. There are fanciers who after the season never release their
pigeons. This can be for several reasons for example they leave and come
home in the dark from work and in a number of areas the predator problem
is playing. Others think it’s enough to release the pigeons only on
weekends. It is best to let the pigeons out as much as possible if there
is the opportunity. This can also be an aviary what some call an oxygen
cure. I do not know what to think about it, bad it will not be but my
experience is that pigeons who are heavy molting like to sit inside and
not full in the wind in an open aviary. My pigeons are currently flying
for half an hour and do not know how fast they go inside. They actually
know themselves what's good for them. The one who observes his pigeons
regularly sees at their behavior what they like which you cannot resist
at this time of the year.
MATING URGE IS GONE
Because I was not well in my skin for a few months during the race
season the care and therefore the performances were not well. I did not
have pleasure of staying on the loft longer than necessary. Cleaning did
not happen daily and when I could not do that at all my two sons Marco
and Michel took over this task temporarily. I continued to feed them
what contained I lift the lid from the feed bin and quickly throw the
estimated amount food in the tray. Look at the pigeons or take them in
hand I did not at all. The widow pigeons seemed to be chickens there
were always a few eggs here and there. I do not like that because the
attention for the cock reduced. Some hens were not at all interested in
their cocks, they were pushing at the pillars of the door to get out,
well then you know. Or maybe not because there are those who, despite
their behavior, perform (very) well. Two widow pigeons who are dumb to
each other and sometimes lay their eggs at the same time can surprise at
the flights. No, I do not encourage it because other pigeons perform
under the measure. Previously I watched the ladies in the winter months
very well and when I saw two ladies lay somewhere cuddling one of the
two had to disappear. At this time of year you have no trouble
whatsoever, they have something different on their heads the molt asks
all their energy. That's why they may not lack anything, only on dry
bread no athlete can perform. Only on barley no single pigeon come
perfectly through the molt. Barley is fine for the pigeons but if they
are completely ruined. My pigeons had never get barley they do not even
know what it is. I never gave it because a big champion dissuade me.
I've just kept that in mind, others swear by it. I like to feed sweets
in the season and actually also in winter months I think more than the
average fancier does. In my opinion candy seeds provide extra fuel and
also for extra willpower but be careful they get too heavy. That was a
few days ago when I watched the breeding pigeons. It had been a while
since I took them into my hands, I was shocked they were not lifting so
heavy. This is partly because they never come outside and the fly
pigeons ask more attention. The breeding season is over so water, feed
and cleaning and that's it, I do not know what to do more about it. Yes,
occasionally take them in hand because if you do not do that it may have
an effect on the molt because too heavy pigeons molt badly.
YOUNG PIGEONS DISAPPOINT
My young pigeons performed well. They stayed fine in the feathers
because I almost darkened them until the end of June and maybe that’s
why I did not suffer from an e-coli outbreak this year. Other years I
darkened until the end of May and about two weeks later they suffered
from coli. That's for me, for who not, something to get lost. First of
all it’s very said for the pigeons because they are deadly and in the
second place I find it terrible to clean the cage. Horrible that dirty
green oily carpet it's almost impossible to get rid of your scraper.
With a thorough approach to a coli infection you can get rid of within a
week. During the cure feed very little or almost nothing because they
are more likely than profitable. Once they start eating better and more
they are also well within a week and you can see that because they will
fly around the loft longer and faster. If they are ill you can keep them
better inside. Adverse effects the young pigeons do not have if they
have the coli contamination behind them. Those of me are heavily molting
most of them are still on six old pens and I assume that they are all
exchanged in three months so with New Year they are all back in the
Sunday suit. Today I took the all youngsters in my hands, they
disappoint me. Actually I should not have done that because molting
pigeons never feel beautiful, often a little weak, wings not nice
because some have thrown two pens at once and when they have just grown
a little the next pen goes out again. No, I was actually a little
disappointed in the youngsters a month ago I was so proud they looked so
beautiful. Fortunately no burden of sickness or heredity.
OCTOBER IS THE MONTH OF THE PARATYPHUS CURE
I'm increasingly doubting to everything I do for my pigeons. In a week
they all get a triple paratyphus cure, they do not molt less so evil it
cannot be. Whether that disease is slumbering I do not know. If so such
a traditional cure cannot be wrong but what is the point if it is
completely absent? Why take an aspirin if you do not have a headache?
Nevertheless, I'll do the cure again this year because Paratyphus is a
common sneak disease, it's a real assassin that you better prevent then
cure because it can crash your entire breeding and fly season.
WHAT IS WISDOM
The season is going to the end, it's almost up. I was always a fancier
who wanted to play for a couple of weeks I could not get enough of it.
Especially not if the pigeons continued to perform well and that was
happily often the case. In particular the pigeons who stayed a whole
year in the aviary did not like to stop and it was a pleasure to see
pigeons arrive. Really like stones, the wings stiff against the body and
only at the last moment the brake went on. I then flew the classical
widowhood only with cocks. In fact, I think it is still the most
beautiful. I then had 16 doffers and many times they played 16 prizes.
You were quickly done cleaning and had enough time to observe the
pigeons. There was also not so much time lost in release the pigeons.
The cocks went out from Monday till Thursday twice a day. Friday not,
that was a mandatory rest day. Also on Saturday no pigeons were released
because that is the day of the race. Sunday again a mandatory day of
rest also to not give the neighbors any inconvenience if those were
sitting in the garden. On Monday everything went on time again and I
kept it up until Thursday. Sometimes I still wanted to release them on
Friday morning because I was not convinced of the optimal condition.
Every Tuesday they get fresh green food, usually soup vegetables from
the supermarket, on Wednesday they get a bath and every day all the
pigeons get something extra like some peanuts, a pinch of hempseed,
mineral mix, a teaspoon of candy seed. Two days conditional mix in
drinking water, all day something extra and that's what they know
because when the feed bin is empty they all stay on the floor because
they know that the boss has a little extra and I’m going to sit there at
ease look and look again. Occasionally I take a pigeon in my hands to
test the weight.
HENS PICAME BOTH TWICE A WEEK OUTSIDE
I have always made sure my pigeons were well housed. With other fanciers
I saw that they often sit in small often dark and humid cages made under
the pigeon loft. They never got released and the cage never cleaned.
These are things I really cannot resist. I loved hygiene and I still
like that. In a clean loft you’re pigeons look always more beautiful,
that's enjoy? My pigeons were always in a spacious loft with an aviary.
The only times they got out was Thursday or Friday just before they were
shown. I closed them for an hour and you had to see how soon they went
inside again. The other time they were allowed to fly for an hour was
Saturday before the other pigeons arrived from a race. Unfortunately it
went wrong once. Then I went outside to call the pigeons inside and
found out that many pigeons flew around. I had checked the speed but did
wrong so the cocks were at home earlier than I had calculated. Yes, that
was bad luck, and then there were some ugly words. Nevertheless I never
deviated from that system until I switched on entire widowhood. With the
pigeons who had not had a nest for a large part of the season and were
only released two times a week I achieved excellent performance during
the natour, great as those ladies came home. So does each system has fun
and less fun sides. The fun of widow hens on widowhood is the way they
train. They must be in the correct condition then it’s enjoying it looks
like as they are be seated afterwards. They then fly very close together
at high speed, never more than an hour. By others they flew two hours
and sometimes longer, that could not with me. After an hour of training
it was time for dinner and who was not at table on time got nothing.
That's what the ladies and also my other pigeons did very quickly. Take
care pigeons at regular times they call conditioning. Pigeons that are
cared at fixed times become a kind of robot because everything happens
again at exactly the same times. With the advancements of years I
sometimes get a little easier with those fixed times which certainly
contributes to somewhat lesser performance. I know it's not my pigeons
but the boss. I do not wake up there anymore. The time I could not sleep
from Friday on Saturday has been over for some time. When I was still a
very bright shrub I like to talk on Friday as long as possible in the
club or play cards with a beer. When I went home in the small hours I
did not have to wait long before the pigeons came. My clock was often
taken into the bedroom so that nothing could happen. Many times my wife
woke me up with the request to put that time bomb on the corridor. It
has changed tremendously now. No hassle anymore with rubber rings, we
live in the electronic age. If the clocks are taken out of your hand you
will get the results right away. That same evening you can see on the
computer how there is played all over the Netherlands everything is on
it. In the past you had to wait a whole week for the results. Everything
has become much more professional but whether all those changes in the
eyes of the fanciers are seen as improvement? I have to be guilty of the
answer. It can not only be because of the aging we lose so many
fanciers.
THE NATOUR
These were always "my" flights I like to play very much, I did
everything and it was mostly rewarded. Unfortunately I'm not very well
at the moment but I can still enjoy the last five flights of the season.
It's not really great but I join and do not just get lost. Another three
weeks game and then it's over. It will be a difficult and important
winter for me. I just come from the pigeons. I have cared the old and
the young train now from 6 to 7 hours just lovely to be at the pigeons
again. I do wear a mouth cap I'm afraid of the dust because I have had a
pneumonia several times and the last one still not completely healed.
No, it's not going to be the way it should be. Tomorrow I have an
appointment with the pulmonologist again. Marco cleans the lofts daily
and the race, both the old and the young, I care, the rest is for him
and then he go home to care his own pigeons. We can be satisfied with
the results. Old and young are coming well we are still in the race. Now
to see to get rid of the horrible coughs so life for me, Cora and the
rest of the family looks a lot more sunny.
HOPE IT TURNS OUT FINE
For years the Netherlands had the largest national competition for young
pigeons from the famous French unloading center of Orleans for the
middle of our country about 525 km. A competition where all the
Netherlands lived and ever had a participation of 160.000 pigeons, big
or small everyone participated. In the early years when no-one had heard
of eclipse also pigeons joined that were heavily molting. One did not
know better and also then great results were made. Now everything is a
lot more professional, making the young pigeons this race easy to
handle. Self-evident man thought differently and found that the flight
was prohibited because the distance would be too long. Here too, theory
and practice do not exactly match. Much has already been done and much
has been written about it. Fanciers have placed their knees to restore
the flight but it did not work. In addition over the years we have a
political party in the Netherlands, the party for animals. In itself a
good thing because things happen with animals that cannot really get
through. Unfortunately many people still do not know about pigeons, even
our politicians, and that lies with us. Our former managers have failed
to give more attention to the pigeon sport. One had to know how
carefully there is cultivated with the aim of raising of racial
improvement. One does not think it’s possible that young pigeons of only
6 months old can complete a race of over 500 km with the greatest ease.
If you tell something like that to a leek they are completely surprised
and can hardly believe it. We fanciers know better but our opinion is
not asked. National Orleans have called for replacement competitions but
you cannot call it a national race. There are now four or five unloading
places. Perceived by itself, unfortunately it does not appeal to the
fanciers so that participation has fallen to a minimum. On Saturday the
26th of August it’s again so far. What it is going to be I do not dare
to predict about the participation. It will not be in proportion to
earlier years. There has been no publicity for this single national
competition for young pigeons. It does not live and the organization
does not make any effort to put the pigeon sport back into the
spotlights for all the Dutch and so we continue to decline. In the
national newspapers a big article had to be written about this national
pigeon event. Nevertheless I hope that it will be an attractive
competition for the participants with good winners. Next time I will
give you extensive information.
TWO WEEKS HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL
I have a lot of trouble this year about health. For the third time in
one and a half year time pneumonia and that at my age is not something
that makes you happy. Still I do not feel like it should be. Many
coughs, soon tired and futile. Fortunately the last thing is better
every day. If the boss is not 100% it's repercussions on the performance
of the pigeons. The care is not as it should and if you are not well in
your skin you will soon find it good. You can skip good care one day but
if that week goes on it does not really have sense to join. When I was
in the hospital my sons helped great. It is however holiday time and the
men who work for a whole year also want to go on holiday with their
family. They are right so than the pigeons get a lesser care. Currently
I go to the pigeons again and take care of the old and the young
pigeons. These are two lofts with 20 pigeons in each cage that I supply
with water and feed and they are also released, cleaning is done by
Marco and when Michel returns he will help again too. The flights for
young pigeons are almost over. I put two on the national flight and the
others I play on the last four speed flights. The young pigeons have
done the merit and pulled the championship for me. Bad luck there is
too. When I paired the old pigeons for the natour I found one cock
short. I therefore took a breeder who flew for three years and also won
three times a first prize to play the hen. A beautiful cock that's been
gone one day and is not back yet. After two weeks I gave up the courage.
Another disappointment I had on the first natour. A young cock who won
the first flight for young pigeons the first prize and the second a
second did not came back from the first natour race and is not back in
four days now. He could have fallen in the field of honor. Such
promising pigeons cannot really be missed and he was still beautiful in
the hand as well. In this respect you had to have as a fanciers a fair
amount of cash. Furthermore Marco and I cannot be dissatisfied. The
championship sprint, half-long distance and young pigeons is for us and
hopefully we will hit at the natour again. Our season is more than
successful and we can continue working on a very close cooperation. Due
to my repeated pneumonia I have become a little scared of the pigeon
dust. I think everybody knows how the Pulmonologist thinks about
pigeons. He would love to see people with lung problems immediately
killing their pigeons. Such is not easy certainly not if you have
pigeons for 70 years. How it's going to be accurate is still unknown.
Marco goes through and maybe I too but with a minimum number of pigeons.
We have also talked about flying only with young pigeons. That seems a
good decision but if you do that you have pigeons from the end of
January so you can play with some old pigeons as well. Doing everything
away is also an option but that is very resolute. Half September I have
a conversation with the pulmonologist, now I do not feel good, maybe
then. That conversation will depend on what will happen to my pigeon
hobby. If the pigeons have to go away it would be nice if they go to one
fancier so that he can play with the best. Marco and also several others
have proven for several years that they do not have to go aside with the
Braspenningen for anyone, the "Brassen" plays a leading role throughout
the world. Another 4 weeks and then the season is over. Time flies
especially when you grow older.
DURING THE NATOUR BE LESS YOUNG PIGEONS LOST…....
The more often that is said the more people believe in it, true or not
true I'll leave that the middle. Perhaps the reason is that there join
many fewer young pigeons. Playing young pigeons on the natour can have
an advantage. During these races more and more old pigeons are being
played. It was once called into live to let summer youngsters go through
a school until they felt that a championship had to be fought. It would
become more exciting and it would increase participation. Men went on
further. Also the old pigeons had to be able to do some flights at the
end of the season. Especially the widow pigeons were on those flights in
their element. After almost a year the ladies had no litter they were
extra motivated to show their art during the last five sprint flights.
That was often excellent. After months again eggs in the dish the
pigeons longed to their nest and what to think when their lay little
youngsters? If they were molting it would definitely stop with
youngsters in the nest. It was especially important to have the pigeons
still in the feathers during the last flights. The one who had made the
most beautiful results. Also the cocks were especially the last two
flights in their element. This is still happening at many lofts today.
However in recent years the tendency has been the widowhood game. The
pigeons are paired again, breed for a few days and then again on
widowhood. By illuminating from mid July the molt is delayed so that
darken youngsters and illuminating old pigeons can easily be held into
the feathers until mid September. The more complex the feather suit is
the greater the possibilities of winning a number of beautiful
performances at the of the season. Especially during the last five or
six flights a midweek training flight still wants to help to keep the
need and the speed. For the young inexperienced pigeons it can help to
match them with the old experienced pigeons who can take them,
especially the first kilometers, on tow. After one or two flights we see
that the old pigeons have the greatest difficulty to keep up the flown
young pigeons. The young pigeons who did not participate in the young
pigeon program have during these five fast flights just as much problems
as their peers during the young pigeon program. There are enough
examples that the natour races goes smoothly but there are also examples
of the massive loss of young pigeons at the first but also on the last
flights. There were also young pigeons who were taken away by the boss
several times. Hence I put big questions on the frequent tosses of young
pigeons. It's only 6 times good and the seventh time goes wrong. All
effort done for nothing ?? !!
BEAUTIFUL WEATHER DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING
During the months of August and September it can be beautiful summer
weather and sometimes even very hot. Lovely to sit in your lazy chair in
the garden and happy to wait for the pigeons. However nice weather does
not mean that it's good weather. It is often that in the city you do not
notice how bad the sight is. I live in the polder and when I look over
the meadows it is never really clear during this period. In spring it is
clear that is said "it's so bright that you can look around the world".
In the early spring we almost never have to do with the dry east wind
but in the summer months we do and right there our young pigeons are
very affected. I will never go drive with the young pigeons with a steel
blue sky and east or southeast wind. That is fatal for inexperienced
pigeons and races under the same conditions for experienced pigeons
always show a strange course. Despite the high speeds of the first
pigeons a flight is longer open than races whose fastest pigeons do not
get high speeds. With east and southeast wind the best pigeons often
miss their early price. Pigeon sport is largely dependent on weather
conditions plus a dose of luck every week and if you do not have quality
under the tiles or you do not have the means to handle pigeons properly
it will never succeed. If you sit in that corner look first at yourself
and wonder if you have the right way to take care of everything you've
done to your pigeons. Keep your eyes and ears wide open because of the
swim at the bar you will not learn anything but take a table in the room
where two or more good players are talking to each other. Winter
champions are almost always at the bar and the men who make the service
out of the race season are usually not there. END OF SEASON
When the natour starts the season is as good as over. Only 5 weeks of
play and 2017 is done. A rest period for boss and pigeons breaks maybe
even on holiday. For the pigeon starts the big molt and also the
selection. The pigeons which have not met will be noted by most
fanciers. In addition at many loft will be still too many pigeons in
spite of the losses. Perhaps the addition of young pigeons will give
some problems. Unfortunately there are too many young pigeons left
behind again this year. Of the departments that have started with the
young pigeon game just two weeks ago no data is yet available. Whether
we can say that by starting later the losses are less is not measurable.
It’s even so that in a small country like the Netherlands the weather is
not always the same. In the east of the country the competitions are
fine while it is very difficult in the west of course the reverse is
also possible. What is very important that, despite all the pericles
that were we had have we can look back on the past season with a good
feeling so that everyone has enough motivation to continue. Despite the
fact that the pigeon sport is sometimes linked to disappointments it is
still a nice hobby!
TOPSPORT
It's not just high season in the pigeon sport, what about the World Cup
athletics in London. I follow that with great interest and as I look at
all those beautiful parts of the athletics my thoughts go off to the
pigeon sport. I'm looking for comparisons, I look good at the athletes
when they are presented to the public just before the start. Especially
the ladies are very nice types, as a former race pigeon judge I
obviously notice the bodybuilding. During that proposal I turn off the
sound of the TV and try to determine for myself who will throw high
eyes. Soon you will find out that not always the most beautiful finish
in the first three. All participants in this World Cup are athletes but
what a huge difference. The little muscular sprinters or the ladies who
do bullet punches or bullets and look at the length of the legs at the
runners. At the longer run numbers you will see a larger variety of
athletes. They can all run and yet there are still some which overlap
with head and shoulders. That's how it's with our pigeons. They can all
fly and fly hard they have proven otherwise they would not have come
through the selection which has nothing to do with the size of the
pigeon. I've had enough pigeons in my hands that delivered top
performances, usually they were different types. Pigeons with a short
breastbone and a short wing that played a first four times a year
although in the club. It was the time we could talk about associations.
In my view almost no associations now exist. I think with less than 12
racing members you cannot called any association. In this regard the
downward spiral is almost impossible to stop. If we follow the pigeons
during daily training it seem that they all fly as fast but on the race
it is proved to be the opposite. It therefore has more to do with
orientation, stamina, suppleness, character and not to mention the
condition. The construction we're all looking at, the plumes, the eyes,
the bumps, it all adds to but whether it's the most important features
for a good sports pigeon? There is definitely more to look. In the time
of the money game you often heard the remark "the pigeon looked so
amazing that I would dare to put my entire salary on". But good that
this did not happen otherwise there would be a lot of money gone wrong.
All in all, it shows how incalculable the pigeon sport is. Fortunately
there are also "fixed" pigeons that tickle several times a year that are
the white ravens within our hobby. Look for the best performance of
Dutch top pigeons. Also those are not very every week early at home and
we all talk about "first prize winners" you must have. Too much family
breeding is not recommended either, with crosses you would breed better.
We had to know how many top pigeons are born from family breeding or
even heavily inbred. These are the discussions that keep pigeon sport
and other sports alive. There is no booklet in which you can read how to
play the top in a few years. You must have it in your fingers, you must
have a good commentary and you should definitely not get into the use of
medicines. Look at how many pigeon friends on a simple cage with a
simple care participate weekly with good results. With a small number of
pigeons on the cage you cannot take it against the big fanciers. Those
who take the championships are always fanciers who basket a lot of
pigeons weekly don’t look blind. However I can imagine that it is
discouraging to fight every week against mega players. This is how the
pigeon sport is once in place. Fair game there is and will be much
talked about. Honest game does not exist, please keep up with it. In the
past, you did not hear anyone. Most fancies had about the same number of
pigeons to play with. There were many more fanciers than now so the
spread was also much bigger. Nowadays entire areas are completely
eliminated which has nothing to do with quality. The wind is of great
influence and because the game areas are too big compared to the number
of participants short distance game becomes almost impossible. Most
importantly now that everything is being done to maintain current
members for the sport and what you need to do is to come from members
and the NPO will have the last word.
VERY DIFFERENT SUBJECT
The Dutch ladies football team has become European champion and still in
its own country. I still remember that there was inferiority spoken
about women's football. I have a daughter who is in the meantime 47
years old who has performed at an honest level. I went to watch because
it was my daughter. She was incredibly enthusiastic but the football of
that time was still in his infancy. When she stopped playing football I
never looked at women's football. Great was my surprise when I saw the
first match of the Dutch women's team two weeks ago. I enjoyed and many
thousands with me. That ladies football is really improved and
especially the behavior of the ladies is a wonderful example for those
men who make a deadly role in the slightest body contact. I do not want
to say just give me ladies football but the behavior of the women in the
field is exemplary. It became a very big party with a formidable
dedication in the city of Utrecht where many thousands of supporters
were present. Bet that ladies football in the Netherlands will receive
many new soccer players. This would also be the case with pigeon sport.
Every two years (a little strange while it is worldwide every 4 years)
there is a post pigeon Olympiad. The Netherlands has done very well many
times over which I have read little in the newspapers. We have won gold
as a team and individually. With such achievements you can win souls.
Unfortunately we all let it go. Yes, attention has been paid to your own
circle but you will not go any further. Unfortunately the drive to join
among the fanciers is almost zero. Too bad I have to find that.
WRONG PUBLICITY
The NPO has been promoting youth for many years. Everything has already
been achieved. Well-kept documentation, every year a wonderful youth day
where youth members can join with their friends. Everything is done for
them, even small pigeon lofts are made available free of charge, a promo
film is made. If you ask me what has helped of that I have to give a
negative answer. It is likely that youth is not our main target group.
But who am I? However it may be even more negative. With us in the
region it was even front page news. Two weeks ago a major event was held
in Rotterdam which could also be done by young people. You never
recommend what to do for the youth. They was taught to pick unwanted
animals like rats crows and also pigeons thus make "pan ready". The
political party for the animals certainly did not agree. But what did
they do? By baking only sweet buns you do not solve anything at all. It
would have been very nice when a number of Rotterdam fanciers had
rebelled. Such a thing we don’t let happen as fancier? I do not want to
say more about it SCANDAL. Hopefully the organizers will not come alone
with a warning finger.
DUTCHMAN ARE DOING WELL
Especially for the long distance men it is currently a busy period. The
one after the other one day or multi long distance race is flown in the
Netherlands it is so said hoist time. Also in Belgium, where they play
even more long distances than in the Netherlands, the fanciers are a lot
of days in the club rooms or basket centers. As far as international
flights are concerned the Dutch long distance players flying in the
spotlight. The three International flights are all won by a Dutch
pigeon. Coming weekend International Marseille and in the Netherlands
National Chateauroux and it seems that many fanciers participate. The
men are looking for a real national strength measure. It will always be
exciting and interesting competitions even though certain areas on such
a one-day race are unprecedented for early classes. Chateauroux is 665
km for me, the shortest distance is 525 km and in the north of our
country they play 825 km. A difference of 300 km is too much for a fair
amount of strength. In addition it is also important from which angle
the wind blows and so we can think even more negatively. It is better to
see national competitions of the positive side, all fanciers in the same
competition which is a great dream if you know to write this race on
your name. The fact that there will be only one winner but that should
not be a reason for not participating. That the fright is a bit in it by
the long distance players is understandable. Barcelona had a lot of
pigeons left this year. The last weekend the pigeons of the Eastern and
Northern fanciers Orange flew 800-1000 km and that flight also saw a
disastrous course. The pigeons were unloaded at 7:00 on Saturday. On the
day of salvation, a small number came through and on Sunday evening
there were not enough pigeons in many associations to empty the clocks.
At the young pigeons we get at the first the best race straight away to
deal with a very difficult flight with a lot of leftovers. So much even
that was decided to cancel the second race so that the pigeons who were
at home had the opportunity to recover again. The flights thereafter
have passed well. Last Saturday a beautiful long distance race for the
old and also a good and fast passed speed flight for the young pigeons.
I think we can speak of the two most beautiful flights this year.
HOW DOES IT LOOK FURTHER?
As soon as half of the young pigeon races over the end of the season is
back in sight. Still two beautiful one-day long distance races. On July
29 the last middle distance race and four for youngsters and then the
last five fast flights. We live on September 16th and a week later many
fanciers go on holiday. So far it is not yet. If the weathering are good
for us there is a lot to enjoy. For example the last 4 young pigeon
races. The pigeons are then well flown the distances go a bit longer and
the quality plays than more and more an important role. Many times I
have already written that the performance of young pigeons almost does
not matter by the final selections. What fulfills the performance has
been achieved on the last three flights. Just take a look, the pigeons
that are coming well then are often as yearling the better especially
the hens.
YOUNGSTERS COMING WELL
In winter I shrunk my colony. Regarding the number of pigeons I am even
very happy. Two lofts with 22 cocks and 22 hens with 10 pairs for
breeding and the others to play with. Less old pigeons automatically
mean fewer young pigeons. I did not want to have more than 30-35 it was
finally 26. I was so set that nothing was wrong from the start, but I
think it would be a bit too tight afterwards. But after that you see a
cow in his ass so they say. I lost 4, 1 with a broken leg and a very
beautiful blue pigeon I removed the chip ring because she has already
entered the twice the loft from another fancier. Because she has no chip
ring I can not pass her by accident. I do not really want to lose her,
she gets the chance to prove herself in 2018 what is also not certain
because taking care of the pigeons becomes more and more difficult. Who
knows what new thoughts I will come in the coming months. Currently I
play with 20 young pigeons, they are as slippery as an eel, they glimpse
you and they train well. With my son Marco it’s. He just freaks out that
his young pigeons do not train well but you would not say if you see his
results. He is having an excellent season! In the stand for the young
pigeon championship we are currently taking the first and second place.
THE FUTURE
One time I think I will do the same thing next year and a few days later
I think very different. I would prefer to delete them all at once, It
might be the best solution. Maybe yes, but if it turns out it's not the
best solution? Seventy years of pigeon sport is a big part of your life.
So big that it takes all your spare time. The pigeon sport has given me
a lot of fun and I have a lot to thank about it. Still I'm an
enthusiastic fancier but it’s the age which decreases me more and more.
Then I think again; I'm going on with even fewer pigeons. However a
figurant role has not been devoted to me and the pigeon sport of now is
so that you can only participate in the championships with larger
numbers of pigeons. In the past you could play with 12 pigeons the old
pigeon program and participate in the titles. You can forget that today.
It are the bigger ones whit hundreds of pigeons who make up the service.
They are doing well even fine but unfortunately I cannot do that
anymore. So I'm falling off and the annoying thing is that you're soon
forgotten. That's the way I was retired. For 38 years at the same
employer, I’ve never been there and never seen anyone again. Yes once
upon a funeral. And so we slide whatever comes by myself too. The
cosines is gone, a pigeon club is no pigeon club anymore. Formerly with
40-50 members and some clubs had more
than 100 active members, now no more 10, and with 10 you will not walk
the polonaise as soon. No, the atmosphere of the past is no longer and
we are no longer as before. Envy in the pigeon sport is getting big
and disagreement by chances in the organization. Pigeon sport and I are
having a hard time continue or ……?
IT IS HIGH SEASON
For everybody there is game. Thousands of pigeons have been split last
weeks the French, Belgian and Dutch airspace. Meanwhile three
international flights have passed and all three were won by a Dutch
marathon pigeon. There is no better advertising for Dutch sports
pigeons. Not for nothing there has been a lot of interest from all over
the world for our pigeons. Belgium started the game more than a century
ago. The Dutch have taken over and not only at long distances. In
Belgium there has been a specialized game on speed flights for years.
From the end of March to the end of September, 100 and 200 km can be
played every week. Those pigeons fly blindly through the weekly training
of the same unloading place. Once home they are so conditioned that they
do not make a flight around the house because that makes a difference of
10 places in the results. It's pigeon sport for the little man every
week were still be played about euro’s. You must experience such
arrivals at least once in your life. It's great to see with what kind of
speed pigeons dive down, at once at the sputnik and they are registered.
Breathtaking, really true!
IT’S A JOKE CRAZY OF THE ONE DAY LONG DISTANCE RACES
The one day long distance races are very popular. You cannot open a
pigeon newspaper or you can see all kinds of reports about these types
of flights. I've also participated a lot of times but it has never been
the game that my preference goes on. Because these types of flights get
a lot of publicity I've checked how about he participation. That is
quite disappointing at least in our country. No 20% of Dutch fanciers
are interested in the National or International game. Due to the fact
that many one-day long distance races count for the championships the
participation in this is unquestionably good. The long distance flights
mean to us all a little more when it comes to remembering the results. I
am in the happy condition that I have achieved a lot of wins in my 70
year-old pigeon career by far the most times on speed flights. But the
few times that I played the first on the one-day long distance I think I
still remember. Also how the arrival went and often also the long period
of waiting. The latter is the reason why I do not like those long
distances because I cannot wait for pigeons for a long time, I'm too
impatient for that. I need to calculate exactly how late they arrive so
that I can sit for half an hour before that time. Then make sure you
calculate the speed of the right distance.
THAT HAPPENED ME PREVIOUS WEEK
Fourteen days back I played 1 and 2 with the youngsters. The first 10
pigeons came pretty fast and then it fell silent. Half an hour after I
had clocked my first pigeons the phone calls came in. It ran for no
meter. Some received a pigeon and had to wait for minutes for a second
to come. It became a flight with a disastrous course. Fanciers were in
all states. In order to keep calm I told at the club that we could only
on Monday were able to determine if it was indeed a disaster,
unfortunately is was. My son Marco and I were lucky. We missed each two,
others lost more than half. Take on me that this is not all about
health. How it comes it comes no one is served by this. A very wise
decision was to cancel the second young pigeon flight the following
week. We only flew with the old a 180km race that was released late but
luckily had a good run. Last Saturday the second flight for the juniors.
I assumed they would come about half past one. It was a strange
sensation that my friend, who comes to see all weeks, was already about
half past twelve. Strange because he's usually late. At quarter to
twelve I was going to prepare everything and while I was there busy with
my grandson Barney there arrived four pigeons at the same time. The
clock was connected, from the garden was shouting "they're already",
soon the door opened but they kept flying. I did not wear my dust jacket
or my cap. So I'm always dressed when I'm busy with the pigeons. When
all was settled they fell all four at the same time and were pretty soon
inside. I lost the first prize which was for son Marco, I played
2-3-4-5. It could have been a bit more beautiful but with this result I
am also more than satisfied. What was the cause of this surprising
arrival. I had the distance of the week before in my head, that was 180
km and we flew only 120 km. Let's just say that this has to do with age.
CONDITION IS ALL
If you take the time to observe your pigeons you learn and see a lot.
Just after the evening dinner when the pigeons are at rest, you can
watch the best. No, not at hand, just looking at the pigeons. The one
who sit the most tight have an excellent condition. Look if the eyes
glow, no nose feathers end up, the head is pretty dry and the neck must
be high gloss, there must be no feather wrong. Cup crabs and gape are
not good signs then think of cancer or ornithose. The means against that
I have from Dr. Van der Sluijs always at home so I can intervene
immediately. Do right away because from delay comes down and then it's
as good a lost season. Look especially at the dung buns in the morning,
the drier and the smaller they are all the better. When I started the
season a couple of weeks ago I still have the coli cure of Dr. Van der
Sluijs in the drinking water and to date no symptom of a coli infection.
With darken I stopped half this year. My experience is that plus minus
two weeks after darken the chance of an infection with the coli bacteria
is big. I want to avoid this by from the first race to darken the loft
halfway and make sure I shut up the bright sunlight. So far everything
goes as I like but if it stays, I hope so. My young pigeons show while
training they have fly shape. The price percentage is above 50% and
after two flights I have a young pigeon who won the first prize on the
first flight and the second at the second. Will it be a new champion or
...... .. anything is possible. It's a very nice light blue cock. Do not
look too much at him because if you do that you lost them quickly. Or
will that be superstition?
AGAIN A SEDUCTIVE WEEKEND
The season is 3 months on the way so we are halfway but I have the idea
that it still has to start. It's as though everything is getting faster
and faster. Currently there is a game for everyone. The sprinters are
ready and for the long distance men it’s high season. Here and there the
game started with the young pigeons, most will start this weekend. There
are also departments waiting another month. Once the young pigeons are
midway it's just a jump and we're ready for this year. In the past I had
the idea that a pigeon season lasted for a whole year and now that I'm
an old man it's just over. What is a day, a month and what's a year,
time flies. I can say that because last week I celebrated my 80th
birthday and so far I have already three victories in the big game. That
feels good if you leave the younger, unfortunately I cannot speak of
youth, behind you. We also have some very bad flights in the meanwhile
including a very bad for the young pigeons making there are far too many
away. Too bad, also pigeon sport is hard and nobody is waiting for but
the show goes on and for many it's teeth biting to keep up with it.
Giving up does not happen a lot in the dictionary of a fanatic pigeon
fancier. Unfortunately many older fanciers have more and more trouble to
continue. Big offender is the loss of too many young pigeons. A good
friend of mine had luck in an accident. On the conscious flight that
many young pigeons left behind he could not participate because of the
coli contamination. As it became a disaster it was decided to cancel the
flight the following week. The next weekend we will reboot, we will go
to the same unloading place as 2 weeks ago and now he can join with a
full team while the others lose more than half. This is how it may be in
our sport.
HEALTHY PIGEONS
The game with the young pigeons is above all a matter of healthy pigeons
but that’s easier said than done. In the Netherlands you can experience
everything, one day tropical warm and two days later a difference of 20
degrees. Then again plenty of sunshine and a few days later heavy rain
showers. It's not easy to keep the whole team for the full 100% in
order. Many fanciers tend to help their pigeons by providing them all
kinds of resources. If you belong to that category it is taking care. In
all pigeon magazines countless resources are offered that make you race
harder than the competition. In itself fun but you know as well as I
that in spite of the most peppery preparations in the end one can win. I
have never read anything about a means that reduces the loss of young
pigeons to zero. No, no manufacturer dares and all those other means are
not sure if you have a victory or good performance to thank. It is still
the case that the one who uses the least medicines also plays the best.
To keep young pigeons on their feet with pills are not even good enough
to cook a soup.
