In 2022, good for 35x 1st, 43x 2nd, and 32x 3rd. With a remarkable 13 rankings among the provincial and national foundation pigeons in just 4 years, we can no longer ignore the serious quality present in the lofts in Lede. This auction features a limited selection straight from the base of this colony. Breeding material with a guarantee of success if you ask us!
History
Gert Van Limbergen (36) started independently racing pigeons in 1994. A white raven in any case, as it was not passed down to him from home, unlike many other young enthusiasts. It was a learning curve with ups and downs. The first pigeons came from local sprinters, so it was evident that these races would also be played. When Gert was still in school and later started as a self-employed contractor, there was little time left to participate in other races. However, the interest in racing more extensively was always there, and from 2014 he carefully took part in a few races on the semi-distance. The move to his residence on Langeweestraat in 2015 brought a lot of work. Gert started building a brand-new shed with corresponding pigeon lofts, and in 2016 the first youngsters were raced at the new address; in a garden shed, as the lofts weren’t finished yet... Just before the start of the 2017 season, the yearlings got to use part of the lofts that were somewhat finished. The results were quite decent, but the pigeons still had to give way to the busy work circumstances. Gradually, the lofts came together, and it was only from 2019 that the desired system could be applied more or less. That year immediately became a real bumper year with formidable results! Meanwhile, in the last 4 years, no fewer than 13 rankings have been recorded in the provincial and national foundation pigeons over the small and large semi-distance, and Gert became 2x 2nd and 1x 3rd provincial champion East Flanders on the semi-distance.
Specialist with hens
Both males and hens are raced in traditional widowhood with stay-at-home partners. Gert: “The advantage of this system is that the flyers always see their partner immediately upon returning home. The downside is that, of course, you need twice as many pigeons, but that doesn’t bother me much. I mainly use late youngsters and summer youngsters from the best breeders as stay-at-home partners, but also a few males and hens that, due to old age, are not even fertile anymore. The advantage of very old males (even 15 to 20 years old!) is that they are quite calm when their hen comes home; the young males, on the other hand, are still crazy and tend to be very aggressive towards the newly arrived hens... On the other hand, it's an advantage that I give those late youngsters the time to get to know and select, instead of putting them directly on breeding blindly.
In spring, they are allowed to lay eggs, and as soon as most of them have been incubating for 5 days, the nests are broken up and the hens go to the aviary. They simply sit on caps during the season, and the bottom is made of metal grids with large meshes, to make it as uncomfortable as possible. Those who still want to pair up among themselves are immediately removed.
While some males fly quite well yearly, we cannot ignore that it is mainly the hen team that consistently performs well at Van Limbergen. “Hens are much calmer and more regular than males. They train better, eat better, recover faster, and you cannot easily throw them off balance. They are machines when they are in form, and the yield is simply much higher. I do want to try some new things with the males in the future, but I’m taking that slowly for now, as those lofts are still not set up properly,” says Gert.
Intense training
In the morning, the hens first train (with the flag), and then the males (freely), both for an hour. After that, it's the turn of the early young pigeons until around noon, and the youngsters from the 2nd and 3rd round train in the late afternoon; one day the 2nd round, the next day the 3rd round. After the training of the young pigeons, it’s then back to the widowers (about 45 minutes, freely), and only around 6 PM do the hens train again (full hour with the flag). In very hot weather, Gert waits an hour longer and releases the males around 6 PM and the hens at 7 PM.
“My hen team thus trains daily for a mandatory 2 hours; calculated at an average speed of 70 km/h, that’s 140 km per day. Their ration is adjusted accordingly, and they easily eat 3 soup spoons a day; at the end of the week even 4 soup spoons, plus extra seed... I think they're used to eating a lot by now, so feeding is never an issue.”
Young pigeons
Gert: “I’m not at all keen on playing with young pigeons, I find it very hard to get enthusiastic about... The youngsters are always in good condition, and the training at home goes smoothly, but when it comes to races, I'm completely disengaged. Moreover, for the preparation races for the sprint, we always have to enter on Saturday afternoon for a race on Sunday, so I have to put that young batch in the baskets and enter them while my old and yearling pigeons are returning from the semi-distance and distance... That is very annoying, and because of this, the young ones are usually pushed back... I do always try to train them properly, but I’d rather skip a time than go overboard.”
Feeding and medical care
The medical aspect of care is fully entrusted to grandmaster Rudi Hendrikx. Before the season, a complete check-up is scheduled of the racing pigeons, and only what is actually necessary is treated, so not preventively. During the racing season, tricho is sometimes checked, but seldom anything is found.
The breeders receive a paratyphus treatment during the molting period, followed by vaccination. They are also vaccinated annually for paramyxo. The racing pigeons receive the same vaccinations but closer to the start of the season.
