A lot of space, a few pigeons: Marcel Vercammen never had many pigeons and he prefers it this way. Of course, he can’t score by the dozen but when they put in some money in the “old days” and Marcel wanted to win, he continued to race the pigeons in that same style. When we take a look at the results, we notice that a lot of class is present here.
With a racing team that contains a maximum of 14 cocks and 16 hens, both raced by the system of pure widowhood. With this team they really have enough work to do! “If all these birds become toppers one day, I’ll put an extra box in the loft”, is Marcel Vercammen’s slogan. Week in week out, they score with a high percentage of prizes and of course, he would prefer it to be as close to the top as possible.
It’s noticeable that at his age, it’s not that easy anymore but the passion is still there and if it’s necessary, Marcel can always count on the help of his wife. Nevertheless, he still is , “a fine fancier” – as we say in the pigeon world, who has a lot of respect for the results of his feathered friends. In the beginning, his colony was based on pigeons of Van Hove-Uytterhoeven, Putte and Frans Van Beirendonck (“Bosduif” strain). These were reinforced with Eddy Janssens birds, Zandhoven (Kannibaal Dirk Van Dijck strain) – These strains resulted in the famous “tornado pair”, the parents of several top pigeons like “Blue Ace” – 1st reserve in the Olympics Middle Distance Poznan, 2011. The victories of this top hen include: 1. Provinzial Bourges against 3,292 pigeons – 2. Provinzial Bourges against 4,376 pigeons – 1. Etampes against 2,843 Tauben – 2. Marne against 1.319 pigeons … Later there also were 4 grandchildren of the “Kaasboer” Gaston Van De Wouwer – obviously absolute winners. Cross-breeding with the Blue Ace strain resulted in many toppers, including “Spirit” – Nestmate Spirit” – “Gold Spirit” – “Silver Spirit” – Blue Spirit” – ”Tricha” – “Shara” – “Axana” – “Jessica” – “Yanina” ….. He takes care of all these pigeons with a lot of love and passion, as if they were his own children. They can lay a maximum of 4 clutches of eggs, he’s very careful with them!
The breeders also have a lot of space and before the breeding period starts, they regularly receive Taubenfit E50 because this product promotes good egg-laying and fertilisation. Besides this, they also receive a mix of several supplements such as mineral feed (Zucht & Mauser mineral), minerals (Topfit) and Expert Mineral – plus a pickstone 2 to 3 times a week. With their drinking water, the breeders and the “free” pigeons get Avidress Plus everyday and sometimes he adds some Usne Gano. The partners of the racing pigeons also receive this because it’s very important that ALL the birds are free of canker and it reduces the chance of several infections!
Only a few pigeons in one compartment!
This way, it’s much easier to keep the pigeons in good health and they find it much easier to motivate themselves by their territory; an extra box, an extra shelf, can sometimes work miracles! Keeping to to the classic system; it enables them to score well for a longer time. In the spring, they’re slowly trained and when the weather allows it, they’re put in the basket for Quiévrain (100 km) and step by step, the distance is increased. The hens participate in the difficult middle distance races (500 – 600 km), while the widowers take part in the small middle distance races – with an occasional national race.
When the birds arrive home from a race, they always receive Avipharm (electrolytes) + Mumm (glucose and vitamin C ), which makes sure they recover well and quickly. During the week, the combination is Avidress Plus + UsneGano and if they don’t eat enough, he adds some extra UsneGano, which usually has an excellent effect. The day before basketing, they usually receive Gervit-W. this provides them with extra reserves and the feathers become softer. All of this normally gives better results.
They always kept the knife sharp here in Vremde; if you do everything necessary, the birds have to go along with it and win prizes – this is the only way to top results. Those that do well for 3 or 4 years, move to the breeding loft and most of the time, the better pigeons are born out of the best racers. Of course, there are always exceptions; every year a few youngsters are kept through the winter. These are the descendants of the best birds and of course, they need to possess a good physique and show qualities that please both fanciers. Usually these are “summer youngsters”, trained in their year of birth up to Noyon.
Furthermore, it’s also very important that the young birds are in good health; the healthier, the better. Every day, the youngsters receive Avidress Plus and UsneGano in their drinking water and in the first two months, Entrobac mixed in the food 3 to 4 times a week (this reinforces the immune system and prevents various young bird diseases such as the adenovirus,..)
Marcel Vercammen prefers to do everything on a regular basis. A consistent system gives more stability to the pigeons. This way, you create a basic rhythm and the birds are then able to take part in races for the entire season. By using the Röhnfried products, he supports them in a scientific and natural way. When they arrive home after a race, they always receive electrolytes and glucose (Mumm), then Entrobac and Energy oil. These products ensure that the digestive system will be OK in no time at all. When the race was hard, they need Hessechol (this makes sure the liver recovers well) and here he adds Pavifac beer yeast. On Tuesday evening and Wednesday, the birds receive Gervit W and Ro 200 condition powder so they can build the reserves they need for the next race. After taking part in competitions for a period of 6 weeks, he also uses Blitzform because some extra iodine can work miracles.
General feeding schedule
After the race: Avipharm + Mumm – plus Avisana eye-drops
On the Sunday: drinking water: Avidress + UsneGano; feed: Entrobac + Energy oil
On the Monday: drinking water : Avidress + UsneGano; feed: Entrobac
On the Tuesday: drinking water: Hexenbier; feed: Pavifac
On the Wednesday: drinking water: Hexenbier or Blitzform; feed: Gervit-W + RO 200
On the Thursday: day of basketing pure water; pure food