Jo and Florian Hendriks, Nijswiller
Sourdun Province Limburg the Netherlands - 2008

Was it coincidence or am I psychic?
In the RD last week you could read about a certain FH and his remarkable performances. The absolute highlight being the long wished for result from Sourdun.
1st Provincial Sourdun Province Limburg.
The preceding days the weather prophets hadn't predicted much good and it was a question of waiting until 12 o'clock. The pigeons were liberated with a strong south-westerly wind. They had not imagined beforehand in the Hendriks Household that the head bird would land in South-Limburg. After all the reportings were made it was clear that the winner was indeed by Jo & Florian.
The 1st Provincial Sourdun against 8.423 Limburg clappers is a fact. An award for something that was expected to happen for a long time. Earlier this year in the very tough and hot Chateauroux the 1st provincial was just stolen from them. It was now at long last the long coveted first prize. Even the fact that the pigeon wasted three minutes before he entered the trap didn't do any harm, at last the well-deserved first prize.

Strong ascent
Jo and Florian Hendriks, rising strongly for years. They infested the South eastern corner with mega results that made you dizzy. They were also always at the front provincially. This year they participated for the first time in the 1-day Long Distance races. And not without success. In fact it couldn't have been better. The pigeons returned from Chateauroux and Blois as if they had been liberated 5kms away. They can add numerous titles to their list of honours this year, including the 1st provincial Ace pigeon Middle Distance. I can't exactly remember how I first came into contact with them. I think I mailed Florian about Vandenabeele pigeons. Because this is one area that we are both passionate about. Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons. Grandmaster himself and (in my view) owner of the best that you could wish for as fancier. Silky soft strong pigeons that can stand any conditions. Pigeons wherein the inheriting of good qualities is so deeply anchored that it can almost no longer go wrong. The Saturday before Sourdun Florian and I were guests by this grandmaster.
Gaby missed by a hair's breadth the 1st provincial Tours.

1-Day long distance champion
By Jo and Florian the 07-124 alias "Limburgs Best" was 1st Ace pigeon 1-day Long Distance Province Limburg 2008, 50% Vandenabeele. Last year 3rd and 4th National Orléans Juniors, both 50% Vandenabeele. Ah well, I could fill a hundred pages with examples of performances with Vandenabeele-blood.

Vandenabeele
Family Hendriks is, becoming a second branch Vandenabeele.
The best of the best from Gaby is housed in their breeding loft. Time and again I can't believe my eyes. Children James Bond, Bliksem, Iron Wittenbuik, Dreamer etc. Bought to take on the whole of Limburg. But that wasn't enough. Florian has a passion for children out super pigeons of whoever. Herman and Janus Borgmans, Gerard and Bas Verkerk, Broers Engels, Eric Berckmoes, Antoon and Hilde Reynaert, Rudi Diels and not forgetting uncle Thijs Vluggen. This year there was also bred with Pros Roosen.
Pros was lent the three best breeding hens and coupled these with his best breeders. The result was magnificent. According to Florian, if they are now at the top of the list then it is good. The breeding pigeons live above the garage and by friend Jo Phijl in Vaals.
In Vaals Jo has made separate breeding boxes. They live like royalty! In this way the descent is certain. Jo Phijl is of course present every week when the pigeons return home from a race.

Super breeder "Popeye"
So as you have been able to read in earlier reports, he possesses the super breeder Popeye. Popeye himself is again a product of the unequalled "Kleine 273".
The 273 shined weekly by Thijs Vluggen. He won provincially the following top prizes 7/5273 NPO Sezanne, 8/7323 NPO Bourges, 12/8231 NPO Bourges, 27/8847 NPO Sourdun. He bought this 273 in 2002 from his uncle Thijs Vluggen who in turn had obtained him as a youngster from Loed Senden, also well-known in pigeon land.
Popeye was born in 2002 from a couple of eggs that Florian had obtained form uncle Thijs before Florian bought the 273. That Popeye can be labelled as a super breeder is clear from the performances of his offspring:
"Favoriet"
1st 1.680d Sezanne
1st 1.730d. Sens
1st 833d. Rethel
"Bont 355" :
1st 1.190d. Sezanne
"Bont 160"
1st 1.043d. Reims
3rd 1.062d. Etampes
"Den Artiest"
1st 649d. Marche
5th 478d. Rethel
6th 633d. Marche
"Geschelpte Popeye"
1st 856d. Isnes
"Blauwe Popeye" :
2nd 3.138d Nat. NPO Chateauroux
41th 2.210d. Nat NPO La Souterraine
44th 4.447d. Nat. NPO Bourges

With such an unequalled breeder under the roof, a lot just takes it's course. He is now father of "Asterix" who won the 1st NPO Sourdun. Mother is a hen from Mike Ganus out his famous Mattens cock.
The Mattens cock made furore for years by Ad Schaerlaeckens before he sold him to America.
Asterix earlier won:
38th Isnes 1063 pigeons,
21st Charleville 1061 pigeons,
84th Rethel 1015 pigeons
39th Sezanne 803 pigeons.

Yes dear reader, whoever has such class at home is sitting on roses. There are not many such super breeders, and if he continues to breed in this way then Popeye will be in the same class as De Wittenbuik or Kleine Dirk. This is not an exaggeration. If you regularly produce children that tear the whole colony to shreds then you can't get much better. But everything can be improved of course. Toppers under us have the mentality that they are not easily satisfied and things can always be better.
That is naturally so. If your goal is to race the first ten provincially every week then you have a long way to go. And so Florian keeps making breakthroughs. Reading everything, following the results and searching for super pigeons so that he can obtain something out of them.

Results 2008
This report is too short to include all the results. But still, here the results that the youngsters have achieved up until now.
Marche: 1110 pigeons 43/64: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14
Isnes: 1063 pigeons 34/63: 1 - 2 - 28 - 32 - 33 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 40 - 41 - 44 - 46 - 48
Charlev.: 1061 pigeons 42/59: 3 - 4 - 5 - 16 - 18 - 19 - 21 - 22 - 24 - 26 - 27
Rethel 1015 pigeons 32/59: 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 8 - 14 - 15 - 30
Rethel WEFO: 6098 pigeons 33/59: 8 - 9 - 11 - 12 - 15 - 18 - 34 - 39 - 73 - 75
Reims: 888 pigeons 33/59: 2 - 3 - 5 - 9 - 10 - 13 - 16 - 25 -26 - 27 - 28 - 30
Derby Limburg: 3728 pigeons 27/59: 15- 16 -37 - 76 - 80 - 97 - 117
Sezanne 803 pigeons 37/56: 2 - 4 - 6 - 9 - 11 - 12 -15 - 30 - 31 - 38 - 39 - 41
Sezanne Provincial: 5995 pigeons 36/56: 48 - 52 - 57 - 87 - 122 - 135 - 164
Sourdun: 724 pigeons 16/53: 1 - 8 - 9 - 12 - 21 - 27
Sourdun Provincial: 8423 pigeons 12/53: 1 - 131 - 133 - 146 - 236 With the highlight being the 1st race from Marche. Who else can produce such a list??

TOPPER "421"
The 421 has turned out to be a top hen. A hen that will qualify for the best pigeon WHZB month July from the whole of the Netherlands. Talk about a good pigeon. In 4 week's time she raced a 1st, 2nd, 4th and 4th prize against an average of 1000 pigeons !!!!!

Miscellaneous
As a result of searching for many years for good pigeons they now own a stock which makes selecting very difficult. Yet Florian doesn't have a problem with this. Then stricter and only keep the absolute top racers. I'm not going to write about systems or medical matters.
There has already been enough written about these things. Nobody does anything and if the toppers do do anything then they are not going to tell you of course! The youngsters are darkened from the beginning of June and are lightened from the longest day until ten thirty in the evening.
Once per week Florian trains them from a distance of 20 km. In the beginning the youngsters are raced together and they are allowed to build a nest. When the provincial races are about to start then they are raced with the sliding door system. When they return home they are given electrolytes in the drinking water.
On the advice of Vandenabeele the youngsters are given a pot of boiled tea twice per week to which thyme and sage is added. This is very good for the airways. Beech chips with aubiose. This is now one dry manure mass. Very healthy for the pigeons according to Florian.
They build up immunity. Since this has been lying on the floor, the Hendriks's haven't had any more trouble from the well known youngster's diseases. Immunity can't be bought in a bottle says Florian. It costs a few tenners more often than once. To give you an example of their passion: After the race they are bathed one by one because they have dirty feet from the baskets which can bring diseases with them. They are directly deliced if they see just one crawling. Nothing is left to chance. The drinking pots are removed from the lofts in the evening and washed out. Everything to keep their pigeons in top condition.
The reward for all their very intensive urge to perform well is then gloriously for…. .