The municipality of Zillebeke, with a total area of 1747 hectares, of which 222 hectares are forested, was independent until 1977 when it merged with the city of Ieper. In this report, we have reached the Western Front, the southwestern part of the province of West Flanders in Belgium, where fierce battles took place during World War I, and the many war cemeteries, bunkers, and mine craters are still silent witnesses. The city of Ieper has many sights linked to the terrible war, a war in which several tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives. Bombs, skeletons of fallen soldiers, and other testimonies of “the Great War” are still being unearthed in the region. In “Het Laatste Nieuws” dated January 21, 2023, there is an article titled: “DOVO destroyed 166 tons of war ammunition in West Flanders in 2022. (DOVO = Service for the cleanup and destruction of explosives). Furthermore... 2284 interventions for war ammunition were carried out in 2022. These words testify once again to the brutality in this region during WWI. The “ramparts” surrounding the city of Ieper, the countless cemeteries, and the daily “Last Post” at 8 pm at the Menen Gate are among the biggest tourist attractions for Ieper. Zillebeke was also heavily battered during WWI, with a large part of the village needing to be rebuilt after the war. Nearby, we have well-known places: the recreation park Bellewaerde, the Zillebekevijver (walking, fishing, rowing), and the provincial domain “de Palingbeek.” We were at the pigeon lofts in Zillebeke, where father and son Daniël and Didier Platteeuw collect many beautiful achievements with their pigeons. They can already look back on a number of provincial and zonal victories, including 3 national triumphs, despite their usually very unfavorable position in the far west of Belgium during national races. These achievements were each accomplished under extremely challenging weather conditions. Below follows the beautiful story of father and son Platteeuw from the region of Ieper.
How it all started!
Father Daniël started in 1989 as a loft caretaker with Michel Steverlynck (“Mr. Michel,” as they call this friendly gentleman in Zillebeke) who at that time raced under the name Steverlynck Bernard & Son. When Daniël retired in 2003, his son Didier was able to start in place of his father, but they still raced under the name B. Steverlynck & Zn. Due to circumstances, “Mr. Michel” faced issues in 2005, and all pigeons were transferred to the name of Daniël & Didier Platteeuw. Moreover… they could, with the consent of “Mr. Michel,” continue using the beautiful lofts on the estate, thus making the tandem D & D Platteeuw a reality. “Because of this, we inherited the pigeons and were lucky enough to make a good fresh start immediately”: testify Daniël & Didier. “In 2003, we already won 2 provincial victories, which clearly demonstrated the exceptional quality present. The “Kenny” 02-3203066 won 1st provincial on Chateauroux against 6564 pigeons, and the “Isidoor” 00-3201017 won 1st provincial Perigueux against 1091 pigeons. In 2006, during sweltering temperatures and headwinds, we played 1st international Dax with “Michel” 04-3205041 among 11509 pigeons and 1st national against 5189 pigeons.”: says Didier. It’s now 2010! Through Marc Bogaert from Ichtegem, Daniël & Didier received a doffer, pure lineage Norbert & Stefan Ally from Aarsele (Tielt), a beauty of a pigeon named “Daniël,” which descended from the line of the “Shumi,” once a top performer at the lofts in Aarsele. This “Daniël” 2010-3049099 turned out to be an excellent racing pigeon, winning among others 1st provincial Poitiers in 2012 against 1043 pigeons. Now, a few years later, “Daniël” has indeed become one of the foundation pigeons of the loft. All in all, the Platteeuw family from Ieper can modestly look back on 3 national victories: 1st (inter)national Dax in 2006, 1st national Souillac in 2019, and 1st national Argenton in 2022, along with a 2nd national Cahors in 2012, and so on. Daniël and Didier would like to extend a special word of thanks to “Mr. Michel” and his family for the wonderful successes and memories they have experienced in the beautiful estate of Ieper.
The 2022 season: 15 x 1st without duplicates, with the cherry on top the 1st national Argenton II.
They mainly enter the highly thriving long-distance club “de Vriendenkring” in Ieper, where the better lofts from the region often compete weekly against each other, especially from the greater semi-long distance to Barcelona. In 2022, they achieved 15 x 1st without duplicates, including 1 x 1st national (Argenton old), 3 x 1st zonal (Chateauroux young/Argenton old and Souillac old), and 1 x 1st provincial on Argenton old, with other victories from Clermont (3 x either old/yearling/young) – Montoire (2 x with young) – Pontoise (1 x among the young pigeons) – St Just (1 x with the old) – Bourges (1 x with yearlings) – Chateauroux (1 x with yearlings and 1 x with old).
