How did the year go from your perspective?

'Last year, after 39 years in the old RV, we switched to a new RV and this year we traveled in the RV Fliedetal for the first time. The change in location meant that we are only about 44 km behind the first breeders in our FG. At the beginning of the season I tried to travel some hens from the nest, but I stopped the experiment very quickly. We were satisfied with the birds' performance because we were able to become 1st bird champion in the RV and also achieved 2 x 1st prize. However, there is a very bitter aftertaste because top performers with double-digit prices from previous years were repeatedly lost on 'normal' flights. In addition, it can be mentioned that the young bird flights for us simply went very badly.”

What changes have you made compared to last year?

“This year, for the first time, we fed our racing pigeons using a “full trough method” from April to August. We mixed equal parts of Mifuma Energy, Relax and Power Mix and fed them ad libitum. When temperatures were very high, we added a little paddy rice to the mix, and on subsequent flights we added hemp and corn. The pigeons felt very voluminous and I liked it a lot. I will definitely keep it that way.”

Which three products would you not want to do without?

'Blitzform is essential for us in the race, because we use it every week to get the pigeons in top form. In addition, Carni-Speed is particularly important for me before the season, because it makes the pigeons enjoy flying excellently. For flights over 400 km, we give Rotosal and RO 200ready at the weekend. This provides a boost in form. I often use OptiBreed in breeding and with the young horses, because young horses that are cared for in this way grow up perfectly.”

What are your top performers at the moment?

“In recent years we have tried to integrate our top performers from the travel team into breeding and this has worked very well with our “Chinese” and “El Cid”. These birds are paired with females from absolute top families, for example, which are bought from the Herbots family.'

The 'Chinese' - one of the breeding pillars at the moment

A small team with a great performance

“The SG Tim and Uwe Müller started the season with a team of around 30 widowers. Although expectations were not high given the small team, the young team did extremely well. The year began for the “Müllers” with a very successful breeding season. The racing season was not as good as usual due to the many flights with a tailwind. The young birds were in excellent form up until the first prize tour, but this flight went very poorly, which is why participation in the young bird race was stopped.”

Which pigeon lines were your top performers this year?

“Our best bird this year was a pure Peeters von Crombruggen. This bird flew 13/12 and was thus the best yearling bird in the RV. Other outstanding pigeons come from our two ace birds “El Cid” and “Chinese”. We also received reinforcements from SG Wolf from Wittenburg, with whom we exchange pigeons every year. This year they were also able to benefit from our breeding loft again.”

Which products were particularly important to you this year and how did you use them?

“Supplying our pigeons with Röhnfried products played a crucial role throughout the year. For the breeding pigeons, we regularly use Avidress Plus and mineral drink. At the same time, we continually enrich the feed with OptiBreed and Topfit. This way, our young birds develop excellently. During the racing season, we use Bio-Air-Fresh every day, which we spray directly onto the cell seats of the widowers. During the moulting period, we rely entirely on the methionine-containing products Hessechol and Taubengold. Breeders who visit us after moulting are always amazed by the silky plumage of our pigeons, which fully confirms our approach.”

Which flights have you remembered particularly well this year and why?

“The first flight was not satisfactory with 5/26 prizes. We had previously carried out an extremely poorly run private training flight and suspect that the pigeons were unsettled by this. The flights at Falkenburg with 18/25 and in Plattling with 13/16 prizes as well as the overall race performance of 49.7% give us hope for the next season.”

What advice do you have for sports enthusiasts who have just started the hobby?

“Keep a manageable number of pigeons and only buy new pigeons from lofts that have proven to be good racers. The loft should support you in caring for the pigeons and provide advice.'