After a long career of 40 years as a construction worker, Jo (67) retired a few years ago and has since been able to fully dedicate himself to the pigeon sport. And it must be said, not without success! One of the highlights of recent years is: 1st national Limoges II against 9102 old pigeons and also the fastest pigeon among 19638 pigeons in 2017!
8 provincial victories in the Long Distance races are on the well-filled palmares here in Appelterre, and in 2009, the 2nd national championship Grote Fond 2009 was won, and in 2010, they became 4th National Champion KBDB Fond. Over the years, Jo has also gathered countless beautiful national top prizes from the lines of:
“De Cahors”
- father of 1st national Limoges 2017
- flown himself
- 1st Limoges 235 pigeons/ 62nd national Limoges 11969 pigeons
- 1st Cahors 105 pigeons/ 24th national Cahors 9651 pigeons
- 2nd Souillac 134 pigeons/ 74th national Souillac 7597 pigeons...
“De Provinciaal”
Won 1st provincial Narbonne/ 5th national & 6th international Narbonne
“Zoon Montauban-ken”
Founding father and father of among others 1st provincial Agen as well as 21st national & 42nd international
“De Victor”
Brother of “Zoon Montauban-ken” and father of 1st international Narbonne 2011
These last 2 are sons from the famous “Montauban-ken”:
In the year 2002, Jo approached Luc Van Coppenolle in Ouwegem and bought a series of eggs there. A shot in the dark, as it would later turn out. From one of these eggs, the famous 'Montauban-ken' was born, whose genes now run through more than 60% of the colony. If there is indeed a hen with golden eggs, this lady comes pretty close. Born in 2002, this hen has produced countless top 100 winners at the national level to date. Both children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
In this sale, you will find all these champions in the pedigrees.
History
In 1968, Jo started with the pigeons together with his father on the parental farm. Like most enthusiasts, it began with sprints before transitioning to middle distance in the mid-'70s. The long distance debut came in 1982. However, the first years were met with varying success. Until Jo made his mark in 1987. On an incredibly tough Lourdes, where the pigeons were released on Sunday morning, he clocked the 1st local and 2nd provincial around 3 PM on Monday. This whetted his appetite for more, and step by step, he worked towards a loft that could measure up to the top in long distance and heavy long-distance races. Years passed, and he continued to seek better. Thus, Jo ended up in 2002 with Luc Van Coppenolle from Ouwegem, where he bought 8 pairs of eggs, and one pigeon from these eggs became his founding ancestor, “Montauban-ken.”
Additionally, Jo also purchased a voucher from Rufin & Luc Buyl from Nieuwenhove, where he received a pair of eggs from the “Kleine Blauwen,” which itself flew 2nd national Brive. One of these males became the regular partner of the “Montauban-ken.” A founding pair was born.
The racing team consists of 45 males. Jo takes the widowers away 4 to 5 times before the season from 15 to 30 km and then heads straight to Noyon. To motivate the males at the beginning of the season, their partner is shown before basketting. After about 4 races, they stop this, from then on the males know the game normally. The basketting for the long-distance races happens as quietly as possible.
In the loft, you will find no complicated feeding schedules during the racing season. No, simplicity rules. This is partly related to the past. When he was still working, he could only feed the pigeons once a day. And as it succeeded back then, Jo continues to do it this way. During the racing season, the widowers always get the same mixture. There is absolutely no form of recovery mixture or extra feedings. This fixed mixture, composed by Jo himself, consists of various types of sport and energy-rich mixtures.
To keep the entire colony in shape throughout the year, Jo primarily uses by-products from Vaesen and Bax.
Ultimately, the medical aspect is simple. Before the start of the season, he visits veterinarian Bjorn Geeroms for mandatory vaccinations and a medical check-up. If necessary, intervention will take place, and otherwise not.
Jo strongly believes in the wings theory: In the early '80s, Jo began to delve into the wing theory of Vanderschelden, and this is still the way he selects his pigeons. They must have wings like a swift, capable of racing hundreds of kilometers in a single line. When you take the pigeon in your hand and open its wing, looking straight ahead, it should bend inwards as much as possible. But especially the wing must be examined after a tough race. After the flight, the feathers are 'straight,' but the next day they should curve back inward; otherwise, the pigeon does not have a long-distance career.
Other important aspects Jo looks at to improve his pigeon colony are keeping the pigeons super healthy with natural products, a well-ventilated loft, and breeding from pigeons that performed strongly themselves and have good breeding eyes.
Some champions from recent years:
BE18/4126655
2020
- Valence local 11th
- Montélimar local 3rd
- Brive local 20th
2021
- Valence local 9th
- Montélimar local 4th
- Narbonne local 17th
2022
- Valence local 23rd
- Montélimar local 6th
- Narbonne local 5th
2023
- Bergerac local 10th
- Narbonne local 4th
BE21/4028690
2022
- Bourges local 211th
- Chateauroux local 11th
- Tulle local 120th
- Brive local 1st & 40th national
BE21/4028709
2022
- Bourges local 269th
- Chateauroux local 168th
- Souillac local 1st & 6th national
2023
- Souillac local 15th
- Aurillac local 32nd
- Limoges I local 106th
- Limoges II local 80th