“She came completely from the east,” Stephan Michiels says when talking about the arrival of the national Sancoins winner “Serena”. As a youngster, “Serena” had already been crowned the 20th National KBDB All-Round Ace Pigeon, and she has now added the proverbial icing on the cake to her impressive record by winning 1st National Sancoins against 15,830 yearling pigeons. Not only did she outclass all the competitors in her own category, but she was also the fastest of all 25,412 pigeons competing from Sancoins.

Three weeks ago, Sabrina and Stephan had already won 2nd National La Châtre, and perhaps this was a sign from above that they would not have to wait much longer for their fifth national victory. “Well... to win a national race everything has to fall into place,” Stephan explains. “I basketed for these races with a certain amount of doubt. Not only was there the weekend of June 27 and 28, when all races were cancelled, but the weekend before that we did not participate in any race either. How did I deal with this in terms of management? It all started with the daily training sessions. Because of the heat, the hens were only allowed to train in the morning. They train with the flag for at least one hour. To keep the hens motivated, they were allowed to stay with their cock for about four hours during the first weekend without racing. The following weekend they spent one hour together. During this period they were fed lightly and in limited quantities. To keep them sharp, they were released in Thorembais on the Tuesday before basketing for Sancoins. The hens stormed home, and Sabrina noticed that their determination to rush back home was stronger than ever. They would have flown straight through anything. After this training they were allowed to cuddle with their partner for one hour before being placed in the aviary, where they were given a bath.”

Four hens for one cock

The system Stephan uses with his “ladies' team” has already been described in detail several times on the Herbots website, but here are a few important points once again. Stephan races exclusively with hens, with four hens being paired to one cock. Upon returning home, it is literally a case of taking turns to spend time with the gentleman. The feed comes from Aidi, while the supplements on the shelf are from Röhnfried. Both before departure and upon return they receive BT Amin together with Nano Tollyamin (Schroëder). On Mondays they receive Atemfrei, while Carni Speed, RO200, Blitzform and Gervit W are given according to need and feeling.

Also 1st Provincial Limoges

When I had finished taking the photographs of the national winner, the clocks had already started ticking and they took their usual seats on their familiar bench, from where they enjoy a perfect view of the pigeons' arrival. The pigeons from Limoges were expected, and once again the Sabrina Brugmans colony excelled by winning 1st Provincial against 579 old pigeons.

"Serena"
BE25-5014362
1st National Sancoins 15,830 yearbirds
Fastest of 25,412b.

Distance: 483km
Velocity: 1,415 m/m
 

Stefan Mertens