In terms of supplements, all pigeons regularly receive products from Duivensport België, also from veterinarian Rudi Hendrikx. Weekly, all pigeons year-round receive a homemade variant of the well-known Prange-suppe.
For racing pigeons, Gert has been using the feed mixtures that he had custom-made for several years: Purification, Sport, and Light. Depending on the distance, these mixtures are given in adjusted proportions. Grit and minerals are always available in the loft, just a bottom layer in the feed bowls. Treats such as seed and P40 pellets complete the picture.
The breeding pigeons and stay-at-homes receive a mix of half purification and half molting all year round, except when they are with young, then they always get full breeding mixture from Versele-Laga served.
In 2022, including duplicates, no fewer than 110 podium places were achieved on the semi-distance: 35 first prizes, 43 second prizes, and 32 third prizes... The season also resulted in the following championship results:
Championships 2022 (only top ten mentioned!)
Local Land Van Aalst
1st General Champion Semi-Distance Old+Yearling+Young
1st Champion Most Prizes Old Semi-Distance
1st Champion 1+2 Old Semi-Distance
1st Champion 1+2+3 Old Semi-Distance
1st + 2nd + 4th + 6th + 7th + 8th + 9th Asbird Old Semi-Distance
1st Champion Most Prizes Yearling Semi-Distance
1st Champion 1+2 Yearling Semi-Distance
1st Champion 1+2+3 Yearling Semi-Distance
1st Champion Most Prizes Yearling Noyon
2nd General Champion Large Semi-Distance
2nd General King Semi-Distance 1+2 Old+Yearling+Young
2nd Champion Most Prizes Old Large Semi-Distance
2nd + 3rd + 5th + 6th + 8th Asbird Yearling Semi-Distance
2nd Champion Most Prizes Young Semi-Distance
2nd General Champion Noyon Old+Yearling+Young
3rd Champion 1+2+3 Old Large Semi-Distance
3rd Asbird Old Large Semi-Distance
3rd Points Champion Semi-Distance
3rd Champion loft members Semi-Distance
3rd Champion Most Prizes Old Noyon
3rd Champion Most Prizes Young Noyon
4th Champion 1+2 Old Large Semi-Distance
5th General King Large Semi-Distance
5th Points Champion Large Semi-Distance
6th Champion Most Prizes Yearling Large Semi-Distance
6th Champion 1+2 Yearling Large Semi-Distance
7th Champion 1+2 Old Noyon
7th Champion 1+2+3 Old Noyon
8th Champion loft members Large Semi-Distance
9th Champion 1+2+3 Yearling Large Semi-Distance
9th Champion 1+2 Yearling Noyon
9th Champion loft members Noyon
9th Champion 1+2+3 Young Noyon
10th Champion 1+2+3 Yearling Noyon
10th Points Champion Noyon Old + Yearling + Young
10th General King Noyon 1+2 Old+Yearling+Young
Umbrella Hafo-Dender
1st Asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender with “Typhoon”
2nd Champion 1+2+3+4 Yearling Hafo-Dender
4th Asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender with “Gipsy”
4th Super-asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender with “Gipsy”
4th General Champion Hafo-Dender
4th Champion 1+2+3+4 Old Hafo-Dender
7th Super-asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender with “Typhoon”
8th Super-asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender “the 806”
8th Super-asbird Old Hafo-Dender with “Adriana”
10th Asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender with “the 766”
Fondclub Denderstreek (FCD)
3rd Asbird Old Large Semi-Distance with “Blue Argenton”
10th General Champion Large Semi-Distance
Provincial East Flanders
2nd Provincial Asbird Semi-Distance Yearling with “Typhoon” – 16th National asbird semi-distance KBDB 2022
2nd Provincial Champion Semi-Distance Yearling
3rd Provincial Asbird Heavy Semi-Distance Old with “Top Gun”
6th Provincial Asbird Semi-Distance Yearling (EV) with “Gipsy”
6th Provincial Asbird Allround Old with “Gaia”
10th Provincial Asbird Allround Old (EV) with “Top Gun”
10th Provincial Champion Semi-Distance Old
Championships Groot-Lede
Best Loft Semi-Distance Groot-Lede
1st Champion 1+2 Old Semi-Distance
1st Champion 1+2 Yearling Semi-Distance
1st Asbird Old Semi-Distance with “Pica”
1st Asbird Yearling Semi-Distance with “Typhoon”
Some top results from 2022 (for an overview of the small semi-distance umbrella *click here*)
Sermaises 28/5
111 old: 1,2,4,6,8,9,10...
298 yearling: 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,11,13,14,15,17,21,22,25,27,28...