Some results from 2022! (Distances Clermont 167.846 km – Bourges 420.984 km – Limoges 602.245 km – Agen 786.593 km – Souillac 669.430 km – Pontoise 203.787 km – Chateauroux 457.225 km – Argenton 482.198 km – Montoire 374.232 km)
Clermont 302 yearlings: 5-9-12-39… and 9/10
Bourges 784 old: 37-38-44-55-57… and 11/16
Limoges 797: 89-92-114-116… and 8/10
Clermont 109 old: 1-2-3-7-8… and 9/19
Tulle 230 yearlings: 12-19-24 and 3 out of 4
Chateauroux 425 old: 5-6-7-12-19-31… and 11/14
Chateauroux 258 yearlings: 1-2 and 2/2
Agen 431 yearlings: 21-47 and 2 out of 3
Barcelona 275 old: 17 and 1 out of 2
La Souterraine 114 old: 13-36 and 2 out of 2
La Souterraine 136 yearlings: 7 and 1 out of 2
Souillac 136 old: 1 – 37-38 and 3 out of 4
Souillac 255 yearlings: 2-78 and 2 out of 4
Bourges 160 yearlings: 1-7-22 and 3 out of 3
Pontoise 359 young: 5-7-9-14-16-27-28-29… and 14 out of 16
Pontoise 233 young: 1-5-6-8-11-14-19-22… and 20 out of 38
Pontoise 193 young: 2-5-7-9-11-12-19… and 14 out of 24
Montoire 267 young: 1-2-4-5-6-8-14-15-27… and 18 out of 40
Clermont 178 young: 7-8-9… and 4 out of 8.
Their record of national, zonal, and provincial victories
- 2003: 1st prov. Chateauroux yearlings
- 2003: 1st prov. Perigueux old
- 2006: 1st international Dax old
- 2012: 1st prov. Poitiers old
- 2012: 1st prov. Cahors (2nd national after 4-minute loss due to a strange pigeon)
- 2019: 1st national Souillac old
- 2019: 1st zonal Bourges young
- 2020: 1st zonal Limoges old
- 2021: 1st zonal Argenton old
- 2021: 1st zonal Chateauroux old
- 2021: 1st zonal La Souterraine young
- 2022: 1st national Argenton II old
- 2022: 1st zonal Souillac old
A few top performers from 2022!
A. The BE18-3078006: won 2 x top national. A highly gifted long-distance pigeon with lineage from the 1st international Dax on the father’s side and a hen from Gino Clicque (Wevelgem) on the mother’s side.
Started the 2022 season with 2 x Clermont followed by Bourges (long-distance club 72nd/784 d – zone A1 104th out of 2574 d), then Limoges (long-distance club 155th/797 d – zone A1 328th out of 1418 d and national 3320 out of 17356 d) heading towards Agen (long-distance club 9th on 386 d – national 27th/6657 d and international 50th out of 16864 d), finally going to Souillac with the result (long-distance club 1st on 136 d – zone A1 1st on 296 d and national 46th out of 4476 d)
Father = 2014-3033081 from 2011-3022346 with 2009-3124026 (origin Loft Sioen, among others from the line of “Orhan”)
Mother = 2016-3142051 (hen from Gino Clicque) from 2012-3162754 “Pirate 754” with “Daughter Super Prins x Daughter Pirate” 2013-3031522
B. “Motje” BE-20-3060810: won 1st national Argenton II. A fantastic large semi-long distance pigeon that showed his innate class at Chateauroux once and twice at Argenton in 2022.
