In the picturesque Hulste, a suburb of the city of Harelbeke, we find the lofts of Eric Devlaminck. Eric is a passionate pigeon fancier with over 60 years of experience and is known as a true fond virtuoso. Undoubtedly, Eric can be described as one of the best fond enthusiasts Belgium has ever known.
In 2003 he became national champion, and he has repeatedly reached the podium in his beloved discipline. Over the years, Eric has become the man to beat in these challenging long-distance races, bringing him numerous national top prizes and various mentions in numerous national and international championships.
Eric’s love for pigeons began at a young age. “My grandfather and father always had pigeons, and as a child, I helped them with the care and training. It was therefore the most natural thing in the world for me to start keeping pigeons myself,” he says.
Eric has a strong strain of pigeons that were formed from descendants of Adonis Denis and Albert Monin, both of whom had won International Barcelona. From these pigeons, his absolute foundation hen was bred: ‘The Barcelona Hen’. This hen flew Barcelona 7 times and missed once when she returned home injured. This hen later proved to be a true breeding mother.
Later, pigeons from Emiel Denijs, Lionel Debusschere, and Leon Messiaen were also added.
What makes Eric's pigeons so distinctive is that they dare to drop the same evening in the twilight of marathon flights after 14/15 hours of flying. It is clear that this can only happen with strong pigeons.
The care is simple but precise. Before the season, a visit to the veterinarian is made, and the advice of the man in white will always be followed. Once the season is underway, Eric prefers to keep medication to a minimum for his pigeons. Those who cannot handle this regime are ruthlessly eliminated.
This strict selection begins with the youngsters, which are not transported themselves and go directly to Clermont (200 km).
As yearlings, they must endure two heavy fond flights where they must perform on both flights to then complete the tough eastern line flights as two-year-olds at the widowhood loft. Eric enjoys flying these Rhône valley races, such as Montélimar, Valence & Marseille. In his eyes, these tough flights serve as the ideal learning ground for successfully completing Barcelona later on. Despite this demanding program that Eric presents to his pigeons, they are certainly not burned out at later ages. Eric's pigeons confidently fly their prizes up to the ages of 7 to 8 years. Through this method of working, the Devlaminck strain has emerged, strong and easy to keep healthy pigeons. This strain has allowed various fanciers both domestically and abroad to shine in the marathon races.
Throughout his career, Eric has won countless prizes and championships, but wining the Primus Inter Pares championship in Barcelona three times (1983-2007-2021) stands out as the highlights of his well-stocked trophy cabinet.
The last time he won this highly desired title was with the ‘PRIMUS INTER PARES 2021’
In this top auction, almost the entire colony of Eric Devlaminck is offered, with the exception of around six pieces that will still be used in the International flights this year. The offer is limited, but the quality is all the higher!