DISAPPOINTING
In our association last winter we decided to hold a so-called Belgian
race. One day was scheduled to go to Belgium with a coach to purchase a
Belgian with a Belgian ring. Unfortunately the party did not continue
because there was bird flu. The market was closed and another solution
had to be found. After some searching we visit the Natural breeding
station. It became a very nice pigeon day and when we left the bus our
members had in every hand a Belgian pigeon. Also the fate struck down
because many of these pigeons are just like our own pigeons slain on the
field of honor. The Belgians league is already unsuccessful before we
start. Too bad, because all those extras are good for pigeon sport. A
separate league usually also gives other winners and there it is finally
to do. I also bought 2 Belgians one of which I liked. He developed well
and the blue cock even became one of my favorites. Unfortunately he had
to put the lead on the last difficult flight. And what happened? After a
day or ten he sat just like that in my loft again. He felt quite
comfortable so he probably will be able to join the next weekend and who
knows he will win the Belgians competition for me too. On the first
flight there was only one fanciers who had his Belgium in time at home
and that was not me. Now that I've got him back it's nice to be able to
compete further. It's just a peculiarity but nevertheless the winner
will never forget the gratitude.
THE TOUR DE FRANCE AND INTERNATIONAL BARCELONA
Two absolute sports highlights. The Tour that started last weekend in
Germany had immediately problems. Heavy rain made the time trial ride as
smooth as an ice rink. One of the big favorites, Spaniard Valverde, fell
so unlucky that he crushed his knee disc. We must see if he ever returns
to the peloton that he has imposed his will several times this year. The
man won everything in spring, the shape is there and suddenly it’s done
within a second. Something too hard into the bend and there he slid with
a sharp blow to one of the metal jailbreaks. A big favorite had to leave
the world's largest cycling event on day one by ambulance, tragic of the
upper shelf. At present more than 17.000 pigeons are on our way to the
Catalan capital Barcelona where they will be released on Friday July
7th. Also there are some favorites that may by bad luck, bad weather or
fill in yourself make no chance of a good result let alone the chance of
victory. Unfortunately there are still too many fanciers that think
Barcelona is a kindness. The distance is for many pigeons just too far.
This race is only for the strongest and are often not the most
beautiful, the biggest or the smallest. It does not matter if it's a
cock or a hen. The final will be between pigeons with a good suppleness
and with a stamina of a horse. Or will the Barcelona winner even have a
better stamina? Both events are a sporting spectacle that gets extra
attention in the international press. I'm a bit chauvinist Dutchman and
I hope that a Dutchman wins, if not I'll give it to everyone!
Interestedly I look forward to the first international reports on
Saturday July 8. Two weeks after we know who won the Tour. Again Froome?
HURRAY IT IS SUMMER
Summer we associate with nice weather. We then think of staying at the
campsite, walking or cycling or perhaps to the beach or the woods.
However we are all pigeon fanciers and if we are talking about good
weather we will certainly mean good weather for the pigeons. We
currently have no complaints about the weather. It has been nice summer
weather several times and there were even tropical days with what
encountered with the young pigeons. Last week a disastrous development
in Belgium. Even so badly that some areas canceled their flights for
young pigeons last weekend. Incredibly so many pigeons are left behind
it is not going well. Too many young pigeons are not yet flown. They
miss experience because they are still close to home released. Last week
we had the last training flight with the big car. Again many pigeons did
not return. This coming Saturday the game begins for real. Several lofts
are already halved and then we still have to start. Now it is the case
that most pigeons stay away from the first flight, after a few weeks the
losses are minimal. You will hear the remark "now the chaff is separated
from the grain". A comment that is often made by the lesser players.
What they mean? Very simple. The sick are gone and now it's going to
start really. Believe me it's not just sick or bad pigeons that left
behind. Sick pigeons have a lot more trouble to come home. However are
there so many sick pigeons? I am convinced that by far most fanciers do
their utmost to get started with only healthy pigeons. The big majority
of our members are older fanciers. Men with years of experience. Do not
think that they do not know which pigeons may or may not participate. I
know fanciers that play very strong for years and lose too many pigeons
every year. We should also not forget that our young pigeons must
perform in the worst season of the year.
COLD OR HEAT
Can pigeons better against cold then against heat? I think it's certain
depends of the country where they are born. An African will never become
an Eskimo or vice versa. Dutch pigeons are used to their climate and
when if it's above 30 degrees in our country we are talking about heavy
pigeon weather. If there is a bright blue sky and to make it worse a
powerful east wind then it is guaranteed a flight with a catastrophic
course. That's something different than a disaster. From a catastrophe
many pigeons do not come back at all. A flight with a catastrophic
course is far too long open before the prizes are earned and if the
prizes have been earned 75% of the pigeons are still on their way home.
For those types of flights I always say Monday night we have to make a
balance, then we can judge whether it's a disaster or that it was a
disastrous flight. If it turns out that Monday's only 10% of the pigeons
are not back we should not whine that belongs to the current pigeon
game. I know, 10% of your pigeons to hand in is not fun I do not like it
either. However the season may end, at the end of the ride shows that in
October we still have too many pigeons. Believe me that are not all good
ones. You know that as well as me and yet again we make the same mistake
as before. We think far too fast that we have a lot of good. Just start
that by saying that we all still have too much bad or valid pigeons,
otherwise I cannot explain it. We even quit the selection because the
game has to start yet. Last week I unfortunately 4 handed in and with
that I belonged to the lucky ones most fanciers lost much more.
Unfortunately I also had to deliver one of my better old cocks. He was
perched during the race on the balcony of an older lady about 80 km
south of me. The best lady called and e-mailed me Saturday night. The
next Sunday morning at 7 o'clock she went back to the phone to ask if I
had arranged something. She dared not catch the pigeon herself,
according to her the pigeon slept. I understood immediately that the
pigeon was dead. A pigeon friend of mine was going to get him and indeed
he did not sleep but was succumbed to exhaustion. A cock with 46 prizes
on his palmaris you cannot miss. Sentiments then play a role even so
much that you consider stopping. Frankly there is not much to happen or
it's really that far. It's a good thing that we pigeon fanciers have
forgotten such contradictions quite quickly so that after a few days
we'll come back to different thoughts. You rather get used to win than
to waste your pigeons.
NATIONAL CONCOURS
The third week of June early summer is the tradition that a national
competition is held in St. Vincent de Tyrosse. I do not join, the
distance for me is 1082 km. It is and remains for me, despite being no
long distance player, a well-known spoken marathon flight. In the past
all the Netherlands did join, yes me too. Do you know that there were
formerly 100.000 fanciers in our country? At that time there went
usually old crunches along. Cocks with coarse nose caps, impressive to
look at. Now it's predominantly the two-year-old who make the service.
This year 2585 fanciers brought 13.240 pigeons to the start. It will
tell you immediately that there is no real national flight with such a
number of participants. For this reason the number of participants,
especially for a sponsored National Competition, is far too small. A lot
about these types of flights is spoken and written. Maybe they get too
much attention. Nevertheless it is and remains a great achievement if
your pigeon knows to bridge the distance successfully. The two fastest
pigeons live on the front flight in the same village. Only four minutes
after each other these two Zeeuwse airspace working horses arrived at
Cees de Ridder & Zn and Klaas van de Graaff both living in the Zeeuwse
village Arnemuiden (946 km) in the southwest of the Netherlands. The
third national pigeon arrived in Limburg (south east Netherlands) at Lei
Kurvers and Dr. Henk de Weerd. The 4th National Pigeon was a lot
further. It lives in the high north with a distance of 1125 km and is
owned by Jaap Mazee from Ens.
NEERLANDS POSTDUIVEN ORGAAN
For years this was the largest pigeon newspaper in the Netherlands. A
year or eight ago this well-known magazine went bankrupt. A few weeks
ago it is rebooted now in digital version. For now the text is only in
Dutch. Those who want to follow Dutch pigeon sport can do that by
looking at the website of www.neerlandspostduivenorgaan.nl.. The latest
news, the category the MOST FASTEST pigeon of the Netherlands, every
week the intermediaries of the national competitions en the most popular
pigeon of the Netherlands and more.
I THOUGHT IT WAS GETTING QUIETER
Last winter I drastically reduced my colony of pigeons. It was
necessary, I could not fix it anymore, too much work. For someone who's
fine but 80 years old it's no longer go the way I'd like. In other
words, the will is there but the body let me down a bit. I never was a
lover of many pigeons. I have to be able to overlook it easily but
because I have a big loft you are unnoticed with more pigeons than you
would like. Due to the specialization today there are considerably more
pigeons than in the 70's and 80's and I just do not want to participate.
I try to keep as few pigeons as possible and I enjoy it. You will then
have to make priorities and make choices. You cannot join everything but
I did not already. The long distance game was never really spent on me.
I like the flights that I can accurately calculate the time they arrive.
I cannot wait for pigeons for a long time so that’s way I maybe do not
like fishing. Waiting for something I have not seen before is not spent
on me. I will go for a deliciously baked fish to the fish stall where we
have in the Netherlands very much.
UPPER LOFT
My race pigeons are in a loft that is above my office/breeding loft. On
the northwestern side three sections for young pigeons and on the
southeast side three for the old pigeons. I can go upstairs in two ways,
one inside and the other outside. It is a good therapy to walk up and
down the stairs a few times a day. It's going to be another story if you
have three or four baskets dive up the stairs and have to go down and
right there I wanted to get rid of. I was planning to use three sections
on the southeastern side, 1 for widow hens, 1 for widowers and 1 for
young pigeons. Below I would keep eight breeding pairs while I have 24
breeding boxes, more breeding boxes than breeding pigeons. The situation
changed. My son Marco had come to live in the Zaan region again and had
insufficient space to place his loft. Fortunately there was enough space
by dad so the breeding pigeons could go there. There was also enough
room for the reserve pigeons and because the breeding loft was now in
use by son father had to move his pigeons upwards. The situation is now
that all departments are occupied again and that I have never had to
take care so many pigeons as currently is the case. Frankly I’m having
the greatest effort but others think that will keep you fit.
Unfortunately that is not the case, I'm getting tired of it. I enjoy the
pigeons, I'm a real pigeon man and can spend hours between my pigeons.
In the past it was quick and quick because there had to be work. Now I
have enough time and now I cannot manage it anymore. But I do not have
to think that for whatever reason my pigeons have to go away.
WE DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER
My son Marco has insufficient time. Together with his brother they have
a home furnishing so that there is also a regular work schedule on
Saturday. Fortunately there is the electronic clock system that makes
the pigeons clock itself. I do not have to think I'm not home when my
pigeons are on the way. But it's just what you're used to. We have
nothing to complain about the achievements, the pigeons do it
formidable. We have won four of the 8 speed flights.
EXCERSICE OF THE YOUNG PIGEONS
On Saturday the 24th of June the season starts for the young pigeons, so
we are busy with the training of the young team. We are going to drive
for two weeks in a row to bring the pigeons into their flight rhythm.
Especially the stay in the baskets and learning drinking in the baskets
are very important to the young pigeons. The most important thing is
health and they are. They train as if they are sitting afterwards and
when they are doing good exercise they eat and listen well too. So it
looks promising. Together with the first flight for young pigeons we
play our third mid-flight of 390 km. They would do that same day in
Belgium but with the young pigeons. They start there much sooner than
we. My opinion is that we are too careful in the Netherlands because
many young pigeons do not return every year. Cause? There may be many
and still nobody knows the right thing about this disastrous state. It's
terrible that you are busy with the young pigeons for 5 months to
prepare them well for the races and then it's just a day that I do not
know how many pigeons stay away. In Belgium that was the last weekend.
That is also the reason that in Belgium the flights for young pigeons
have been postponed on the weekend of 17/18 June. It was bad weather for
those untrained pigeons that Sunday. In the morning a cloudless sky you
could so said review the whole world. A sharp inversion, sharp sun with
a lot of power and for people was advised to not sit in the sun for more
than a quarter. In addition the temperature was above 30 degrees with a
southeast wind. All in all very heavy weather for young pigeons that I
have written several times. In retrospect it turned out to be the case
as the losses were massive. That has also marked several members of my
club. They set off on Sunday morning with a large number of young
pigeons who were unloaded at a distance of 40 km at 11.40. I saw the
mood hanging and warned several people not to join. Keep the pigeons at
home, I said. When I came home with my wife in the afternoon I heard all
the misery. One had three out of 24, another 12 out of 90, there were
some that had still no pigeon at home after three/four hours they were
unloaded. Fortunately at the beginning of the evening it became cooler
the wind woke up and even some rain fell. The chance was that there
would be some pigeons the next day. And that was so. Yet there are still
too many pigeons away and that was not necessary. If brought them away
Monday and Tuesday and both times they were already in the loft when I
got home. On Friday they go with the big car for the first time and
that's again another situation. We’ll wait and see. The confidence in a
successful season is definitely present. We are even very optimistic
which in fact says nothing at all. It has to be with you and you need
some luck.
POSSIBILITIES ENOUGH
Especially in the season everything happens to me on time. It's as
though the pigeons go for everything and honestly that's the way.
Actually too crazy for words but if you want to excel and just are
pleased with a headset then you have to do everything for it to achieve.
Of course this should not be at the expense of everything because there
is more on this earth than just pigeon sport. But if it's possible it's
nice that the pigeons are being taken care of punctual. Because it's a
game sport we all want to win but that's not going to happen. It is
always the same to indicate the tone. You can easily share the pigeon
fanciers into categories. Always the same that play well, always the
same that always buying pigeons and perform nothing also called winter
champions, always the same that buy only the cheapest pigeons and the
bluffs who love to buy the most expensive pigeons. These are the experts
who only pick up pigeons from well-known fanciers to figuring out on the
loft. You always read the same names in internet sales. These are the
lovers of paper pigeons. It's always the same to visit the vet
regularly. No, not to check the pigeons occasionally but because they
have always trouble with their pigeons. Then there are the men who love
speed races, others prefer to play with the young pigeons, others like
the long distances and another group just wants to play more long day
distance races. It's just what you love and luckily everyone can within
pigeon sport make their own choice.
THE LONG DISTANCE MEN COME TO LIVE
The pigeons who have to do the big work have now been well flown. A neck
broker they have behind and that was certainly not easy. Many pigeons
have remained at that first one-day flight which was obvious about the
number of pigeons used last weekend. Only 888 pigeons in the second
middle distance race that have never been shown before. This is because
many players use their pigeons every week. The second middle distance
race came right after they got such a lead-heavy middle distance race
had behind. The next weekend there is a 620 km flight on the program and
for the men who like to play for 500 km there is nothing. That is not a
good thing for the sport or for the pigeons too. During this period the
pigeons must keep going to stop the molt. If they are too quiet for a
while they will throw pens and can hardly play in August/September.
Occasionally a week of rest is fine but too much rest is not good for a
race pigeon. Next weekend there is only a training flight for the young
pigeons and my hens will also join. Widow pigeons who only participate
in short flights can be played weekly. It also prevents them to crook
with each other making the attention for the cock less and that the
pigeons less rapidly lay eggs. The latter is not so bad at all. My
experience is that in the coming period the hens who have eggs will come
home very well.
THE YOUNG PIGEONS ARE SUPER
I hold my heart when I release my young pigeons. I have 31 and when I
open the window I need to look for cover otherwise they fly the pet of
my head. Within seconds they are out and they are also out of sight,
better cannot. Now that the flights for the young pigeons arrive I'm
afraid that for some reason the shape will go back. Because they fly so
great I have two that have something on their wing. This is because they
all fly out at the same time and that cannot be done from a sputnik. For
the time being I continue to darken and if they are at home from the
training flight with the club I certainly do a coli cure in the water.
Of course I do not know if it will help but prevention seems to me
better than healed in this case.
WHAT IS IT AN EASY GAME
If the pigeons are really in top form it's an easy game. You can also
basket your breeding scales so to speak. But oh, oh, if it does not work
I've experienced that too many times. I then sat down to watch all the
pigeons and stayed just as long until I saw something. One I saw
scratched his head, the other sneeze once, another yawn a few times.
Then I saw one for a long time picked in his feathers or one with the
nose feathers up. I kept looking for a while until I saw ghosts. I
wanted to see something because I thought the pigeons were not as they
had to be. Spray against lice, multiple drugs into the drinking water
and then it becomes even harder. Then you follow the advice of others,
all well-meant but it will not help you further. As a fancier you must
be able to see at a glance what is wrong with your pigeons. If you do
not control that go to the vet and tell him exactly what you think of
it. How they behave, make a throat smear and take samples of the morning
fertilizer for research. Such a situation is to become discouraged. If
the pigeons are good you do not have to do anything at all, it's like
it's all goes for granted. In that situation my son Marco and I are now.
All weeks early pigeons, there is really no size. Before that I had
three weeks thinking I'd stop. The pigeons did not want to eat not
exercise and were speechless. Too bad because before that and now they
are performing to the fullest satisfaction. The short distance
championship has already been achieved and at the middles distance is
also taken the first place. It's about good pigeons but without perfect
health and let's just call it super form nothing's right. For the time
being it is enjoy every weekend.
UNFORTUNATELY REALLY TRUE
In the Netherlands wants to be said or wright that there are still
25.000 active members. I have been discussing that number for quite some
time. In America is still advertised about 50.000 members but
unfortunately we have to go back for more than 30 years. Unfortunately
there is no chance of stopping this rapid decline. Much has been tried
but not help. Who knows that this time it’s going to work because the
NPO has confident in the GPS2021 plan that has been developed in the
interests of our pigeon sport. It looks good but there is always a big
difference between theory and practice. In any case it would be good if
the current NPO members give all confidence to the board so that they
can finish their job. According to the latest data there are 18.000
members and as a result I went to see how many members have participated
this weekend. Unfortunately I do not have a 100% pure picture because I
do not have the right number of participants from 4 out of 11
departments. For the 4 departments (3-4-8-10) I have made an estimate. I
came to the next terrible discovery. Section 1- 435 participants, 2-888,
5- 1468. 6- 637, 7- 703, 9-1.069 and 11- 928 do not totally scare 6188
participants which is an average per department of no more than 900
fanciers. If for the 4 missing departments I use the same average number
I do not even reach 10.000 members for 11 departments, unimaginable and
almost unbelievable. Once upon a time such a big national sports
federation with over 100.000 members with only 10% left over. It's all
about the active members or the playing lofts. We can ask ourselves so
slowly what does the NPO still have to worry about? It means that almost
50% of the membership file is still a member but for some reasons no
longer participate. We can certainly assure that due to the aging
population the membership will certainly reduce by one thousand per year
over the next 3 years. I cannot do anything else, unfortunately.
THE SPEED RACES ARE OVER AGAIN
Just started and the speed players are already ready. Six flights, none
of which went smoothly. The weather conditions certainly did not work,
leaving many pigeons behind most on last week's flight. It was in my
eyes all panic releases. In the south of the Netherlands in the morning
mist and here and there heavy fog. Belgium was good but before noon
heavy showers were predicted with a chance of hail and even a
thunderstorm. To keep up with the bad weather most of the departments
decided to release early. The department of Friesland spends the crown
by open the doors quarter to seven. They are famous for it or are the
other departments maybe too careful? When weather is good it's very
simple to give release signal but with that volatile Dutch weather I
almost feel sorry for the men who have to decide. If such a flight goes
well then you not hear anything but oh if there are many pigeons left on
the day of release then nothing at all is good. Fanciers are likely
panic too soon if on the fly day many pigeons are not back yet. I also
find that very annoying but say mostly; I do not need unloading
competent to ensure that many pigeons stay behind, I can clean up
myself. But I give it to you. For the one you are doing well and the
other finds that you do not have a look at it. Keep calm in those cases
and make a balance on Monday night, in most cases it's not so bad. This
weekend (May 20) we start a series of 5 middle distance races (300-500
km), for the majority of the members the most beautiful distances. The
influence of the wind is less and the matches are not completed within
10 minutes. I'm looking forward to it, lovely in the garden with a few
friends while enjoying a cup of coffee waiting for the arrival of the
pigeons. We only once had those situation in the Netherlands this
season. As far as the speed flights are concerned it did not work for me
the last two flights as I had hoped. After four flights I was at the top
three in the middle class and afterwards I had the peak that both the
doffers and hens had no appetite anymore. I hope to get them back on
track and I see with confidence the middle distance flights. With my son
Marco it went very different. He played the tiles of the roof from the
first flights and finally he became champion of speed in the club and
also in the strong ZCC. Together we currently have a breeding loft where
we can get ahead for the time being. We strive to have within three
years a loft that have bred pigeons who have won at least a first prize
in great relation or became champion. In name pigeons we are not
interested. In our breeding loft remain only pigeons that have proven
themselves to be a part of it. Of course there are some purchased
pigeons whose parents have earned the predicate "excellent" on the
races. A pigeon who wins the first prize with us goes straight to the
breeding loft. It is still the case that the best race pigeons do not
automatically give a very good young, but ...... when you breed a topper
in most cases it comes from one of the best pairs and those live with us
in the breeding loft. Would it not be that winners give winners? My son
and I will keep it up there. We do not intend to wait for a coincidence.
YOUNGSTERS AKS MORE ATTENTION NOW
As time goes by it's time to spend more attention on young pigeons. The
breeding is done and add we do not do anymore. The young pigeons are
doing fine, they are storming out the loft and in the morning and in the
evening they are sure 20 to 30 minutes away. They have had all the
vaccinations, get their whole life the same food, fresh grit and
minerals every day. In the morning I let them run by turning one or two
peanuts in a different corner of the cage. I have fun and they too and
it keep them active. Feed they get twice a day at the same time. When I
stand beside the sputnik they know that it’s dinner time and in no time
they roll in. They only do that if they are super healthy. If two or
three pigeons do not beware of coli contamination, I immediately do a
cure in the water. Those two or three that stay outside act sometimes as
weird as if they no longer know the entrance of the loft. The coli
bacteria get the upper hand and assume that the infection is part of a
large number of pigeons. Direct cure prevent a lot of misery. It's over
again soon but the days when they're really bothering is not fun to
clean the loft. So prevention is better than healed. Learning to drink
in the baskets is definitely recommended. Because of my age I do not
feel like, I have an "upper loft", have to go up and down several times
a day so I have chosen for elongated drinking troughs from which they
can drink 6 with each other. In this way I try to imitate drinking in
the shipping baskets and that works.
AGAIN 1000 MEMBERS LESS
Oh beautiful pigeon sport what's up? The membership continues to
decline. A peer-up promotional film appears to be discarded money. The
promo pigeon lofts available free of charge to future (youth) members
did not achieved the result was hoped-for. The attention paid to youth
members has not added anything to the membership. In the Netherlands is
only one pigeon magazine the others are souls. It's not hoped for that
the same happens with our pigeon sport. Fortunately the (new) NPO Board
has (again) developed a new plan that will increase the age again in a
year or five. It is and will be a prognosis for the time being, but
let's assume it will be successful. Before it's so far there must 5
years be bridged and then there may be a lot of mistakes. The rise at
all presentations on a new course that the NPO wants to take was
moderate to very bad, which does not say everything. It is important
that experts in every department get up to support the NPO so that we
can indeed go on a new course. Not only for the renewal but for the
maintenance our sport. If we see that there are 1000 members less again
this year we need to cherish the existing members and that is only to
achieved by not making fit and too fitting changes. We are dealing with
an ever-elderly group of pigeon fanciers. A large group who has been
playing pigeons for more than 40 years. Boarders must understand that
just that group is not waiting for big changes. They have been playing
their game for years because they have peace with otherwise they would
have stopped for a long time. Previously we had more than 120.000
fanciers, 2016 there were 18.606 and in 2017 there were still 17.773
members. Worse is that there are members who have no longer pigeons or
just play games but are still members of a club. It may be that there
are up to 14.000 active members and even that seems to me too high. What
if there were 1000 members less in 2018? How is it resolved
organizationally, in what sense do we want to make the pigeon sport
attractive if there is no pigeon club in every village? Existing young
pigeon fanciers are still willing to drive to another city or village to
basket their pigeons. Many older fanciers are therefore forced to stop
with their hobby. How are we going to stop this? The Dutch organization
consists of 11 departments with a total of 676 associations. The
Zuid-Holland division is the largest with 2502 members and Zeeland has
851 members. The pigeon sport remains a beautiful hobby but we are going
to meet five more difficult years. And after that? Who knows may say.
STILL ONE SPRINT RACE
Five sprint races are over and the cards are shaken. Like other years
many of the same names in the top of the intermediate position. With
some pride I can say that my son Marco is in charge of our division with
a rich lead. His pigeons performed formidably and made up almost half a
game on championship points. It's going to be crazy if he's not going to
be the new sprint king. To me as a father wonderful to experience if son
love also ends in the last flight in front and be crowned as a champion
of speed flights. Do not anticipated too much because the last race has
yet to be flown. In the Dutch football league we are also making
something like this. One of the most famous clubs in the Netherlands is
Feijenoord. They are already on the rankings at a given moment even 9
points ahead. Now the lead with another match for the bow has shrunk to
1 point. So the next Sunday do not go wrong because arch river Ajax is
on track and follows 1 point lag. Thus it can be in every branch of
sport. It's comparable to a cycling race because riders can ride the
whole stage with a rich lead but one thing is certain at the finish only
the prizes are awarded until that time everything is possible. That also
applies to my son. The advantage is that his pigeons come home every
week tremendous so he does not depend on one or two pigeons. Last
Saturday it went like this: 1-5-7-8-9-10-11-17-19-21-24 against 339
pigeons. Next week we will start a series of 5 middle distance flights
and this month start the one-day long distance flights. Busy times break
because the young pigeons be prepared too. Always exciting because the
game with the young pigeons is no more kindness. In the past years most
players could get a prize. That time is over because also by the young
pigeon races are many specialists and when those men start to clock it's
very normal they hit 30 within a minute. To achieve that they must be
super healthy and a little more.
DO A LOT FOR IT
Nothing goes without saying. In order to perform well much work has to
be done. It is important to set priorities. There are fanciers that
spent hours on the pigeons throughout the week. Not bad especially if
you have a lot but the issues are important. The fancier himself must
feel every weekend that he has made every effort to get his pigeons in
top condition. With me is high priority everything at the same time in
this respect for rest, training and eating. Regular care ensures optimal
condition and everything depends on it. It is further to the fanciers to
determine which food or minerals he gives, whether or not fresh
vegetables, yes or no show and so I can continue for a while. Many
fanciers make nowadays a necklace of driving with the pigeons. I think
it's an advantage especially at the end of the season. In addition I am
in favor of rest on the loft. With the old pigeons I never drive.
However with the young pigeons I never drive more than 10 times before
the flights and when the flights have started there is also rest on the
loft. Many fanciers play at the door disguised widowhood with young
pigeons. With me the young pigeons are not separated and if they want to
build a litter they can go their way. After two young pigeon races I
even leave two old pigeons at the youngsters to encourage them to nest.
Both systems have good results. By young pigeons health is most
important.
ENVY OR ……
It should not be crazy, I have never seen this before. You will wonder
what is happening again in pigeon land? You might think; fewer members
the less problems. Miss, we have just left or the envy celebrates again.
It's childish and the problem is that older and you would think
knowledgeable fanciers cause the problems. There are those who try to
torpedo our hobby in many ways. It's those blisters who always disagree
with something. Worse is that they interfere everywhere and cause
nothing but unrest. This time it's about picking up our pigeons and
loading the pigeon truck. As long as I play pigeons the pigeons of all
clubs are picked up at the club rooms to bring them to a central
gathering place. There be all travelling manners by a permanent group of
employees loaded in the large pigeons transport car. At that rendezvous
it is forbidden for fanciers who have nothing to do with it. In spite of
that ban most the same people are trying to enter the field in the hope
that something can be identified that helps gossip into the world. For
years the same carriers were used because of their many years of
experience, they knew all the ins and outs we could speak of an oiled
organization. Unfortunately at one point the pitfalls of pigeon sport
began to start. There were fewer expert managers behind the table who
usually started with a courteous endeavor. Last year our new board
announced that work would be made of cheaper transport. After 40 years
of faithful service another conveyor came, it became cheaper, all
members happy. Our sport is certainly not cheap in the Netherlands so
that was a great move from our managers. It's annoying that nobody has
ever noticed anything about a price cut. What has been noted is that
transport is no longer as we used to. The knowledge of the new managers
was missing and also from the new carrier. It was improvised instead of
organizing. Our pigeons were no longer picked up, we had to deliver them
at the collection point. Something that was held impossible for years
because the safety of the competition could come into question. What can
all take place if two fanciers have to deliver the pigeons of the entire
club 10 km away? Traffic accident, whether or not indebted, fraud
possibilities plus that you cannot oblige anyone to remove the pigeons
every week. As soon as the pigeons are taken we start with the award of
the previous flight. Always a cozy activity where all members want to
present because we have quite a few prizes.
OUR PIGOENS WILL BE RETRIEVED
Our club management did its best that this year the pigeons will be
picked up at our clubroom again. There have been 5 flights now and
loading the pigeons and unloading the empty baskets was viewed within 10
minutes. My club has invested quite a lot to make loading and unloading
a lot easier. As everyone will understand a pigeon car is never fully
loaded every week and because we were the last pick up address there was
a wide choice every week in which place our travel baskets were placed
in the car. For several years several associations have asked to put
their baskets right behind the cabin. An impossible task and just
because of that it was noticed that the baskets were not in the same
place every week. A sort of regulation system was used by the transport
committee. Because the big pigeon transport car now comes to our door we
depend on which place the driver assigns us. In the eyes of the fellow
associations this was a very favorable place. Over the last few weeks a
large number of members of our club performed in the eyes of the
competition above expectation well. That would have to do with the place
in the car. The fact that some of our members perform well to very well
is no coincidence, they are members who are also in charge other years.
There was complained of routine fanciers what, according to them, has
nothing to do with envy. Our pigeons were a bit wider because one side
of the car was not fully loaded. You can ask yourself where to put the
baskets when the other side of the car is full. It is look for nails on
low water and is actually too childish to pay attention to. It is
jealousy of the upper shelf. Now our pigeons have been in the back of
the car last week and the performance within our club is steady. For
years the place behind the cabin would be the best. Our pigeons would
have more "fresh oxygen"???? this season than the other pigeons that
were on the full side and because of the envious our performance would
be better. How do you think about it? It is unfortunately impossible to
place all of the front or all of the backs or we should think of the
well-known Belgian joke. In that country all passengers wanted to be in
front of the bus. As a result buses were made 14 meters wide and four
meters long. Many passengers could sit in front but the bus could not go
any further.
THE BRASSES DO NOT KNOW TO STOP
After four weeks of speed game the names of Marco and Bert Braspenning
are on top of the rankings. Especially at Marco they come as comets,
father Bert just gets too short. You cannot wish anymore if your son
take over the stick more and more. That does not mean that father Bert
will not win himself. I’m long been pleased that one of my sons is
interested in pigeon sport. I helped him on all sides but Marco is so
fanatic that he almost not need any information from me anymore. Still
we play the same fanatic game together and we both have a lot of fun.
This week too went smoothly again. In the club we played against 359
pigeons: 1-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11, the yearlings came the best this week. The
winning speed was 1511 meters per minute (over 90 km per hour), within
10 minutes 90 prizes were earned. Despite the high speeds several
pigeons were not home. With me a 2 year old pigeon left behind but on
Tuesday morning she sat on the cage again. She had lost a lot of weight
and that's why I think it's so beautiful that such a pigeon has so much
will to get back home. For the time being she definitely cannot join she
is sitting with some spare pigeons in a separate loft so she can rest.
This week I will not let her out, she gets extra spoiled because I
always have a lot of appreciation for pigeons who come home
independently despite all the setbacks. I have less for pigeons of 2
years or older that needs to get back. I'll always get them back but in
practice they almost never come through my selection at the end of the
season.
THE LESS MEMBERS THE MORE RULES
Our pigeon sport is highly needed for a rest period regarding to the
organization. In the time that there were still thousands of members
everything went well. Of course there were situations where not everyone
agreed but in general everything runs quite noiseless. Unfortunately
that cannot be said in the last 20 years. Aging pushes his stamps on our
sport, expert managers disappeared out of view and the newcomers try to
find out the wheel every time, it is done with the rest. Fortunately
there are also positive changes. The transport was adapted to the
demands of modern times, including electronics, and we also got a doping
rule and in our simple sport. The common man is taken of the almost
neglected gambling were he had the opportunity to earn a few cents to
afford his hobby. The pigeon sport is definitely no leftover area.
Unfortunately due to the strong return of the number of members we are
no longer interested for the newspapers which makes our hobby/sport even
more oblivious. The internet does not make publicity for pigeon sport
but commerce gets extra attention. All that attention is focused
especially on the far east. There are exorbitantly high amounts spent
for Dutch and Belgian pigeons. In both countries there are a lot of
fanciers that with the help of brokers enrich themselves by selling
their (mostly) name pigeons. You can imagine that by selling those
pigeons a lot of baked air is used to goods and chattels bring to the
man. Game-technically the Netherlands and Belgium are now dealing with
stricter regulations regarding pigeon transport and unloading. The
misery with the avian flu is finally over. The pigeons could have been
out for a while and last week it was the turn of the chickens, ducks and
turkeys. Now there’s been driven with pigeons the agreements have been
strengthened. Wild unloading is prohibited, for transfers over 500
pigeons, official papers are required, unloading places must be left as
soon as the pigeons are released and made clean. If not no permission is
granted for a next time. In the meanwhile we have experienced that.
THANK YOU DRIVER
On Friday April 21 Noord-Holland received an official letter from the
NPO that we were no longer welcome in the Belgian unloading station
Asse-Zellik. Reason; one of our drivers refused to clean up the rubbish.
He gave the service representative a big mouth and drove off. Other
drivers left the unloading area neatly. What do you do with such a
driver? I am convinced that the man has received good instructions. Is
such a man aware of what dangerous game he played? He puts the hobby of
thousands of pigeon fanciers at risk by not doing what he was assigned.
Resignation the most is in place. Fortunately everything went well. Our
managers decided to play from Oudenaarde on April 22 and release all of
Holland's pigeons at the same time. Due to the fact that it was not
ideal pigeon weather risks had to be taken. At 12.10 they could get out
by a low-hanging cloudy cloud and despite they had to deal on the road
with sometimes fierce rainfall it became a smooth concourse with speeds
of around 73 km per hour. Of losses was almost no mention.
SON MARCO WENT FOR THE VICTORY
Even after the third speed flight the Brassen did it well but 18 pigeons
of the 43 in the list is actually too little. If you want to play in a
champion style you are almost required to play at least 50% price (1: 4)
and this time it was only 45%. The result is very good, in the club it
looked like this; 1-4-11-12-23-24-25, 7 in the top 25 is by no means a
result that makes you satisfied. Son love is in the first place after 3
flights and father follows him in second place. In the division against
2986 pigeons it started with: 3-21-34-37-67-71-76 etc. For the coming
weekend the forecasts are better. Temperature 15 degrees and a calm
southwest wind. Now let’s hope the weather forecasters have it at the
right end, the previous flights it was really no fun to wait for the
pigeons. Coming Saturday with some more sun is not only better for the
pigeons but also for their bosses. The young pigeons act formidable for
a week.
THEY ARE MORE THAN 20 MINUTES AWAY
I hear from fanciers that their young pigeons almost an hour migrate.