395 old + yearling: 2,3,4,5,7,10,11,14,16,17,18,22,22,24,29,30,30,36...
Sermaises 4/6
117 old: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...
200 yearling: 1,2,3,5,8,9,10,11,12,13,16,18,20...
281 old + yearling: 1,2,3,4,6,9,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,19,24,26...
Sermaises 11/6
112 yearling: 1,2,9 (3/6)
172 old + yearling: 2,3,5,8,16,17...
Chateauroux 11/6
334 old: 4,5,8,9,10,12,14,19,21,26,27,33,34,35,37,39...
Sermaises 18/6
70 old: 1,1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11...
90 yearling: 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,11,12...
134 old + yearling: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,12,13...
La Souterraine 15/7
128 old: 1...(5/6)
220 yearling: 4,6,8,19...(6/10)
Championships 2021
Local Land Van Aalst
1st General Champion Semi-Distance Old+Yearling+Young
1st General Champion Noyon Old+Yearling+Young
1st Champion Most Prizes Old Semi-Distance
1st Champion 1+2 Old Semi-Distance
1st Champion Most Prizes Yearling Semi-Distance
1st Champion Most Prizes Yearling Noyon
1st Champion Loft Members Semi-Distance
2nd General King Semi-Distance 1+2 Old+Yearling+Young
2nd Champion 1+2+3 Old Semi-Distance
2nd Champion 1+2+3 Old Large Semi-Distance
2nd Champion 1+2 Old Large Semi-Distance
2nd Points Champion Semi-Distance
2nd Champion Most Prizes Old Noyon
3rd Champion Most Prizes Old Large Semi-Distance
3rd + 7th + 8th + 9th + 11th + 13th Asbird Old Semi-Distance
4th General Champion Large Semi-Distance
4th Champion Most Prizes Young Noyon
4th + 7th + 9th + 11th Asbird Yearling Semi-Distance
5th General King Large Semi-Distance
6th Champion 1+2+3 Yearling Semi-Distance
6th Champion 1+2 Yearling Semi-Distance
6th Champion Most Prizes Young Semi-Distance
6th Champion Most Prizes Yearling Large Semi-Distance
6th Points Champion Large Semi-Distance
7th Champion 1+2+3 Young Semi-Distance
7th Champion 1+2 Young Semi-Distance
9th General King Noyon 1+2 Old+Yearling+Young
9th Champion 1+2+3 Yearling Large Semi-Distance
9th Asbird Young Semi-Distance
9th Champion 1+2+3 Yearling Noyon
9th Points Champion Noyon
10th Champion 1+2 Yearling Large Semi-Distance
10th Champion 1+2 Yearling Noyon
10th Champion 1+2+3 Young Noyon
10th Champion 1+2 Young Noyon
Umbrella Hafo-Dender
4th General Champion Hafo-Dender
7th Champion 1+2+3+4 Old Hafo-Dender
7th Champion 1+2+3+4 Yearling Hafo-Dender
8th Super-asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender
8th Asbird Yearling Hafo-Dender
10th Asbird Old Hafo-Dender with “Miss Perfect”
13th Super-asbird Old Hafo-Dender with “Miss Perfect”
Provincial East Flanders
3rd Provincial Asbird All-Round with “Miss Perfect”
6th Provincial Champion Small Semi-Distance Old
8th Provincial Asbird Small Semi-Distance Old with “Miss Perfect”
10th Provincial Champion Small Semi-Distance Yearling
10th Provincial Asbird Small Semi-Distance Yearling
Championships Groot-Lede
Best Loft Semi-Distance Groot-Lede
1st Asbird Yearling Semi-Distance (with ‘the 079’)
1st Champion 1+2 Old Semi-Distance
2nd Asbird Old Semi-Distance (with ‘Miss Perfect’)
2nd Champion 1+2 Yearling Semi-Distance
2nd Champion 1+2 Young Semi-Distance
5th Asbird Young Semi-Distance
Results 2021
We limit ourselves to just the prizes per ten and per hundred! Enjoy the overview:
Noyon 18/4
331 old + yearling: 1,5,33...(20/40)
Noyon 25/4
363 old: 2,3,11,12,26,27,28,30...(19/40)
738 old + yearling: 2,3,14,15,40,41,42,43,43,50,68...(34/92)
Noyon 2/5
279 old: 2,6,7,11,14,17,18,19,19,22,23...(32/39)
310 yearling: 7,8,14,17,19,20,27,28,30...(43/93)
589 old + yearling: 3,9,10,16,18,18,27,27,32,33,34,34,38,39,41,44,45,59...(72/132)
Sermaises 8/5
398 old: 5,29,30,31...(17/25)
Orléans 15/5
475 old: 1,4,16,46...(24/34)
479 yearling: 4,20,44...(16/33)
953 old + yearling: 1,7,9,30,40,81...(39/67)
Hafo-Dender:
2,108 old: 1,30,103...(16/34 per 3)
1,957 yearling: 19,91,163...(12/33 per 3)
4,064 old + yearling: 4,34,58,181,209,357...(27/67 per 3)
Provincial:
10,749 old: 9...
