Ooigem, Belgium – An excellent achievement of Ferdy De Scheemaeker from Ooigem, who never the less finds himself internationally at the most thankless of places…2nd international but he succeeds in becoming the fantastic national winner of Belgium.

He sent 6 pigeons (2 cocks + 4 hens) to the Costa Brava for the race from Barcelona… nominated four birds… and won the national honours!

The winning pigeon is the ‘Staf Barcelona’ (B09/3011492), a checkered white-flight cock who cast his first flight during the race.

The base of the De Scheemaeker colony was formed with pigeons from Doede v.d. Veen from Nijbeets… Eric De Vlaeminck from Hulste… Emiel Denys from Tielt… Frans Labeeuw from Bissegem… Marc Verchelde from Zulte… and Lucien Delchambre from Ingelmunster.

Ferdy starts every new season with a team of 20 widowers… 55 young pigeons… and 8 breeding couples.
The widowers were paired around 20th March… they sat eggs for 4 to 5 days… and then started on widowhood. They were taken out by car a couple of times… then they flew 2x Arras… Clermont… 2x Angerville… Montlucon… and then came Barcelona.

As befitting for a Barcelona racer, Ferdy was up very early and activated his pigeon clock at 5.55 am. He went to get the morning paper from the postbox… switched the coffee machine on… and went to take a first look at the sputnik. And yes… there on the flap sat the ‘Staf Barcelona’. The clock indicated 6.13 am… he could even have been clocked a few minutes earlier… who knows?


Before training started, Ferdy took his racing birds to the vet. The team was wormed… and they were treated against trichomonas for five days… but no treatment was given against bronchial infections.

The perfect preparation as it turned out… 1st National and 2nd International… an extra long-distance racer can be satisfied with that!

Hugo