Start of pigeon sport
I recently visited Eddy Claes, who, along with his brother Freddy and friend Walter Devos, practices pigeon racing in Kortenaken... the beautiful Hageland region.
Men who know each other inside out, having worked together throughout their careers in Harol (awnings, shutters, terrace covers).
Eddy has been around pigeons since childhood, alongside his father... thus the passion gradually took shape.
Previously, Eddy raced with Walter Devos under the name Claes-Devos, this combination competed in Kortenaken until 2005. Due to a lack of time, they sold their pigeons in 2005.
However, the passion for pigeons remained, and in 2018 the brothers Eddy and Freddy Claes, along with friend/former tandem partner Walter Devos, decided to start racing pigeons again. Since 2018, things have taken off rapidly, and the Kortenaakse train hasn’t stopped since. Talk about a restart!!
Eddy handles the daily work at the loft, brother Freddy steps in where needed (transporting, releasing, lending a helping hand everywhere), and Walter takes care of the breeders. This way, the tasks are nicely divided. Eddy emphasizes that their success is due only to the good cooperation among the three of them... without one of them, this wouldn't be possible... true team spirit.
Racing
They primarily race in sprints and middle-distance categories, thus both old and yearling pigeons receive one or more national races, while not all young pigeons get a national race.
They have approximately 20 breeding pairs, including some permanent pairs. Annually, about 120 young pigeons are bred (occasionally, some are bred later as well). In 2019, they had a cowardly pigeon theft, during which 12 racing pigeons were taken.
The training of young pigeons happens gradually and cautiously; they are often released at around 40 km to later compete with the society in Momignies. There are few losses during training, though they do encounter the necessary losses afterward. Birds of prey also play a role in this. Some of their young pigeons then face a national race.
The old pigeons are raced on total widowhood with 32 cocks and 40 hens, using the "chaos system".
The old pigeons are certainly not spared, as they can say they have participated in around 24 races up to Châteauroux. At the end of the season, the nest racing is taken into account.
Impressive achievements
In 2020, they had “ELLA”...1st National Asduif KBDB old Small Middle Distance
2021: 24th Nat. Asduif KBDB yearling KHF
2023: 1st Prov. Asduif young Sprint
2023: 16th Nat. Asduif KBDB young Sprint
Here's an overview of their impressive performances:
/Assets/Lijsten/Article/37388/44/690484-1e-plaatsen-in-kampioenschappen-2024.pdf
The tandem with their 20 best yearlings achieves an average prize percentage of 74% over 21 races, covering distances up to 545 km.
The 10 best old pigeons outperform even better, achieving an 86% prize rate over an average of 23 races (up to 545 km).
Top breeder
“POUDY” Top breeder and converter! Poudy is one of the absolute top breeders in the loft, frequently appearing in the pedigrees of the top pigeons. He is, among others, the father of: “Ella” 1st ASDUIF KBDB NATIONAL KHF OLD 2020, “Den 13” 24th ASDUIF KBDB NATIONAL 2021, and many more…
As a grandfather, the successful descendants are too numerous to mention all, so we limit ourselves to the following: At their own loft: “Bond-Girl” 2042008-23: 1st PROVINCIAL ASDUIF Small Sprint KBDB, 16th NATIONAL ASDUIF Small Sprint KBDB. With the Herbots family: “Vanessa” 2124052-22: 19th NATIONAL ASDUIF KBDB 2023 with NATIONAL 8/6512 Aurillac – 42/6085 Souillac - 170/7813 Tulle… The Olympiad pigeon from Slovakia SK-0803-23-768 (Maastricht 2023) also carries his bloodline. You will also encounter him in many of the pigeons offered.
For more information about their stock, see the link below:
/Assets/Lijsten/Article/37388/44/690509-kwekers.pdf
Feeding
Regarding feeding, it’s mainly the Beyers Galaxy and Beute products that are used; oils are also utilized, and fresh grit is always available.
Before the season, they visit the veterinarian and only later if necessary. Besides the mandatory paramyxo vaccination, they also treat and vaccinate against paratyphus. For respiratory issues and head ailments, hardly anything needs to be done in Kortenaken, as the pigeons are kept in an open aviary.
The selection is based on performance since space is limited, but they all need to have a soft feather as well.
In 2023, the team ranked 23 times on Pipa (category for excellent results).
In 2024, the tandem ranked 24 times on Pipa, which is significant considering the high criteria for classification.
Photo: Wall of fame
Below you find several impressive results:
/Assets/Lijsten/Article/37388/44/690867-mooie-prestatities-met-1e-prijs.pdf
Just to say that we are indeed dealing with a real top colony here.
References
Some beautiful references can be found with Tom Vandikkelen (Alken), Pierre Bouchard (Péruwelz), Vinci Wenneker (NL), and Ludwig and Yara Hoobergs (Tienen)
/Assets/Lijsten/Article/37388/44/690511-referentities.pdf
Auction
We are pleased to auction these absolute top racing pigeons, the auction is currently ongoing and will run until November 18 on PITTS;
You will see pigeons from all these foundational lines in the auction, a sale that guarantees quality. Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity and take a look at PITTS.
We would like to thank Eddy, Freddy, and Walter for their hospitality and enjoyable chat about pigeon racing. We wish you much success with the highly qualitative auction.
Geco/Pitts