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In word and images (17-04-25)

 

In words and images

Sometimes images say more than words. And things that have been depicted also remain engraved in the memory longer.  For a change, there is not too much text in this issue, but themes are clarified with photos. Is something different too.

 Jars of minerals.

  1. Minerals (grit, sand, shells, stones and so on) are important for pigeons. According to scientists, infinitely more important than, for example, vitamins. In the past, pigeons sought it in the fields, now they are available in several forms and names.
    They may differ in composition but are almost all useful. 'Jars of minerals should be in your lofts at all times', wrote a nutritionist. The good man undoubtedly means well, but I doubt whether he races with pigeons himself. If it stands for a while, pigeons don't like it anymore because dust gets on it or gets damp. Superman Albert Derwa sprinkles it on the loft. Because it is cleaned daily, he knows for sure that it is fresh.

 

 

  1. ‘Eye graders’
    Trying to read quality from the eyes, it is as old as pigeon sport. For example, many American or Chinese fanciers will never visit fellow fanciers anywhere without their 'glasses'.
    Here too there are 'eyes men'. They think that the eyes should contain 'serifs', that dark eyes are good for long distance and dark weather, light eyes for sprint and clear weather.
    One even talks about plus and minus eyes and 'star eyes for night flyers'. I was once with a foreigner at Gust Janssen Beerse.
    The foreigner had also brought his 'glasses' and kept peeking into the eyes. It clearly started to irritate Gust because he whispered to me: 'Now he can look until he weighs an ounce, he will never find what he is looking for.'
    But there are more 'strong' statements regarding those so-called eye graders. Carlens: 'You should look the seller in the eye better'.
    A Dutch champion: 'You shouldn't look at those eyes, you should look at how pigeons look at you.'

  

 

  1. Jeugdiger
    It is striking how many fanciers from the East, Middle East and also Eastern European countries are, on average, younger than here.
    Champion racers here are also different. Photos of them at champion ceremonies show that the average champion here is a lot younger than the average fancier. Christian van de Wetering, who has performed phenomenally at a very young age, is By the way, speaking of young people, just about everything in sports is going backwards. Except for the number of pros who try to make their living by selling birds.

 

 

  1. Dead babies.
    Much has been said and written about paratyphoid. Especially about the symptoms. In the past, people used to point out limping and drooping wings. Now more on losing weight, too green manure, going blind and... young with full crop dead in the nest from one day to the next, sometimes only a few days old. That should ring alarm bells. Act immediately in case of.

  

Paratyphoid for sure

 

5 Motivation

Some believe in motivation, others don't. I didn't in my younger years. 'It's only about good pigeons, the rest is nonsense', I also thought. But I took that too literally.
Gust Christiaens and Roger Buvens, unfortunately they both passed away, were phenomenal with youngsters in life and opened my eyes.
Both believed that you can take pigeons to a higher level. Me now too. For example, both deceased supermen found paired hens a super good good position. Because they want to breed at the same time and you can teach them to hate each other. Such hens also performed enormously in my loft in the past, especially in National Orleans.

 

 Paired hens, a super position

  1. Adeno
    The fright of just about every fancier is Adeno with their youngsters, although the ailment seems to be getting less serious.
    Many specialized veterinarians have good medicines available that sometimes make young recover completely. Provided that you intervene in time. This 'timely intervention' did not happen to young who can no longer stand, but have sat or lie down. They are irretrievably lost.

 

Such a bird is lost.

 

  1. Enjoy 
    You often hear older people say how they can enjoy their pigeons. Especially during the 'Corona lock down' when they were housebound. 'Without pigeons, I would never have survived', claimed such a single elderly person. Possibly exaggerated, but still. Cor Zweere, unfortunately deceased enjoyed the sport so much at nearly 90 years old.
    I even suspected him of enjoying pigeon sport more than others. Fanciers who raed up to 250 birds? He did not care.

  f you keep

Cor Zweere at nearly 90 still pigeon crazy

 

8. Catapults

Lofts 'between the houses', flat roofs, can cause a lot of annoyance. Once they get used to it, pigeons can hardly get away from the water on it. A slingshot, such as fishermen use to shoot bait, can help. You can aim quite accurately with it. Pieces of potatoes or acorns are excellent ammunition. Hearing the ticking is often enoughto get them fly up.

 

 

  1. The Old Light.
    Schoolstraat 10 Arendonk was once a place of pilgrimage for pigeon fanciers from all over the world.
    It had a reason that the Descheemaecker family had a duplicate of the interior of the house made. In the photo what it looks like now. The name of this housing complex (now the name of a pigeon) will make people think in many years' time to come.

 

The old house of the Janssen Bros was replaced by a building complex, called
'Den Oude Lichte', the name of a Janssen pigeon.   

 

  1. One Loft Races.
    They are controversial. One can be for or against.
    Some call it the salvation of the pigeon sport and breed only for such 'honest showdowns'. Others say: 'I find them disgusting. When racing pigeons I want to have everything under control'. After seeing this picture, you may understand 'the others'. Impressive in any case.

The blue cock in the middle is my favorite.