19,198 old + yearling: 15...
Interprovincial:
10,762: 9...
19,203 old + yearling: 16...
Sermaises 23/5
252 yearling: 6,8,10,17,21,22,24,25,26,27...(36/76)
Sermaises 29/5
local:
177 old: 1,5,9,9,12,13,17...(20/25)
286 yearling: 1,2,4,5,7,11,12,14,21,22,26,27,29...(50/75)
452 old + yearling: 1,2,3,6,8,11,14,17,17,21,23,24,26,27,34,37,38,42,43...(68/100)
Hafo-Dender:
1,286 old: 5,34,46,46,64,74,96,125...(18/25 per 3)
1,576 yearling: 3,12,24,30,45,69,74,100,101,108,115,120,130,133,140,153,155...(46/75 per 3)
2,844 old + yearling: 5,11,20,41,53,71,96,96,126,141,144,147,148,184,209,211,223,232,242,243,246,263,268,279...(64/100 per 3)
Bourges 29/5
794 old: 8,39...(8/10)
FCD:
2,745 old: 53,192...(4/10 per 3)
67th National zone B1 4,474 old (FOR SALE)
Sermaises 6/6
local:
117 old: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,10...(16/20)
175 yearling: 2,4,5,6,9,13,13...(27/47)
267 old + yearling: 1,3,5,6,7,8,12,13,16,18,19,19,24...(36/58)
Hafo-Dender:
719 old: 2,17,54,67...(8/11 per 3)
1,173 yearling: 25,39,44,46,65,96,96...(25/47 per 3)
1,892 old + yearling: 4,32,49,58,63,66,111,126,152,178,179,179...(31/58 per 3)
Chateauroux 6/6
local:
599 old: 3,26,28,38...(11/15)
579 yearling: 4,10,21,24,49...(17/27)
9th National zone B1 3,496 old
44th National zone B1 3,376 yearling
Sermaises 19/6
local:
109 old: 4,5,7,8,9...(11/17)
101 yearling: 3,5...(6/6)
193 old + yearling: 5,6,9,10,12...(15/17)
Hafo-Dender:
587 old: 30,38,55...(5/11 per 3)
983 yearling: 41,46...(4/6 per 3)
1569 old + yearling: 51,67,95,96,105...(9/17 per 3)
Argenton 19/6
local:
301 old: 2...(8/9)
544 yearling: 11,16,36,42,43...(12/18)
11th National zone B1 1,965 old
Sermaises 11/7
local:
109 old: 1,8,10...(14/23)
198 old + yearling: 1,13,17...(16/23)
Hafo-Dender:
446 old: 2...(5/10 per 3)
663 yearling: 35,59,65...(7/13 per 3)
1109 old+yearling: 2, 72,100...(14/23 per 3)
Issoudun 11/7
local:
142 old: 13...(8/10)
276 yearling: 9,14,15,17...(11/27)
Limoges 11/7
205 old: 25 (1/1)
Sermaises 18/7
local:
86 old: 3,7...(10/12)
147 yearling: 1,2,3,7,10,13,15...(22/33)
233 old+yearling: 2,4,5,6,13,14,19,19,23...(30/45)
Hafo-Dender:
515 old: 14,29,40...(10/12 per 3)
809 yearling: 2,9,15,26,36,46,50,62...(19/33 per 3)
1324 old+yearling: 5,22,24,34,54,55,75,75,98,106,121,131,133...(27/45 per 3)
Chateauroux 18/7
133 old: 9...(5/7)
Sermaises 23/07
local:
49 old: 2,3,4,5...(15/30)
51 yearling: 1,3,4...(8/19)
75 old + yearling: 2,3,4,5...(14/30)
Hafo-Dender:
255 old: 9,12,13...(6/11 per 3)
495 yearling: 8,23,24,30,32,46...(12/19 per 3)
750 old+yearling: 14,20,25,28,47,48,60,68...(15/30 per 3)
Orléans 23/7
82 old: 4...(7/13)
110 yearling: 3,8,10,12...(6/7)
Bourges 31/7
110 old: 3...(5/6)
Chateauroux 7/8
72 old: 4...(7/11)
147 yearling: 4,7,15...(12/17)
Argenton 14/8
222 old: 10,11...(10/17)
618 young: 5...(3/6)
15th National zone B1 3,213 young
Vierzon 21/8
99 old: 5...(3 /4)