Moorslede, Belgium – History repeats itself, and not in the least for Luc and Hilde Sioen from Moorslede. During the 2013 season the ‘Nomi’… a hen with Dutch origins (Willem de Bruijn)… triumphed with a fantastic national victory against 13,135 yearlings in a very difficult race from Poitiers.
Exactly one year later… during that same race from Poitiers… the ‘Willemina’ (B13/3138072) showed herself to be the strongest of 14,109 yearlings. It was once again a hen out of two pigeons, direct Willem de Bruijn that managed to take a lead of 10 minutes on the other yearlings. And with 1,121.69 mpm, she was also the fastest of all 26,486 Poitiers flyers!
After having secured a 1st and 4th national last year, the Sioen team managed to win the 1st and 9th national this year. And once again this race from Poitiers was difficult enough for only the very best pigeons to succeed!
It’s true… when we mention quality in West-Vlaanderen, we have to go to Moorslede. After having won the 1st national La Souterraine 1999… 1st National La Souterraine 2001… 1st national/international St. Vincent 2006… 1st national Poitiers 2013… and now the 1st national Poitiers 2014, they have already sampled the taste of success… but one can never get enough of that feeling!
In addition to the lofts for the long-distance pigeons, in 1998 the Sioen team built a small compartment from which they planned to race middle-distance and long middle-distance… and wife Hilde would look after this. The basis for this colony was primarily bought from Willem de Bruijn and Rik Hermans (together, they make up about 90% of the actual basis), and also a few pigeons from Rik Cools and Eric Vermander.
In 2014, they started the season with 28 hens (14 old hens + 14 yearlings) on widowhood. These hens were paired on 1st March and reared a couple of young. The cocks were put separate with one young… and the hens were trained while raising the other young, and then entered in the races on widowhood.
After having been taken out three times for training, they were transported to Arras… 2x Clermont… Fontenay… Tours… then they flew a provincial race from Bourges… national Bourges… Chateauroux… and now the race from Poitiers, which makes a grand total of five long middle-distance races in succession.
The team of hens is raced on classic widowhood and is basketed every week. At basketing, cocks and hens come together for one hour. During the week, the hens sit on a perch in front of their nest box. In the beginning of the week, they are fed sparingly. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday they get ‘Recup’… on Tuesday and Wednesday ‘Opbouw’… on Thursday ‘Energy’ with regularly a few peanuts in between. On Sunday and Monday, they get Oregano-oil + Probac 1000 over the feed… on Tuesday and Wednesday Lecithin-oil, and after returning from a race they get Sedochol in the drinking water.
From the start of the season, every week after coming home from a race, the hens get yellow drops against trichomonas. On Monday they are given Schliepzand. This product that is as old as Rome, but it is a substitute for antibiotics against respiratory infections.
The ‘Willemina’ is a hen out of the second breeding round from the end of February 2013. She was trained without pressure and only twice entered in a race. This year, she came back slightly injured in the morning from the first training flights and after that they took things easy with her.
Poitiers was the second race that she was entered for, and what does she do… she wins 1st national against 14,094 yearlings.
The ‘Alexia’ (B13/3138081) out of ‘Apollo Junior’ (Willem de Bruijn) x ‘Dochter Propere’ (Rik Hermans) won the 9th national Poitiers against 14,094 pigeons (as first nominated), and is another hen with the mentality of a champion.
In all of this a word of thanks is in order for Willem de Bruijn, of whom Luc and Hilde Sioen bought some super youngsters. In a season and a half, the offspring of these pigeons won 2 x 1st national Poitiers and 2nd national Bourges (Kati Lippens)!
Hugo
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