The Reims brothers, who are famous for their "Jeff" international championship in Barcelona. This year their pigeons once again demonstrated their strength in this classic ultra-long distance classic. "The preparation was almost perfect," Sting says. "We've started the season well and every week we are basketed. From April we basket on Saturdays, Wednesdays, and again on Saturdays. This was followed by two Soissons, Sablis and Wilsons, then another Soissons, and finally all the pigeons raced in Limoges. We pair the pigeons on April 20th, says Jerohn. Which pigeons will be paired up in which race has been determined in winter. They pair according to the schedule so that all pairs can be basketed when the eggs are incubated for 10 days. Yearlings compete in Valjean and Narbon. Due to pairing issues, we competed as widowers at this year's Arjean race. As a fancier, you need to observe and act accordingly on changes in the loft, explains Jerron.
The genes of "Jeff" occupy an important place in the entire pigeon breed. "Barcelona, our 2nd and 5th homing pigeons are half brothers of 'Jeff' and we are very happy about that. The first homing pigeon "Katrien" is from "Roderik" x "Elien", of which "Rodick" is the direct son of the 16th "Nathan" of the Barcelona International, and "Alan" is from the Barcelona national champion "Hilke": this hen has an extraordinary pedigree", says Sting. "I noticed that she and her pair suddenly didn't want to hatch again after a week of laying eggs, and I don't know why. I put a 12-day-old young bird from other pairs into their nest box. The pair received the young pigeons, which I later put back into the parents' nest box twice a day to feed and then took back the nest box of "Katrien" and its paired pigeons. Is this what inspires her fighting spirit? Who can tell? Observe and deal with what happens, Yerone has already mentioned this", Sting laughed.
Our second homing pigeon "Marcel" is the half brother of "Jeff". "Jeff" 's mother was a top breeding female, much to the satisfaction of the Lance brothers.
Despite the very difficult race, the hen returned from Barcelona quickly. They are already preparing for the Bopina race and we will decide which pigeon to basket later. We use (leisure + sport) feed for 3 consecutive days, hoping to ensure that 90-95% of the feed is eaten. The last 3 days before basketing the pigeons are fed with Eddie long-distance feed, but not too much. It must be ensured that the feed is eaten in its entirety. Young birds are only basketed to increase their racing experience, as long as they can return home.
Our first designated pigeon "Ruud" is currently the absolute star of the loft. Last year she finished 29th in Barcelona and this year she finished 56th in Barcelona. His report card grows every year. He is also a half-brother of "Jeff".
In the recent Tabis International, the Reims brothers also achieved excellent results, with four pigeons in the top 100 in the country and 8-13-18-48 in the national Tabis race. It is no coincidence that the first 2 homing pigeons came from the straight daughter and sister of "Jeff".