Started the 2022 season at Clermont and Pontoise (7th/338 d and 307th/11089 d) followed by Chateauroux resulting in (long-distance club 6th/793 d – interprov. 92nd/7547 d), then on Argenton I (long-distance club 7th/352 d – zone A1 10th out of 2006 d – national 125th/20467 d) and Argenton II (long-distance club 1st/364 d – national 1st/10632 d)
Father: “Son Daniël” 2011-3022244 from “Daniël” 2010-3049099 x “079/2010”
Mother: 2019 – 3052950 hen Norbert Vanneste from Houthulst
C. BE-20-3060849 “the Good”: a particularly good racing hen, directly from Norbert Vanneste from Houthulst. In 2022 she won 12 prizes from short-distance up to semi-long distance, including a 2nd prize Clermont with 505 d, a 13th prize Clermont with 366 d, a 62nd Chateauroux with 978 d, a 102nd Issoudun with 585 d, a 98th Chateauroux with 3658 d, a 309th Montoire with 1923 d, etc…
Father = 17-3097718 (among others from the line of “Figo” A & H Reynaert)
Mother: 15-3049511, was 3rd prov. ace pigeon HF 2015 at N. Vanneste and descends from the line “Figo” x line 1st prov. ace pigeon ’09 from N. Vanneste
D. BE-21-3108531: “Granddaughter 531 Daniël,” a top racer that placed 13 times in 2022 from short-distance up to semi-long distance. On her honor roll in 2022, we see among others: a 13th at Clermont from 2320 d, a 1st at Clermont from 2408 d, a 29th Bourges zone A1 from 1369 d, an 11th at Clermont from 505 d, a 32nd Chateauroux against 681 d on June 11, a 1st Chateauroux against 258 d and 21st at 2333 d on July 2, a 65th at Pontoise against 1812 d, etc…
Father: “Son 003 Daniël”: 18-3078003 from “Daniël” x “095/10” hen from N. Vanneste
Mother: 18-3078083
The current lineages.
Let's hear from Didier!
“Many of our pigeons now descend from our “Daniël”, a pure Norbert & Stefan Ally from their “Shumi” and obtained via Marc Bogaert from Ichtegem. So far, he has already produced good offspring with several hens. For instance, he is the father of the 1st national Souillac in 2019 and is already the grandfather of the 1st national Argenton II in 2022, whose father is thus a son of “Daniël,” and this son himself won the 5th national Poitiers in 2013. The “Daniël” himself won 1st provincial Poitiers in 2012 and was then already placed in the breeding loft. The contribution of a hen from a German friend, namely Thomas Fuchs, was a shot in the arm; she became, among others, the mother of the 1st nat. Souillac 2019 and is a hybrid from Leo Heremans x Dirk Van Dyck origin.
Through Norbert Vanneste from Houthulst, we obtained a breeding hen who is now the mother of the 1st national Argenton II in 2022. Over several years, we have obtained a handful of young ones from Norbert, and we have been particularly successful with them. For example, the mother of the 1st nat. Argenton II won 1st prize Bourges in zone A1 as a young pigeon with us and a 3rd prize Chateauroux in zone A1; then she went to the breeding loft and has proven to be an excellent progenitor. For the heavier work, we have some pigeons from the late Stefaan Vanmoerbeke from Brielen, and other pigeons have been obtained from Marc Lernout, from Labarque-Desmet, from Casteleyn-Van Parys, from Gino Clicque, from A & H Reynaert, and from N & F Norman.”
The day-to-day at the loft!
“For 2023, there are 15 breeding pairs planned, including the “Daniël” – who will no longer be fertilized – so in fact, there are 14. Youngsters are also being rung from the better widowers, while the eggs from the first laying of the most special breeders, including widowers, are being transferred. The number of racing pigeons in 2022 consisted of 20 old and 17 yearling widowers complemented by 24 hens (12 old + 12 yearlings), all raced on the classic widower system with staying partners. The number of young pigeons fluctuated between 70 to 80.
The older widowers and breeders were paired on January 7 & 8. The yearling doffers and racing hens will pair together around mid-March to then brood “dirty” and be taught during this period to then race as widowers.
Regarding 2023, 20 old widowers will be raced according to the classical widower system, and 25 yearling doffers and 25 hens (old + yearling) will be raced as total widowers. “It’s going to be a new system that we are going to try out,” says Didier, “Let it be a challenge!”
The young pigeons will be darkened from weaning until the end of July and will be raced according to the sliding door system once we are a few weeks before the national flight from Bourges.
Medically, the pigeons are checked monthly from March to September by veterinarian Pascal Lanneau. Only on his advice will any treatment be given. Before the entry and for recovery, some supplements are provided. Regarding feeding, it goes from light feed to conditioning towards the race. All mixtures come from Beyers, where young pigeons eat together from one feeder, while the widow pigeons receive their feed separately “with the spoon” in their nest box. Thus far, it is the way Daniël & Didier live their hobby in the spacious lofts in the wooded area of “Mr. Michel” in Ieper. In recent years, these friendly enthusiasts have seen their performances rise, even framed with provincial, zonal, and even national victories.
To “Mr. Michel,” Daniël & Didier, heartfelt congratulations on this beautiful campaign.
J. Mestdagh