Jeroen Kok (62) started with pigeons at the age of 14 through a young pigeon he found, took home, and cared for. The little creature stayed with him, and one thing led to another; we all know how it goes with pigeon lovers... When he went to study, his passion was put aside for a while, but in the early '90s, Jeroen continued his beloved hobby.
However, in 2003, he sold all his pigeons due to the significant busyness at work (team leader at a maritime research agency) and within his family. But the blood of a pigeon lover is often remarkably persistent, and in 2015 he finally picked up the thread again, successfully!
The busy work schedule, time for family, and getting the most out of pigeon sport became increasingly difficult for Jeroen. While contemplating a solution, this was brought up with Jan Willem Aalberts, a self-employed entrepreneur, who faced the same problem during the conversation. A solution was quickly found, and the partnership was established. Jan Willem Aalberts has certainly earned his stripes in the pigeon sport because, both together with his late uncle - Arend Arends (alias "de kakert") - and independently, they have been a well-established name and a formidable competitor that the top had to reckon with.
Focus on long-distance flights
At the home of the Combination Aalberts-Kok (at the address where Jeroen always played), speed, middle distance, long-distance, young pigeon flights, and old-bird races are played, but the focus is on the races between 500 and 650 km. The foundation has been formed with pigeons from H. Bussing (Zetten), Mees Doornekamp (Hoevelaken), and vd Kooij (Roelofarendsveen).
In search of even better, a unique opportunity arose to raise the quality of their pigeon stock to an even higher level. Through the help of a good acquaintance of Jeroen, who unfortunately can no longer participate in the pigeon sport, they got in touch with the master himself, Mr. Ad Schaerlaeckens! Nothing more needs to be said or written about this phenomenon; a man who has more than earned his stripes in the pigeon sport!
Jeroen and Jan Willem have already drawn from this source three times, and not just "through a contact," but directly from the best of the best!
We think, for example, of the following pigeons:
- The 20-476, son of Superbreeder As(2013-235) x daughter of Murphy's Law(2018-422), a phenomenon at W de Bruijn
- The 23-341, son of First Ace (2017-547) x Angel (2017-758)
- The 22-873, daughter of 20-190, a phenomenon at the flying loft in Rijkevorsel in recent years!!
- The 21-332, mother of among others 23-674, with as a yearling already a 1,1,2, and 3 prize
- The 21-735, daughter of 2008-250 (half-brother to Leeuw) and mother of 23-724, which as a yearling was 1st pigeon champion speed, joint game RIE, and 3rd pigeon champion Circle 2 and flying area SW.
Furthermore, it should certainly not go unmentioned: a number of pigeons that were not obtained directly from Ad Schaerlaeckens but from Jeroen vd Kooij. An enthusiast with whom we have been friends for years and whose A.S. pigeons form the basis of an extremely hard-flying loft!
- The 2019-082, son of 2011-220, a super breeder at Jeroen vd Kooij, he is the father of 2020-733 which flew 4th NPO Morlicourt against 8816d, the already mentioned 23-724, but also the 20-732 which flies, among others, a 77/8861 Morlincourt, 31/2601 Gien/41/3275 Quievrain/80/Issoudun and 109/4729 Quievrain.
- The 2019-084, direct daughter of 2011-220; she is the mother of 2022-856, which in 2023 as a yearling became the 15th best long-distance pigeon in the entire department 8.
Game and system
In terms of feed, they resolutely choose the Van Tilburg mixtures (VTB 1,6 and 51).
The loft consists of about 30 breeding pairs, 30 fostering pairs, 50 old racing pigeons, and approximately 100 young pigeons from 2 rounds, for which pairing occurs around Christmas.
The old racing pigeons are paired at the end of February, allowed to breed for 10 days, and are then motivated to total widowhood. They train once a day for about an hour around 5 PM. Between the long-distance flights, they are usually trained once at 50 km themselves. For the loft of the hens, there is a run, and they are kept outside all day.
The young pigeons are darkened but not separated and are released at noon by Jan Willem. The darkening starts at the end of March until the longest day from 6 AM to 6 PM, and then lighting continues until 10:30 PM. They are trained for the first race about four times themselves, but not anymore afterward.
Great results without many extras
Jeroen visits a well-known veterinarian, specialized in racing pigeons, once every 14 days for checks on trichomoniasis, respiratory diseases, and feather lice. Only on advice is treatment done. This approach has proven to be more than wise, as the pigeons performed excellently with highlights including 1st out of over 11,000 pigeons at Etroeungt, a 7th, also from over 11,000 at Niergnies, and 4th, 5th, and 6th against 8861 pigeons at Morlincourt. And it didn’t stop there; feel free to check the results for regional, circle, and department level www.afdeling8gou.nl.