I'm then inclined to say that they have to look around the corner if
they do not graze on the fields. Mine have never been so long away. I'm
already happy if they are out of sight for 20 minutes. I still have 33,
there was a very nice light shale. It was just one of my young
favorites. She already shine in the dish and when I had her in my hands
last week I got a good feeling about her. Really a pigeon I'd like to
see and a longer story I cannot tell about her. She's gone, just gone
from the cage. I missed her two days ago and she is not back yet. The
high-voltage masts or a bird of prey, I do not know. These are the risks
if you leave pigeons outside, so no worries we eventually get them to
compete and you will lose a number of them each year. Most fanciers then
cuddle because it’s always one from their better breeders. It will be,
the experience has taught me that despite all the losses we all still
have too much in October. That's good too, because we would like to
select as strict as possible. If possible I'll play my young pigeons on
all 8 flights and they go also 5 times on the natour. They must then
have a good condition otherwise you better keep them home for a week. I
think young pigeons should compete as many matches as possible in their
birth year they benefit greatly from it. But once again they have to be
healthy and sometimes dare to clean up one of them definitely when it
not look as it should be. Every time you go to the loft you first look
at that pigeon to see if it's already refurbished and if not you're
moody for the rest of the day. So soon get rid of it we're not bothered
by a young pigeon of whom we know little or nothing about it
MORE RESISTANT AGAINST COLD THAN HEAT
Our con voyeurs or competition leaders are sometimes too careful when it
comes to release our pigeons. If a competition with a distance of 200 km
is open over an hour many fanciers are in panic. Mobile phones are ideal
to upset each other. Everyone calls with each other and then just moan
about the lengthy opening of the concourse it could well be a disaster
flight. What is the objection as a short flight is longer open than we
are used to? It would be too cold and also head wind 5, ingredients to
make a heavy flight. If it is fan flight, you know them force 5 on the
tail and a speed of 120 km per hour, then everything is within five
minutes passed and there we are an entire week been busy for. All days
care the pigeons and in the weekend is fun done within 5 minutes. It may
sometimes been different. I mean that once other fanciers can be seen in
the top of the results. Pigeon racing is like a stage in cycling
competition, every day something else. The only significant difference
is that all cyclists should make the same distance what is not the case
with our pigeons which can cause large differences. So there was the
past weekend in my region a flight of about 180 km. Due to low
temperatures and rain at the release point the release was delayed up to
2 hours. The departure was not good. The strange thing was that the
first pigeons made a speed of over 80 km by wind-force 5 on head.
Previously we would against each other have said that the fastest pigeon
always made thousand meters (60 km. p.h.) per minute but that time is
over because today with headwind they make 80 km per hour and that we
find quit normal. No, the sport is really not standing still. Width
sport has become much stronger. Previously there were few that with head
and shoulders get out of it what is still the case but on each loft are
now pigeons that can compete with the big guys.
SHORT DISTANCE RACES IS VILLAGE GAME
Such speed flights can actually only be flown in a small area. In the
district where I play is a difference between the shortest and the
longest distance of almost 30 km. On a race such as last Saturday with
strong headwind there is on the for flight not to win. Almost certainly
there will also come races with winds appear from a different angle but
the difference remains 30 km. Even though we have in the Netherlands a
commission "fair game" this type problems are not resolved. Maybe
because of that the flights with a distance of 300 to 500 km are the
most beautiful. Then the wind has less influence and do most fanciers
participate. About races with a larger distance is much written. This
are races who speak to imagination but we must not forget that perhaps
20% of the fanciers join. In Belgium these races gets much publicity
because they played there at nationally level. In the Netherlands we
have only one national competition from Chateauroux what for me is 670
km. I don’t like these races. My preference is for distances up to 500
km and there we have 25 of them.
FATHER AND SON BRASPENNING STATRS WITH 1-2-3-4
With mixed Feelings the Brassen were waiting each by their own loft for
the pigeons. The departure would have been bad. Many pigeons were very
long hanging above the release point and then you get big differences in
arrival times. On this flight the Brassen pulled fiercely we won both
the club against 441 pigeons and in the ZCC against 1700 pigeons 1st,
2nd, 3rd and 4th prize. Winning speed was 1,350 meters per minute (81
kph). Along the way they should have a part west northwest wind
otherwise it’s almost impossible to get such a speed. A stray rain would
also have provided for a (too) long concourse length. The season began
what the weather condition very conveniently. Really pigeon weather and
comfortable temperatures. A common saying in our country “April does
what he wants" and it shows now like tonight's freezing weather, there
is chance of sleet and daytime the temperature comes not above 9
degrees. For next Saturday's the weather forecast is just like that. You
can imagine that this is not conducive for the condition of the pigeons.
But we live in the Netherlands where were we have to deal with such big
differences. The pigeons must be able to stand that just as they in
Saudi Arabia must stand the heat they have to adapt our climate. The
same goes for the Belgian pigeons. That's why our pigeons must first
acclimatize in other countries and only a year later they will be able
to care for youngsters in their new homeland.
ALL PIGEONS MUST BE VACCINATED
Around the perils with avian flu the NPO has again pointed out that ALL
pigeons, including the breeding pigeons, must be vaccinated against
paramixo. Previously that was not really necessary. It was the case that
pigeons who came into contact with other pigeons had to be vaccinated.
Pigeons who did not join the flights had to be vaccinated at least once
(as young). None of the fanciers are waiting for this kind of
regulations. Nevertheless I advise everyone to ensure that everything is
in order for the NPO apply stricter controls. It has to do with public
health and of course also with the economy. Our pigeons do not belong
but ducks, turkeys and chickens. Today I have the youngest young pigeons
vaccinated. I had them done a yellow plastic ring so that I could easily
grab them. I had also taken a couple of old pigeons for control to Dr.
Van der Sluis. After last Saturday I doubted their health because there
were big differences in the arrival times. I assumed that it would have
something to do with the airways. However, when I looked at the results
two days later I saw that known fanciers started later than me and that
they also had to deal with big differences and also played a far too low
price percentage. Even for the next race it does not look rosy again.
Cold and rain is forecasting with north-west wind again. This means that
they must turn back against the cold wind. They must be fine enough to
be able to finish in the front ranks. Next week we will know again.
SHOT FOR SEASON 2017 HAS BEEN GIVEN
We left, everyone started full of enthusiasm for a season that nobody
knows what it will bring us. We are all back to zero and even the 2016
season was still as good security for 2017 no one has. There are those
thinking because of their new purchase or a strong season with the young
pigeons that this year will also succeed with yearlings. We have to wait
and see. In any event care that there is nothing to notice about the
care. Every fancier must feel that he has done everything he can to
achieve good performance. If that feeling is not there and the
performance fails don’t looking for the pigeons but by yourself.
Especially these first flights it’s about differences from a few seconds
which means everything has to be correct. What is a difference of 5
seconds? In the pigeon sport this may mean a number of places in the
outcome. For boss and pigeons it’s a new start again both have to get
used to. The boss has to behave like he did all winter and last year. On
the day of return do the same as always. These first flights also the
pigeons are tense. After a couple of months of rest they go into the
basket every week. That certainly ensures stress in the beginning. The
fanciers do not suffer from it at least if I believe the most. I can
give you enough examples of how those quiet men get into practice, you
do not believe what you see. I have seen them crawled to the cage in
'tigers' walk when their first pigeon fell while they walked slowly to
the cage throughout the week to calling in the pigeons. The pigeons see
that immediately and become nervous because they do not know that
behavior from their boss. Then it's not so strange that they do not go
straight in while the seconds just go down. Do the day of arrival
exactly the same as you do all week. As my pigeons go in after the daily
workout I stand next to the sputnik because they know it's dinner time.
If they arrive on Saturday from the race and I do not stand next to the
sputnik they make another or two rounds around the house while the
seconds go, but when I stand there they fall straight next to me on the
sputnik. I almost never lose seconds and that have to do with the
behavior. The pigeons do not know better than when I stand there they
get food and you know food means a lot for animals.
SATISFIED WITH THE FIRST RESULTS
It started again the same as last year when there had to be a regular
change from unloading place. For me incomprehensible but also now that
was the case again. On the site was indicated that the unloading place
was not suitable for which I cannot understand. If you choose for a
particular place then you need to know that there can be unloaded and
you will check with some managers if that place is still suitable.
Everything can happen. There may be an annual market or fair, it is also
possible that such a place will be used for housing. If you assume that
the place of unloading is unchanged every year you can still hit your
nose. Contacting the municipality in advance is something you will do
first. Okay not further whining because the first result became good
enough. The pigeons had to bridge this first speed race a distance of
155 km which did the fastest with an average speed of more than 85 km
per hour. Against 469 pigeons our joint races began like this;
3-4-5-7-8-10 and 28 pigeons (1: 4) of the 50 in the list. The
competition was open for 10 minutes which meant that the 118 price
pigeons were at home. Without doubt a nice flight with little or no
losses. The yearlings had this first race some harder than the routine
old pigeons, at the first 25 there were 9. Overall it was the well-known
fancier who played a high price percentage (more than 50%), in a word
amazing but .... it is also the reason that a large number of
participants do not come into the list and that is pity because it's not
good for motivation to move on. Indeed it’s always the same fanciers who
play under size. There are that maybe experience more fun with their
pigeons than the men who MUST perform each week. So I also read a mega
number of 200 pigeons from one fancier. No, they do not do anything
wrong at all. In the Netherlands you can use as many pigeons as you like
and then you get these kinds of phenomena. I have never been afraid of
large numbers of pigeons. In the good years I flew at 15 to 20.000
pigeons a week. There were also 200 of Jantje sometimes and sometimes
300 from Pietje it did not matter to me. I have to say that I then had a
team of pigeons who could all play at head. They could not only they did
too. Now that we are with considerably fewer fanciers the pull of the
pigeons is mostly on the side where most pigeons are which can have a
considerable impact on the distribution of prices. It's not fun for
little fanciers to box again to those mega lofts every time. See the
results well then you can see that those mega lofts (usually) are less
performing than the small ones. Pay particular attention to the price
percentage. My opinion is that you have to play at least 50% price each
week to say that you play in the championship style. That's what the
fanciers with those giant numbers do not get. That means there are many
more unusable pigeons on those lofts than with the little fanciers. The
difference is that the selected pigeons from the little fanciers go to
the poultry and those of the mega are also sold through the well-known
sales sites for too much money. How stupid you should be to step in
there every time. I would love to know how many good pigeons are born of
all those paper wonder pigeons. You're reading something about it but
that's still an exception.
DARKEN
On the weekend of April 1 I started darken. I do that from 19.30 until
7.30 so in total 13 hours. In the meantime we are almost two weeks away
and it look like it’s snowing in the loft. Unbelievably what influence
the darken has on the ruins of the small feathers. Every day they are
now from 9 to 10 and from 6 to 7 hours outside. They start flying well.
The oldest have been vaccinated against paramixo and the younger ones
that walk around with a yellow ring are still to be done. Soon this will
happen because you never know with the unexpected finds of dead birds
that have succumbed to paramixo or bird flu. Now waiting for the pigeons
how to perform this weekend at the second speed flight.
MIXED START
For most fanciers it was only a training flight. In the southern
Netherlands was already really play and just there it did not go as it
should. The eastern part of the province of North Brabant played from
Isnis, an average of 120 km. Many pigeons logged off and a competition
of 2.5 hours. Central and West Brabant had the pigeons in the Belgian
town Asse-Zellik and there the competition was closed in good 7 minutes.
What are we to say? Irresponsible discharge, unaudited fly line? The
pigeons had an unlucky day, all days earlier wonderful weather, Saturday
very precarious (fog and rain) and the day after again beautiful
weather. My association was at a distance of 70 km and within the hour
they were at home. I was certainly not displeased but for pretty the
first ones had to arrive 1.5 minutes earlier. For coming Saturday I'm
curious. The real form is not signed yet and train they do also not as
belong. I now began they train for sure one hour without a chance to
fall on the loft. That is for me not so hard they can only land at the
house or on the loft. Many fanciers that living in a busy residential
can have trouble that the pigeons choose the roof of the neighbors. It
was striking that the yearlings by arrival fell on the young pigeon
loft. That they were used last year because they lived there. Now they
for the first time with a few thousand pigeons come home you notice that
they are not forgotten the old situation. We've all experienced once
that a pigeon came back home after many months and flew smoothly to his
nest tray as if he had never been away. I’ve also seen that two of my
youngsters that just came outside were suddenly shocked by the neighbor
that went water the garden. Still no 100 meters further down they
entered a loft. Luckily the man saw that it were not his pigeons because
they had a name ring so they were the same evening back in their own
loft. We are all stand to zero and about six weeks come again drawing in
the battle. Most likely we see the famous names in the top of the
standings. My racing team for 2017 consists of 12 cocks and 12 hens and
is still complete so I can in each case Saturday join with the full team
on the first showdown. The weather report indicates 13 degrees and a
calm west wind.
For Sunday is 20 degrees predicted, something is quite normal in the
Netherlands.
FRANCE
Last week there was a case of avian flu in the Netherlands. Fortunately
no consequences for the sport. In Belgium also no problems anymore and
from April 3 France also gives permission to transport and resolve
pigeons. Let's hope we saved from the evil spirit "bird flu", you never
know. If there is a dead bird in the ditch or pasture it’s immediately
reported. Before we just stepped over, in wild birds also do not have
eternal life. It is now being studied which they are deceased.
BELGIUM
Belgium, the country of cycling and pigeon sport. Currently there are
the spring classics in full swing. Last Sunday was quite Belgium totally
upside down. The Tour of Flanders also called Flanders' most beautiful
was ridden. Already at the start, which took place at half past ten in
Antwerp, thousands of spectators stood to marvel at all the greats of
cycling which had a rate of 6.5 hours ahead. It was the day a big party
especially since this classic was won by a Belgian even though it was a
French-speaking Walloon. The two multilingualism plays in Belgium yet an
increasingly important role which is fortunately not mention if there is
headed. Walloon or Flemish they are all possessed of cycling. It is
striking that many fanciers follow cycling from start to finish. Many ex
riders are now fancier and busy with their pigeons. Most of them prefer
the longer distances. On Saturday April 1st the long distance racers in
Belgium were a breakdown near. On the Pipa site stood an article about
the probable cancellation of the national long distance races and they
have in Belgium quite a bit of. The KBDB wants namely the organization
draw towards themselves, transportation and making the results were not
outsourced. The lucrative revenues would go into the coffers of the
national organization and caused mayhem. According to the report was
gathered until late in the night and there it was even hard to. The
whole country in turmoil and guess what? The whole story was invented,
everyone is fooled. Indeed, it was an April 1 joke.
NETHERLANDS
In the Netherlands draws the NPO governance by the country to reveal the
future to all fanciers. Wednesday April 5 they are in North Holland
which is the province where I play. Although I'm not so fanatical as I
was I want as older fanciers still hear what our national directors
plans. I've already heard a lot and I also read about. The plans look
like many previous plans well thought out. I have to say a real vision
that well thought. Or the development of these plans are realized
depends on a lot of people from the organization. Recently the NPO board
was in South Holland where perhaps live most fanciers of the
Netherlands. The turnout was disappointing. It indicates that the
interest is there a minimum or is it because of the time chosen for
these meetings. Everyone is in fact preparing for the season and then
they do not feel for meetings. Winter is over and that is the perfect
time to discuss any changes or innovations. It would be unfortunate if
in North Holland the rise is also minimal which could mean that the good
intentions again temporary be pushed onto the long path. Once I was a
director. Manage a club or an organization is not an easy task
especially with pigeons people. Pigeon racing is an individual sport.
Everyone wants to draw the lion's share. It is almost an impossible
thing to get everyone facing the same direction. Good luck for the next
games.
BIRD FLUE
It is only recently the scare hits us to the heart. Another bird flu! It
started in Belgium, Netherlands followed and also in France here and
there was a dead bird fished from the water. From previous years we know
what heavy consequences this has. From ministries is no single risk
taken. There are strict rules applied and despite pigeons in the
Netherlands not fall under poultry is a as soon a dead bird is found
direct section done and when it’s positive the turnips are tender. Then
for our pigeons are the same measures as for poultry. It is best to
understand as poultry is a very significant economic value. They believe
that pigeons be able to transfer contamination and the scholars are
still not agree. It does mean that many fanciers sit with clenched
buttocks because soon starts our season and this comes in danger. A
whole winter we’ve been busy to get our pigeons healthy through the
winter months. If the culture is passed most fanciers look forward to
the first races especially now it is in the Netherlands such beautiful
spring weather. Anyway on April 1 we start and how it is about a few
weeks when the pigeons come from France is not quite known. That could
soon have consequences for the Belgians. If they play from 200km they
sit already in France. Let's hope that by the beautiful spring weather
no new outbreaks coming and we can begin without worry to the season. I
should not think about that at the last moment yet a transport ban being
proclaimed. I would not say that all the preparations are for nothing
but it won’t make you happy. We remain optimist and from now on we are
going to deal with the races. The pigeons must be in good condition now.
The one who still have to do that has now a lap down and that is
difficult to catch.
EXERCISE
This year went all swimmingly, great weather to bring pigeons away.
Daily fine weather, a small drawback was the bleak cold northeast winds.
You could see at the pigeons. By arrival they were the first hours a bit
"fat". In the past I made far in advance my training schedule for the
old birds but often there was anything right. Strong winds, rain and
even snow. I've been through that I was waiting on the arrival of the
birds with a cap, a thick scarf and a winter coat with occasionally a
snowfall. Then you see that our pigeons can more than we think. Of
course is it not good that pigeons had to come home between snowfalls
but once released does not mother love more, then they hang in the air
and they will rescue themselves to reach as soon as possible the home
port. Actually it’s incomprehensible that despite all the modern
equipment still taken too many wrong decisions. More worse in my opinion
is that far too fussy is handled with the pigeons. By that cautious fuss
we make from our pigeons no racehorses of airspace but hothouse plants
which in turn huge losses could result. As for that I dare to take the
necessary risks. For heavy cloud I am not afraid but for low clouds I
am. With crystal clear weather and east wind I go certainly not with the
youngsters on the road only when I already four times gone along. That
kind of weather they also faced during the season so that part belongs
to the tutorial. Rain I'm not afraid for but for constant heavy rain,
but occasionally some rain will certainly do no harm. If the ground
temperature is 13 degrees I'm a bit careful to bring them away.
Especially the birds that need a few hours to come home have it then
difficult but if they suffer I do not believe. Look once in winter how
they fly at temperatures below zero. Anyway, so everyone has its own
method to let the pigeons perform as well as possible. Fortunately there
are very many roads lead to Rome meaning that everybody has a real
chance to play a prize and that’s what it’s about.
CONDITION
At this time of the year most birds are not yet in optimum condition.
Fanciers even try to hold back a bit or so they claim. I'm certainly
not. I take care of my birds as good as possible so that they sit every
day just fine. I can annoy me at pigeons sitting thick or when nose
feathers are up. Every morning I look first at the dung. The morning
manure is an important indicator for me. Lovely little dung balls with a
few down feathers at top I like to see. By the widowers I like to see
that the dung balls are very close together, indicating that they have
quietly spent the night. Where the dung balls or weak manure is spread
throughout the breeding loft the cock is still too nervous. Show them
longer in the first weeks may well help. Personally I show the hen
almost always especially by one night basket. In two nights basket they
do not see each other and the dish is not reversed either. I take them
very carefully from the loft. My pigeons are not timid or tame. That's
why I prefer to show them every week because I can pick them without any
problem out of the breeding loft. The first week I show more than an
hour, the fourth flight I start picking them after only 20 minutes. I
let cocks and hens all at once together. They can do whatever they want,
I think it motivates them to come home the next day as soon as possible
and then they can again the whole day do their own business. No matter
what time they arrive the same evening at 7 pm I bring the hens back to
their department. Some go to another department because I have a couple
of horny hens lie cuddle with each other and thus affect all women
upset. The appetite is then less and feel to make love is getting
fiercer. I cannot open the door of the hens loft or there are a couple
trying to fly over my head searching for hubby. They are my idea a
little too horny. Saturday I can tell you more about. When I see the
pigeons the cocks looks firmer and the manure is very close together.
The hens are perhaps too restless whereby they unnecessarily
debilitating. At the first sprint races it will not have much impact but
if it we go further I place there some doubts. We will see it all.
SPRING STARTS GOOD
Nothing stands us in the way the signal is green. All prohibitions be
lifted, no new bird flu cases in the Netherlands, Belgium and France can
go courses. In the Netherlands we starting the first weekend of April
which means that from Saturday April 1 again thousands of pigeons
cleaving the Dutch airspace. The Northern situated fanciers begin within
own borders but the largest group starts in Belgium. Our southern
neighbors have already started although it’s actually too cold. Now
there for an extended period temperatures of around 13 degrees are
predicted you see each day with great regularity groups of birds pass
over what is a sign that the speed players bring their pigeons into
their fly rhythm. I'm also started at least my wife because I still
cannot drive. Hopefully soon because the sight in my left eye is 55% and
from 50% you may drive. Soon I'll make an appointment with the optician
and who knows glasses bring a small improvement. What visibility subject
I am a happy man again. The aftermath of the flu is also less so I’m
precisely for the start of the competition season weather in good shape.
Only then you realize how important health. I hope it goes up with the
pigeons exactly the same side. Because by my long-term problems with my
eyes and then a heavy flu I could not care the pigeons as I'm used to.
In this respect 2017 has a difficult start. Now everything is the right
direction we wait for temperatures of 18 degrees or something higher.
These are for our Dutch and for our pigeons the best temperatures. Below
13 degrees and above 28 degrees we Dutchmen can’t stand. The most
beautiful competitions are with a degree of 20, light head wind, big
white clouds and a bright blue sky. Unfortunately we don’t have that too
often in the Netherlands that’s why we would like to go on holiday to
the more southern countries. We soon start and in one go until half of
September.
PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT
Exercise/Training provides an extra condition. All athletes ensure that
they have for the start of the new competition season a thorough
training program so that they come well prepared at the start. For our
pigeons applies exactly the same. Many fanciers choose to let the birds
during the winter months not outside. There are several reasons for. The
start of the new season also determines the start of a more serious
approach. In mid-February we see more and more pigeons fly around the
loft which is not foolish because six weeks later start the race season.
The speed and program players, to which I also belong, will be ready.
Still, I'm a cautious starter. At the first flights it could in the
early morning hours pretty cold and I think it is better to keep them
inside instead let them fly in the freezing cold for half an hour. But I
like to let them fly in the cold winter months. While I watch them
shivering I see them flying at high altitude. Some think the reason
great condition but I assume that the birds know exactly where they can
best fly. In the cold winter months it’s at high altitude more
comfortable than close to the ground. A same situation you see often in
bathing. By gorgeous summer weather we think about swimming and lazing
on the beach we don’t do that when the rain clatters against the
windows. The strange thing that just then the pigeons have a greater
need for bathing than at tropical temperatures.
HOW WE BEGIN
Personally I always took care that at the last training flight the
pigeons were breeding for a few days. If the temperatures were too low I
had always the option to keep them another week on eggs. Because a later
breeding start and the boss was not comfortable in his skin this is not
possible now. So by the racers no second round eggs. Cocks and hens are
separated and will remain so. In this period they are trained I let them
occasionally with each other. That's easier to deal with and because I
have pretty much yearlings it’s for them also a little learning period.
Widowhood they must also learn. So in the run-up to the first flight
they may every few days before and after training for a while with each
other. The lofts are again disinfected with the burner and ceiling
diffusers are made dust free. The cocks sit on their outstanding
breeding loft on wooden caskets wherein the hatching tray is pushed.
When I show the pigeons (I always do at races with one night basket) I
take the dish out. The hens sitting on chapels 4 one above the other,
separated by a partition so that the hens cannot see each other. The
cocks are fed into the large manger which is on the ground. After dinner
the cocks get in their breeding loft a pinch of candy seed plus two
peanuts. The hens get all their food in the common tray. The breeders
have food all day at their disposal. At noon they get in their breeding
lofts some candy seed, on Wednesday a bath and Tuesday vegetables. The
breeders get never medications. The racers have almost every day
something in the water, garlic they get all year.
THE YOUNGSTERS
This week there was one that stay at his seat. All the others stood in
breakneck speed eat at the food tray but that one remained. A day
earlier I had him in the eye, he walked around the feeding pigeons
pecked here and there a tiny little seed on. A day later he remained
seated and when I grabbed him he only had water in his craw. I put the
young in a separate box with toilet paper so I could see how the next
day the manure looked like. Not pretty but not oily green because I was
initially feared. Your thoughts go immediately to a coli infection and I
am now just short time after my long illness not waiting for. Usually I
have no mercy for youngsters but for unexplained reasons she still is.
Just to make sure I still did a coli cure from Dr. van der Sluis in the
drinking water. I cannot bear to think that now I’m recovering I get
problems among the pigeons.
THE SHORT DISTANCE PLAYERS GET THE CREEP
At the speed players the breeding will be as good as finished. The
racing season is getting closer, there is little time for thorough
preparation. By me the pigeons had the necessary vaccinations. This
weekend a cancer capsule and they have to cope with for the rest of the
season. Recently the old racing pigeons have all had a paratyphoid
injection and they had the first two days quite a lot of trouble. The
day they were vaccinated they looked like to get a through a ring.
Slippery as an eel, beautiful weight, shiny eyes, silky plumes what is
it then enjoy. Unfortunately it was the next day completely different.
Manure less beautiful, less appetite and fly they had no need. About
four weeks should everting all tip top in order and I have confidence in
it. I doubt to pair them for a second time. You hear more and more that
fanciers put their pigeons on widowhood immediately after the breeding
which is not my system. I've always paired them a second time so they
sat on the last training flight on four days eggs. If the pigeons came
home on Saturday I took the eggs away that same evening. Sunday the hens
leave at noon. Because they have no eggs anymore they are more quieter
as they arrive in their department were they stay the rest of the whole
racing season. Because I have now been five weeks suffering from the flu
the pigeons are still not at its regular time of care. I can still not
afford, feel weak and miserable, did not feel like anything. Still, I
try to take care the pigeons optimally. In 4 weeks can still happen a
lot and I know they can do it, trust in own birds is amply present.
AVIAN FLU
Uncertainty remains about the bird flu. It was a shock last week because
the local newspaper indicated that 8 km from my house bird flu was
detected. I could not make out whether it was an infection of chickens
or pigeons. The pigeons are fortunately still under the category birds
and not poultry. In Belgium the prohibition to keep poultry indoors now
relaxes and the fanciers can release the pigeons again. Despite that
there are still appropriate restrictions. Suppose there is a limitation
that the Dutch pigeon transports are not allowed to drive on Belgian
territory then comes our pigeon sport in severely danger. If there is
found in the coming weeks no dead wild birds there is little or nothing
to worry about. To be sure light a candle.
THE BLUE TRAIN
This morning I sat for half an hour with the youngsters. There is one
light scratch on, 1 shale and the rest is light blue. I like that color
and have in the course of the years selected on. If I tell to other
fanciers they shrug their shoulders. The answer they give is usually
"color is not important as long as they fly hard". Furthermore we all
know the remark "the better they get home the more beautiful they
become." Of course these fanciers are right, color does not matter.
However it is also about the hobby. Every day of the week and for 70
years I’m working with my pigeons. Currently it’s different then over 15
years, at that time I was very fanatical. I just had to win every flight
and that thought is changing considerably. Of course I want to win, who
does not but it’s not so emphatically present. That's by my son Marco
totally different. He tells every day to his father that he is going to
crush the whole world this year. With him it is also increasingly
becoming a "blue train". The scratches disappear more and more. We now
go together for beautiful light blue and especially good pigeons. We
join forces by building a joint breeding loft. That's what I will report
extensively in the course of this year. I think it’s truly interesting
for you as a loyal reader to know what breeding material is housed at
our breeding loft.
BREEDING
As long as I have pigeons I have always paid great attention to the
breeding material. Although I never had a lot of pigeons I had
comparatively quite a large number of breeders. As soon I won a first
prize in the ZCC this pigeon went straight into the breeding loft. The
ZCC was in my region a very strong combination of 15 associations with a
total of 450 fanciers. The flying area was 8 km long and 5 km wide. An
ideal situation for flights up to 450 km. Weekly 5000 birds competing.
If we look back it was a dream to be able to participate. In the same
period we could also play in the division in which more than 20,000
pigeons participate. Such a thing is inconceivable nowadays and you can
imagine that when you today play a first against 2000 pigeons this the
older fanciers among us no longer appeals. Unfortunately, it is no
different. The membership is still running with jumps backwards and we
will have to get used to. Fortunately there’s developed an entirely new
policy within the new NPO board which should bring the sport in the
interest of the Dutch population. The downward curve in the number of
members will continue for a while. Most members are in the category of
70 years and older. So the next ten years we are going to miss a lot of
souls, but enough of this. We proceed to the order of the day and that
are the youngsters. The winter youngsters flying it is a real delight.
With me they come just a week outside and they rumble from the loft to
the roof of the house and back. I leave them in the morning at ten
o'clock and noon I will close the cage so they can only through the
sputnik inside and not get out. My breeding was not super. I had a lot
of failure but the ones I have now are behaving well, pretty manure, eat
well and when the sun shines you can enjoy in the loft. The day before
yesterday I have given them a bath and this morning when I took a bunch
in my hands they feel as soft as silk. The smoothest of the whole group
sit already at the top of the seats and every night I'm just teasing
them, let them peck in my hands and teach them at this way to defend
their territory. In a moment I'm going to chop the soup vegetables and
then all the old and young birds get their weekly serving of fresh
vegetables. At the end of the week the last youngsters are set and then
it's done. I'm going to start the season with 12 couples in total
widowhood and as it stands now I have next week 35-40 youngsters. Today
is gorgeous spring weather and then you want as avid sprint player
really start. Be patient and then the violence breaks loose.
DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT TOO EASY
Alas, he has a little trouble with flu, you know this expression. It
seems somewhat innocuous but it is certainly not. But there is an
enormous difference between flu and flu. I have again experienced
firsthand. Man, man what I have been sick and it’s not yet over. Today I
even thought I get it again. Nights of long cough, sore throat, high
fever, sweating, no appetite and huge thirst. This Illness demolishes
you within a few days. Conditional you go with big steps backwards. A
simple flu is for athletes horrible. Their condition will disappear as
snow for the sun and needs a long time to rebuild. After 10 days the flu
I felt limp like a mop. With a lot of effort I get the first letters of
my article on paper. But anyway I went to work. My wife is bridge and I
do every effort to write down anything meaningful on paper. I start with
a couple affairs that totally went wrong. I am ashamed for that while
I'm dealing with nothing. It is about the total failure honoring of
Olympiad winners. This happened about 2 hours overnight while there was
no longer present 100 men. The highest to achieve in our sport. Suppose
you’re among the lucky one than you sit all evening wait at the edge of
your seat. No words for! They should ban the Belgians the first 10 years
too organize an Olympiad. I have experienced many Olympiads and actually
it’s every time "YUST NOT" while this honoring for each fancier has to
be a highlight. Anyway the Belgians have much to learn. The
dissatisfaction with the fanciers and the many perils of doping have not
done well. So this times a thick insufficient for the Belgians. It
should for Poland be a piece of a cake to do better in 2019.
Unfortunately this cry we have previously heard and it was again and
again insufficient. In the Netherlands they thought it to do better.
There was decided to honor ALL Olympiad participants but this goes me a
little too far. That they get a memento because they were among the
participants, fine. But let's stop to hoist all participants on stage
hang them a sash and let them leave without a sensible word. What a
dramatic happening. It is more than enough if only medal winners are put
in the sun. Is it still about gold, silver and bronze. I would not feel
happy to be honored as 24th in the ranking. Who is there now waiting for
you do nobody a pleasure. Winners we want to see but the Netherlands had
this time not even a handful. That has been different. Is that the fault
of the Olympiad committee, the NPO board or little interest among the
fanciers itself. The 35th Olympiad is over time for other business
because it may even crazier.
GOLDEN PRINCE THE MOST EXPENSIVE PIGEON EVER
You could say that a bid of € 316,000 on a four-year pigeon (a bird of
flesh and blood, bones and feathers) with a total weight of 450 grams
something is that millions of people cannot contain. That is € 700 per
gram. Ever eaten so luxury? The final of the bids went between two
Chinese and Comb. Mark Kitchenbrand and Samuel Mbiza from South Africa.
It was embarrassing to see that two adult people made a round dance
because they became the new owners of a Belgian pigeon of € 316,000 plus
21% tax (total 380.000). Presumably the seller of the pigeon still dance
his round. Namely he sold 405 pigeons for 2.145 million euros (average
of € 5.297 per pigeon). In that same Belgium our pigeon club was a day
guests by the grand breeding station of the firm Natural with the intent
to purchase some pigeons which in the Netherlands within the club a
special competition is held. Fortunately there were the prices on a
slightly different level. For € 30 you could decide which racial pigeon
you wanted to take home if you wanted a pedigree it cost € 30.00 more.
After a pleasant afternoon in Antwerpen the whole club returned home
with major Belgian pigeon racial. Now wait and see who in the months of
July and August performs with his "Belgians" so strong he will be
crowned "King of Belgium league". By purchasing this pigeons with a
Belgian ring we can inside our club speak of international races. By the
way the KBDB goes also on the international tour.
FROM COSTS THE KBDB GOES WORK TOGETHER WITH SOUTH AFRICA
The KBDB sees domestically no possibilities to continue at affordable
prices to go on with computerization of the administration,
self-calculating and national results and the doping control. Who would
have ever thought that such things could not be done to full
satisfaction in own country. Boundaries and distances no longer exist
and then there remains no alternative to cooperate internationally.
Typically you'll find nothing back in the FCI record. If two countries
will collaborate why do not more? Unwillingness or sufficient
opportunities in their own country? Presumably important enough to
follow international policies closely. In the Netherlands the NPO
continues to steer its own course. At two locations is set out the new
course in a very professional manner. One and all enthusiasm! On March
11 would take place an important meeting with the council of members.
Yes if everyone is so excited you would like as governance certainly
keep the momentum. But it was too little too high. The board was
rebuffed, it would all go a little too fast. Not all departments had the
good plans explained to their members. In that respect there is too much
delay. About a few weeks a new date is set. Before that the NPO
governance visits areas where the necessary questions are. All in the
interest of a better, professional and affordable sport.
THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN
First week of April start in the Netherlands the new racing season.
Spring has emerged and more and more pigeons you see every day make
their training laps. The frost period is behind us, the temperatures go
up a little every day. The days are longer and that you clearly mark at
nature. New life is on its way. In many places you also see flying
youngsters. For me that is not the case. I had them put aside with the
hens and they went off today. Tomorrow Dr. Van der Sluis comes to
vaccinate the youngsters against paramixo and Monday the old birds get a
jab against paratyphoid. The care taken place as if the summer time is
entered. That means that everything is settled for a good season start.
The month of April is decisive for a good season. Is preparing good
enough, the right condition there, and how the weather gods minded.
Alas, in April we first have short flights of 100 to 250 km. You have to
ensure that you are sitting every week since we have the whole winter
did our best.
CRYSTAL CLEAR
Let me start with the most important. The operation on my left eye is
successful. A day after the surgery I could without glasses everything
see again it's all much brighter. We are now a week later and I feel
fine. Had no pain or other niggles. Until this time reading the daily
newspapers without glasses (yet) not possible. The letters are a bit too
small if they would be a fraction bigger than I could read without
glasses. Currently I'm so happy as a child. Before the operation I was
very nervous because I see with the right eye almost nothing. Left is my
good eye which I had to be helped. Suppose that the operation would fail
than it’s done with my pigeon hobby and writing would be impossible.
