Grammene (Deinze) – Located in sandy clay Flanders, right by the banks of the winding Leie. It was in the '70s that the success story began here for Leon Messiaen, for many years one of the best international Barcelona specialists we have ever seen in action. No large installations or luxury lofts, but pure selection based on supernatural performances and this with his own strain, based on champions "Mister Castres" and "De Perpignan", ensured a legacy of top flyers on the heavy long distance for many years. Pigeons that are famous and infamous for their enormous stamina and perseverance and that like to come first over the finish line even in the harshest weather conditions!
The Strain
Leon’s colony can be described without exaggeration as extremely small, as in the early years the racing loft housed only 12 widowers. In a later phase, this was somewhat expanded, but it never housed more than 24. With this group, he indeed followed the full program of the heavy long distance and international flights! Over the years, pigeons were added from Eric Devlaminck (Hulste), Hubert Vanacker (Oostrozebeke), Lea Van Aelst (Dentergem), and Marc Van De Riviere (Nevele). Also noteworthy are the latest acquisitions from: dr. Antoon Lenaert (Anzegem), Dirk Martens (Meigem), Fr. & Marino Martens (Ruiselede), as well as Messiaen - Vanhauwaert from Avelgem.
The contributions of pigeons from good friend Emiel Denys quickly bore fruit. Leon bought a daughter of his famous “Perpignan hen”: 2nd International Perpignan among hens and 12th International Perpignan. This daughter, the “Perpignan II hen”, was paired with “De Pau” BE82-4422569 who won 6th National Pau in ’87. This proved to be a brilliant pairing that is still found years later as the basis of the champions at Messiaen’s home. They became, among others, the parents of “Pauson”, a fantastic breeder who, when paired with various hens, produced multiple champions worldwide.
From another great champion of that time, Gaby Deleersnijder from Zulte, “De Barcelona 79” was purchased, ring number BE75-4280780. A shot in the dark, as his breeding value would soon be proven. Also, another doffer from this loft “Blauwe Nestpender” BE76-4690795 produced super good offspring. This last one was paired with the “Perpignan II hen” from Emiel Denys, and they produced the “Geschelpte Barcelona” who won 1st club, 7th provincial, 28th national, and 84th international against 28,128 pigeons from Barcelona in 1990.
Leon was certainly not unaware of the success with Emiel Denys's pigeons, and in 1996 he bought at an auction of Emiel the “Geschelpte Prins”, a son of his top couple “Prins Barcelona” (Gyselbrecht) x “Dochter Pau” (Coutteau). Again, a suitable purchase it turned out to be, as he became at Messiaen the father of:
“Jonge Prins Barcelona”: 1st provincial and 3rd national Barcelona, good for 6th international against 25,815 pigeons.
“Prins Didibis”: won 2nd club Barcelona, 5th provincial, 35th national, and 140th international against 22,887 pigeons in 2006. Thus, “Prins Didibis” was a co-winner of the Barcelona Masters championship in 2006. Noteworthy is that the mother of “Prins Didibis” was a pure “Didi” hen, obtained via Joseph Vandenbroucke from Wielsbeke: the breeder of the “Didi” line that brought Etienne Devos his worldwide fame.
Reference André Vermote (Oostende)
2nd National Narbonne 2019 against 3,580 pigeons --> grandson of "Mister Castres"
Reference Glen Cameron (Scotland)
Impressive results with the line of "Mister Castres" and "Perpignan", achieved in the toughest races including:
- "Branch" grandson "Perpignan" wins 1st National Roye, 3rd National Roye (836 km)
- 7th open Scottish National Alencon 918 km --> granddaughter "Perpignan"
- 6th Open Scottish National Nort-sur-Erdre 1012 km --> granddaughter "Perpignan"
- 5th Open Scottish National Grevillers 798 km --> grandson "Perpignan"
- 2023 Scottish National Average / Champions
- 2024 Scottish National Average / Champions runner up
- 2023 3rd UK Golden Duif championships.
We invite you to join us in the long list of top performances that the distance flyers from the Messiaen loft have accumulated over the years, with the highlights being the annual Barcelona classics: