Because several visits abroad and a recent rapport about the Veterinary Congress in Nitra (Slovakia), you didn’t get a lot of news about what’s happening on Blue Heaven Loft. So today we will start again. The breeding period did go very well and all youngsters of the fist round of the breeders are exploring the area by fluttering from one shelve to another. In contrast with the previous years, we didn’t let them vaccinate against Paramixo/Pox yet. Before, they were vaccinated for the first time from the moment they were weaned and afterwards, this was repeated when they were about 60 days old.  We think that because they didn’t build enough resistance at the age of 22 till 26 days, it’s better to let them vaccinate when they reached the age of 2 months. So now only one vaccination instead of two at an interval of 5-6 weeks.

With VERSELE-LAGA Super Subliem breed mixture (3/4) and the LUIKSE mixture (1/4), which mainly contain peas which contain many proteins and this contribute to the growth of the little ones. We will hold on to this proportion till the youngsters are two months old and they already are vaccinated Paramixo/Pox. Next they get 100% moulting mixture (VERSELE-LAGA): in the morning ¼ of their daily portion and in the late afternoon they get the rest; ¾ moulting mixture.

“Blue Heaven Loft”, the youngsters of 2013, hope for the future with 7 national flights in view

Today, February 23rd, we noticed that our youngsters are starting to lose their little feathers on the breast and the neck. So the time to start darkening is coming close now. Our prospects remain the same. In a little while, we will arrange the clock so the rollers are going up and down at the right time. This will make sure that our little ones will be darkened automatic for at least 14 hours. For convenience, we arrange this in BLUE HEAVEN LOFT from 18.00 h. PM till 08.00 h AM.. During the period of darkening, which continues till 4 weeks before the first national race from Bourges (the end of July), we never let our youngsters go outside before 11 o’clock AM..  So in fact, they always have about 3 hours time to get used to the daylight. We think this to be important because at that moment we can provide them with a lot of grit and little stones on the floor in the corridor in front of the compartments. And do they like it?  Try it yourself.
In the drinking water, our youngsters get several things but in turn and for a long time: “VITA DUIF”, “HERBOCHOL”,”AMINOVIT” and “NATURALINE”.

About the racers on “BLUE HEAVEN LOFT”, this is completely different. As we mentioned before, they were paired on February 2nd.  As the previous years, they didn’t get more light this time either. We had our first egg at February 12th. The paring went well and it wasn’t very hard to learn to know the boxes for the yearling hens because they got in and out their boxes one at a time. Once they got eggs, all boxes were opened an then the problems started. The cock of box 1 beat the cock of box 2 out of his box, not just once but several times even when I watched them.  I lost my patience, took the intruder and pulled out his tail completely. But this didn’t work either so we locked them back inside and started all over with a lot of patience. Finally, it all became calm again. But when rest seem to return and we could breath again more easily, another problem appeared when I noticed that the cock of box 3 (at the same height of box 1 and 2) was breeding on the eggs in box 2. It’s a cock of 2010 with some experience and his hen stays on the eggs for a long time, while her partner seems to be breeding elsewhere.  Of course this gave many battles, broken eggs, blooded noses and wounded eyes. Of course it’s a fact that our racers don’t get a lot of opportunity to get a nest and raise youngsters. Normally this happens once in spring and then they don’t get to lay a second time because once the youngsters are 10-12 days old, they leave to the youngster loft with their mother, where they live together till they are 18-21 days.  Then the hens move to the compartment where they have to race. In Autum, before the last nationals, the races are put on a nest artificially. They get plastic eggs while the feeders will take care of grain youngsters when the time has come to put them under the racers.
We can make the conclusion that those cocks that are played on widowhood throughout the year, will develop the urge to get a family.  Because of hardship of this, the urge will grow even more.
The hens, the weaker sex, are different. Try it out.  In the early afternoon, when the cocks are on the eggs, try to let them inside where they have a nest. Normally they do it  with only a tic-toc on the floor with a stick. But when the cocks are on the nest, they don’t listen at all or you have to force them and finally chase them into their box. These hens know very well and you see it a lot, that their partner will leave the nest when the hens return earlier as normal to take their place. Cocks that want to sit on their eggs and hens that have problems with it during the day. It’s a conclusion and isn’t this the reason why they call it the “ANIMALS WORLD”? While we men are always ready to multiply, our women often only have eye for their household. That’s probably the reason that we belong to “MENHOOD” ?
Also our racers get darkened at the same time with the youngsters but not so long, only till the end of April because the old and yearlings are already racing and they need more light and sunshine to score good results. And now, during the breeding of our racers, our vet Raf Herbots has vaccinated with Clombovac Paramixo/Pox. At the same time, we let him do the same with our test pilots, which we play every year from half May till the last national race on September 7th.
P.S. : Our test pilots (as I explained already before) are yearlings which were born at the end of May and which stayed in the aviaries till the beginning of September, without being released a single time. Every year again, around September 1st, we move a selected group of pigeons to the youngsters loft, which are empty at that time.  Here they get released early in the morning when it rains and we always open the loft the evening before.
At this moment, our racers get the moulting mixture Subliem of Versele-Laga, not too much, we prefer not to feed a lot because we want to prevent them to become too fat, otherwise they have to get writ of it all by training very hard and that’s not good before a new season. In the drinking water of our racers, we regularly use “SEDOCHOL”, “VITA DUIF”, AMINOVIT” and “VIOR”, while the food is mixed with BMX Beer yeast, after it’s moistened with Omega 3 Oil .Two or three times a week is not too much. The pigeons get a nice pink breast and very soft feathers, which is positive for the next hard working season 2013.

“FUGARE” : This pigeon manifestation got what it earned; a lot of success with which as well the organisers as the participators earn a feather. Many visitors of several neighbour countries like France, Germany, Holland and England made it all something to remember. The participators did good business and this stimulates the organisers to continue. The experience of this organisation, in co-operation with the KBDB, could make it possible to organise the next National Days.  And who knows, may be the organisation of the next International Olympiad in 2017 in Brussels

“GOUDEN DUIF” :  The Golden Pigeon celebration is organised every year by the pigeon paper “DE DUIF” and as always it was a great success. This celebration has become an international event, where all winners are true champions.  Sometimes, it even gets emotional but that is no problem at all….

“CALENDER K.B.D.B.” :  the new management of the K.B.D.B. kept its word and we need to congratulate them for it. Their National Calender was almost not changed and they also approved to organise more national races on the heavy middle distance. The championships can be won by the results on the national races. Only the national and local doubles will be obliged. On zonal level, the participators will always be classified.  For the championships on the heavy middle distance, we don’t have to send any result but the KBDB will make the classification themselves by local and national results. Isn’t this good?  One thing has to be watched.  With all national races on the heavy middle distance till and with the last race from Gueret, it’s mentioned that there will be a participation of old + yearlings + youngsters. Si I think that on the last two national races, the old and the yearlings will have to race together against the youngsters, as it always has been before. At this moment, everybody will have 35 opportunities to win a national race on the heavy middle distance. This is without counting National Zone A-B-C.
Only one condition : you have to participate…
We in “Blue Heaven Loft” are very happy with this. I know it will be another challenge,  an obsession and I can tell already now that we will take every opportunity. And we’re formal with it : if we won’t  win a national in 2013, we didn’t play well and we aren’t doing what we should do. But may be I’m wrong? Who am I to talk like this? Those who’ll live, will see and hear…Our preparation starts on March 1st… Will you participate too? Not only with a favourable wind but on all races? Don’t forget; the wind at the moment of basketing is not always the same on the moment of the release and so you could be sorry not to have participated…

Read for you : stolen from a course of my daughter Linda “Pharmaceutical aids.
I quote literal: “Protection against UV radiation “. The sun is a source of energy and nothing on earth can live without it. The sun gives us warmth and makes sure we get vitamin D. (we already knew…) The sun also causes sun burn (we already knew), but it can also create skin cancer (already heard about it), but the sun also speeds up the aging process…this I didn’t know at all. “Our sun has an important influence on the aging process.  So as you see, we’re never too old to learn.

Electro-activated water, a must for everyone

New things :  the Firm HERBOVET, led by our vet Raf Herbots, recently presented a new product : “ELECTRO ACTIVATED WATER”. It’s a fluid based on sodium hypochloride. It has a very positive influence on all kinds of bacteria, mould and virus. Its disinfecting aspects create an optimal health for our birds. We all know that many diseases can be passed on by the drinking water. “Electro Activated Water” doesn’t allow this and prevents it. The result is that we don’t have to use that much antibiotics any longer. When you ask me, this is an important advantage…
March 1st… spring is in the air and I already feel it in my body and it’s not easy to control. Nevertheless, it’s always beautiful when we can flower together with nature!
To all that read me, I wish the same feeling…
Saty in good health and enjoy life because this don’t last forever….

Your servant

THE LOST SON