Four weeks after surgery I return for control and then I know if I can
without glasses through life and if it turns out that I furthermore
proceed with glasses that’s no problem. I’m very optimistic. Sunday I
went for the first time with my pigeons. My wife has bought a goggles
for if I go inside the loft. The racers are all on little youngsters. By
the breeders it’s less successful some more failure than I thought.
Where there one young lies I will as much as possible lay a different
young from a pair that have also one young. I will arrange that some of
my better ?? couples come again quick on eggs. I do not need that much.
If I can start with at most 40 it’s more than enough. Before the races
starts there are usually a piece or six less. I assume that when you
can’t keep up with 30 youngsters it also will not go with 50. It is not
the quantity but the quality that we need and certainly do not lose the
health from the eye. The next few days I'll start with ringing of the
youngsters but that will not easy going. Today I have the red rings
strung on track and soon I came to realize that the color red with black
figures is for me difficult to read. It looks that my son Marco is the
one that goes ring the pigeons. The racers comes regularly outside and
like to go in bath. For the next week are predicted low temperatures and
then the pigeons stay inside. It's in that in a few days can be plenty
skated. Maybe it become a real old Dutch skating weekend. For us
Dutchmen it’s so that if there’s no ice in the ditches and canals it has
been no winter. It need only to frozen for a couple of days and Holland
gets the Elfstedentocht fever, a match and tour over more than 225 km.
Even our king has ridden him. Very good, hats of. Or the "journey of
tours' will come this year is a big question. It’s possible. The last
one that was held was also at the end of February.
PIPGEON SPORT SCREAMING FOR CAPABLE BOARDERS
The winter months suited ideally to congregate and that is done plenty.
It is as if there is never an end to all the different opinions over how
to proceed with our sport. Any time there be new directors and each
times they go again reinvent the wheel. Nobody sees that things that
goes well you better leave as it is. Better not touch and please
starting and proceed with cases that are eligible. Now again there is a
plan developed from the NPO board with the help of a few outside
managers how future for our sport looks like. Much beautiful cries and
incomprehensible words must go caring that starters are insisting to
join. I read somewhere that the sport should be compared with the dart
sports. It is mainly in England but also in the Netherlands where the
dart sport has grown to great heights. However I see no connection
between pigeon sport and throwing darts. Pigeon racing is time consuming
even so bad that there’s almost no occasion to go on vacation. Darts is
maybe nice to view from the couch or to do it yourself by going one or
two evenings a week to the pub, seems cozy. I sometimes go to a street
fair where sports associations promote their sports. Most stand I walk
by but when it comes to animals I would sometimes look. Rabbits,
chickens, canaries or other birds are always interesting to see but if
you have nothing with it you walk through again. I live for 25 years
beside the golf course and there are also hockey fields. In hockey I
might look in all those years 3 times and with golf I have nothing, I'm
going at most to drink a beer. Pigeon sport has tried so much, they have
certainly not been idle in order to win souls. Maybe they started too
late or wrong. To discuss the new plans had invited the governments all
12 departments by the NPO. The press would be attending but for unknown
reasons it was canceled at the last minute. When you do something like
that you are doing totally wrong. New plans must be properly presented
by the press. If you close out you have something to hide and govern
should just be a crystal clear case. So our new directors are afraid of
the press and therefore already inadequate now. Who follows? Because the
habits enormous change is urgently needed change in our sport. Earlier
when people had almost nothing they were with what little they had been
satisfied. That today is not comparable to the day. Whether it got
better I leave to you. I'm still very positive about the sport because
it controlled a large part of my life. I'm wrapped up when we lived in
very different times, times that are not comparable with the millennium
which we are now. It is certainly very positive that our national
government will consult people whose sport also climbed out of a deep
valley. My blessings they have.
THE LAST WHAT I SAY ABOUT THE 35e OLYMPICS
It was costly, only for security was needed a lot of money. The ceremony
of the Olympic winners ended in a debacle. Only at 2 am the ceremony
took place at night. A complete flop because there were only a hundred
people present in the hall. In 2019 we go to Poland and they have now
announced that they are going to do much better than the Belgians. I
read that there were thirteen countries with pigeons present. This is
very bad because there were more than 30 countries present to toast and
eat. The FCI meeting was extremely messy and sensible decisions are not
taken. Who knows what will make our new Hungarian president. On the
Friday when the Belgian prince kept his opening speech the visitors was
mediocre. Saturday until noon a long line at the register and Sunday it
was downright extinct. Although the Belgians already organized this
Olympiad for the fifth time it has not earned a beauty prize and also no
sufficient. Also cause can be the dissatisfaction of the Belgian
fanciers towards their national government the DBDB. This cooperation is
currently lacking.
NOT BELGIUM BUT HUNGARY DELIVERS NEW FCI PRESIDENT
A surprising denouement during the 35th Olympiad. The Hungarian Istvan
Bardos dominated the next few years "pigeon land". Many had hoped that
the President of the KBDB Stefaan Van Bockstaele would become the new
president. Possible the controversial handling of the doping regulations
cost him his nomination. Such is the whole world over and then you can
shake it as candidate. Who and what does the new Hungarian leader is not
quite known. The best-known Hungarian I know is the famous footballer
Ference Puskas. In his great years a 'world star' to whom Hungarian
National stadium is named. The new President ended with his Hungarian
country team just outside the podium, they were 4th. The country ranking
in the (old) standard pigeons was won by Slovakia, the silver went to
Germany and the bronze to the Czech Republic. By the youngsters were the
end result almost the same 1. Slovakia, Germany 2 and the Netherlands 3.
EVER THE NETHERLANDS WERE MANY TIMES THE BEST NOW POLAND IS BUSY TO A
HUGE MARCH
Times have changed and that is clearly noticeable. The time that
participating in the Olympics was more important than winning is over.
The fancier mentality is no more as it belongs to be. Where's the time
remained that every Dutchman stood eager to join. If we look at the
standard pigeons participation is horrendous. Only 12 countries
participated. The Netherlands as important pigeon country were cut ruffs
so they ended up in the middle. For the Belgians it was signed worse
they were last. In the sport class did Poland by far the best. They won
really everything there was to win. Really super to see with how many
podiums they returned home. For the Netherlands there were only four
individual podiums, 1x 3x silver and 3x bronze. Furthermore the
Netherlands is weather back on its hind legs. The cause of this is the
participation of an Dutch pigeon that finally ended 3rd (?) while this
pigeon according to the Dutch Olympics Committee not meet the
requirements. By intervention of some NPO board members she still was
managing. They assumed that the bird would be disqualified but for
unknown reasons this was not the case. By disagreement sent the NPO
board the Olympiad Commission home. Reportedly this is an action of only
a few board members their colleagues would in the first instance not
been aware of. The question that now remains; "who had sent home" the
Olympiad committee or the NPO board? If that ends well!
OUR SPORT AND COMMERCE.
In most countries that are members of the FCI participation is
participation in the Olympics a matter of honor a high point in their
sporting career. I have notice at the number of e-mails I received from
foreign friends in which they reported a dream become reality for them
because they were eligible to participate in the 35th Olympiad. That
some known pigeon countries not participated surprised me. An Olympiad
in which 12 countries participate is not exactly something to shout from
the rooftops let alone to mention in large letters in the newspapers.
There will undoubtedly be a cause. What struck me was an article on the
site of Pipa which was about a Belgian fancier S.Verhestraeten. He would
have become 1st in the Olympiad sport class category A. I wanted to know
more of. In which category I looked nowhere I could find that name.
After much searching I saw him as 25th which made him the first Belgian
pigeon but that is a totally different story. In itself a creditable
performance but to make so much fuss that he became first you put the
loyal readers/buyers on the wrong track. I also saw a few names of
greats back into the muzzle of the results. Famous names from strong
Dutch participants are undoubtedly those of father and son Verkerk,
father and son Verbree Comb. Van Breemen-van Zon and father and son
Schutte from Amsterdam who were even crowned this year as the best
fanciers of the Netherlands.
BREEDING RESULTS
On January 16 our breeding and racing pigeons had laid almost all. There
were also some that were too smooth on eggs. After several days hatched
showed that of those quick mats was no single fertilized egg. Very sorry
but own fault. The intention was that there would be paired between
Christmas and New Year. Due to circumstances we did not succeed while
the pigeons were all ready. That was evident in the rapid lay eggs of a
number of hens. Of course there were also some not fertilized so this
time certainly not a 100% score. Is that worrying? I think not, because
we know in general the cause. Because of this setback are from most
breeding pairs the eggs re-laid so there can with lightning speed again
be laid what is now the case. The racers all come together with
youngsters. They all have eggs of exactly the same date. The boss also
helped because I love on the racing loft equal nest positions. In a few
weeks they all go together on widowhood. The breeders continue for a
while. Of the couples that we think they are top couples are bred six
youngsters. How many real top couples we have I can only tell at the end
of the year and I'm talking about the parents of the yearlings. The
performance of youngsters tell me not so much. My experience is still
that the best yearlings as young won two or three prizes and I'm not
even talking about top prizes. What makes me quite happy are first
prizes also from youngsters. I prefer to breed from first prize winners.
Now I keep them not directly at home anymore what I've done for years. I
then had only first prize winners and champion pigeons in my loft. Hard
to believe but true. Now I play winners just because I don’t have to
look forward more than 20 years because then I'm 100. It is now all at a
lower ebb. Still I hope this year on a couple of victories because this
week I will be helped on my left eye. Right I see very bad and left
might improve something. Very exciting for me, I'm pretty nervous
because it MUST succeed. Until next week hopefully a very positive story
about a successful operation.
THAT MADE ME WELL
Blackpool is already over. Months of preparation are needed to organize
each year a successful pigeon event. After a weekend pigeons party at
The Winter Gardens life continues as if nothing happened. Monday morning
when my wife open her newspaper, Algemeen Dagblad, she saw a beautiful
color with a nice text about the BHW Show. I enjoyed intensely since the
Dutch press paid almost no attention to the sport. Certainly the
national dailies fail massively and now suddenly an impression of the
show of the year in Blackpool. Finally something different than a photo
of a football!
PIGEONSPORT AND ITS PROBLEMS
International shocking news came from the pen of the NPO. On the eve of
the 35th Olympiad decided the NPO board with immediate effect say
farewell to her Olympiad Committee. The men were not moving in a line,
agreements were not honored and personal interests played a role. Upon
inquiry the main cause was by a pigeon which was rejected for
participation because the results were passed from scores that not
exist, this sounds weird but it is so. The relevant department plays in
four districts, each district has his own winner and there is no total
winner. The owner from this relevant pigeon has the total result
declared and then were the puppets to dance. The Olympiad Committee and
NPO board were not on one line they were even total disagree with each
other whereby the NPO board put a line under and the Olympiad Committee
have removed from their function. Many bickering what most likely gives
consequences inside the new board because also there they sit no longer
on one line. All of this for a pigeon and two quirky NPO directors.
There is always something. A few years ago there were problems about the
insured amount of the participating pigeons. Later there was someone
that have bought a pigeon who qualified for participation in the
Olympiad. The buyer wanted under his own name participate in the
Olympiad. How do you make it! Please let's not forget that the Olympiad
is the highest attainable, yes also in pigeon sport. It's not just a
game, it is a very serious case whereby the regulations shall prevail.
The final selection for participation in the 14th standard pigeons was
on Wednesday for the Olympiad. There was even doubt whether one would
get this number. In that respect I would say; Dutch fanciers shame on
you! With such a troubled preparation you can never win an Olympiad. We
are curious.
NEW ELAN
In an extensive writing the Dutch fanciers were informed how the NPO
board see the sport in the future. A wonderful story that teeming, for
many pigeon fanciers, incomprehensible words and texts. New directors,
new ideas! Despite their good intentions it seems to me still flogging a
dead horse. During my long pigeon career of over 70 years it’s within
the organization very long been quiet. There were fanciers enough. Some
clubs had even a stop member. It became more and more restless when
managers saw the number of members rapidly run back. Everything stayed
at the old and to save the sport there was more attention paid to youth.
That runs great. Winners at the youth were overloaded with miscellaneous
prices hoping they would sign another year. Older fanciers were jealous.
Inside the sport they reward youth and inferior players significantly.
It helped not a whit. The decrease of members remained and despite the
trouble that was made to win youth members it didn’t succeed then and
now. Lofts were placed free by youth members. There was made a way too
expensive promotional film but new members stayed away. Pigeon sport in
the dialog form is outdated. Fortunately our sport have gone in the
electronic age. Also on the transport of our pigeons is little to
criticize and gets at least enough attention to a previously created
committee. Also welfare of pigeons gets plenty of attention.
Administrative will unfortunately not succeed. Too many personal
interests play a major role. There’s too little management experience in
the central administration in any case to little on the part of
everything that has to do with our sport. After all the good intentions
the membership runs still back. Youth has still no interest in our dowdy
sports. We elders still enjoy it very much. Over ten years it will be
well done with the sharp decline in members. Most of us are not there
anymore. How much there still be is the big question. There will be a
lot to be done to have still 10.000 members in the Netherlands in ten
years. If there are 10.000 weekly plays with pigeons it does not look
bad. Personally I think we will have at most 6,000 active members and if
so far there are plenty of new problems. Remains it affordable for
everyone and how is transport, it is almost impossible to do. Six
thousand fanciers seems very much divided over a whole country it allows
little or nothing. I almost cannot believe that we will have a
prosperous future. Especially not now that I've read all that hot air
with which the NPO now comes along again. I hope I've got it all wrong.
Given the disagreement and personal interests national pigeon sport will
have to apply much stricter rules executed by a strong and highly
skilled national board. Unfortunately I do not know skillful and strong
board members like we had them in fairly large numbers for many years.
There was plenty of choice and now the organization must welcome any
good will who wants to play an administrative function. Whether he or
she is the right person in the right place who knows. Hopefully next
time positive news on the progress of the 35th pigeon Olympiad and that
the best and most beautiful birds should have won.
IT IS A PARTY OR .......?
It is almost time that the 35th Olympiad be held on the weekend of
January 28 in Brussels. An event where the whole pigeon world looking
for. However those that all the fuss about the perils of doping in
Belgium follow could sometimes have grave doubts whether it will a truly
international sporting event is going to be. In Belgium go the wildest
stories about fanciers who tested positive in 2016. Some are severely
punished and others were acquitted. There appear also doping sinners
walking around whose pigeons after South Africa took doping test proved
positive but these files remain sealed. The KBDB appears not ready to
speak clear and comprehensible language. Belgian fanciers
currently don’t know if they can believe or trust their national
government. This pig is far from washed. How to proceed during the
Olympiad. What goes F.C.I. directors say. The Olympiad organized by the
Belgians could by all those confusing doping stories ever lose much of
its luster and that would be a great pity. If there exists a doping list
showing all the prohibited substances it must be easy to call to account
the person who used these substances. If after a second check reveals
that it’s wrong then the person in question (including pigeons) must be
still punished. Yet easy or not? Unfortunately in practice it seems to
work very differently.
IT CAN STILL WORSE
The WOWD, part of the NPO, has a message do go out on a whole new
disease that was discovered in Australia in racing pigeons. It is a
serious infectious disease that affects the liver. The causative agent
is reoviral which exists worldwide. The pigeons gets greenish droppings,
vomit, sitting thick or ball and die within 12-24 hours. According to
the latest reports it will take another 18 months before there’s
developed an effective vaccine. To be continued.
THE TENTH DAY
Today (15 January) it’s the 10th day that our racing and breeding
pigeons are together. Almost all of them have one or two eggs. By three
hens that had laid after a few days I’ve thrown the eggs. Four hens of
40 couples had yet laid no egg. I see your face already! So many birds!
You would still hold much less. Yes that's right, and that is true. I
have eight breeding couples and 12 couples to fly. Furthermore there are
20 breeding pairs of my son Marco that I feed every day and Marco doing
further care. My own pigeons I care myself. It sounds as if I deliver a
top performance which is indeed more and more. Still I am very happy
with my pigeons but as you get older it's like every day there’s a small
physical problem. Now I have suffered from gout which already takes a
week so I cannot clean my loft as I am used to. I creep my whole life
through the loft and that does not work now. According to the doctor
suffering must now be fast ago because he has given me the "horse means"
prednisone. Lovely if you can do again what you want. I have the racers
recently released in the morning, the winter weather allowed it. It is
enjoyed when you see a couple loud flapping fly away after they have
made shortly love before. This release is good for the pigeons. You can
clearly see the difference with the breeders who never come out. Yes
they come out but not beyond the aviary. It will certainly also have a
favorable effect on the number of fertilized eggs. Outside the cocks get
more opportunity to join their hens than in the loft. There are always a
bunch of fanatical loft mates who are trying to avoid. About two to
three weeks we know more about the number of fertilized eggs and the
number of youngsters lying in the dishes.
SELECTION CAN NOT BE SEVERE ENOUGH
From a racing pigeon which expected they go perform well everything must
be right. That means everything must be 100% right. The first matches we
play are often decided by differences of a few seconds. Also the loft,
the clock and trust between boss and pigeon must be 100%. Of course the
quality of the pigeon plays an important role. However there is much
more to it. Assuming there are born more poor to moderate pigeons on
each loft the selection cannot be heavy enough. Remember that it is too
bad for anyone to grow a real top pigeon. That’s why you never do so
soon a good one away because we do not breed four per year. So if there
is anything wrong, away with it. Now we're in the middle of the breeding
season it comes to act on firmly. What differs slightly from the normal
immediately remove. Those who dare will see the results in the coming
races for youngsters. The one that the previous selection period fails
will soon find it back at the performance of their yearlings. The
newborn youngsters have to grow up immaculate, everyone knows what I
mean. At the old birds you may not see they raise youngsters. They
should also look flawless in this period and they should certainly not
lose weight. Therefore it is not wrong to take care the pigeons three
times a day. As they sit on eggs midday a pinch of candy seed and if
they have youngsters from a week you can certainly provide double
portions also at noon. Certainly not forget the minerals, vegetables,
grit and water bowl because they certainly need to provide the
youngsters, who double their weight daily, the right nutritional
components.
UNTIL END OF MARCH SELECTION IN NATURE
The selection begins in the nest, misshapen and small eggs can go. Both
eggs must hatch simultaneously. If they come with a half day difference
than the smallest youngsters will almost always remain, it certainly
will not be champion. That I in January already release pigeons has to
do with preventing skew fly. Previous years I waited a little longer. I
notice that flying pigeons, if only for an hour a day, behave better.
They are more alive, eating better and often look firmer. In short, they
are as we want to see them. Regarding crooked fly, I've never seen it
yet, but it's like that evil does occur more and more. Possibly it’s due
to the growing population of birds of prey and the (too) long retention
in the fall and winter months. Raptors like a pigeon every day.
Certainly the next few weeks it is advisable especially in the areas
where live many birds of prey to hold the birds. There is almost no
other choice. In severe cold get the birds in the wild, especially in
cold weather, more hungry. As the day again slowly longer go into the
wild birds also preparing for their breeding period. In that respect
nature just goes its course, we need not concern ourselves with that. I
do definitely not but my wife does. She loves it to give the birds some
extra. Always a fun face all these different birds around the house. How
they come to know I do not know but once food hangs it's like they're
telling it through each other. In no time it is a twittering of
vengeance and fought for every peanuts. How beautiful it is, we do
interfere with the selection. This take place in nature at this moment.
It is cold, there is little to eat and only the strongest remain. By
feeding remain now birds live that are actually selected out properly.
We have no idea how many kilos of seed is sown. Just look what,
especially women, buy by super markets. All wrong. Let's take the middle
ground because some extra love for animals is also worth something. I
wish all my pigeon friends who are going to visit the pigeon Olympiad a
very nice and pleasant weekend.
THEY SIT TOGETHER
Yes, it's that time again. The pigeons are paired, both the fly as the
breeders take care for new life on the lofts, always an exciting
happening. I have been a long time busy, not only to form my own
breeding pairs but also from my son, they are with care and knowledge
paired. I think they're all excellent couples. Are you so optimistic
too? It must be, if you find now that it's nothing you better start
taking white mice. Of course we all know that it is impossible to have
breeding pairs that just give great descendants. Oh, why would we not
think it's all good breeding pairs, you never know. Why will there be by
other fanciers some useful pigeons born and not by you? Do not think
your pigeons are less. I think quality runs in commercial lofts faster
back than by normal modal players. Why do I think? Just because there’s
much junk bought against ridiculous high prices. The astronomical sums
that are counted down the last years for "paper pigeons" have absolutely
nothing to do complied quality. The value of a pigeon is just what a
madman gives. The poultry don’t want them for nothing no more! So far we
are sunk with our sport. Our sport that is no longer a sport anymore for
the ordinary workman goes bluntly fucked. The modal players can almost
no longer afford to bring their pigeons to the classroom. I must say
that in the department where I play no real crazy things happen.
Professional fanciers are not with us. I don’t know one that arrives
with a hundred or more at the start. Maybe later with the youngsters
that could be. In early April the average is definitely not over 40.
Important is that everybody has a successful breeding. No problems
during paring and on time fulfilled eggs. Then pray that there are
little or no unfertilized eggs and that the youngsters grow up
beautiful. Now the pigeons are paired most fanciers can hardly wait
until the first eggs come and when they hatched every fancier wonders
how they look and what color they get. Will they become the spitting
image of their famous father or mother? Let's hope the breeding season
is going well. If so, you can meet with a clear conscience living
towards the new racing season.
ARE THE LOFTS ALRIGHT?
It is better to have the lofts in order now than that there should be
boarded up or even painted in the early spring. There is always
something to do, some minor repairs and that can be done better before
breeding begins. I love rest on the loft when the birds breeding,
actually for a whole year especially for the racers. I take care in the
morning and at the end of the afternoon, in the day I never enter the
loft. With lofts I mean also the breeding lofts. Often there are some
piece hinges or doors that do not close properly. Test the electronic
clock regularly, this is definitely recommended. The pigeons may luckily
outward again. It was early December a shock when the news came through
that 28.000 chickens were killed in connection with the dreaded bird
flu. There are 20.000 culled at a poultry farm within a radius of 10 km.
The next few days we get light frosts and then it would be a degree or
seven. Not wrong now the pigeons just sit together. With severe frost
I'm always afraid that newly laid eggs freeze. I know nature ensures
that this does not happen so easily but if I may say I prefer the mild
spring weather. So far it is still a long way, we can get enough
trouble. I used to not to get off the ice, many skating tours I have
driven but that is long gone. Now I dare not even walk on the ice. When
people my age fall they usually breaks an arm, hip or leg and I pass on.
Let me sit by the stove.
LATER START WITH YOUNGSTERS
To avoid lagging youngsters are obviously all kinds of new features
designed to prevent. So they want now only start in August to play with
the youngsters. As for me, well, I'm no longer worried about. Before I
would do, I've been up on the table to proclaim my opinion. It happen
still but now by other people and I know they do not come further. In
the sport we never agree with each other and will remain so. That's okay
if we do not stay mad at each other. Everyone can have their say and
when it comes to voting we will have to join the majority and further do
not complain anymore. Or we with a later start fewer youngsters will
lose I doubt it. Youngsters must be super healthy then there is little
to worry about. The problem is that the youngsters today are much more
susceptible to all kinds of seemingly minor ailments. Diseases that are
dormant ensure disorientation and therefore stress. Also the transport
plays an important role. The road to the release point for youngsters is
often heavier than the journey home they travel.
WINNING
Within the sport is often talked about winning. But when you have really
won opinions differ. To achieve a national victory you should at least
start to play first in the club. It is often claimed that you actually
only the first win in the interaction. Then there is discussion again
about first in the district, an even larger ensemble. Which counts
really some say, the last two sets are little or nothing according some.
What then actually means a provincial victory? Then you have the fastest
of all districts of the department, also called provincial. If we
continue equally, which represent a provincial victory if this pigeon
plays a first national? National fanciers love to read because that is
top notch. In Belgium they have some invented. You can achieve there a
national "zone" victory which is often played at a ridiculously small
number pigeons. For commerce certainly important. A victory where NPO,
NAT. or NAT zone listed is going to Asian buyers as easy as cake. My
opinion is that we should have respect for each winner no matter what
level. Of course a national victory against thousands of pigeons is a
dream for every fancier. I've been through enough times that a fancier
earned his first victory although at the club. Take it from me that he
is as happy as someone who has won the victory on provincial or
national. Nevertheless, I like to say because every victory is a feast
for any fancier. Therefore there may be talked about six first prizes
weather they are flagged in the club, the interaction, the district,
provincial and even national or even zone. What's wrong with that?
PERFORMANCE
Pigeon racing is for most of us a competitive sport. Today there are for
each sport training schedules and also for different levels. In
athletics are as you will understand for a sprinter different schedules
than a marathon runner. In training schedules belong also diet and
lifestyle. It's not just athletes who avail of these schemes also at
lower levels there is very much use of it. The first thing what strikes
is that they are actually quite simple. Often in all kinds of sports
there’s thought too difficult to reach a certain level. The most
important thing is talent, one must have the potential to play a sport
at reasonable levels. If you do not have talent you can train what you
want, you'll never be a best player. However we should not forget that
when you practice a sport at a lower level there may be enjoyed more
than someone who wants to perform every week top and just cannot reach
the top. That is frustrating making fun disappears. In everything you do
you have to want to see that we do not all have a chance to be Olympic
or world champion. To be allowed to participate is so great! Otherwise
it is nowadays with many footballers. Since there are an awful lot of
that think of themselves they are very good, that sport occur the most
ego trips. Young guests that make in a fairly easy way too much money so
they knowing of craziness not what to do with it. Whether they are at
the hairdresser or they are on the table for a new tattoo, they spend
part of their income to the casino or they have one or even several very
expensive cars. At such a young age have a lot of money cannot be good
and it shows more than once. We can pull through this whole story to the
sport. In the pigeon sport, we will in order to achieve a certain level
also need to operate in accordance with schedules. Those who think this
is not necessary will remain wretches. The memorization of descendants
of famous pigeons are not enough. That a fancier knows a lot of famous
pigeon names is just fun, otherwise you have nothing to it. That you
know a lot about famous fanciers can be part of your hobby but you do
not fly through a line faster. You'll also need to start in our sport as
a beginner, all the way down the ladder and then try to climb up as
quickly as possible.
HUNDRED PERCENT STAKE
Is it the loft, the pigeon or the fancier. If I had to rank them I would
conceivably put the fancier in the first place. It's actually easy to
explain. A good fancier know how a good loft should look and also to
determine the difference between a good and a very good bird. A minor we
can all get out there's so much to see. However it’s about the essential
differences. What is important to a good pigeon. A true fancier sees and
feels. So for any fanciers, especially for beginners, it is important
that he / she knows how a good pigeon should be built. That is very
different than nicely built. Because I am a true sports enthusiast I
like watching sports on TV. You see everything very closely. Have you
also noticed that (usually) not the most beautiful athletes excel? Yes,
there are indeed beautiful athletes in both the men and the women. On
the loft we call that a "white raven". We mean that it is an exception.
Why do you think very good pigeons called the cross-eyed, crooked
sternum, the lame, the small or large? Not because they were so
beautiful. I had the longneck. That was really a very ugly pigeon, flat
head, long neck, sagging tailbones, high on the legs, but three times
the first within four weeks. When he came home I thought; "he’s flying
to pieces against the rear wall of the breeding loft". Like an arrow
from a bow he dived into the loft, then I quickly pull his lute from his
leg and if I 5 minutes later went into the cage I thought he die. Total
distraught he was in the breeding loft, hardly looked at his hen. Only
after two hours you could see that he was on top again and when I let
the pigeons train the next day he was the first fly out and was almost
always the last back. There was so much character in that pigeon which
he never gave up. He wanted to go home as quickly as possible and via
the shortest route. As a youngster he only stood out because of his
fighting spirit, every day I had to fight with him, he was waiting for
me. His performance as a young were very mediocre, because of his
fighting spirit he was allowed to remain. As a yearling there was none
on. 17 times joined and 17 times price whose three first and second
twice and always against a few thousand pigeons. As a 2 year old he has
come in a very unpleasant way to its end. As long as I have pigeons, and
that's a long time, I always put in for 100%, my pigeons were (almost)
always in first place, I give everything. To a birthday I don’t want to
go because the pigeons had to be taken care of. In summer to the beach,
fine, but go home on time for the pigeons. I often went too far. Now I'm
still a fanatic. I still want to win but with a considerably smaller
number of pigeons. You do not need much to be champion if you just care
them punctual and well. With prompt treatment even a lesser pigeon will
become a regular prize winner. Let's not talk too much about winners and
Ace pigeons. There is also something else in the sport where you can
enjoy weekly though it would only the arrival of the pigeons. At that
moment you cannot see whether it is early or late arrival.
PLEASURE
All my life I experience a lot of fun on my pigeons. It's not just the
game, it is especially the care and the preparation for the next flight.
Bringing in a good condition of your pigeons, everything right on time,
eat rest and exercise. Only water and grain is not enough however there
is not much extra needed to perform well anyway. No talk of wind or
location, and we cannot do anything. It is the optimum care, dealing
with the pigeons, a good functioning loft, that's when the pigeons sit
as gold crests. If not equally long search until it is the case. Dare to
select not too fast think it are good pigeons. To a large extent the
basket's do the selection, breed many out of your better pigeons and fly
it, what not perform well do away even if they come from your best.
Prefer youngsters over older. Look at the fanciers in your area and pay
attention to the dates of their better pigeons, they are always one or
two year olds. Do not save on food, give them the best to buy. An animal
that have to perform or have to work hard deserves a good meal. Not give
too much but sufficient, that's very different than fattening. Pigeons
who are overweight do not train, take therefore occasionally one in your
hands. Observe the pigeons regularly and if there is no feather wrong
and they have sparkling eyes and snow-white noses then go for it because
the success is coming.
WE All STAND TO ZERO
We can look back as much as we want, 2016 is over. This month is
dominated by a large number of pigeons events as first Dortmund. I've
been there many times, always very impressive. It is not nearly as big
as before. Then we get the third week January the grand annual pigeons
manifestation for the 40th time in Blackpool a fantastic weekend to
experience. Most international interest will undoubtedly go to the
Olympiad in Brussels where the Belgians will put their best foot for to
make a good impression in any case. In the first weekend of March we get
on the eve of the new racing season the Spring Fair followed by the
homage of the Dutch champions in the combined competition of formerly
who has them better and the best of the best. In my own region in
February follows another meeting on the reorganization of the flying
areas and the last word will definitely not be spoken. That same counts
for the "hot item" training pigeons. On the last NPO meeting is decided
that it is over with whit training pigeons. This means that all the
pigeons go over the basketing antenna so all pigeons are in competition
and thereby participate in the contest. It is up to the participants or
they clock. Before the launch in 2017 sounds will be much discussed.
WINTER BREEDING
At many lofts in Belgium and the Netherlands is the winter breeding
began in late November so the first youngsters 2017 are born during
Christmas. Actually that are late youngsters from 2016 that get a ring
of 2017. Is that fair? I do not care. Perhaps it would be better to send
the rings until January 10 so that administrators can issue the ring
January 12th. We are therefore (almost) sure that the youngsters who get
a ring of 2017 were born in 2017. Now the rings are delivered between
Christmas and New Year at the club why would they not reach out
directly. What makes those few days from now. Yes, many think like that
but not all.
A WEEKEND MALTA
Malta is a very small country of 28 km long and 11 km wide. It has a
national soccer team that all have a job. So they are semi-pros and they
are up against the best teams in the world, it seems pigeon sport!
Pigeon racing they have indeed but unlike in the Netherlands. Malta also
has its own language that is not understandable for us, fortunately many
residents speak the English language. Malta takes 90% on tourism and it
was to see that they expand because everywhere you see standing tall
cranes that are often used for the construction of more hotels. The
country has 160,000 inhabitants of which there are about a thousand
pigeon fancier. Those men can choose from 22 pigeon clubs. Central Malta
is a large pigeon container and trailer where the clubs must supply the
boxes with pigeons. Five to six thousand birds competing is quite
normal. What is not normal for us is the number of birds which may be
played weekly. Every fancier should give up to 10 pigeons. It is flown
in from Italy, starting with 155km, 200 and 250 km. The last 80 km to be
covered by sea on the way home and as doves still have no webs remain
sometimes a lot behind. A pigeon finds it difficult to fly long
distances over water especially if they cannot see the other side. I
spoke to someone who had used the last three weeks three times 10 and
was also lost 3x10. Precisely for this reason fanciers in Malta have
actually too many pigeons. It struck me that they did not ask each other
what the arrivals were but just about the number they had returned.
Pigeons that come back they find good pigeons. I always think "what do I
have to home comers?” Only that indicates that we are playing a
different game. In the Netherlands long distance or marathon players
talk also about home coming but that are other fanciers than program
players. The first three flights of the short distances are be played
multiple times, each time a new series of three of the same release
point. Is a bit like Belgium where they play Quievrain every week. While
I was with my son in Malta (weekend of 17/18 December) we believe truly
experienced a first. Never was there such foul weather. Cars blew
spontaneously from the road, the water was meters high whipped up
against the quay walls, trees fell down like matchsticks. The
temperature was 17 degrees which was not bad but we have unfortunately
been barely outside. The pigeons flight was canceled, newlywed would be
better so from Sunday morning they had to stay in the boxes. When I
asked when they had to bring the pigeons to the club for the next flight
the answer was; on Christmas Day. Well there you do in the Netherlands
certainly not to come along. When I said they were "crazy people" was
laughed out loud. The flight program in Malta runs from mid-November to
mid-May, then it is much too hot to play with pigeons. In high summer it
is even too hot to go on holiday or maybe under a palm tree on the edge
of the pool not too far from the bar. I get the water in the mouth when
I think of as a refreshing tropical cocktail that tastes in the southern
countries much better than in our own country.
When I was a Sunday evening after a long flight (transfer in Frankfurt)
came home I had terrible pain in my right foot because of gout. From the
plans I had made for Mondays little came. Tuesday went better and got
the whole day spent in the loft. Everything prepare for coupling which
involved burning lofts (better disinfection medicine does not exist),
nest bowls filled with mats and directly spraying pest exterminator,
breeding boxes put open for yearlings so that they can sort out their
own homes and of course clean all lofts because my wife does not do. Is
not necessary I'm happy if the pigeons get food and drink, and she did
just fine. The pigeons can weather outside, there is no risk of
infection seems to be more in the Netherlands so that's good if the
pigeons are coupled soon. There is nothing more beautiful than chasing
couples at high speed see in the sky. Be careful for fireworks because
there will soon again shot millions into air. Very nice to see but I am
afraid and have never spent much money on fireworks. Yes, when the
children were small I bought some of those innocent sparklers. I stay
New Year's Eve nice at the hotel we have booked a package. I wish you
all a very enjoyable and pleasant New Year and I hope that will all
wishes come true for 2017.
CHRISTMAS SHOW 1965
Yes you read it right it is about a Christmas show 50 years ago. This
story begins in 1963 in which one of the best pigeon I have ever had the
lead role. A cock NL63-963358 who went through life as "58" bred from a
cock of the race Gebr. Janssen and a hen from the Utrecht grandmaster
Jan Pot, unfortunately none of them are still among us. I was married
just two years when my parents late 1962 reported that they want to
move. Until my marriage I played with my father and from 1961 I had
eight pairs of pigeons at my new address. First only grow and in 1962
was first played with youngsters. They did it more than excellent with
the end result being 2nd Champion youngsters from Zaandam against more
than 400 fanciers. I played the youngsters by the natour where they made
me 1st Champion against more than 1.000 fanciers. At that time a
participation of 15 to 20.000 pigeons was quite normal. In 1963, the
year my son Marco was born, I grew my father six youngsters which he
could participate in the races including the "58". Before the races
started my father checked what youngsters he still had and discovered
that six pigeons in his loft were not his. It was common that you
reported a strange pigeon writing to the NPO. After several days the
owner received a written message. So I got a message that there were six
pigeons from me sat with my father and my father was informed that he
had six pigeons from me in his loft. He was in fact forgotten that I had
given him six youngsters who also had a ring of mine. Hilarity, that you
can understand. Of the six pigeons that my father had from me he was
single-handedly lost one, you guessed it was "the 58th."
AFTER ONE YEAR HE WAS THERE AGAIN
In 1964, exactly a year after he had stayed away, he came at a young
pigeon flight back home. At first glance we did not know him but when we
looked at the ring number everything became clear. It was not exactly a
cock which we gladly saw, little big, long tail, a bit deep and too weak
back as we call it in pigeon terms. As unpaired yearling cock my father
played him the same year on training flights for the late races. He said
that the "58" on all three flights was minutes home before the second
pigeon came. Because he had no hen he was not played anymore. That will
be a good one for next year, I said. We had, because I was moving again,
just decided to play together again. Eleven males came through the
selection and the "58" was allowed to stay because he had at three
training flights performed formidable. Had that not been the case he
certainly did not come through the selection. Suddenly we had every
confidence in him.
SUCCESS BEGAN WITH A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT
As newly formed duo we were pf course very curious how our 12 widowers
were going to perform and particularly how the "58" it would do. The
first flight had a distance of 98 km, distances that my father and I
loved. We were real short distance players and that I stayed so far.
Because the "58" the year before notice had performed at distances below
100 km we put him in the first three drawn which always stood for all
fees in other words, which were full pooled. We were at that time happy
to have a go when there was still to earn some fell. We played on Sunday
and the first flight also was watching the reckoner of Zaanse
competition organization with us. To make it a little more exciting we
told the story of "the 58". It was a great disappointment. 11 pigeons at
home and the "58" was not there. The second flight again with 12
widowers, 11 got money, and the "58" stood below the participation list
with no cross behind his ring number, the trust was gone. Sunday morning
just before nine o'clock we heard that the pigeons were liberated at
eight o'clock with a calm southwest wind. Because the distance was just
over 100km we went out immediately because the pigeons could arrive any
moment. I looked up and saw a piece of tail just saw go inside. Quickly
run up the stairs and there was already the 58th to the bars of his
breeding loft cooing to the hen. Very rap was the "rubber" in the clock
and with hindsight he played the first against nearly 5.000 pigeons.
Furthermore, we won nothing, no money and he was not put to the prize.
Later that season he played the 1st of Tergnier (325 km) and the 1st
Provincial Chateauroux (665 km). There was no better pigeon that year in
Zaandam. Of the 14 races he played 12 times price, three times the
first.
EVERYONE JOINED
In December 1965 I was invited to join him on a big Christmas show.
Everyone could participate only one who had a champion pigeon got a
place in the honors class. Despite being a very long time ago I still
know it as the day yesterday. Judge in the honors class was Jan
Heerschop from Haarlem, according to say it was a very able man. Well in
my eyes he could nothing about, he dared to give my champion pigeon 89.5
points. There was not a pigeon on the show who had so few points. It was
good that the best man was not around when I saw that otherwise I would
have grabbed him by the throat. Of course the man was right, we didn’t
keep the "58" because he was so beautiful building. That we kept him is
extensively described above. My father always said; "Exhibition is
disappointment." The story continues because despite the low number of
points we got more confidence in "the old 58" as he now came to be
called. In 1966 he was with three wins in the big ensemble weather 1st
champion pigeon. All the more reason to give him a place in the breeding
loft. His son "young 58," he had the same ending numbers as his
legendary father, got his breeding loft. Unfortunately he left after two
top finishes off and we have never seen him. We still often said against
each other; maybe he come just like his father after a year back and
become a champion. It was not to be. The "old 58" sat down in the garden
in the breeding loft and because he occasionally came out I left him
sometimes up to its former breeding loft because it was empty. I romped
than him and he loved it. Every day he trained and fight. It looked so
good that I said to my father the "old 58" goes this weekend with. We
flew Pont Saint Maxence (385 km) and he had that year not been a time in
the basket. Nevertheless he played the 1st, won all the pennies and the
top prize. After that he never sat in the basket. In 1967 he became the
father of our legendary "three zeros" NL67.182000, a tiny fat blue hen
that won 12 times the first. She had a father who was rejected because
of its construction. On that day it was a huge disappointment,
afterwards we have never had a better Christmas gift in 50 years.
NOT ALWAYS FUN
From childhood I play with pigeons, it was and is my passion and my
life. It was just after World War II that pigeon racing gets more
members and joined the weekly competition. Often with a few pigeons but
they did. If you had at that time 12 couples to fly you were a pretty
big fancier. Those racers were also the breeders. The economy improved
sadly the working man noticed little of that. They had insufficient
money so they worked extra hours to pay their hobby. Most fanciers
played on nest because they had only one loft were old and young birds
lived together. Because everybody had to work on Saturdays the races
were held on Sunday. The Whole family and the neighbors lived and when
it was time that the pigeons could arrive everybody was eagerly waiting.
During beautiful Sundays this gave some problems. Most children went
with their parents to the beach or just a short bike ride or visiting
friends or family. The children of many fanciers went not because dad’s
pigeons had to come home. Who I speak most thought it was a disaster
that dad had pigeons, everything must give way. If then also the pigeons
where dad had put money on were late you had hell to pay. Yet the
gambling on pigeons inseparable. It was all about small amounts but it
gave an extra dimension to the sport. Gambling on birds was not as
difficult but the point was that you wanted to receive more back than
there was deployed and that was definitely not easy. There were then
connoisseurs that earned money with their pigeons. No, not with selling
pigeons it were the rapid pigeons that earned money. In particular on
the short flights, there were the most, was much money deployed. Every
week there was only one flight, hence the large number of fanciers that
took part. To me that is still the most importantly. It was not about
the number pigeons because almost everybody played with a small number.
At that time was absolutely not spoken about unfair game because no one
participated with a large number of pigeons. Everyone sought weekly out
his best and did once or a while a few extra to keep them going.
NOT EVERYTHING WAS REGISTERED
It was during the time of the clocks and the rubber rings. By most
fanciers was the first pigeon that arrived as soon as possible clocked
sometimes even too fast and the owner has a week later suffer because
the pigeon was so wild caught that he refused to go inside. There
followed a lot of ugly words and often the whole floor littered with
pigeon food because the boss began louder to whistle and threw more and
more food on the ground to lure the bird. Yes it happened sometimes that
the pigeon was shot of the roof. That was rare, I've never experienced
but still people ask me if I ever shot a pigeon from the roof. You see
that kind of fairytales going to suffer a life of its own. To make the
pigeons were not afraid we never clocked all the pigeons, the fancier
arranged for himself a little. If he had 10 with and he got five in a
row he stopped clocks. My father always said; if it rains by us then it
will not drip at another. Today it is so that almost all the pigeons are
clocked in other words be registered by the electronic system, there is
often discussion. Fanciers who have large numbers of pigeons rattling in
just a minute thirty in the clock. That is very frustrating for the
fanciers that can give a few. Luckily it sometimes happens that such
small fancier a big fancier is too quick but mostly the little guy gets
several times a hefty smack around the ears. It’s still so in the
Netherlands that you may use as much pigeons as you like. So the big
fanciers do nothing wrong.
SPECIALIZATION
The sport has grown into a commercial sport. Previously there was
fiercely fought for the general championship. You become if you had
performed best on all flights throughout the year. This meant that you
had to join all races from April to October to win that title. When I
had young children I went against it several times. I did not want that
all flights counted so that young people with little children could go
on vacation and still could become general champion. On my proposal was
unanimously voted against by the older fanciers. Nothing, they said.
General champion is general champion and that is always about ALL
flights! There you are as a young father. I have not played for several
years with youngsters because I did go on holiday. You see then it was
also not always jovial. Now it’s so that by many clubs the general
championship is even dropped. Is due the specialization and the
ever-increasing number of races. After the years of plenty you now see
everything at an accelerated pace declining. Many races propose anything
more because of low participation. The game program of the job, the
interest is gone. The hobby is far too expensive and the profs continue
as if nothing is wrong. Especially the marathon players form a group who
allow themselves difficult. They play (almost) all just the overnight
long distance races and there must all for retreat. They take no notice
of the program players which have early April everything in order
because from that moment there is played for the championships. The long
distance men are still in hibernation. They go as we already are hard at
play only put together the pigeons because they do not fly with their
youngsters. If we play at the cutting edge they come with baskets
"training pigeons" and currently there lies the problem.
THE NPO WANT TO STOP TRAINING PIGEONS
I know that there have always been some areas in the Netherlands where
you could give "port" pigeons. They not participated in the races but
only went along to train. No problem. There were plenty of fanciers who
put all their pigeons and only a small percentage did not. From the
mid-nineties were training pigeons or port pigeons generally good. There
are associations were sometimes more training pigeons go on than racing
pigeons. In North Holland where I have played my whole life we knew the
phenomenon not. From the moment the training pigeons could be deployed
on all flights it has given problems. Due to the sharp decline in
membership training pigeons pressing too hard on the associations. Clubs
are becoming smaller and therefore it become more difficult to carry out
all work in the club. Requirement is that you must have at least five
members and one must have a seat on the board. When that is not the case
then you should go to another club where there are enough participants.
The NPO wants to ensure that all birds are back in the competition, the
fancier may determine himself if he will clock the pigeons. If they do
not clock the pigeons more pigeons from another come in the results.
With me in the club there’s one that don’t give the pigeons a chip ring
before they go for a price. He is afraid that a pigeon stays away and
then he is his money for the chip ring lost. That’s what the man only
talks about. I'm sick if I've lose a pigeon and I don’t care about the
money for a chip ring! I think it is much worse that my pigeon is gone.
Yes, you have to deal also with such figures. They come with baskets
full of pigeons and you have just extra work. It would be glad training
pigeons lapse which we have again increased participation in the
competitions. Let us not forget that pigeons that are not chipped gives
a lot more work. The owner must fill out a participation list and the
man who operated the computer have to enter all the pigeons by hand
because they do not go over the basketing antenna. That same work must
be ones again if the clocks are opened.
For many it will be a celebration if we all participate again. One
condition is that we go back to 1 or at most 2 races per weekend. I
truly think that less than 15% of all Dutch fanciers participating to
all one and more day races. Those guys get all the attention while the
program players play against much, much more pigeons. That is nothing.
The races of 250 km is just child's play. No, it must be 1000 km or
more. And who win this? Usually the same select group of which the birds
leave on the Internet for a lot of money. I happened to read an article
about a stuntman who played the first National against 751 pigeons. I
wipe my ass with it off. Those men not, they walk with their chest out
and get plenty of attention on teletext or in a pigeon magazine. It's
really good if someone runs ahead with his chest as he realized a
striking victory, we all do it finally for. It's for those men only good
that all program players do not participate these marathon races
otherwise nobody would know today's long distance specialists. Why? In
the past Bordeaux was always our last old bird race and the only
overnight race. As far as I can remember that race still never won by a
long distance racer. Nowadays manage that men because in my region are
less than 25 that join yet they can get along at national level.
CHRISTMAS STORIES EXISTENCE, THE REALITY IS DIFFERENT
I can only describe how I spend Christmas with my family. With no way I
get an article on paper where the Christmas spirit is still alive. The
time in the Netherlands, especially in these dark days before Christmas,
the churches were still full is already far behind us. Most churches are
now used for completely different purposes. We Dutch have a generally
pretty good life, everything is properly arranged. Where I live it is as
if time has stood still. Generally many rural residents, the houses and
farms are quite far apart. It's quiet here, and we are grateful. I live
with my wife Cora in a former farm. What is now our living room were
once cows and where now the loft is was formerly used for the horse and
the pigsty. Our parking lot once stood at the edge of the ditch the
laundry room where the cans were rinsed. We have a large garden (too
big) that formerly ran to the railroad and was full of all kinds of
fruit trees .That part of our garden is incorporated into a 18-hole golf
course. I just have a lot with pigeons and nothing with golf. My loft is
the same size as a normal house. On the first floor are the old and
young racers in six different departments, three on the south side and
three on the northwest side. The northwest side is completely empty. Why
is that? Fewer birds for a man which in a few months becomes 80 years
and can’t all good keep up. On the southeast side there is a section for
the widow hens than 12 breeding boxes for widowhood and/ or nest game
and a division of 30-35 youngsters. I'll have to join it in 2017.
Whether it will succeed should I wait because I am still under treatment
for my eyes. Unfortunately, ears and eyes let me down but we remain
optimistic! As it looks now the pigeons will be paired between Christmas
and New Year and maybe it will be the first week January. Downstairs
were always my breeders but the breeding loft is to a large extend
seized by Marco who does not have a place to keep breeding pigeons at
home. He's looking for bigger living space and of course a large garden
to keep all his pigeons at home. For now he has succeeded not yet.
Luckily we were able to solve it this way. Furthermore there is
currently nothing shocking to tell about the pigeons. We are heading
towards Christmas and the New Year. We call it the holidays. Can we
still speak in this strange world on holidays while there’s only misery
in a large part of the modern world. Every day again lumbered through
the media with the most horrific images. Innocent people that cannot
move, natural disasters that cost many lives and beautiful ancient
buildings are bombed. It does not stop. In the Netherlands all peace and
harmony. The heated discussions continue about Sinterklaas with his
Zwarte Piet. Incomprehensible that large people try to kill this kids
party. There are other things that we should worry about. What about
respect and peace for all people. Later we are in the house Braspenning
on Christmas day with the family together, always very friendly, good
food (usually too much), it may not. Actually scandalous because we know
what there is a poverty on the world. Sick children cannot be helped,
threat of war, fear and sadness. Every year you hope the world improve
but unfortunately it is only false hope. Maybe there will be this month
a ceasefire, unfortunately we cannot call that feast. Close our eyes to
the suffering in this world we should certainly not. Then what? I cannot
answer that. The only thing we can do is our neighbor, elderly and sick
people not to forget then we are already well on the way. We should all
spend the Christmas days in our own way. I express the wish that for you
and yours may still be an enjoyable Christmas.
STRAGGLY PIGEONS
For those beasts looks in Belgium not so cozy. From 17 December to 7
January 2017
there may be hunted. The Belgian fanciers are advised not to leave out
their birds during that period. In the Netherlands the pigeons may not
outside because risk of infection. There are still found dead birds or
fished from the water that succumbed to bird flu.
ANNUAL SHOW
During the weekend of 9 and 10 December was our annual Christmas show
and champion ceremony. The Friday was entirely dedicated to the
celebration and began with a warm buffet. Furthermore there was a pigeon
quiz and bingo, also a raffle with a bike as a prize. During the day the
birds are judged. Each member has used four pigeons, one old and one
young cock plus one old and young hen. It is about who has the best
quartet and three prizes will be awarded individually. On Saturday
afternoon there was a spectacular sale by prominent fanciers donated
pigeons and vouchers for a youngster 2017. It was a very pleasant
weekend
KING WINTER IS COMING
Last night 9 degrees of frost, outside everything beautiful white and in
the loft all troughs with a thin layer of ice. Because there is no wind
and not a cloud in the sky it feels as if it is spring, nothing is less
true. No leaves on the trees, but beautiful skies at setting sun. Lovely
weather for a walk, coat and cap and a thick shawl. The pigeons look
with this freezing cold weather beautiful. By me they are not paired
yet, I definitely wait after Christmas. Others have their pigeons
already a few days together and will have with Christmas the first
youngsters in the dish. How many new champion or useful pigeons are in
between is a question that still cannot be replied. However pigeon
keepers are optimistic by nature and are confident that better pigeons
be born than previous year. Without a doubt a positive attitude, as it
should be. However we must not forget that the sport often of
disappointment hangs together. Confidence in our own pigeons should be
there. Who knows which promising youngsters take care for some special
birds. Look how many good pigeons are ever born of two yearlings. I know
plenty of examples of people who get along on a ticket with a youngster
of two yearlings. Most buyers are not so happy about until it appears
that this pigeon performs above expectations. The next year is from that
pair nothing to buy anymore, not because one is left behind from both
parents but because the fancier itself has also bred a "super" and as
usual there’s little or nothing away from it whether….there is a big
price to be paid for. In any case it is true that in a month at most
lofts start the breeding season. Always very exciting. Good preparation
is of utmost importance. Personally I let well before the pairing date
the young cocks choose a breeding box. The old cocks then go to the
young pigeon loft, their breeding boxes stay closed. The young males can
choose from the vacant nest boxes. This avoids unnecessary brawls as the
newly paired cocks and hens fly free in the loft. I also try as much as
possible to replace the old hens in the breeding loft where they have
been this year. They know where they live and their hunting cock will
fly quickly behind them so this is also a way to avoid fights. By
lengthening the days with artificial light the pigeons will accept each
other more easily. It is important to ensure that the birds are not too
heavy or too fat. Pigeons should be associated in the same condition as
for a race. If these conditions are fulfilled you will notice that the
pairing should not be a problem. The long distance players remain
provisionally still in hibernation. They will only think of pairing if
the new leaves come again to the trees. All other fanciers are as soon
they go paring already busy with the preparations of the racing season.
Their youngsters are as their season starts at least 5 months old. Long
distance players totally no bother because they usually do not play with
the youngsters. Those guys are a big part of the year working with in
flown. A phenomenon were many association are not happy with. Lot of
work and they do not participate in most games.
OUR NATIONAL DAYS
The new federal administration has done very much to attract more
visitors these days. They are partially successful but actually it was a
flop. Adding the number of visitors was higher than the year before. On
the first day came 2975, and the second day 2300. In 2015 there were
3150 paying visitors that counted down € 31.500 to get in. To finance
the free admission was held a sale of donated pigeons and tickets with
yielded a total of € 26,000. To make it attractive for the visitors were
forums consideration with behind the table a number of experts.
Unfortunately for the organization there was sparsely interest for. Most
attention was given to subject; losing youngsters. For the point "in
conversation with the board," was absolutely not interested so this part
was cancelled. On Saturday was Traditionally held the "youth day".
Fortunately youth state everywhere still uninhibited throughout so this
event can be every year seen as very successful. Also there was kept in
a nicely decorated hall the celebration of a very long line of national
champions. Too crazy for words that in such a simple hobby/sport are so
many champions. What says a championship if you are not in the first
three curved ended. Gold, silver, bronze is something we are used to at
all sports, but fourth, fifth and yet more is something that no mortal
understands, away with it! The organization find it odd that there is so
little interest for this honoring under the non-champions. Have they
ever wondered how someone feels that had won nothing and the whole day
has to clap his hands for champion where he has never heard of and also
not know, I know nicer things to think. Such ceremonies are only
worthwhile for champions among themselves. A room full of people that
all have won something gives atmosphere and appreciation plus it's not
need to be such a prolonged monotonous meeting. Also for the champion is
usually not so cozy. We must not forget that they already in the club,
the department, rayon and I do not know what more they yet are honored.
From this point of view this whole champion celebration is little or
nothing and we just keep going. It is simply to make something
attractive and say goodbye to the long tradition of comprehensive
tributes. There is no man going even if you allowed free entry. What the
"show" concerns while these days it’s every year a bigger debacle.
Little interest, good pigeons you do not see anymore. Only beautiful
especially for the exhibition beauty bred pigeons to admire.
Unfortunately fanciers have no interest in champion homages and to
pigeons they even do not look. What do they do at these days is talking
with each other, it is more of a reunion that we can wonder it still
make sense to hold these days. Early March again the spring fair and
that’s I think something too much. I'm eager the entrance weather is
free. This year more visitors but none income funds. Compared to 2015
the organization has with their new redesign let slip € 30,000 from
their hands. With these costs they have despite the sponsors and the
proceeds of the sale (€ 26,000) maybe just played equal.
BRID FLU IN EUROPE
Since two weeks prevails particular in western Netherlands the influenza
A virus subtype H5N8. The Ministry of Health has therefore decreed an
overall duty to keep birds indoors. All poultry species and also our
pigeons (although pigeons are not counted among poultry) should stay
inside. Especially around the IJsselmeer are last week nearly 1500 dead
birds fished from the water. Also in Switzerland around the famous great
lakes are dead water and migratory birds fished. Especially now that we
are in the period of "pigeons shows and public auctions" live can there
a prohibition be promulgated. Last weekend were in the Netherlands the
major national NPO days and luckily everything could continue.
Furthermore we now have to wait and see how the flu himself further
expanding and what new measures being taken.
MORPHINE IN PIGEON FEED
The pigeon sport was once more shaken because of doping. It will only
happen that your name is called as doping user. What was the case? The
German feed manufacturer Matador has in her mix seed rape seed and now
it appears that in a large batch of rape seed also prevents poppy seed.
Poppy seed comes from the poppy and there is morphine. Now I understand
why there's so many sandwiches eaten with poppy seeds on top. The seed
should come from Afghanistan where that is farmed in large quantities by
the Taliban. Research has shown that pigeons has to eat a large quantity
before they will have advantage or disadvantage of it. It's more of a
storm in a glass of water. In England appeared to be no storm in a
teacup. I've written about it before. The Sun came with a headline that
also after a second inspection in a South African doping laboratory
fanciers Kierren Clegg and Ricky Mc Grow are positive and are thus three
years suspended. In the Netherlands Kees Droog was caught on the use of
illicit funds. He would have inflammatory administered. Anyway his
pigeon was after a second research positive! Actually incomprehensible
that such players administer something they did not know or there are
banned substances in it. The winning pigeon Queen of the night arrived
in early morning from Pau with a distance of 1127 km at 4:24 pm and sold
afterwards. How's that end? Sold is sold or money back? This mouse will
still have a tail. It does not stop. In Belgium were from 1 fancier 5
pigeons found positive, drugs used! They were before knowing for 90,000
euro sold to China and not come back. What does the broker to do? It
could for him ever to be a significant financial setback or the fancier
who supplied the pigeons have to pay him his commission anyway.
Therewith the end is far off because pigeons let return from China is
almost an impossible task.
FRANS BUNGENEERS DUPE OF BURGLARY
It is not a bed of roses in the sport. That experienced Frans Bungeneers
from Belgian Ramst. From his lofts the locks were forced. The thieves
came at the right time. While Frans his youngsters were sold at Pipa for
an average of 4686 euros per pigeon burglars pitched battle. At audit
found that there were still 29 old birds of the 90 in the loft. Than
knowing French is a police officer. How rude is that?
AL SECOND HAND
The biggest selling site of the world is undoubtedly Pipa. They are best
known for the high quality of the pigeons that they bring over the
internet to the man for over 10 years. Youngsters would not qualify, it
had to be only "top" and what do we see? With great regularity they
bring youngsters on sale under the name Collectibles. Children of
phenomena in pigeon racing on the sales table. There was not one right
set of a champion loft they were all "second hand". Also went two
pigeons of the hand for 26,500 euros each. One went to England and the
other to Taiwan. What a madness when Harry appears in the pedigree.
ARE BREEDING COUPLES READY?
The traditional date for winter breeding is November 26th. So if this
article is facing has mainly the breeding started in many Belgian lofts.
In the Netherlands it’s as if ever fewer fanciers do early winter
breeding. Possibly this is because in our country the start of the young
bird season is later than our southern neighbors. The age of those who
will play a major role. I just look at myself. Previously I just had to
do winter breeding. Youngsters would be at the start of their season a
half years old so that the teething troubles were over. Now I must not
think that I have at the end of January already a loft full of pigeons.
I just got a little breath. I do will go soon start preparing. The young
cocks (10) are allowed in the racing loft from 1 December to sort out
their breeding loft. Furthermore it is intended that they are going to
be paired between Christmas and New Year. They are beautiful come
through the molt. A few have only one old pen and they shine up to you.
Too bad they are not allowed outside of the bird flu. This week I have
together with Marco all birds sprayed against vermin. Quite a chore, no
not for me because I have very little but together with the pigeons from
Marco there is still a considerable number. I would definitely can’t
stand to take care of so many birds anymore. Together we have a room
auction in Malta on Saturday December 17th. From me some old breeding
and racing pigeons and Marco mainly molted summer youngsters of the best
breeding and racing pigeons. We have been asked by the organization to
be present there as well so we have a long weekend, for our standards,
can enjoy a wonderful temperature. Marco is still looking for a house.
Unfortunately this does not happen yet which means that the breeders are
still a season with dad. We agreed that he the entire breeding loft with
24 breeding boxes and two aviaries gets available. I have nothing to
look for more. Upstairs are two empty sections, one section for eight
breeding couples, one for 12 racing couples, one for the 12 widow hens,
one for 12 males and one for a maximum of 40 youngsters. Currently I
still have mountains of work with all those pigeons of Marco. I'm
looking forward to going to do much calmer which I was last winter
already planning. But you know how it goes. A well-known Dutch folk
singer became famous with "Nobody leaves his child alone." So I think
about, assuming that he must do it alone in 2018. May also be because
I'm 81 then.
AM I STILL GET RIGHT?
Once the sport began as an elite sport. Only the better-off could keep
pigeons for the hardworking man there was (yet) no place. Keeping
pigeons was still in its infancy. More than a hundred years ago people
started getting to do more of crossing different breeds of pigeons. The
strange thing was that one always made more work to fly back pigeons
from great distances home. The pigeon was a genius postman who could
convey compared to everything else deliver the fastest important
messages. The pigeon was also decisive for the world trade, for example
coffee and spices. Do you understand that at that time it was really
nothing to keep pigeons as a hobby, they were for trade or consumption.
Yet there were became quietly more pigeon keepers. The dignitaries were
given competition from leading breeders who started to take more and
more long distance races. Especially in the crisis years of the Second
World War the number of fanciers grew considerably. There was no work.
Many people were poor, had no money and yet were kept pigeons. If no
work man is still looking for something in which he can spend his
energy. Pigeons keep house seemed quite nice, whatever it was. The
problem was that the fanciers who wanted to participate in the games
with his pigeons had to go to the cafe. Cozy among themselves a beer
tastes best. Unfortunately it never stayed at one beer which was at the
expense of the housekeeping money and most people had already so little.
It has until after the Second World War lasted until pigeon clubs had
their own room. Once it was so far the sport went by leaps and bounds.
Belgium more than 200,000 fanciers and the Netherlands nearly 100,000.
The sport flourished. Our pigeons was improved, it became stronger, the
races told us what was good pigeons. Lofts were improved, companies
began to focus on building lofts. Running with the rubber ring to the
local pub was dropped. Many fanciers have their own clock and others
hired a year. The transport of the birds changed. The dog cart, the
cart, the cargo bike, train, truck, all lapsed. Nowadays youngsters not
even know the existence of this. Nowadays driving our pigeons to the
unloading place in modern equipped cars. Water and food on board plus a
good ventilation. We landed in the electronic age. Fortunately the sport
moved with the times. Nearly everyone has an electronic registry system
so we can fully enjoy the arrivals of all pigeons. For that matter it
could not be better. The sport is mainly for the elderly (there are most
of) become too expensive because of the major changes in lifestyle. In
addition, a large part of the sociability disappeared also because we
are getting older. We are not so jumpy anymore. The problem is that too
few young people come making the sport disappears more and more into the
background. The newspapers pay less and less attention while for 2000
the newspapers after the weekend were full of pigeons results. It's gone
and never comes back. One loft races seemed a nice solution for those
who were too old to keep pigeons themselves or had no room anymore. The
participation fee and the large losses do not lie so that kind of pigeon
racing will die a quiet death. In the Netherlands this form of pigeon
racing has even banned. Even youngsters should not race over 500 km in
our country. At that way there remains little fun. Last weekend was on
the internet sold a pigeon for more than 40.000 euros, how crazy you
must be. What also struck me was the performance of the pigeon. National
winner at approx. 40.000 pigeons. Without doubt a world performance but
if you have no other prices what you do with it. In a room sale which a
number of prominent fanciers had eight youngsters for sale was the most
expensive 38.400 euros. A youngster who has never been in the basket but
had Harry in the pedigree. Then hit a lot of wealthy pigeon keepers seem
really excited. That particular weekend 160 youngsters were auctioned
which yielded an average of 5016 euros. In a word; insane. How will
fanciers felt that sit with 500 euros in their pocket with the intension
also to buy a pigeon. It will not take long before all the name pigeons
disappear from the scene and then there are others again. So was it used
in a simple way and now it is accompanied by outrageous amounts. Still
hordes of people do not know that the after breeding of those pigeons
are broadly of the same poor quality as most of the pigeons. But if you
having so much money that you so badly want to possess such a written up
pigeon as a "gadget", what the hell. Unfortunately hooks therefore older
fanciers off. They can no longer participate in the game. For them the
fun is completely gone. It is the rich who call the shots in the pigeon
world. The cozy the conversational is gone. The envy reigns supreme and
the only people who can afford anything easy remain. The pigeon sport
are destroyed and we come down again. I mean that the sport ends as it
began, a hobby for the elite!
BELGIUM ALSO COMPLAINS
The agenda of the general meeting was the establishment of the ring
prize 2017. In the Netherlands we pay 0,50 cents and with our southern
neighbors it’s 1,07. To cover the costs the KBDB raise the rings with 1
euro and the one that more than 150 rings order should pay 2 euro more
from the 151st ring. That way you can very easily tally the household
budget. Thus it does not stop. There is still achieved a hefty price
increase. For every pigeon taking part in a national competition (they
have quite a few in Belgium) has to be paid 0,48 for the calculation of
the results. I have no idea how many employees there are in the office
of the national organization federation. Labor costs are nearly a
million, that's quite something. I can imagine that it won’t take long
until there will be considerable protest. Maybe the next Olympiad in
Brussels serves as a suitable place for it. Or a new board will be a
good solution? They sit as the organization does not change with exactly
the same problem.
THERE IS NOT A LOT OF REMAINING
Last week I visited the North Holland championship day. I was involved
from the beginning until a few years ago. What is left from that
spectacular day event is still a far cry from what once was. Once we
started early Sunday morning with the use of only champion pigeons and
winners of major competitions. There were not so many pigeons showed.
The level was very high and the fanciers who were eligible to
participate were very honored. The whole day ran inspectors in white
coats along the cages that were equipped with a lock. The day started
with a joint champions breakfast followed by a question forum consisted
of well-known national champions. During breakfast an amount was handed
over to a representative of the KWF (cancer). All afternoon there were
performances by famous artists and at the end of the day pigeons and
vouchers were sold for the benefit of KWF. The hall was crowded and
those who had bought for ten guilders lottery tickets had always price.
This ranged from a bunch of bananas into a color television or a box of
mandarins into a dishwasher. The visitors fought for these tickets.
Fantastic, what were the days! This year the event took place in the
same (reduced) room. The room was well attended but there was
unfortunately no atmosphere. Many champions let it fail and did not even
pick up their won sports trophy. The joint lunch were well cared, there
was nothing wrong with. Well before closing time I was already home. I
found nothing on but maybe I'll be a grumpy old fancier.
PIGEON CHAT
We are in the middle of autumn. When I got up and looked out the world
was all white. A beautiful sight but it is not my weather. I do not like
cold and wetness. My daughter is much better. She came this afternoon to
say goodbye because she goes ten days to Curacao, a great temperature
there so she will come back browned. We will have entertain us in the
Netherlands with temperatures of 4 degrees above zero. It may be still
comfortable in the loft especially in the morning with the sun shining
at the front. For me reason enough to release this morning at half past
eleven the cocks. In no time they were very high in the air. This is not
a sign of shape but just a sign that it is more comfortable at that
altitude than near the ground. We do not need to teach the birds they
seek it out themselves. After half an hour they came back to the loft
and then they notice that they want inside. Yesterday they all had a
bath which made them look well. Especially a day later you can enjoy to
watch some birds. A bath is anyway good for them, then the plumes feel
extra soft. Furthermore it is an ambience of tranquility in the lofts
and this will continue till Christmas. From mid-December I extend the
days in preparation for pairing between Christmas and New Year. From
that moment comes again fully liven.
REST
I wish it was as calm within the pigeon organization as at my lofts.
Unfortunately, that's not true. Miscellaneous proposals again submitted
by the organization to make if necessary again make changes. For years
there was a set flight program. It was during the time that the
Netherlands had still about 100.000 members. It does not say that
everything was much better but it was quieter. Now the NPO has only a
handful members there’s no more rest in the organization. Each year
there should be invented something new and that is just the older
fanciers cannot stand. Older people are lovers of tradition. They have
for years been broadly satisfied with the way the sport put together.
No, I want definitely not romanticize, even then there was sometimes
bickered about the smallest changes. However it was much friendlier. It
was almost for all a hobby, pastime after the daily work. It was
relaxing at home and then there were the social contacts in the
clubhouse. They went together to loft visit, they exchanged pigeons with
each other, they went together on the bike training the pigeons, pigeon
racing caused some relaxation. It is now only effort and envy. Fanciers
are not really happy more with their hobby which also takes a lot of
time. It has become an expensive hobby, in my view far too expensive. To
a large extent the fanciers are guilty themselves. There are held far
too many pigeons. Previously the pigeon had to earn a place in the loft
for the next year, there were performances of his or her expected. Today
too many pigeons are kept who have done nothing but have a sister,
cousin or uncle that has ever won a nice prize. You will not go along.
It used the 123 the 654 or 928 that were so called because they had
achieved special achievements
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Today all pigeons have a flashy name even though they have never
achieved something special. Beautiful pedigrees and names like Tornado,
Speedy or Super Sprinter cover worthless pigeons. One is more concerned
with names and pedigrees as the pigeon itself. No one immerses himself
in sophisticated breeding methods. It has been said the best come from
the best, in practice there is considered insufficient to. Fanciers have
been satisfied if some familiar names usually written up from not
performing commercial fanciers come in the lineage. The construction of
the pigeon and everything what has to do with a good pigeon does not
interest the today fancier so much. Descents, that’s what it’s about.
Mainly descendants with names of fanciers you can read for three weeks
at various sales sites. Let that exactly be the pigeons you should not
have. You do understand as well as I that the men who are trying to sell
birds on any site that pigeons are just ordinary death makers. In such a
pigeon world we currently live. The sport is totally changed. Previously
it all happened in summer months and winter months were named the quiet
season. It is exactly the opposite.
LATE YOUNGSTERS FROM THE BEST BREEDERS
The last races have just ended or the marketing circus starts again.
First are offered late youngsters obviously from the best breeders.
Could it be that this are late youngsters where the pigeons have
completed the last races of the season. Youngsters that lay one week
under a certain pair and the next week by another couple. Play
youngsters they call it and it is usually not exactly known of which
couple they are. They are often youngsters from youngsters. It does not
mean there can’t be a good one between. On each loft sometimes will be
born a real good pigeon. When I read the sales sites there are only
good, but that's impossible. Anyway, it belongs to modern pigeon sport
but real fanciers grilling thereof. The category of disgruntled fanciers
increasing every year. The common man cannot participate in the battle
to buy affordable pigeons. There are mainly by gullible foreign fanciers
amounts counted down where the average fancier dizzy. Commerce has
become increasingly important, everything revolves around money.
Fanciers that have issued capital to "paper" birds still think that they
have done good purchases. However practice is quite different. In no way
they can keep up with their expensive pigeons. There must of course be
something else going on. They do not live on the flight line, the wind
always blows against them so that the pull of the pigeons is always on
the side where their rivals live and you can never win. Or so it is
argued. They do not see that birds decide where they fly, the wind can
sometimes effect on short flights. It cannot be that the annual
champions playing to the head for many years against the best fanciers
always have the wind in its sails. They must also overcome the setbacks
but they have by strict selecting and breed with knowledge built up a
stock of pigeons which still managed weekly perform well under many
different Dutch weather. Take a look at these fanciers and see with your
own eyes what a simple way they keep pigeons. They are not satisfied
with names and pedigrees, there should also appealing performances are
applicable. Only then the performance circle is around for them. That
has nothing to do with early or late releases, nothing with the mode of
transport, nothing with a flight program, even the number of nights
their pigeons are in the basket does not affect whether or not
performing well. I am as long as I have pigeons in favor of just one
night basket. I think that this is a characteristic of the speed
players. Long distance players make no problem of it. Look at their
pigeon that race Barcelona. They're almost a week in the basket and look
how many times these heavy flight have a normal course. Good pigeons you
need or try to breed. It’s not only that, there is more to it.
Especially the care and strict selection count. Do not make the same
mistake as most sports friends into thinking you have a loft with only
good pigeons, most are completely worthless. Believe me or not, fine,
then the basket will tell you in 2017.
THE WORST IS OVER
It is now November the month of the falling leaves. The weather forecast
indicates that temperatures dramatically go down, it will be bleak and
cold with heavy rain. We're going back in a few days from 16 to 8
degrees. The only advantage is the grass does not grow anymore so my
wife and I do not have to mow every Friday afternoon the grass. Now the
garden is overflowing with leaves the falling off large amounts of
feathers in the loft is as good as over. This is because my breeders are
already long separated. The racers have not been in action until the end
of the season and the youngsters had in the early spring already dropped
the requisite small feathers so they are still working on the last two
primaries. They all shine towards you again and for those who have
hardly selected it will become even more difficult. Both the charts and
the lesser gods will again look exquisitely beautiful. Soon they all
wear again their Sunday suit. For weeks I have to suck every day large
amounts of feathers. Now the last tail feathers you see lie. Many birds
are busy with the molt of the back flights. These are the only feathers
that not molted annually, usually only two or three. Pigeons with a long
and tough season behind would sometimes have problems with poor ingrowth
of one or two back flights. I always say that it is a characteristic of
a good race pigeon but that does not mean I like it. In the distant past
I regularly pulled out such bad feathers. Whatever you do it’s always a
bad pen in its place so just stay away and do nothing. It's not a pretty
sight, but they fly no less next year. This molt period I had a young
hen (done well) who had serious problems with molting. She was really
molting sick and perhaps she had other problems with her health. It was
certainly not well with her, she got several tube pins and also quite a
lot of those jagged small feathers on its wings. Such pigeons nobody
wants in his loft and because I was convinced that she would not perform
well I put her away. A few times raise a piece of cheese will sometimes
help. However by me they should unassisted smoothly get through the
molt. Too bad because it was a really nice little pigeon, she comes also
from one of my better breeding pairs but fortunately I have two sisters
and a brother of hers who have performed all three as a youngster until
satisfaction and for the next year I have all confident.
MEDICINE USE
More and more fanciers discover that their pigeons does not react or
different respond to medicines. The fight against trichomonas is a good
example. Especially the category poisoners as I call them make a mess of
it. One takes it not so serious with the rules. Personally I have been
trying for years to limit drug use to a minimum but I have learned that
without not going. If there has occurred an infection in the loft I
support to provide a complete cure. For years I gave once every three
weeks a two days so-called disinfection cure for cancer. The performance
was excellent which certainly not come with a two-day cure. It was just
part of the total care. Everyone knows gradually that strong play does
not come from a bottle, there's needed very good pigeons and a very good
care. The point is that everyone also needs to know how a good pigeon
looks. One watches the muscles, the other on the feathers, even the wing
and eye expression plays by many a significant role. There are fanciers
who like a deeper pigeon and others their preference is more towards the
total skeleton. We will certainly have to pay attention to the
performance, the basket tells us more than the manual inspection. A
pigeon with soft feathers and no endurance will bring nothing to go. A
pigeon with a wonderful eye and flabby muscles will disappoint the boss
weekly. The opposite is also true. I had pigeons in my hands I thought;
as that would be in my loft I stood on top. You know those thoughts
undoubtedly. When the owner showed me the performance list I thought
what the hell we worry about. A very small pigeon with much power can
shine every week even though she has a weak back, a thin wing, a small
flat head with a single eye and no charisma. If you do not know what she
have in its march no man wants to own such a pigeon. We pay too much
attention on construction and then you breed in the end very nice pigeon
that win prizes on the show. Fine if you preferred. How many times will
be said by a well-built pigeon in top condition "I dare to put my entire
monthly salary", in other words that pigeon shows she is in top form.
Put your whole monthly salary is not that difficult but to catch back
five times is a different story. We all pay attention to all facets,
practice and theory remain a huge difference.
A FIXED PATTERN CARE
In the summer we do our best during the season to take care of the birds
so that they can perform at the weekend. Unfortunately many fanciers
retreat once the season's over from that. It does not happen all as
punctual anymore. I have throughout the year garlic in the water. I
believe in. I think it definitely works against cancer which
contamination is especially detrimental during the racing season. They
impede the flight and appetite and everyone will understand that there
is no significant price to win anymore. Garlic is healthy too. Every
week fresh vegetables is something that cannot be waived. Believe me the
pigeons certainly needed. The big molt is almost over, so no more
feathers in the grit and mineral trays. What is much worse is the dust
that comes free with the unfolding of the springs. That little light
flakes blowing in all directions, just look into the drink tray.
Certainly no luxury to also refresh the drinker every day during this
time. Bathe is a necessary evil. With me they bathe in the loft,
beautiful sight but what a job to clean up the wet mess especially if
you have a number of departments. Yet do for bathing benefits the
quality of the springs and bugs hate it. Currently I am working with a
para-coli cure of dr. Van der Sluis. I'm sure it participates in overall
health. It gives me a good feeling and I'm sure the spell; "In winter
are earned the prices for the next season," therefrom has arisen.
COULD IT BE TRUE?
After a fancier from England this summer has been caught for fraud is
almost certainly now a Dutch fancier caught of the use of banned
substances, let's call it a doping sinner. Just like in the UK it
happened on a major national long distance race. In the Netherlands are
30 names published last season on doping. By 29 fanciers everything was
in order and one has in a first control urinated outside the pot. How
it’s end is not yet known why I still do not want to mention his name. I
can say that the suspect is playing in the same division as me and he
already has won a national victory and this is not working directly in
his favor.
TOTALLY NEW RACE PROGRAMM
Without the program on the overall assembly of the NPO is discussed the
program it’s already published in a Dutch pigeon magazine. Yes or not
well intentioned with such a way of working many members did not agree
and certainly not the electors. For me the program is not bad and am
therefore in favor. The whole thing keeps minds churning. I have seen
that our central management for smaller business decided to resign. It
is not easy to do it right for everyone. That matter is the whole pigeon
organization is not well put together. The central management has little
or no control. The meeting beasts in other words the electors that again
call the shots every time. I've had my time it doesn’t interest me
anymore. But who am I? I can imagine that younger fanciers make
themselves very busy since this is their hobby which they hope to have
fun for many years. The main point in this new flight schedule is the
start of the young bird season. For many years it starts in the third
week of June. Now is proposed that only begin on August 4 and the end of
September is the season then passed. Winter breeding is no longer needed
which can be an advantage. But it can also be a disadvantage for those
who are used immediately after the season (was 6/7 September) to go on
holiday. October is done with the nice weather.
WHERE ARE OUR YOUNGSTERS?
Quite a few years the forfeit of youngsters is an enormous problem.
Several studies have been and are still being committed but a solution
is still not there. Drinks, powders or capsules where worldwide
advertising is made will not help. Maybe we should look for the more
climate change. There is plenty of debate about reducing carbon dioxide
emissions and what about the unstable weather. Global warming leads to
less stable weather and considerably heavier rainfall. Today's homing
pigeon is there maybe not be sufficient to withstand. The transport must
be given all the attention. Many youngsters have been disabled as they
arrive at the release point. The pigeons cars are especially the first
time chock-full. Those who have experienced sometimes a pigeon landing
know how terribly hot it can be in the pigeon cars. The still
inexperienced youngsters are due to thirst severely stressed and will
have the greatest difficulty to come home that same day. That youngsters
from the outset know how and where they can drink is vital. It is
advisable youngsters even put three days in a large shipping basket with
on every side a drink tray. Sprinkle some sunflower seeds in the drink
trays. The seeds float the birds will pick them up and feel right that
they can drink. Give them food once a day in the baskets. Many fanciers
will feel little for it. Compare pigeons not with people. They have from
origin an immune system that is different from ours. That they pick up
food that lay in the manure of healthy pigeons can do almost no harm.
Whether we will avoid big losses I wish it were true. In any case it is
highly recommended to learn the youngsters as soon as possible to drink
in the basket. The reason that the NPO has proposed to fly with the
youngsters much later is born in practice. More and more Dutch fanciers
prefer to fly their youngsters only on natour (August 1 to September 8).
The strange thing is that the group that does not play natour stand on
their hind legs because they feel that it is started too late. Try to
come up with a unanimous opinion.
NOT EASY
If you will go ahead in the sport you have to select strictly. You can
do that by just looking at the results. The most difficult during the
selection period is figuring out the youngsters. One watches the
building, then you have to know very well how good fly or breeder should
look like and what conditions they must meet. I know myself that I've
always been a very rigorous selector but it’s becoming increasingly
difficult. The big molt is over and with me also the selection. All
pigeons that still sit are worth certainly be allowed to stay for a
year. The bad thing is that the boss cannot stand large numbers of
pigeons anymore. I never was a big fancier I could compete with 24
couples. That number is much too large. Every time I find myself that I
will be moving a pigeon back pack from the group to other fanciers. A
day later I spend another two or sometimes three I wanted to keep myself
to another loft and must necessarily bring back three more for my own
loft. Especially now that the breeding pigeons practically are through
the big molting they become more beautiful every day. Great to be so
busy every day with your pigeons but it’s difficult to definitively say
goodbye to them which is certainly not a fun activity. Still I have to
continue to come at least on the number of what is planned. Keep some
spare pigeons is not wrong. Winter is still long and there may still be
some fall to as the raptors. Do not release them is an option but I like
to see a flock of pigeons that fly around the house. Every morning I
leave some outside and at the end of the morning I call them inside.
SUMMER YOUNGSTERS
This time of year there are large numbers late youngsters sold. You will
understand that these are all very good, especially if you believe the
pedigrees. My opinion is that if you have a loft of pigeons that
performs broadly satisfactory you better cannot purchase late youngsters
or you must have sufficient space. Late youngsters walking just in the
way and in a few months you will have enough early youngsters that can
participate in the flights. With late youngsters you start late with the
breeding so you cannot race with their youngsters. My preference always
goes to summer youngsters from the breeders these are on time mature to
be paired. One who select strict and therefore will perform well will as
in other lofts occasionally breed a promising pigeon, better is not.
When you are in that situation you can buy every two years a pigeon for
fresh blood. Do that with a loft where you'd have a pigeon. You will
certainly have a good reason and pigeons will in most cases be
affordable.
ABOUT TWO MONTHS WE AGAIN SAY GOODBYE TO 2016
Before we begin the new year is still a lot to be done. My wife and I
can look back on a successful short vacation. The weather was not ideal
but we had no holiday to lie in the sun. It was a break in the north of
Germany in part by the former East Germany and West Germany a bit.
Although it is already a long time ago that the Wall fell the
differences are obvious. With such a break you are not directly
dependent of beautiful summer weather, as it is dry you can set up a cap
and put a warm jacket on. Rain makes it poor and the atmosphere is
deteriorating. We had everything and then ten days are long enough. When
we got home no internet and no phone. I could not see how many times
I've been called and how many emails were received. Since Tuesday
(today) everything is working again, calls completed and more than 500
e-mails have disappeared in the trash. Everything is under control so we
can prepare for the winter season. About six weeks we celebrate St.
Nicholas, no not Santa, in the Netherlands. A more than 100 years
existing feast especially for the children. Previously you be, if you
had been naughty or at school had not well done your best, frightened by
your parents. You would not get presents but you went with Zwarte Piet
in the bag and he took you to Spain. Of course it was not all that bad
and if it was December 5 each child had a pack from the good Santa.
Currently there is much to do about particular Zwarte Piet, it has to do
with discrimination. A certain group cares about the color of Zwarte
Piet, his face would have given a different color. It’s even a subject
of discussion in the Council of Ministers and America! A more than
100-year-old kids feast where I do not know how many books have appeared
with on each page an image of the saintly man and his servant Zwarte
Piet. Where people now are already not worry about. Originally has been
the cause of the black face that Piet crawled through the chimney to put
presents for the children down by the stove. I can still remember that I
was 'Blue' singing on the stove and the next early morning went to see
or Zwarte Piet had brought a gift. All very exciting and now big people
doing difficult because the servant, that word may definitely not used
anymore, has a black face. When I got older I have for many years played
for St. Nicholas with my father. An unforgettable time and to this day
children are still under the spell of the festival which is celebrated
on December 5. After that we prepare for Christmas I‘m eager if there
comes commentary on Santa Claus, maybe there are people who feel that
his beard on the pitch, what a hassle! After Christmas comes New Year
and that is the deadline. Then begins pigeon land again become truly
awake. At lots of lofts get on January 1 the first youngsters their
foothold ring 2017. These are the so-called winter youngsters whose
parents end of November are paired.
WINTER BREEDING DEFINITELY NOT BE WRONG
Winter youngsters are half years old when in the Netherlands the game
with the youngsters start. Usually the teething troubles are behind.
Personally I darken the youngsters from the 2nd half of March until the
2nd week of June. The first two weeks I drive as many as possible so
they are ready for the races. You can then play until the end of
September and it is not wrong to light them from late July until the
evening ten o'clock. Most begin in the early morning but my experience
is that this is not necessary. Mid-August leave the winter youngsters
the first quill and mid-September they certainly are still on 7 old pens
and that is almost the same as a "full" wing. The big problem is still
the e-coli bacteria or adeno virus. Pigeons who suffer are not able to
quickly orient themselves making them rather fly the wrong way than the
good.
PARATYPHUS
Para typhus can be a very nasty disease because it is usually dormant.
You do not notice the pigeons fail something but yet they are not top.
The manure may look fine and they train good. Since once needs to be an
effort they hooks off, come home late and often look "flew off" (very
tired). Therefore I am now with a three-week course in progress. The
pigeons find there absolutely no bother and the molting is not affected.
In the new year before the races start they get a vaccination against
paratyphoid. After the course what they get now I give after 5 days eggs
a 5 day cure against trichomoniasis (canker) and they have to do with
it. March 1 everything is put in motion for the new season which is
still a long way away but before we know we are to it.
SHOWS AND TRIBUTES
End of this month start the first tributes. Third week of November is
our national event traditionally held in Houten. Many visitors from the
neighboring countries come to it and linking on Sunday a visit to view
the Belgian pigeon market in Lier plus a visit to the famous Natural
Breeding Station. In the second weekend of December my club has its
annual show with a festive champion homage. Special attention is then
given to the best day long distance pigeon of the Netherlands which is
owned by Ruud Moes one of our members. A week later the homage of the
ZCC champions a combination of Zaanse associations in which already
played hard for many years. In March last ceremonies take place and in
January the biggest pigeon event that is held once every two years. I'm
talking about the Homing Pigeon Olympiad in Brussels. Sure we will meet
there again many sports friends. Also a great event the Show of the Year
at The Winter Gardens in Blackpool. This must have been through everyone
at least once. There you notice that the sport is far from dead.
Unfortunately I will not be there. I'm have been there a lot of times
but unfortunately this is too heavy for me. That's one of the
disadvantages of growing old.
NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUNGSTERS
No, I will not talk again about the biggest youngsters competition in
the world held from Orleans. We long known that the national race by a
number of experts with a wrong view of contemporary sport is killed off.
It remains a shame that there’s still no change is brought in. I think
there are still many fanciers who find it challenging to join as a
national race. It must be possible in the Netherlands, as one of the
main pigeons countries, yet at least one national competition for
youngsters be held with a total solution for all participants. With our
southern neighbors they play Chateauroux with youngsters. To me that is
665 km and the longest distance in Belgium is 550 km. Will be 600 km an
insurmountable problem for the most northerly places? There must be an
appropriate release point to revive a national mega competition. The
point is that a contest will be held with a national solution and a
national result. By making also some regional results will surely
encourage participation. A flight with a national profile we need within
the sport to present ourselves. About such a race is spoken, getting
media attention. In this way we let anyone who wants to hear or see that
the sport is a modern sport with professional transport. Regionally,
nationally and internationally, we show up where Dutch pigeons are
capable of. It does not always go about the distance, it is more about
participation and the list. A nationwide competition where thousands of
youngsters join is a huge positive image for our sport. Of course there
are hooks and eyes at a national competition especially the difference
in distance between the front and rear directions, so what! There can
still only one win and it will never say in advance where this winner
lives. With headwind may be the shortest distances for the benefit and
at the tail longer distances could ever have a better chance of winning.
If we are about these things keep on nagging there will never be a
national competition of the ground.
NATIONAL COMPETITION WHICH IS NOT A NATIONAL COMPETITION
What we are doing in the Netherlands does not make sense. Currently they
play from four different release points. Perhaps honest but that is not
evident in the participation. A national flight for all participants
from the same release point must ensure that fanciers become
enthusiastic again. The one major annual flight will thus have to be
arranged that there is spoken just as in previous years about "Orleans
fever" but with a different release point, perhaps "Paris fever" or
"Dutch Grand Prix." A first prize a large sponsored car, which must
nevertheless be able! In recent years the former National Derby Orleans
is demoted to fourth regular sector. Nice thought and nothing special.
Sorry, I have no other and, unfortunately, no better expression. We look
at the participation of this year. In Sector 1 were 995 participants
with 11,848 pigeons; in Sector 2, 707 to 12.727 birds; in sector 3
10,654 pigeons at the start raised by 961 fanciers, sector 4 with 733
participants 11,985 pigeons. A total of 47.214 birds, which is still a
respectable number of birds which may be considerably higher according
to experts. If the Dutch pigeon organization has 18.000 members and 3396
joined (which is less than 20%) we cannot say the Dutch fanciers are
eager to join. It’s clear something else must be devised. That the
flight included for the championships in the 11 departments seems to be
a prerequisite. A beautiful task for the NPO to magic a new world famous
prize game out of the hat.
STILL TRUE
The last time I was already reported a fraud case in England. Then,
longtime it remained silent. They are also not the best situations
within our sport to make extensive mention at. In any case the fraudster
is now nailed to the post. It was the 52-year-old Eamon Kelly who wanted
to write the grand prize from Tarbes (935 km) on his name to win a car.
He had previously such a great success achieved but now with a
completely different outcome. Because the man his winning pigeon flew
1075 meters per minute faster than all competitors there was suspicion.
It appeared that the man had 14 pigeons used but they were not listed on
the registration form. He kept these at home and 14 others transported
to the south of France. He was disqualified and has admitted his fraud.
If you ask me there is only one penalties and that is ending pigeon
sport!
HOLIDAYS
Since we had not yet got round to. Our planned trip begin September 24
was canceled due to low participation. Our first choice was Southern
Germany and has now become the north of Germany. Sounds like fun because
we have never been there. It will be a short trip. We stay at the same
hotel and make daily trips with the whole group. You know how it works
if you want to break. On departure everything has to look perfect
knowing it looks after three days as if nothing was cleaned. My son will
take care of the pigeons. If he feed them and gives clean water I'm
already very satisfied. Cleaning is not the first priority and he
doesn’t relaese them. He is an entrepreneur and is busy enough and if I
return I take care as I am accustomed to for 70 years. Even though we
remain only ten days away during that time the birds do change. There
are some that become nice again and there are those who still heavily
molting but be presentable again in a week. Once I'm home they all get a
three-week paratyphoid cure where they totally do not suffer from during
molting. As it stands now I pair the breeders yet again the end of
November. Just finished the flights and we are already preparing for the
breeding process. Do you see a pigeon season lasts one calendar year.
MOULTING
In some departments is the season is over for three weeks but there are
also some departments that stopped the weekend of September 25th. If
during this period the birds have three weeks rest feathers fly in no
time to your ears. With me are the pigeons some time to rest because I
stopped earlier. The first thing I do in the morning when I get into my
loft is putting the doors ajar and vacuum the huge mass feathers. Whit
the breeders it’s no longer necessary which have already become
beautiful. The big molt has almost finished most need only throw a pen.
Mid October they are again in their Sunday suit. They are ready for the
winter breeding and some of them may also have view on the annual show.
I'm 38 years long in the winter months cross through the country to
assess pigeons beauty. I deliberately say beauty because it is not
visible from the outside whether it is a bad or good racer or breeder.
We can suspect but that's something else. In pigeon land there are a
couple of those soothsayers who claim that they can see it. I do not
believe that! Fanciers can do great debate among themselves whether a
bird is or is not good. There are pigeons which is said I dare to put my
entire monthly salary. By this is meant that the pigeon has a great look
as if he can beat the whole world what does not mean that in reality
does. I've also experienced in my own loft. Such a pigeon you put at the
top of the list and then competed for big money. Participation is still
something else than cash if you know what I mean. The opposite is also
true. You'll also note that a pigeon is rejected by several fanciers
while that one several times delivered a top performance. So it is with
the assessment of pigeons for flights up to 500 km, from 5 to 800 km and
there are also marathon pigeons. In all three disciplines are
beautifully built pigeons. In the group of up to 500 km are often the
most beautiful. Perhaps that is because I am an avid lover of such
flights. Whether they are indeed suitable the basket will prove.
Beforehand we can say that it is a good long distance pigeon but they
will have to play first and the basket will show whether we are right.
It is now molt time and we are busy with other matters than during the
racing season. Rest is best. Pigeons are sometimes so heavy molting they
do not even want to leave the loft. Twice a week bathe they have rather
than flying around the loft. I leave them now as much as possible out
just lazing in the sun. They do not come loose every day, I get them to
speak out their flying rhythm. I feed them at 9 pm and afternoon at
five. I also make sure they are not too heavy. Too heavy or too fat
birds molt not good. Do not think wrong that they now need more food,
better is to give them a little less. Grit and soon as the weather is
colder a bit more oilseeds. All you have to do to get the pigeons
through the molt.
WINTER BREEDING
For many years is being done winter breeding. In late November were
definitely put together the breeders and many fanciers did it also with
their racers. This had a number of reasons. In that period it is still
not as cold in the Netherlands. By illuminating the pigeons were renewed
the days so the birds mated easily than in the middle of winter when the
days are short and cold. Once little boys lying in the dish you do not
bother that pigeons fly to the fields. There are risks involved because
there’s worked in spring with poison and when the pigeons get inside you
have a major problem. It is also true that the youngsters are six months
old when the races begin. Chances are that the teething troubles be
over. It is also an advantage that winter youngsters have shed the small
feathers and hold the feathers so they have still a good as full wing at
the end of the season. You know that something is very important when
there’s played for beautiful results and championships. It is quite
possible that Dutch fanciers this year do lesser winter breeding this
year. The reason for this lies in the much later launch of the young
bird season. The NPO has proposed as a pilot to start next year in early
August. By darken and lights from the longest day you keep the
youngsters well into the feathers. By starting later with breeding you
have not already in late January a loft full of pigeons. It might be
interesting for the fanciers to have a rest period between the selection
and breeding period. It will be some getting used to and it is not yet
final. That’s a pity for thereby there’s a risk of division within the
associations. Whatever is suggested by our head office they can never do
good for everybody even though the change is so well supported. It
should be the case that what the central administration proposes this
uncritically is adopted by the members. It is not for nothing suggested,
it eventually comes anywhere from the members. I used to have always a
clear view about what was going on within the sport. I cannot imagine
anymore that I've made me so busy about. Now it does not bother me
anymore. I think it's all fine and certainly hope to be able to play
another year with my pigeons. Previously I had to get involved. I just
had to be champion, it was a great time. Now it is much more relaxed but
that would not say better. Then and even now it's great to win a
competition, it is the reward for a whole week working hard to bring
home the victory.
THE MEDICINE CABINET LOCKED
Molting is not an easy time for the pigeons. There are those who are
very molting sick, I'm watching it. Pigeons should now be very healthy.
By properly care they need to get through the molt without any problems
and where that fails they can leave. Only pigeons that have no problems
the next three months may continue. I assume that pigeons who did not do
what the boss expecting are gone. This also applies to youngsters who
have been selected because of poor or bad construction and/or poor
performance. We are talking about pigeons that have passed the
selection. In addition I always keep a spare pair of pigeons. I use
primarily as nurse pigeon and once the season starts they go away. I
take the risk that if I lose one I have no replacement. These reserve
pigeons you should also place and not everyone has enough compartments
to also keep reserve pigeons. Unfortunately not everyone has access to
breeders and still know a lot of those guys play well with. Presumably
they experience more pleasure from their pigeons than all those men with
I do not know how many lofts and a multitude of birds.
WHAT WILL BECOME OF IT?
The season is over. There is much written about. With regard to the
weather conditions it was not best. Therefore were lots of flights not
easy and we can qualify 2016 as a rather heavy and difficult season. The
youngsters were lucky but nevertheless there were still rural seen huge
losses again. Some lofts are even ruined, others had to surrender "only"
30% of their pigeons. Today we call it normal but it is not. When you
see how much attention is paid here it’s many times wrong. I understand
that there is going to be paid more attention to. A special commission
will be created for this problem. It is intended that the Netherlands is
divided into three longitudinal sectors. Hereby would be prevent cross
discharges take place. West Netherlands will play from the southwest,
central Netherlands holds the center line and the east plays as much as
possible at the most south easterly landing places. Not until 500 km can
be played from the same place for the whole country. All this is already
a bit of the result of the survey conducted by the NPO where
incidentally nothing is brought out yet. In the coming months there will
be much to do about it because we are facing the off-season, at least as
we call it. My experience is that it’s even busier for many fanciers
because of the many meetings, exhibitions, champion honoring’s and room
sales. The latter is perhaps the most fun because we get bored on the
mass internet sales. Fortunately the fanciers are increasingly realize
that buying pigeons from a picture or only by the beautiful description
makes no sense. Fanciers want to buy pigeons where they see something in
and think they can give their colony a quality injection. Just those
pigeons you want in advance look at, have in your hands and that is only
possible on room sales. The total auctions that take place in an auction
hall are the most interesting because you can evaluate all the pigeons,
the bad as well as the good. The results are described in the sales list
and it's nice that you can assess firsthand the pigeon before you bid.
NEW RAYONS AND A WHOLE NEW RACE PROGRAM
Now that the season is over will be the coming time evaluate everything.
What is good will remain so and what was bad there is tampered with.
There is within my department, which have a small thousand members,
launched a proposal for a new classification of the flying areas.
Beautifully designed and well prepared to get the approval of the
majority. So each department can set its own layout and flight program.
In the Netherlands are 12 departments and over is the national
government known as the NPO. The strange thing within our organization
is that the national government actually little or nothing has to decide
whether to tell. It is still true that the representatives of each
department (the electors) have a say and that is a situation that is
difficult to control. The NPO can propose what they want as the majority
of the electors (each elector will vote with the results of his
department) vote against can do the NPO whatever they want but the party
is canceled. Practice has shown that the NPO attracts a lot of times the
short straw and that is the cause board members of the NPO quits after a
short time and then must again from scratch start. Now there is launched
a nationwide proposal by the NPO for a new flight program. And that is
something were especially the older fanciers are not waiting for. These
are people who love traditions and they are hard to get off. That is why
it is so difficult to develop something new in the sport. Too bad that
many fanciers do not even notice. It is as if they would rather plod
through until no pigeon sport is possible anymore. It would be a
terrible shame if our sport goes defunct. Therefore a call to the
elderly; be positive and give young board men the opportunity to save
our sport with new impulses. The new flight program involves all
departments begin on the same date and also end again right. Each
department has the same number of speed races which also applies to
other disciplines. The main difference with previous years is that the
races for youngsters only start in early August and the natour races are
expired. The latter I am very sorry because I really liked to play these
races but if the majority vote "for" than I agree obviously with this.
The new flying program starts on 1 April and ends in late September with
a national competition for youngsters. This means winter breeding are no
longer necessary because the races for youngsters begin much later in
the season. Problem is; how do you get the youngsters until the end of
September well into the feathers? With problem I mean that not everyone
has the opportunity. Problems within the sport have always been there.
Take the number of birds which you can participate, which is free and
that means that Johnny joins with 10 (because he does not have enough
space and finance) and Pete comes with 100 because he does not have the
problems of Johnny, speaking about fair play! Within the sport is also
the location of the loft is important. The wind can have a significant
impact on the course of the game. Football playing 11 against 11 on a
field with fixed dimensions, swimming competitions done with teams or
individually in the same bath, cyclists ride on the same track their
games and there are numerous examples. The point is that they all face
the same situations. In competitions for pigeons it’s not always the
case. In one area they have to deal with head wind and to the other side
of the country a south wind is blowing. So is also the chance of rain.
Therefore it will always be that pigeon racing is not a fair game. Do
not misunderstand me, I do not mean that it is unfair. Unfair is doping
or make fraudulent transactions, everyone knows exactly what I mean.
SELECTION
The time for the selection of our birds is not only after the flight but
throughout the year. Personally I am not for doing away pigeons during
the season. I'll make notes which I can use in the final selection. We
all want to win and pigeons that win to remain in each loft. Yet we must
be careful with that. It is also about how many pigeons to the victory.
Was it a flight with a very long contest duration or soon over. How were
the weather conditions. What was the nesting position or was the
performance achieved on widowhood. Won the pigeon a price on eggs, small
or big youngsters and some new eggs in the dish. I keep up that always
but deviated from the last few years, must be the age! The fanatic
becomes a little way. Remember that if you want to achieve you have to
do anything and even the smallest details can be important for achieving
a good result.
RISK
We are all looking for loft strengthening. That sounds better than that
we are all looking for good pigeons. Good pigeons you do not just have,
you have to breed yourself. That's easier said than done but it comes
down to. There are very few fanciers who have a loft full of useful or
good pigeons, and if they have then they do them not so easily away. Who
sells his hobby? None yet! If you may believe the selling sites are sold
only top pigeons and there's been a lot written about. Everyone should
now gradually realize that real top pigeons are rarely sold. Buyers will
have to do it often with grandchildren or perhaps a single direct child
and there will probably fail something. Fortunately it happens that
fanciers themselves breed a real class from parents that they selected
himself, better you do not. Each year clubs have one or two fanciers
that have a real super that year. A wealth for an real fancier. We are
not talking about money but about many times such a bird arrives early.
That's an experience that I've experienced a few times in my career. At
the beginning of the season it is so that you tell your fellow fanciers
proudly that this or that pigeon already for the third time has arrived
early. Three weeks later you're all over the moon if that same pigeon
over and over again is another one of the first. Again three weeks later
you start to get a little nervous, it would indeed be a disaster if the
pigeon not come back, and if nothing is wrong plays this conscious
pigeon an early prize for the ninth time. Who has such a pigeon? There
are always fanciers who are in possession of such a white rave. The
season runs through and for the old birds are still four flights
scheduled. Each week the boss think more and more he will participate
with this pigeon. There is a risk, an accident is in a small corner, and
if the pigeon is not at home while the majority of the loft has arrived
the master is going more nervous walking to his loft as he stares at the
sky simultaneously or his favorite is approaching. I've experienced too.
There were seven at home and my cock which later was the second best of
the Netherlands did not show up. Suddenly he was there and was seventh
clocked, it was in the days of the rubber rings. When the results came
he was still 35th against 4,710 pigeons. Oh what I squeezed him and what
a liberating feeling you get when that pigeon is in the loft. At the end
of the season it is really not funny as you possess a pigeon like that.
Then plays all through your head if such a pigeon let longer waiting for
it than usual. Great is it when you have a pigeon at the end of the
season yet, it will be exciting again how high he ended in the various
classifications. If you want to end by the best in big or national high
you have to start in the club and then have a look how it is in the
interplay or the rayon. If the top is there you are naturally very
curious where he is provincial. If that is also the first place then it
becomes again a nervous affair because then you will also nationally
known as the best of the country and if that is not the case remains a
ranking nationally in the top 10 always a dream for every fancier.
Currently we have at the club someone playing the best pigeon of the
country. A hen who last Saturday won her 18th prize this season. Another
one she can win and then 2016 passed. For the one a disappointing season
but for this man an unforgettable season. He has this season five
biggies pigeons, two are in our area by far the best. Or they again will
join on the last flight will cause some headaches. It's an adventure, so
it is a golden or an iron which means all or nothing. Regarding the
members of the club it may be the "everything". When you pass through
that a member of your club has the best pigeon of the country. If it
succeeds, and that’s a real chance, it will of course be celebrated
exuberantly.
AERODYNAMICS
Those who have done nothing to stop the big molt are now no more to
customize. Those that have at present their pigeons the best into the
feathers are the winners. It are not only the winners but also the ones
that make the best results. As soon as you will see small feathers in
the loft the aerodynamics is affected and the pigeons cannot perform one
hundred percent. Currently you can have the best little youngsters in
the dish which inhibits the molting. Also enlighten from the longest day
is a method which ensures that the birds are still on a nearly full
wing. If the deck (the wing) is affected by molt you can forget. Many
ride will mostly still help in this period to keep the pigeons in the
feathers. Especially the youngsters win from the old. However it is
striking that there are still fanciers that play better with the old
ones. But in general the old birds are no longer in the list. I once
read that a strong playing fancier released pigeons in the vicinity of
tall buildings especially where the buildings were close together. The
pigeons were as it were vertically flying up and it appears almost
impossible especially when molting has begun. The man let his pigeons
one at a time so he knew what will and will not effortlessly flew up.
You guessed which pigeons get a plus or a minus. Following that story I
started observing my pigeons in the loft. My youngsters are already
quite far into molting and I watch how they fly to their seats after
dinner. Some float as it were while others make quite a lot of noise
with their wings it costs them extra strength. I have since made notes
and as long as molting continues I will them a few times follow very
well. I'm eager if that makes a difference in the flight performance. So
you see that there are plans again for next year. I hope good that I
will get through this winter well so I still can play along with a few
pigeons in 2017.
THE RIGHT CHOICE
The season is almost over. From the first weekend of April most of us
have been 100% busy to let the pigeons perform as well as possible. The
care at home is obviously the most important to keep or bring the
pigeons in good condition. Fanciers nowadays will do everything to let
their pigeons perform well. Used to be but different. Pigeon racing was
just popular entertainment but now it's much more professional. Whether
it therefore has become much more fun can fill the old fanciers for
himself. It used to be different because the food just had to be bought
at the grocery store and further nothing special. However there were all
kinds of first aid kit against ornithose or smallpox. At paratyphoid was
only one remedy and that was stabbing your loft into fire otherwise you
never came from that disease. Nowadays all kinds of things for sale but
especially medicines and all kinds of products which makes the sport
unnecessarily expensive. From silliness the fanciers do no longer know
what to give to perform better. The ads in the pigeon magazines take
care of that. Fanciers know all about medicines and not delve into the
pigeon itself. Pedigrees they know out of their heads but they have
never thought about how much tail or primaries they have. Some think
that if they put two champion pigeons together that you have in no time
a loft full of champion pigeons. Luckily it doesn’t works like that but
you would think so. Look soon to the buying behavior on the sales sites.
Ridiculous amounts are counted down for embellished and sleek four-color
printed pedigrees with the most beautiful names, beautifully depicted
pigeons but without a notable effect. So though a decade or so, the
amounts are getting crazier and buyers as well. Could we once again
inspect all the breeding and racing results achieved by pigeons whose
parents have cost more than ten thousand euros. Good playing fanciers
should breed at least 50 per year to keep about 25 that have yet to be
selected thereafter. If that happens according obtained prices will be
most than 10 remain and how many of those 10 will drop as a yearling
significant achievements, maybe three and a year later remains perhaps
another one on. That would mean that you have bred five real good in 5
years. Just call me once a loft with more than 5 real good pigeons.
Which can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I wish I had four real
useful pigeons in my loft every year there would be little on my side.
Thereby it is not easy to make the right choices in the selection each
year. There will be without knowing a lot of useful birds culled.
Fortunately it’s so that once they are gone you do not know whether you
did it right or not. I know plenty fanciers that keep pigeons because a
sibling or cousin once delivered a top performance. That you should have
just not. Only good you need and you can only achieve to select very
strict and even then it will not be easy to breed a high percentage of
usable pigeons. Finally the basket will just tell the truth and all that
bullshit at the bar is just cozy and adds little or nothing.
FARMERS PIGEONS, WE USED TO CALLED THEM SO
That had nothing to do with the farmer himself. It was the simple care,
healthy grains and no medicine. Pigeons that could not stay healthy by
themselves were irrevocably gone. Medicines for pigeons had ever heard
of so away with such pigeons. Pigeons were performing, it was for that
time anyway so costly they had to earn a living for themselves.
Cost-goers were not kept and fried or pigeon soup is still a delicacy.
Let's do not be sentimental about it. We must return to stronger
pigeons. Because there are so many (medicine) on the market they be
administered to bandied. That has to do with the good feeling that the
fancier must have. The fancier must at all times think he has done
everything to bring the pigeons tip top at the start. We may wonder
whether it is the right way to administer pigeons from anything and
everything. Are we not on track to make them hothouse plants? Does this
perhaps have anything to do with the large losses in particular
youngsters. It's like our pigeons nowhere to be. In all the years that I
play with pigeons I have never seen that three days in advance a
competition was postponed or canceled. Inversion had never heard anyone.
That meant that if it was not raining the pigeons were released, whether
it was 12 or 30 degrees, they went out. Why not? In the southern
countries and in the mid and far east is still played with significantly
higher temperatures. Pigeons can do more than we think and that pigeons
are not standing high temperatures is a misunderstanding. Pigeons suffer
more from the journey to the release point than those few hundred
kilometers to fly home. The pigeons car is just hot. You will feel sorry
for the birds when the vehicle is stationary. Stick your hand only once
in a full basket you just feel how hot it is. Especially inexperienced
youngsters who do not yet know where they can drink have it very
difficult. At the time these birds fly out of the basket they are
totally disoriented so they have a very difficult home journey ahead.
Years ago I once proposed to basket the pigeons at a later date. For
example, in the evening from nine o'clock until half past ten. Always
water at the baskets containing some sunflower seeds which are light and
float so that the birds will drink more confident when they see driving
the sunflower seeds. Later basketing means release later. Well that’s
not so bad. Previously received every fancier a flight book and there
were even unloading times already. It was quite normal that the pigeons
went off at the specified time. Today everything happens so cautious and
will not help because the losses are much greater than earlier years.
This means that our pigeons have to be "harder". Look at the workers
from earlier years. That had to walk more than an hour for their work
over ten hours work hard and running back home. Bread with bacon they
ate and evening kidney beans or peas with a good piece of bacon fat.
This was necessary in order to perform the heavy labor. Today everything
goes by bicycle, car, subway, bus or train. Our children are called the
"back seat" "generation, terrible! They cannot themselves because they
are raised so protected. They are placed anywhere and removed. Whoever
thus treats his pigeons is thinking corpse completely false. To work
hard you need good cost and good sleep. Don’t you think this is also the
best for our pigeons, I do!
THEY WERE ALL THERE EXCEPT THE PIGEONS
The small Belgian town Nevele was compared on Monday August 15th with
Rio de Janeiro. The reason was the final of the World Championship for
racing pigeons and simultaneously was held for the 9th time the Belgian
Master with participation from 25 countries. It was just like other one
loft races a complete meltdown! What had to be a pigeon party ended in a
solemn funeral. No, the festive organization was all right which was
well organized, drink and food in abundance but frankly that day not the
most important. Fortunately the weather conditions were excellent.
Nevertheless the northeast wind turned out for many youngsters too much
of a good thing. Of the 800 birds that were left for the final managed
only 32 pigeons reach the loft the same day. Many fanciers had come to
this large-scale pigeon happening. They enjoyed the atmosphere and the
beautiful summer weather. But for what they had come was a failure, a
fiasco. At 7:40 pm the pigeons were released in the famous French
release point Tours (460 km). Still at 16:02:21 pm arrived the winning
pigeon which is owned by the Belgian Eric Cocguyt. It was "The Dark"
which dragged for his boss 25.000 euros for this achievement. We had to
wait until 16:23 pm before No. 2 arrived and that was a Belgian from
Cools Syndicate. The 3rd place was to the pool Silvester Zylinsk also
the only Pole in the results. Two hours after the first pigeon there
were only 14 at home and the 32th (the last of the day) arrived at 21:14
pm. Only 7 pigeons managed to achieve a speed of just over 800 meters
per minute. Nicole from "De Weerd Pigeons' had the best ace. World
champion became Dane Tommy Rasmussen. His pigeon arrived 4 hours and 21
minutes after the winner of the Belgian Master. To know who would win
silver and bronze had to wait until Tuesday morning. The winning pigeon
from the Belgian Master was sold at the end of the afternoon for 15.000
euros. You may rightly ask what is the value of such competitions. On
the sport it adds still nothing. At the origin of the (paper) pigeons
with all those super pedigrees it can’t also be. All commercial men
participated. They were also present because these (counterfeit)
champions would like oh so eager to be seen. Unfortunate for them they
all had to go home empty-handed. It is high time that the pigeons unions
and F.C.I. go lay down stricter rules to prevent such disasters flights
or even ban. I'm still a huge opponent of this type of commercial jokes.
With pigeon sport it has to do little or nothing. Despite the fact I had
a giant pleasant afternoon. I was not a participant and never will be.
MEGA NUMBERS
More and more I discover that it’s almost impossible to get and keep
large numbers of youngsters of different nationalities and fanciers
healthy and in proper condition. In Belgium they started this time with
nearly 1500 birds that were housed in a delightful accommodation. How
they are cared I do not know. Whether they lightened or darkened I do
not know. If they could build a nest? All that is not the most
important. What matters is there can take part as many birds in the
final. The participants had to count down a large amount and then you
have to be convinced that your pigeons are prepared with the utmost care
on something spectacular for the sport. That spectacle is never. Yes in
the press can be pre-written a lot of blah blah but therefor it become
not what the participants made wise. In my opinion all these pigeons
remain as stupid as the horse of our Lord and that was a donkey. How did
that happen? Practice learns that very large groups of pigeons stop each
other. They fly circles around the loft but they don’t migrate which is
so important for them. Youngsters have to investigate. The one time in
the east and then to other winds as they learn from and prevent large
losses. That they flutter an hour or more around the loft does not help
and as soon they have their first training flight of 10 km remain large
numbers behind. Also all fly to the same loft makes little sense as they
are not become better. Pigeons must learn to detach themselves from
large groups and choose the right route to their own loft. They have
never learned so that they cannot. During my attendance at the Belgian
Master was clear to see that most fanciers were waiting for a fortune
instead of their pigeons. I say no more about it.
LAST YOUNGSTER RACE
In my region the young bird races have gone quite well. Maybe it was the
lighter flight program that was chosen. After 6 races we had not been
further than 200 km and therefore the losses are limited. With limited I
mean that in most lofts surely there is no more a third of the
youngsters. Last weekend got our youngsters for the first time two
nights in the basket and then it is more important that they drink. Not
drinking is lethal at a distance of almost 400 km. What my pigeons were
wrong I don’t know, they did excellent and even a podium place was
possible. However the last flight included and this was with me not too
good. My youngsters came slowly back home and were exhausted upon
arrival. Even Sunday and Monday I do not left out, I could see that I
did them no fever with. Maybe this weekend I play a few I have some hope
again to the old birds. This weekend starts the natour and that are as
you probably know five sprint races in which old and young birds playing
against each other. It was many years "my" game. I paired them specially
for this flights and now I have left them together after the last race
for old pigeons. The result is that I now have big youngsters, also
small and incubated or fresh eggs. The first flights will thus succeed
but in three weeks they will fall spontaneously bare. The big molt
starts and that's end early rankings. I do not care so much anymore.
What now matters is that I can join next year even it’s only with a
dozen or widowers.
IT'S ALMOST OVER AGAIN
there was eagerly awaited at the first weekend of April, the season was
about to begin again. Everyone was naturally very curious about how the
pigeons would perform and looking back to 2015, everyone hoped that the
weather would be better disposed towards us this year. Well, nothing
good, it was even worse than last year. It's like the pigeons getting
harder every year. European weather and above all in the reputable
pigeon countries was downright bad. Irregular flights, our unloading
leaders had very difficult when and when not release. Real disaster
flights were not luckily. In my rayon we had in the early spring a
flight of 230 km of which too many pigeons have remained behind.
International Barcelona had it hard. What the youngsters concerned
remains the problem of too many stragglers. What there is to do there is
still no solution found. The long distance program is over. These
flights get too much attention in my eyes. At most 20% of the fanciers
are participating and then I am very optimistic. If you look at the
results you scare of the low numbers of birds that participate.
Nevertheless these results are mentioned on a sponsored teletext page in
the Netherlands. Not because the performance is so beautiful but to
place certain commercial figures in the spotlight. Look in the pigeon
magazines to the long distance results, there is less and less mentioned
how many pigeons joined these races. It is not spectacular when you read
that fancier A has won a race of 1000 km against 500 pigeons. At the
speed races joins lots and lots of fanciers and pigeons, 50.000 per
division is quite normal and there you read as good as nothing. In the
Netherlands there’s only one pigeon newspaper. That mention everything
but that magazine is not to read. Every week the same frumpy style, fine
print and small pictures almost always from the fancier and occasionally
a pigeon. No, within the sport is for years not properly engaged, it
remains amateurish. Commerce has become too important. Last week I was
in Belgium at the Belgian Master, "one loft race” where a lot of
advertising is created. It was pigeon technically a complete disaster.
Of the 800 pigeons arrived only 32 on the day of release and then the
caretakers are extensively put in the limelight. These men were given
more attention than the winner because when those honored were most
visitors went already home. The reporting in the various newspapers were
very mild. It was not the truth, perhaps afraid of the animal rights
that they would not tolerate that such flights are still being held. In
a report you must be able to read how well or how poorly the event has
expired and not invent all sorts of detours making it even seems
something. So mention numbers of pigeons about winners of major flights,
why not. A flight can do just as well be an important flight with a
small number of participating pigeons. We will have to learn to live
that the number of pigeons participating in various flights will be less
each year, that's just the way it is. I'm from the cycling world. Ever
actively and later for many years involved in the organization. In the
golden years there was always a full field of competitors sometimes 100
riders be disappointed because there was insufficient starting
opportunity. In criterions, the famous circles around the church, might
never more than 110 riders started. Now pray and beg an organization to
get riders at the start. Nowadays it is normal that there are 45 riders
leave and half-course ride only 20 the circle. For the public no more
fun to watch. Previously we organized cycling events for the villagers
and now only for the riders as the audience increasingly fails while
cycling on TV is one of the most watched sports. We will increasingly
have to get used to. The Olympics games passed. The US went with the
most medals home. Is also a very big country but there are more large
countries which were not yet half of all Americans. Netherlands finished
in the row medalist at the 12th place, which is not a bad achievement
for such a small little country. We had hoped for more but unfortunately
some favorites were failing completely. Fortunately there were lesser
known athletes who provided a surprise. So it often even in the pigeon
sport. National races are usually won by an outsider, the celebrities
sitting there often but it’s about win and that is very often a stranger
in our midst. The young bird races are over, rest 5 speed races and the
big molt can begin.
NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUNGSTERS
Next weekend (August 27) is a national race that has come to replace the
famous derby competition for youngsters from Orleans (500km) in the
Netherlands. Entire the Netherlands talked about it and yet it is gone.
People who think they know everything from pigeons flight turned the
neck. Nonsense, most youngsters are play lost from the shortest
distances. Everyone spoke of Orleans and the participation was
overwhelming. All that is over and now we have to do it with a fake
national competition. Orleans was released for all Dutch fanciers at
once, now they play four different distances. It is perhaps more honest
but it has nothing to do with a national competition. These are just
four flights with for each sector about the same distance. Perhaps it’s
honestly but no one speaks anymore, participation represents little or
nothing more. A best of 160.00 pigeons we will certainly never more
experience or bobo 's need to find out that youngsters from almost 8
months old and still one hundred percent in the spring such distances
with ease can handle.
SELECTION
Of the old birds most fanciers do know what may or may not stay. That
first rough selection has already taken place in many lofts but that
does not mean that birds are all gone. It used to be. In the period
after the flight was eaten pigeon soup regularly. It is annoying to say
but now these pigeons are not one-way kitchen but at the pigeons
brokers. That selected pigeons soon look just as beautiful as the real
top pigeons and therefore will buy a lot of (foreign) fanciers wrong
pigeons. Not so bad if the pigeons are affordable which is unfortunately
no longer the case. What concerned the youngsters it looks at many lofts
not so attractive. If you nowadays 50% of your youngsters on hold you
cannot complain. Personally I wanted to complete at least 50% of
youngsters every year and in my good years I had always 24 couples. I
wanted so decided to supplement 24 yearlings and I really wanted to
choose from at least 35 loft mates. Something succeeds almost impossible
and yet it is still the best method. Then you better keep less pigeons
but pigeons that you like and maybe still have performed well. On the
latter I never attached much value. Of course I would like a few
youngsters that made the weekend some sunnier than normal. My experience
is that youngsters who come the best home from the last two flights with
the longest distances as a yearling often are the better. I always keep
on it.
THEY WERE ALL THERE EXCEPT THE PIGEONS
The small Belgian town Nevele was compared on Monday August 15th with
Rio de Janeiro. The reason was the final of the World Championship for
racing pigeons and simultaneously was held for the 9th time the Belgian
Master with participation from 25 countries. It was just like other one
loft races a complete meltdown! What had to be a pigeon party ended in a
solemn funeral. No, the festive organization was all right which was
well organized, drink and food in abundance but frankly that day not the
most important. Fortunately the weather conditions were excellent.
Nevertheless the northeast wind turned out for many youngsters too much
of a good thing. Of the 800 birds that were left for the final managed
only 32 pigeons reach the loft the same day. Many fanciers had come to
this large-scale pigeon happening. They enjoyed the atmosphere and the
beautiful summer weather. But for what they had come was a failure, a
fiasco. At 7:40 pm the pigeons were released in the famous French
release point Tours (460 km). Still at 16:02:21 pm arrived the winning
pigeon which is owned by the Belgian Eric Cocguyt. It was "The Dark"
which dragged for his boss 25.000 euros for this achievement. We had to
wait until 16:23 pm before No. 2 arrived and that was a Belgian from
Cools Syndicate. The 3rd place was to the pool Silvester Zylinsk also
the only Pole in the results. Two hours after the first pigeon there
were only 14 at home and the 32th (the last of the day) arrived at 21:14
pm. Only 7 pigeons managed to achieve a speed of just over 800 meters
per minute. Nicole from "De Weerd Pigeons' had the best ace. World
champion became Dane Tommy Rasmussen. His pigeon arrived 4 hours and 21
minutes after the winner of the Belgian Master. To know who would win
silver and bronze had to wait until Tuesday morning. The winning pigeon
from the Belgian Master was sold at the end of the afternoon for 15.000
euros. You may rightly ask what is the value of such competitions. On
the sport it adds still nothing. At the origin of the (paper) pigeons
with all those super pedigrees it can’t also be. All commercial men
participated. They were also present because these (counterfeit)
champions would like oh so eager to be seen. Unfortunate for them they
all had to go home empty-handed. It is high time that the pigeons unions
and F.C.I. go lay down stricter rules to prevent such disasters flights
or even ban. I'm still a huge opponent of this type of commercial jokes.
With pigeon sport it has to do little or nothing. Despite the fact I had
a giant pleasant afternoon. I was not a participant and never will be.
MEGA NUMBERS
More and more I discover that it’s almost impossible to get and keep
large numbers of youngsters of different nationalities and fanciers
healthy and in proper condition. In Belgium they started this time with
nearly 1500 birds that were housed in a delightful accommodation. How
they are cared I do not know. Whether they lightened or darkened I do
not know. If they could build a nest? All that is not the most
important. What matters is there can take part as many birds in the
final. The participants had to count down a large amount and then you
have to be convinced that your pigeons are prepared with the utmost care
on something spectacular for the sport. That spectacle is never. Yes in
the press can be pre-written a lot of blah blah but therefor it become
not what the participants made wise. In my opinion all these pigeons
remain as stupid as the horse of our Lord and that was a donkey. How did
that happen? Practice learns that very large groups of pigeons stop each
other. They fly circles around the loft but they don’t migrate which is
so important for them. Youngsters have to investigate. The one time in
the east and then to other winds as they learn from and prevent large
losses. That they flutter an hour or more around the loft does not help
and as soon they have their first training flight of 10 km remain large
numbers behind. Also all fly to the same loft makes little sense as they
are not become better. Pigeons must learn to detach themselves from
large groups and choose the right route to their own loft. They have
never learned so that they cannot. During my attendance at the Belgian
Master was clear to see that most fanciers were waiting for a fortune
instead of their pigeons. I say no more about it.
LAST YOUNGSTER RACE
In my region the young bird races have gone quite well. Maybe it was the
lighter flight program that was chosen. After 6 races we had not been
further than 200 km and therefore the losses are limited. With limited I
mean that in most lofts surely there is no more a third of the
youngsters. Last weekend got our youngsters for the first time two
nights in the basket and then it is more important that they drink. Not
drinking is lethal at a distance of almost 400 km. What my pigeons were
wrong I don’t know, they did excellent and even a podium place was
possible. However the last flight included and this was with me not too
good. My youngsters came slowly back home and were exhausted upon
arrival. Even Sunday and Monday I do not left out, I could see that I
did them no fever with. Maybe this weekend I play a few I have some hope
again to the old birds. This weekend starts the natour and that are as
you probably know five sprint races in which old and young birds playing
against each other. It was many years "my" game. I paired them specially
for this flights and now I have left them together after the last race
for old pigeons. The result is that I now have big youngsters, also
small and incubated or fresh eggs. The first flights will thus succeed
but in three weeks they will fall spontaneously bare. The big molt
starts and that's end early rankings. I do not care so much anymore.
What now matters is that I can join next year even it’s only with a
dozen or widowers.
FAVORITES ARE NO WINNERS YET
The Olympics are only just begun and in the first days there were direct
top athletes who could pack their bags. Several years trained hard to
achieve their goal, then it finally happened and by bad luck or
poor-quality games are already over. For our sports enthusiasts there is
a lot to enjoy. We will experience that joy and drama are very close
together. Even though Rio is very far from us we will be several times
witness his. Top sport is beautiful but also very hard. That we
experienced we Dutch already on the second day of play when one of our
ladies women cyclists seriously crashed in beating position in a
dangerous curve and thus could forget a certain gold medal. At the time
she was transported to the hospital in an ambulance with sirens became a
favorite of the other Dutch women's Olympic champion. Joy and drama of
the highest order! Boxers (not Dutch) have unfortunately once again
placed in a bad light by falling ladies tricky in the Olympic Village
and even offering money in exchange for sex. The organization has
ensured that this (strong) boys were placed behind bars and quite
rightly so space is very different than a boxing ring were they had
finally come for. Also from the Dutch camp was learned that one of the
gymnasts had gone outside to alcohol itself. How bad it was and what the
arrangements on this are not known exactly, to me the fact is that the
man in question is already back in the Netherlands. Who knows what we
are going to experience. Let's stay positive because top sport remains
exciting to watch. So far from home and still images with hopefully new
records from Rio directly into our living rooms, gorgeous!
PIGEON SPORT AT HIGH LEVEL.
On the first Saturday of the Olympics were held in Belgium the flight of
the year. National Bourges with a total of 45.507 old, yearlings and
youngsters in competition. Throughout Belgium that day was captivated by
the sport and then later in the day Greg van Avermaet became world
champion with the professional riders the feast joy knew no bounds, what
a day! After many weeks of bad pigeon weather Bourges had (average 475
km) a fantastic course with winning speeds of nearly 85 mph. By the old
birds Vannoppen-Luyten was the winner. Yearlings victory went to Ronny
Menten with 1410 meters per minute and the fastest of the entire
competition by the youngsters was for Rik Hermans also publishers
together with his father Jan of the famous Belgian magazine De Duif. In
the past it happened that at renowned fanciers dozens of supporters were
waiting for the arrival of the pigeons. Bourges is still a magical
flight with our southern neighbors. I can say that I certainly am a bit
envious of them. Once we had a national competition for youngsters with
in good years a participate of 160,000 pigeons. The competition is
unfortunately banned because the distance for youngsters would be too
far. I cannot believe this world famous flight is prohibited. The
Netherlands was under the spell of this competition. It would be great
if such a flight would come back. If it is possible in Belgium must also
here. Of course not all fanciers are enthusiastic. Differences in
distance and location play an important role. As on other flights in
advance is already to determine in which region the earliest birds will
fall and therefore also the regions which difficult clock an early
pigeon. The weather conditions will always have a significant impact in
the sport that we have known for years and will remain so. But that
should not mean that there is therefore never held again such a taste
making national competition. Where a will there's a way and one year the
eastern fanciers are in benefit and other years other areas will have
more chance to win. Before the flight lots of fancier bring their
pigeons in the right condition, it is spoken, it brings additional
stress along because on the day entire Netherlands playing the same
flight. The media could do much by paying extra attention to this
nationwide contest. Sure there also come a lot of fanciers watching the
arrival of the pigeons. Especially now we know very quickly were the
first pigeons arrived in any corner of the country. It would be nice if
I could at my age once again participate in such a competition.
WHERE WE ARE GOING WITH THE SPORT
My whole life I have pigeons, not a day I was not, then I can surely say
that I am a real pigeon man. I have not only my whole life pigeons I am
also in the fortunate position that I almost won everything there is to
win. Unfortunately I have many times expressed my fear that the golden
era in the sport are over. Ageing and no growth of young and new
members. Maybe it's not a game this time. Especially in this electronic
age there are plenty of opportunities to make the sport more spectacular
to also make the laity and youth interested. Within the sport all sorts
of things are always changed again where the older fanciers not waiting
for. However if we do not want every year fewer and fewer members have
left there have to happen something. That "something" must be expressed
in various hobby magazines and of course in the newspapers. Doing that
only in the well-known pigeon magazines does not make sense because we
get to bring new audiences. In the department where I have weekly play
developed new plans for the coming year. The course involves fair play.
The regions are regarding the number of members equated. The racing
areas are adjusted so that each area have an almost equal number of
members and pigeons. A lofty aim that in the long term not a viable
option will prove to be. The aging continues and we become all just
older, youth has no meaning in this old fashioned game especially if
they are housebound every weekend. Today's youth pulls out, have very
different opportunities than we had. In the time that I belonged to the
"youth of today" there were only limited opportunities. The boys were
playing football and the girls did gymnastics. Pigeon sport will,
however difficult it may be, must address matches with pigeons in which
it is possible for everyone to participate. That little nasty phone call
where the youth oh so badly deal with could be or become of very great
importance. Let the inventors of modern pigeon racing pay more attention
to that so the sport never gets lost.
THERE WAS ONCE ....
Thus begins every fairytale and every pigeon story from earlier times.
There was once a time that most pigeon fanciers were hardworking people.
The pigeons were a huge distraction for them. Many elderly people had to
work in the "good old days" (would not know when that was) sometimes 10
hours a day often under appalling conditions and then it was lovely to
return home and sit for a while by the pigeons. It was in the days when
everything was simple. It was a real hobby where a lot of fun was
experienced. In some cases even the whole village sympathized as
"runners" for their "pigeon bosses" on the way to the cafe where the
rubber ring should be returned. It was during the time that there were
self-made lofts in the gardens often made of all types and sizes of
wood. Unfortunately it does not always looked as neat. At that time it
looked in the class neighborhoods, homing most pigeon fanciers, mostly
sober. People had little money and were content with little. It was a
time when most pigeon fanciers purchased weekly 5 or even 10 pounds
pigeon food. Now they get I do not know how many bags of 25 kg at a
time. The thirties were the years of crisis, a gloomy period just before
World War II. Despite the fact of that poverty period many people enjoy
their pigeons. The five dark years were for everyone a complete drama.
After those horrible years in which had to be killed all the birds
flourished everything again. The people were free again and everyone was
in good spirits. England helped Netherlands to pigeons and new
associations sprang up like mushrooms from the ground. Increasingly
workers discovered the sport. Especially in Belgium and the Netherlands
became a real national sport practiced on Sunday. For the Catholic
fanciers were especially on Saturday night or early Sunday morning
additional church goings so their pigeon hobby was not in danger. Every
Sunday morning you saw on several squares all groups of people in the
air squint to see the birds fall by the other villagers. The sport
became more popular and grew to major sports. Until the late eighties
increased the membership to. The housing construction has not helped our
sport, there were more and more forbidden to post a loft behind a new
house. It was think the beginning of aging because from that time it
became increasingly difficult to place a loft in the garden (especially
in big cities). The pigeon lived golden years until more and more people
got more and more free time and therefore there were other interests.
Each village had its sports hall and so more opportunities for the
youth. There are only sparsely arrived youth fanciers. Also the elderly
getting better, vacations became popular. Thousands of people went on a
moped on vacation. There were campsites and more people were able to buy
a car and did the sport no good. The people ventured out and then it
became a habit that the women went to work and the number of fanciers
went down. Because both spouses had to work all week and cared for the
children there was increasing opposition to stay the whole weekend at
home because dad had to wait for his pigeons. The sport went to the
Saturday which was no easy but a good decision. In this way the Sunday
came free for the family. However it did not mean that it will offer new
members again. Without we noticed the membership runs increasingly back.
There was more modern transportation, computer processing era,
everything went better and faster and although the sport went along with
the times the return of members could not stop. The specialization came
and the number of flights became more elaborate. For everyone so plenty
of game options. In retrospect it proved a wrong decision, it was too
much, and therefore too expensive. When commerce was introduced it was
done with the fun. The sport became too professional and too commercial.
Unfortunately the film is no more turning back and we sit within not too
long a time with the baked pears. Due to the large shortage of members
the sport will never be as described here above. I'm glad I experienced
the golden years and even now I enjoy every day my pigeon hobby.
Unfortunately it is not comparable with the past, the atmosphere is gone
and especially the jalousie is increasing. Also there is a large
discrepancy between the coziness players and professionals. Fanciers are
no longer satisfied, it will undoubtedly come with aging. The tale is
over. I would like to end up like every fairy tale ends with "and they
lived happily ever after." Alas!
HEARD AND READ
In England The Sun led with an article on fraud in the sport. The
winning pigeon would never have been present at the release point. The
owner is fortunately caught and hopefully excluded for life. For this
type of figures is certainly no place in our sport, away with them!
In Belgium teeming National competitions. Participation does not so much
more and therefore also national victory not. They perform in this small
country to release from three close together situated places every ten
minutes. It would surely be much more fun and meaningful to make a
contest and to think that they still playing separately with old,
yearlings and hens. You will therefore have more winners but when you
see the number of participating pigeons it is to cry. I would not know
how to look I have to say that I won the first provincial against 285
pigeons, what are we talking about? For commerce counts the provincial
victory and the number of pigeons is not talked about.
12.698 pigeons did this year participate in the international race from
Perpignan (3200 less than last year). The cause is likely to lie with
the disastrous expired flight from Barcelona. It was even more than
5,000 fewer than in 2014 when Barcelona was successful. Perpignan have
got this year a very surprising winner. In the northwestern Dutch
Medemblik live two Turkish cousins who are possessed of national and
international competitions. It is and was their dream someday to win a
monster competition. Much they have invested to achieve their goal and
last year was the first small success. This year Tekin Mevient did amaze
the whole international long distance world to demand the 1st and 2nd
place internationally. They clocked their pigeons in the early morning
at 5:30:58 and 5:44:20 hours at a distance of 1190 km. The Dutchman
Jelle Jellema has the honor that he clocked the first in the middle
nighttime at 3:39 hours which was good for 5th internationally.
On a slightly lower level but just as nice was the provincial victory of
son Marco. One of his youngsters (born on the loft pa) proved to be the
fastest of the entire release and that there were 14.400. Last weekend
dad won the first in the Rayon and that was something what was coming.
On earlier flights was played once 2-3-4-5, 5-10, 6-7 and now the first
against 1700 pigeons. Oh, you have to be once satisfied.
ON THE ROAD TO RIO DE JANAIRO AND BRUSSELS
In early August the entire sports world comes together in Brazil. Then
start in Rio de Janeiro the Olympic Games, the highest achievable for
any athlete. I'm already looking forward to it and am wondering what
records are going to fall again. Perhaps our Russian sports friends are
not there. From what I understand of it is their own fault. The Russian
government would have announced their own anti-doping program for the
previous Games and if that is true and if it is proved for 100% then the
Russians may not participate. Very sorry for all those athletes who are
"clean". Four years training work for nothing. So it is too with all
those athletes who "just" have not met. Sometimes they not catch limits
with tens of seconds. The laws are strict but that’s the Olympics games.
We're going to enjoy top sport that’s already certain. Hopefully a few
trouble-free weeks in Brazil in all respects. Clean sport we all like.
We fanciers are already almost two seasons working to be eligible to
participate in the 35th Olympiad organized by the KBDB and FCI in
Brussels on 27-28-29 January 2017. The conditions are known to
participate. In sports class it’s about the following categories:
A - 100-400 km - 10 prizes 1: 5-1300 km
B - 300-600 km - 8 prizes 1: 5-2800 km
C - over 500 km - 6 prizes 1: 5-3500 km
D - Allround - 11 prizes - 1-5, put together from:
100-400 km pr 3-5; 300-600 km pr 2-6; above 500km 1-3 pr. With a total
of 3,500 kilometers.
E - Marathon - from 700 km four prizes in two years.
When I read this I immediately got into my loft with all my flight data
and quickly came to the conclusion this time certainly not a
participation in the Olympiad for me. The season was not good. This has
nothing to do with the bad weather but the pigeons who did not met the
expectations and then you can participate in the ultimate sporting event
write on your stomach. Whether I'm going to the Olympics I do not know
yet. However the situation in the world has certainly to do with it but
even more my physical condition. I almost never pass over an Olympiad
but the years count now. For years I had thought that I would never
change, always passionate and enthusiastic but now I find myself
beginning to be an old man. It has been a lovely and memorable time.
What is always a pity that the best birds of the world get too little
attention at the Olympiad. The media should be indented much more. It is
a great advertisement for our sport that can use some extra publicity.
If someone accidentally wins with his 45th-drawn a national competition
the newspapers are full of. Sometimes not even with a well depth report
in which we can read how the bird is prepared to come to such an
achievement. It's just blah, blah story with big chocolate head letters.
Nice for the fancier but even better for commerce who frequently earn
more to the market than the owner of the pigeon.
WHERE IS THAT FOR?
For years there was a race program in the Netherlands where everybody
participated in. There was a national competition from St. Vincent
(average distance thousand kilometers) for old birds and there was a
national competition from Orleans (average distance 500 km) for
youngsters. Furthermore the flight program consisted of four speed
races, four middle distance races, three day long distance races and
Bordeaux as multi-day long distance race. There were five flights for
the youngsters. That was it and everyone was content. Bordeaux was the
last flight for old birds and was also called the "clean-air". Most
pigeons that participated were fighting for their last chance and the
winning pigeon was suddenly found to be good enough for a place in the
breeding loft. The strange thing that flight has never been won by a
known long distance racer. The result was always very surprising.
Specialists were not there, nobody had ever heard of. Everyone could
participate in such a race program. Pigeon racing was a hobby for the
working man that making "overtime" by his boss earned some extra money
with which he could pay his simple hobby. There was, not by everyone,
gambled on pigeons because you could ever earn an amount of 25 guilders.
That was a nice boost to minimize the cost of the hobby. The gambling
was about small amounts, there was more fought for the honor. Winning
first prize was for most like a stage victory in the Tour. There was
discussed and the newspapers paid plenty attention. Where has the time
remained there was every Tuesday for over half a page pigeon news in the
newspaper. With the decline in the number of members are daily
newspapers no longer interested in our sport. Now we have to rely on the
pigeon magazines but we only reach the fanciers and not the layman or
those who perhaps want to keep pigeons and so we descend further and
further into the swamp.
DIFFICULT ORGANIZATION
In the Netherlands we have just as all other countries for all kinds of
sports a national federation. In most cases decide national government
the policy in which a number of fixed lines. In the Netherlands it is
unfortunately so that the 12 departments each have a big finger in the
pie. The board must carry out what the departments want and it is
difficult to control. Furthermore there is because of the specialization
of each component within the sport the opportunity to play that game you
want. In itself a very good idea. However they did not take sufficient
note that the number of members because of aging is rapidly runs back.
There are actually too few participants to the wide variety of
competitions. It all became too much and too expensive. Small fanciers
have no more game fun if they have to take on men who come to the start
with large numbers. These people do nothing wrong, in the Netherlands
you can use as many birds as you want. However it is indigestible for
many people to have to take on the with 10 pigeons against sometimes
100, 200 or even more. There's found something. In order to qualify for
a championship count the first 25 nominated pigeons. That's only fair
you might think. However, remember that a person with 150 pigeons every
week easier join with 25 pigeons than someone with 50 pigeons. The great
fanciers have every week the opportunity to "fly" several pigeons that
can be deployed at any time. The mega fanciers laugh at this system
because championships are nothing within the commercial world, it is
about good results and especially for foreign buyers is a good result
one with as much as possible pigeons from the same fancier. Mega lofts
have no interest in a beautiful sport jar. Pigeon racing has become
their own candy store and with all those sweets many sport friends have
enriched in a huge way. It has become their profession and within such a
simple sport as the sport it can never be the intention that pros play
against amateurs. The golden years of the pigeon racing are over, it is
now the commercialism that counts. There are far too many flights and
too few participants. All that is the cause of the hole we increasingly
deeper digging, so deep that the last of us tumbling in. I hope I'm
completely wrong but then there should be short-term change soon. Where
is the time we all drove with a sticker on the rear window of our car
with "PIGEON SPORT FINE HOBBY!"
BARCELONA A TRUE TWO-DAY CLASSIC LONG DISTANCE RACE
After the pigeons almost five days and nights were traveling sounded
Saturday at 11.15 pm the launch in the Catalan capital for this annual
international race. A risky solution because who has watched the weather
charts saw mostly rain and thunderstorms. Longer wait probably costs too
much money and therefore the 17.732 birds were released. The fastest of
the whole company turned out to be a German pigeon who made a winning
speed of 1250 meters per minute. In the top ten International reports
two pigeons from Germany, four from Belgium, two from France and two
from the Netherlands. These are not the first ten in the Int. rash.
National winner of Netherlands lives in Yerseke Zeeland and is owned by
Hans and John Lindenberg. The pigeon was clocked at 9.14 am Sunday
morning. Furthermore another perfect performance from Jelle Jellema (NL)
nationally against 5244 pigeons 3-10-18-37 (note 12) wins. Before that
he won Barcelona already with 1 and 2 National. With a winning
international speed of 1250 meters per minute you would initially think
Barcelona in 2016 has become an easy flight. But let us make no mistake,
a flight can never be really easy with an average distance of 1100 km
because to bridge a large distance successfully you must have real
powerhouses with the shape of the day. So all grade for the pigeons that
have played a major role this year. For me as no long distance player
there is always the question; have the earliest birds flown through or
did all participating pigeons overnight somewhere on a roof? Due to the
increasing number of arrivals at night you never know what early birds
may or not have flown. The current international neutralization time
still gives no guarantee that the pigeons at that time really have not
flown. To make a rash that comes closest to the truth, I do not know how
to put it another way, everyone will have to accept the neutralization
time. The Netherlands don’t have this system anymore. Once a pigeon in
the nighttime arrives contest period starts counting again and decay the
neutralization time. That seems to me more to approach the accuracy of
such an outcome. Coming winter months this will again especially during
the Olympiad at the FCI congress be discussed.
SUMMER IS THERE BUT NOT WHAT THE WEATHER CONCERNS
Now I write this article I sit with a wet nose on the computer which can
mean a summer flu is coming. Last weekend the matches went well in the
Netherlands. Beautifully clear weather with sunshine but most of the
birds suffered en route from rain but they can stand that. The Dutch
weather can be beautiful at this time of year but in everything we
organize outside we will have to set up a tent because you never know!
With the old birds it’s done with me. I get them impossibly on going,
they still don’t eat enough so they cannot build up reserves. Last
weekend I had 10 with on a race of nearly 400 km and my first pigeon
arrived 20 minutes after the winner. Fortunately I have almost never
experienced before. The youngsters do it very well. Last week 1-2-3-4
and now 9-10-11-12. The first arrived pigeon left me in his shirt. After
several laps of honor around the loft she came after more than 3 minutes
in and thus they lost the first prize. Nice story but the time the clock
indicates counts. All birds were beautiful in time home so this weekend
they can all with again.
THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL AND THE 103rd TOUR DE FRANCE.
What a great sporting events and surprises. Russia, England and Italy
home. Iceland has made a reputation, Wales is working on a super
tournament and Portugal is a "lucky" team by without a victory yet to
come in the semifinals. Germany, Wales, Portugal and the organizing
France go the next few days decide who can call themselves European
champions. If I had to put my money somewhere I would do so in Germany
but still I hope that an underdog win. So Wales come on!
The Tour is just beginning, Cavendish already has two victories in his
pocket and favorite Contador has twice made an ugly smash. Froome
remains the biggest favorite and the clown of the bunch is world
champion Sagan that currently runs in the yellow and sometimes take care
of nice surprises. But the road to Paris is still very long.
YOUNGSTERS AND MOULTING
It is mid-July, my breeding pigeons are still on 5 old pens, the old
racers have just thrown their first or second pin. I have not darkened
them because I do not have plans to join the one-day races. The
youngsters are darkened until the first week of June and still there
were some who had thrown one or two pens. The last few days I find quite
a lot of pens in the young bird loft. I thought it improved until I
cleaned the small breeding boxes. Behind the litter trays I found
several pens so I immediately went to see a number of pigeons.
Ostensibly they look perfect, no feather wrong because they have molted
by darkening fine. How it plays out with the pen stand I should wait,
I'm certainly not enlighten and as it stands now I do not play until
mid-September. So this year becomes a fairly short sport year that not
brought what I expected. My hopes are now pinned on the youngsters that
make it excellent to date.
ARE RUNNERS DEAD RUNNERS?
This means that it is probably better to start calm instead of
immediately pedal to the metal. I usually respond by saying; I'd rather
have the crowd must follow me then I need to catch up arrears. In
practice it’s not all that bad. If the youngsters directly address the
proper form they come home soon. My old pigeon season is simply gone
wrong. So far I have no one met who can advise me. For several weeks
they have absolutely no appetite and every time I think they crawl out
of the valley I get disappointed again. My opinion is that a pigeon
always have appetite and the boss can do much. With my 70 years’
experience I think I can say that I really know how pigeons to feed but
what I now pass through this year I have not seen before. It could be
the herpes virus and there's are no medicine for. Baytril may be the
best that you can give but it is a strong antibiotic and I am not in
favor of. But necessity has no law so I have given it six days. It
seemed that they revamped but it did not become what I hoped for. Some
weeks I have not played them and I want so badly. With the preparations
for the youngsters season I've also included the old pigeons every time.
They are always short distances that had been no more than 35 km and
there is no pigeon that suffer from that. I would like for the coming
weekend hand pick 10 to play them at a distance of 390 km. Two weeks
later there is such a flight with the same distance and if they do it
this weekend well they may also one more time with. Meanwhile we also
have the first flight of 120 km for youngsters and that was more than
exquisite. In the club at a small 400 pigeons I was 1-2-3-4-6, in the
district against 2141 pigeons 2-3-4-5 and provincial against 14.000
pigeons there were only two pigeons faster and finished the brassen
3-4-5-6. After so moderately old bird season this is a dream start.
Whether they will realize such performances each week that I do not
believe but if the form is optimal it can be a few weeks enjoy. I hope
the saying "runners are dead runners" not count for me.
IT CAN GO WRONG
Six times has my wife the youngsters taken away (I cannot drive anymore)
and that went very well each time. The last time was on the same day the
pigeon club also taken away the pigeons but they were unfortunately left
too late. The clouds grew heavier and thicker so not ideal to bring out
youngsters for a training flight. When my wife drove the yard arrived
simultaneously with her all my youngsters. That day have not been
released by the club because the supervisors did not trust the weather.
When I told that to my wife she answer; you've told me that I had to
release them, well I did. Fortunately it went well for me. The pigeons
of the club came back and the next day they would be taken away again.
The boxes were put in the room and the pigeons were given food and
drink. It was striking that many youngsters drunk because that's usually
a problem. The troughs were sprinkled with some sunflower seeds which
float and as the pigeons who want to pick them they feel immediately
that there is water in the trays. That same morning my son brought mine
and his birds to the club. There were three fanciers that had the day
before not participated and now they did. And now it comes; the pigeons
that had spent a night in the basket arrived on the shortest distances
to about a quarter past eleven. Three hours later I had not one, Marco
had three and the other devotees that first joined the club got almost
no pigeon home. The pigeons that had spent a night in the basket arrived
with one exception in a record time. If all the fast arrival are really
true I do not know. You know as well as I that there are often referred
arrival times at training flights when the pigeons at that time were not
even loose. I call that winter champions. In winter at the bar they have
the last word, with training flights they get the pigeons at times at
home that are almost impossible and when it really matters they are
nowhere. These are the men who know all about the sports only they have
the bad luck that they live in the wrong area, they always live
unfavorable and they find no style that others with up to 25 pigeons
participate and they themselves have only 10. Nevertheless we need these
men in our sport.
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE LOST A THIRD OF THE YOUNGSTERS YOU HAVE NOTHING TO
GRUMBLE
First play and then see where the ship ashore. Play with healthy pigeons
because otherwise you will lose more than 50% and for that we have not
bred them. From that poor training flight I was at night still 12 lose
and then you cannot easily fall asleep at least I do not. The next day
there are 7 come through, so five road. Of the earlier training flights
I was 2 lose and 2 dead by adeno I think. Now I have 24 of the 33 of
which I have on the first flight 19 passed, the other five had suffered
a lot of hard training, some came only at the end of the day at home,
and others even the next day. There were some who have flown at least
500 km on that day but you will not easily lose them anymore. When you
after such a disastrous trainings flight made such a great season start
gets a man of nearly 80 years yet again a happy feeling in the old body.
BARCELONA A MONUMENT IN INTERNATIONAL PIGEON SPORT
Next weekend It’s so far. If the weather would cooperate will be the
workhorses of airspace Friday July 1st released for a race of more than
a thousand kilometers. Who will this year gather international fame? So
far the marathon pigeons have not received it as a gift and they do not
even get it from Barcelona because it's a difficult mountain stage. The
hardest and hopefully the best race of the year. Pity that each year the
number of participating pigeons rapidly going down. Yet it remains the
most appealing heavy classic. I wonder if there is an outsider with
flowers runs off. Good luck everyone!
PLEASE PUT SOMETHING RIGHT
The last time I talked about the neutralization time and what I said is
not entirely true. You see that I'm not a real long distance player. In
the Netherlands the neutralization time is controlled so that once there
arrives a pigeon in the night hours from that moment the competition
starts again and so it may happen that someone win the first national
while a fancier that clocked much later gathers international victory.
Internationally the competition stands a predetermined number of hours
still.
ARE RUNNERS DEAD RUNNERS?
This means that it is probably better to come to start calm instead of
pedal to the metal from the start. I usually respond by saying; I'd
rather have the crowd must follow me then I need to catch up arrears. In
practice it’s not all that bad. If the youngsters directly address the
proper form they come home soon. My old pigeon season is simply gone
wrong. So far I have no one met who can advise me. For several weeks
they have absolutely no appetite and every time I think they crawl out
of the valley every time I get disappointed again. My opinion is that a
pigeon always have appetite and the boss can do much. With my 70 years’
experience I think I can say that I really know how pigeons to feed but
what I now pass through this year I have not seen before. It could be
the herpes virus and there's are no medicine for. Baytril may be the
best that you can give, but it is a strong antibiotic and I am not in
favor of. necessity has no law so I have given it six days. It seemed
that they revamped but it did not become what I hoped for. Some weeks I
have not played them and I want so badly. With the preparations for the
youngsters season I've also included the old pigeons every time. They
are always short distances that had been no more than 35 km and there is
no pigeon that suffer from that. I would like for the coming weekend
hand pick 10 to play them at a distance of 390 km. Two weeks later there
is such a flight with the same distance and if they do it this weekend
well they may also one more time with. Meanwhile we also have the first
flight of 120 km for youngsters and that was more than exquisite. In the
club at a small 400 pigeons I was 1-2-3-4-6, in the district against
2141 pigeons 2-3-4-5 and provincial against 14.000 pigeons there were
only two pigeons faster and finished the brassen 3-4-5-6. After so
moderately old bird season this is a dream start. Whether they will
realize such performances each week that I do not believe but if the
form is optimal it can be a few weeks enjoy. I hope the saying "runners
are dead runners" not count for me.
IT CAN GO WRONG
Six times has my wife the youngsters taken away (I cannot drive anymore)
and that went very well each time. The last time was on the same day the
pigeon club also taken away the pigeons but they were unfortunately left
too late. The clouds grew heavier and thicker, so not ideal to bring out
youngsters for a training flight. When my wife drove the yard arrived
simultaneously with her all my youngsters. That day have not been
released by the club because the supervisors did not trust the weather.
When I told that to my wife she answer; you've told me that I had to
release them, well I did. Fortunately it went well for me. The pigeons
of the club came back and the next day they would be taken away again.
The boxes were put in the room and the pigeons were given food and
drink. It was striking that many youngsters drunk because that's usually
a problem. The troughs were sprinkled with some sunflower seeds which
float and when the pigeons want to pick them they feel immediately that
there is water in the trays. That same morning my son brought mine and
his birds the club. There were three fanciers that the day before had
not participated. And now it comes, the pigeons had spent a night in the
basket arrived on the shortest distances about a quarter past eleven.
Three hours later I had not one, Marco had three and the other fanciers
that for the first time joined the club training got almost no pigeon
home. The pigeons that had spent a night in the basket with one
exception arrived in record time home. If all the fast arrival are
really true I do not know. You know as well as I that there are often
referred arrival times at training flights when the pigeons at that time
were not even loose. I call that winter champions. In winter at the bar
they have the last word, with training flights they get the pigeons at
times at home that are almost impossible and when it really matters they
are nowhere. These are the men who all know of sports only they have the
bad luck that they live in the wrong area, they always live unfavorable
and they find no style that others with up to 25 pigeons participate and
they themselves have only 10. Nevertheless we need those men in pigeon
sport.
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE LOST NO THIRD OF THE YOUNGSTERS YOU HAVE NOTHING TO
GRUMBLE
First play and then see where the ship run ashore. Play with healthy
pigeons because otherwise you lose more than 50% and for that we have
not breed. From that poor training flight I was at night 12 lose you
cannot easily fall asleep at least I do not. The next day there are 7
come through, so five road. Of the earlier training flights I was 2 lost
and 2 dead by adeno I think. Now I have 24 of the 33 of which I have on
the first flight 19 passed, the other five had suffered a lot of hard
training, some came only at the end of the day at home and others even
the next day. There were some who have flown at least 500 km on that day
but those you not easily lose. When you after such a disastrous flight
made such a great season start will get a man of nearly 80 years yet
again a happy feeling in the old body.
BARCELONA A MONUMENT IN INTERNATIONAL PIGEON SPORT
Next weekend it’s again so far. If the weather would cooperate will be
the workhorses of airspace Friday July 1 on the Costa Brava unloaded for
a race of more than a thousand kilometers. Who will this year gather
international fame? So far the marathon pigeons have not received as a
gift and they do not even get it from Barcelona because it's a difficult
mountain stage. The hardest and hopefully the best race of the year.
Pity that each year the number of participating pigeons rapidly going
down. Yet it remains the most appealing heavy classic. I wonder if there
is an outsider with flowers runs off. Good luck everyone!
PLEASE PUT SOMETHING RIGHT
The last time I talked about the neutralization time was not entirely
true. You see that I'm not real long distance man. In the Netherlands
the neutralization time is controlled so that once there arrives a
pigeon in the night hours starts from that time the competition again
and so it can happen that someone in the Netherlands wins first national
while it is possible that another Dutch fancier that clocked much later
can become international winner. Internationally the competition stands
a predetermined number of hours (neutralization time) still.
IT REMAINS GAMBLING
The weather in Europe is for several weeks totally upset and avenges the
races. Every week major problems with the release. Last weekend the
Belgians had decided to hold a day before their national race. It was a
good decision and fortunately it was an excellent flight but a question
that remains is; how many working fanciers are disappointed by a release
on Friday or are there almost no more working pigeon fanciers anymore?
Maybe we go the way of an elitist sport which was used to be. Only after
the Second World War it became a true national sport where 100,000
fanciers weekly pleasure experienced. Now we are already 16 years live
into the new millennium the sport gets increasingly more difficult. An
absolute low we experienced in the last race (the first one day long
distance flights) of just over 500 km. In the district where I play
joined only 44 of the more than 150 members while there were not even a
thousand pigeons in the competition. Our pigeons were for that flight a
day later basketed and a day later discharged. In retrospect a good
choice because it was a smooth flight and no working fancier was duped.
The category that is often the victims are fanciers women. Their plans
for Sunday have been several times shattered. That's the downside if you
are married with a fancier, further it’s not so bad.
NATIONAL WINNER
Short and middle distance players have totally not to worry for a
national victory. These flights cannot play nationwide because the
distances are too short. Even distances over 500 km are rural seen too
much influenced by the wind. So I noticed in Belgium the results of one
Kurt Platt Century. He played with a yearling 1st National against a
total participation of over 50,000 birds (29,500 old and 25.000
yearlings). In Belgium play the yearlings in a separate competition. In
the Netherlands a yearling is simply an "old bird" who play along with
all other older pigeons. In Belgium they also have separate competitions
for hens which we do not have in the Netherlands. All old birds playing
against each other cocks or hens does not matter. Previously was thought
that the hens (the weaker sex) could not against the widowers but they
play even better certainly in the long run. Seen sporting it should be
the case that we always admired the winning pigeon, or that is in the
club, the union or even a higher level, winning is always fun because
that’s we all do it for. Yet it is a little bit different when you read
that the winner had deployed 190 yearlings. Most fanciers have less than
half of that number in their loft. The man in question has done nothing
wrong it is in Belgium free to put in as many pigeons as you want. The
problem is that the little fanciers feel that they have no chance while
it certainly is not. It remains an indigestible matter that such
gigantic numbers are used by a fancier. The small real fanciers come
with a selected number of pigeons at the start. They have picked the
best of the best in the loft for such an important national race. The
mega lofts looking nowhere. They come along with baskets full of pigeons
and which signed pigeon is first they could not care less. They are
concerned only for some good results and you've pretty quickly if you're
playing with such a huge number. Small fanciers play much stronger than
the upward written champions, shame they still do not see it themselves.
Other fanciers don’t either because they cannot read a rash, that is not
art but you must master it. That's why I think many fanciers make the
mistake stare themselves blind on the number of early prizes achieved by
a mega loft. They do not see that a 3rd prize with five pigeons is
considerably better than 3-6-8-9-10 with 150 pigeons. It is therefore
advisable to get reinforcement by a small fancier where each bird has to
perform to be able to overwinter. Many fanciers are obsessed by all
sorts of offers of great fanciers. Especially on the internet sales
sites most cunning marketing stories are written. It is just done so
cunningly that it is just not a hoax. The best stories are thought for a
pigeon who has never accomplished anything and whose parents have never
been in the basket. For that kind of stuff you pay ridiculously high
prices while you often on the corner of the door can get them for a
friendly price.
YOUNGSTERS GO TO START
Many opportunities to bring out the youngsters we have not had and yet
the season June 25 starts. Especially youngsters are very dependent on
the weather but especially optimal health. Health is a prerequisite for
youngsters because if they are not tip top in shape you will lose too
much. Most fanciers prefer to play short and middle distance races just
look at the participation. Yet the number of participants that play with
youngsters is every year larger. It appears to many it’s little easier
to motivate the youngsters. The more attention you give them the better
they know the boss and the perform will become much better. Youngsters
have absolutely no need for heavy food. The best is that every day they
are a little hungry but that’s different then starvation. They may have
some reserves especially if there are flights over 300 km on the
program. Also check every morning the manure which is indicative of good
health. Learn the youngsters at least an hour a day to make their
training laps around the loft. In the beginning we learn that by
stabbing the flag. As soon the flag is removed they know it’s dinner
time. If my birds are out I'll never show me but if it’s food time I
stand next to the trap and as soon as they see me they know it's dinner
time and everyone knows that an animal does everything for his daily
portion food. To motivate the pigeons I create some dark corners in the
loft. I leave just before the flights three old hens with them, I put
some nesting boxes open and on the day they go into the basket I throw
some nesting material on the floor. I play the pigeons no longer
separated because I have no loft available. All breeders of son Marco
sit with me and therefore dad is forced to do this year in a different
way. The youngsters train and behave entirely satisfactory so I hope
they are going to save the season for the boss because the old birds did
not have brought much. They lack many weeks of appetite and its cause I
still have not surfaced.
DIFFICULT PREDICTABLE
There have been years that I went every week with my pigeons to the
classroom, regardless of the weather I did it. I assumed that as soon as
the weather was not good enough to solve the pigeons it did not happen
or we had to wait a day or they came back. Weather forecasts they were
quite simply not (yet). On the radio you could hear in the morning how
the weather was in the Netherlands, there was informed by a miller (who
had knowledge of the weather) or a professional fisherman. Also a
well-known sailor was regularly asked his opinion about the weather. In
addition they called a number of farmers to inquire how the weather was
in their environment and what they were thinking further. We had to do
it with. Because of their profession all those men had a very good look
at the weather. They could see at the wind, the clouds, the behavior of
the cows and the color of the cloud if there is a deterioration arrived
or that it remained constant fine weather. Of course it was sometimes
wrong but since we have all those expensive and ingenious computers much
more go wrong. There is so to speak in the morning not be told what we
can expect in the afternoon. To give people an optimal weather forecast
there are various color codes created that show the extent to which it
is going to rain, storms, hail or more of that kind of trouble. Almost
everyone follow the weather forecasts and certainly we pigeon fanciers,
we want to know whether it is safe to put our pigeons. From the weather
forecast is made quite a lot of work. Any TV or radio channel has its
own weather forecasters and they all have a different forecast which
indicate how difficult it is. Then there are the national weather
stations and let's not forget the airports, for them it’s for sure of
great importance what the weather is on its way. Capital getting paid
for the most advanced equipment with which the public can be informed.
Through mobile phones you can see all times of the day what the weather
is like or even longer term forecasts can be read at that tiny phone. It
even goes so far that you can view the entire flight line. Isn’t that
great? Isn’t it! Big question remains; what is the meaning of all these
predictions because it’s almost never true or do we not get it?
DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER
Certainly the sport is hugely dependent on the weather. Rain on the road
is not so bad, therefore you get absolutely no games with a disastrous
course. It is mainly the atmospheric disturbances that especially the
youngsters have a lot of trouble. We have had no normal flight yet since
the start of the pigeon season (first weekend of April). Several with
hard-tail wind, others with heavy rainfall and a couple of big
disruptions. This weekend the expectations were again abysmal bad. The
Belgians even canceled the national competition from Chateauroux. The
other national race did go through. On Thursday the pigeons were
basketed and until Monday they could be unloaded. It was a complete
disaster flight and they have in Belgium already a couple behind! The
fanciers stood on their hind legs because on the day of basketing it all
went wrong. The pigeons were picked up by a clunker of a truck that was
perhaps just good enough to transport waste but definitely not suitable
for transporting pigeons who had participated in a major national
competition. Shame that one thing can still happen in the year 2016.
Fortunately the transport in the Netherlands’ is much better regulated.
Our pigeons go in a moving four-star hotel to the release point and on
the route they lack nothing. Only the weather and incompetent
supervisors can be the cause of an irregular competition. In the
Netherlands we have the IWRM giving the signal to all counselors if our
pigeons are allowed to leave. Previously it was so that each supervisor
could determine in consultation with home when the pigeons were out. In
itself a strange thing because every Saturday morning the TV shows the
weather on the racing line and what malfunctions occur. Several
supervisors defied the discharge advice, that's now luckily changed.
That does not mean that there are no irregular flights take place
anymore of course. Nature controls everything selves, we humans have no
influence and as the pigeons once left the baskets we have nothing in
our hands. Generally run at least 80% of the flights normally and at the
other 20% you see so suddenly names in the top of the results that you
otherwise never read and that's only good for the sport in its entirety.
UNKNOWN ILLNESS
Yet I had big plans this year with the small number of pigeons that I
have held over the past winter. The start was good, the pigeons did it
well and even competed for the first place of the sprint championship.
In the first half of May fate hit. My pigeons did not want to eat well
and exercise no more. I visited Dr. Van der Sluijs and there was a
party. The table was full of delicious pastries and I could connect. He
had three early birds clocked who were all three on teletext. That's
great because only the fastest ten up thereon and that are often results
of flights by around 20.000 pigeons. I told him it was not party to me
but just a sort of funeral mood because it became by us a very difficult
flight with many birds left behind. I missed eight and still do. Was it
because of bad weather or was it a first warning that the birds were not
in order. From that moment they are still not as they should be. After
that I joined with some birds but the result did not make sense. Van der
Sluijs, all these years my regular vet, has done everything he can but
it was a complete mystery for him. I am now so far that I no longer join
and also stopped providing medicines. They must now recover by itself, I
do nothing else about it. Next weekend I'm going with my wife and a few
friends a long weekend away, just get away from the pigeons because if
things do not go as you'd like there is certainly no fun. What all
happened now I have never experienced in my long pigeon career. Of
course I had to overcome many setbacks but this one I can’t still solve
for the time being. The only thing that remains is rest. Whether they
come into action this year I have my doubts. When the tide turns it will
not be easy not to play them. I'm finally just like you a real pigeon
fancier and I want to participate every week since I got them for.
Otherwise I'm going to focus on the game with the youngsters which will
start this month.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
The sport has different facets. In addition to the game and the care
there is also the organization and that is something that often is too
easily thought about. Within the Dutch organization has in recent years
happened quite a few things. The board was like a pigeon loft, they flew
in and out. Fortunately there is again formed a new board and the guys
are full of momentum begun their no easy task. As good managers you can
best start to improve the things that are not successful. That which
goes well you don’t touch for the time being. First the directors have
sent a questionnaire to all members. Anyone can say what he/she think of
the organization. This is going about play, transportation, champions
scheme, number of flights, national championships and many more things.
Desirable is that a large percentage of members responded to the call to
fill in the form as accurately as possible. In itself a good thing and
what is even more important; will the board do something with the
outcome of the survey. Is it partly stopped in the bottom desk drawer or
does one actually get to work. It is unfortunate that this research is
only now been made. We can say that an investigation is never too late
but people disagree widely. Certainly the Belgian and Dutch sport is due
for revision on everything related to the sport. In both countries it is
not going well, every year the number of members decreases drastically.
Now we are just beginning and problems already stocking. Transport and
thereby the changeable weather caused much unrest. In Belgium the
carriers of the pigeons are responsible for solutions and that has
ensured that there are masses of pigeons are still underway. Two weeks
ago a solution of youngsters that only in the afternoon at 4 pm took
place. The day after the discharge had to be clocked as the number of
price pigeons was insufficient. Last weekend Bourges, a beautiful
distance of about 500 km with 39.000 pigeons departure. A day after the
release was only a third of the birds at home and that means that there
still 26,000 pigeons trying to find their way home. It will be clear to
everybody that in this way a lot of sports friends call it a day. A good
organization is of the utmost importance. Proper arrangements avoid many
mistakes. Hence; prevention is better than cure.
MEETING ARRANGEMENTS
Often fanciers don’t realize what it means that agreements made in the
winter in summer not complied. The problem usually lies with the flights
with the longest distances. It was agreed that is driven at all times to
the release point established despite good or bad weather. The pigeons
go to the agreed unloading. Only when it cannot be redeemed will be
driven back the next day for a shorter distance. This week was the
weather forecast abominably poor and already on Wednesday decided to
cancel flights. What happens? Nothing happened. Excellent weather
throughout the weekend in the western Netherlands. In the midst
Netherlands was kept a flight of 500 km which was quite successful and
then you have direct the devil to play. In the area in which I play a
lot of fanciers were very angry because the organization had not
complied with the agreements. You have then always two camps. One group
agrees with the decision and the other not. Maybe that's typical pigeon
sport, one chooses for his pigeons and the other wants regardless of the
bad weather that the birds travel. Then it’s not about the birds but
about the marbles. I've never seen that even the smallest changes all
noses pointed in the same direction. Everyone knows the situation when
pigeons cannot be redeemed. Many disappointed and angry fanciers and if
they later in the day are released everyone is happy. When that same
evening shows that it has become a very difficult flight with a lot of
stragglers then everyone angry again and have done the reps all wrong.
Still many fanciers do not understand they themselves are responsible
for participating in a contest. Everyone in our country determine how
many birds he bet. There are countries where participation is subject to
a maximum number of pigeons. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and
England we don’t know this measure.
YOUNGSTERS
We are now accustomed to the fact that every fancier about a third of
his youngsters lose, that's a given. The national organization is with a
number of experts busy for many years to reduce these losses to a
minimum. A lofty goal which has yielded so far little or nothing. It has
previously not to prevent that on a particular flight many pigeons lag.
My experience is that you lose the fewest youngsters in an almost
completely cloudy sky with a few small blue holes, then orientate
youngsters best. In fine summer weather with high temperatures, a
cloudless sky and a bright blue sky with east winds are the losses in
the Netherlands and Belgium large. There are fanciers who do not make
too much work by bringing the youngsters away and there are who drive
almost daily. Both categories are strong playing fanciers. A first
reaction might be that it does not make much sense to bring many times
the pigeons away mainly because our cars are still not driving on clear
water. Yet I choose to drive multiple times, not too far because pigeons
now their way home better than we do. We need a navigation system and
traffic signs, if there were not then it would be an even bigger mess on
the already congested roads. It’s more about we make them familiar with
the basket and through much exercise they get in a good rhythm fly. This
is certainly a good method, especially if you do that in the last two
weeks before the official flights begin. Yet it can happen that a day
will come when youngsters remain massively partly because the weather
maps studies are insufficient. It can prevent a lot of trouble. Soon
will start the races for youngsters. It is always very exciting
especially the return of the pigeons. It is our future and you have to
keep so much you have a choice who can and cannot stay. We fanciers can
do much about that. But we must realize that nature does not let rules
and therefore it will not be easy to reduce losses with youngsters. The
climate is a global issue and we and our birds have certainly to do with
it. Just look what a natural disaster is all happening in the world.
HIGH SPEED
The season is at full speed and so far most flights have expired with
"tailwind". It’s strange that races with very high speeds are never
closed within minutes. Flights with "head winds" are often quickly
closed and most participants have a price while downwind the percentage
of participants that gains no price is higher. How is that possible?
With wind behind the wind at different heights is not equal. Some
pigeons choose the correct height so that they have the most benefit
from the wind. Often there’s disparagingly spoken of races with
downwind. As strange as it may sound, it is harder to play at the top
with high speed than with headwind. Last week we had such a flight.
Speeds between 115 and 120 km per hour and the winning pigeon still flew
40 meters per minute faster than the second pigeon. The flight duration
was around 3 hours for a distance of approximately 350 km. Which means
the first pigeon had a lead of 7.2 kilometers and that's quite a bit.
Something like that do not pass through with headwinds at the same
distance!
YOUNGSTERS
Yet here starts also for the juniors the season. If it's good all the
youngsters are vaccinated against paramixo and many fanciers let their
youngsters also directly vaccinate against smallpox so you do not have
to worry during the season. Currently, there is still plenty of time to
go to the vet to see if they suffer from cancer. Also droppings
investigation do no harm, it shows whether a coli infection or perhaps a
worm infection and even coccidiosis is possible. We ourselves can check
for pests because if they suffer from they will guarantee perform less
well. Good preparation is vital to let our youngsters achieve
satisfactory. Healthy pigeons win prizes and get not so easily lost!
That should provide a reason for anyone that the youngsters arrive at
the start in top condition. During the season it is recommended to keep
eyes wide open as they can infect each other through contact with other
birds. Therefore, keep your eyes open and make time to immediately after
arriving observing the birds. If the pigeons for their daily training
storms from the loft it’s with the condition okay especially when they
disappeared from sight within seconds. It gets more interesting if they
want all at once in the loft after training on the first whistle. Sign
that the appetite is good (youngsters never leave hungry). Don’t give
them with an empty throat so that they maybe come more quickly into the
loft when they return home. If the contact between boss and pigeon is
all right they will never doubt to enter the loft or they must been
totally flown off whereby they because of fatigue not easily enter.
PLAY WITH THE YOUNGSTERS
For a long time it was when a novice started with pigeons he did with
youngsters. Everyone played on the young bird races price. It was often
the case that just beginners achieved good results with the youngsters.
Perhaps it was they spend a lot of time because there had not old ones
yet. With youngsters they playing regular price if they made them
familiar with the boss. Regularly take them in hand, with one hand take
of his seat, they should know the boss especially his voice and
movements in the loft, made dark corners in the loft where they can woo,
in short youngsters should be treated as a young mother does with her
newborn baby. Those were years ago the ingredients to perform frequent
well with the youngsters but the important thing is the system. Today
there are fanciers that are hard to beat. They have such a system worked
out to make dazzling results, in a word, fantastic! It is striking that
these same men with the old birds play very mediocre. You can say it's
just what you like but I do not believe in. I think that someone who
plays with pigeons on each flight wants to drop good results whether it
is old or young birds.
HEALTH
Boss and pigeons have to be healthy. If that link is missing that
reflected in the performance. We now notice after seven weeks. By
several older fanciers fanaticism is less thereby also the attention
whereby they overlooked small defects. Once these men performed
admirably and now you see that they are increasingly going to come up
short. Even in everyday life that’s just the downside of aging. The
spirit wants to do but the body begins to protest more and more.
Moreover no reason to stop. Also with me the signs of aging come more
and more forward but although I still really enjoy my pigeon hobby.
Currently my pigeons are not as they should be. I've already skipped a
flight because I found them not in order and they still aren’t, a great
pity. I'm namely still in 3rd place for the sprint championship and it
would be a shame if I could not join the last race (May 28) to move
perhaps up a place. Earlier I would have found this terribly. I had to
win but this has become a lot less. As long as possible I continue to
play, I think it is too much fun game and I have the pigeons for. If I
do not find good enough I skip another week. You can also throw them for
the lions but you achieve nothing. They perform well below par and then
the chance you unnecessarily lost many is great. I have them not so far
that they train hard and they have not at all big appetites that’s why
they are not good enough to play. Too bad because I had despite my
little number racers evil plans to give the competition once and a while
a great twist to the ears. Despite the two wins that has not really
happened yet!
TAKE YOUR TIME
On two key issues is given too little attention in many lofts.
Especially if there is satisfactory performed this would sometimes
forgotten. As long as the birds not come into contact with other birds
there is no risk of contamination. Once the flights have started it
become more likely especially if the birds have to stay more than one
night in the basket. The time of longer sitting in the basket has come.
The longer middle distance races and one-day distance races are going to
start and that requires extra attention. Take time to observe your birds
daily and spent enough time feeding your animals. By observing the birds
regularly you learn the behavior and that is very important. At the
behavior is to see if the pigeons are in shape. As long as there is not
a feather wrong there is nothing to worry about, especially if they
train and eat properly. Also at the weekly bath you can see if the
condition is sufficient, if they like it it’s ok. Pigeons that regularly
yawn or scratch their heads are not top. Nose feathers up, no shiny
feathers and too much pick in the feathers are something wrong. Pigeons
have to have in the morning beautiful bello fertilizer preferably with a
few small feathers on it. How closer to each other, the calmer the
pigeons have come through the night and that means that it is alright to
health. On the way of eating is also to see how it is with the condition
of the pigeons. When the pigeons are fed twice a day and they are with
the entire group to the manger than it should sound if there rattles a
machine gun, so fast they need to eat and they are super fine. Once they
eaten slowly there’s failing something. By fanciers that give every day
"full house" the eating of course different. There is also a difference
between a full house and full house. One says full house as the birds
can indeed eat throughout the day and the other called the full house as
the birds can eat whatever they want for 20-30 minutes. The first thing
in the morning I watch how the birds fly out the loft, which has to go
quickly, they should as it were flying off the cap on your head. If you
want to look the pigeons after they should have been out of sight and if
they then after fifteen minutes again rise above the loft the fly form
is good. Pigeons that not migrate are not in the correct flight
condition. With normal temperatures the pigeons should certainly not
landing on the loft with the mouth open also not with real summer
temperatures, but because birds do not sweat it happens with very hot
and stuffy weather. Keep that in mind and do not think directly to
respiratory problems. The airways are definitely in order if the pigeons
still train fast and prolonged at high temperatures. These are all
things that you will discover if you have more time spent on feeding and
observing. With each day cleaning the loft twice a day you learn not
know the pigeon's behavior and you also win no extra early prizes.
THE BABIES ARE NO MORE BABIES
Youngsters born in December or January are now adult pigeons. The |