Gaby Vandenabeele ~ Maker of Champion and Super Pedigree

We first came into contact with the ‘lion of Dentergem’ in 1984… the ‘coming man’ at the time… the man that was racing towards national top, first in the ‘grand middle distance’… later also in the long distance. Top successes have never known any secrets for the Vandenabeele family… although these were usually celebrated in intimate circles… because the number of times that Gaby himself rang or wrote to the pigeon media to tell of his exploits or make them public knowledge, is more or less non-existent. Was not necessary… because the performance pressure that the Vandenabeele pigeons applied to their opponents was so superior, so dominant… that within the shortest space of time every self-respecting pigeon reporter was visiting Gaby to write about the heroic deeds of his pigeons, to get to know or discover the man and the method hiding behind this overwhelming performance curve!

Over 30 years at the top
Gaby caught the pigeon bug from the family home when he was very young. Indeed, Father Gentiel was a topper in the middle distance. Because he worked shifts in the factory, Gaby and his older brother Daniel helped to take care of the pigeons. In 1976, further along from the family home in the Wontergemstraat … Gaby started racing under his own name… in the first instance with pigeons from father Gentiel which were a mixture of Desmet-Matthijs x Pol Bostijn. Soon pigeons came from Gilbert Van Parijs from the adjacent borough Aarsele, with whom Gaby was good friends. It was also Gilbert who stood with him at the cradle of the ‘supremacy’ with which Gaby has conquered the world over the last quarter of a century. When Gaby borrowed the ‘Zitterke’ from Jozef Delodder from Zulte in the Spring of 1981,he didn’t readily have a suitable breeding hen to couple with this sublime cock. It was Gilbert Van Parijs who helped Gaby out by lending him his ‘golden breeding mother‘… the wondrous ‘Ameyke’ 419/77… to couple with this ‘Zitterke’. The ‘Ameyke’, when coupled with the old ‘Angoulême’ in the lofts of Van Parijs, were more or less the ‘golden stock couple’ with which Gilbert dominated the grand middle distance and long distance happenings with the youngsters in West-Flanders up until 1983… When he became carer of the Norman-lofts in 1984…  this wonder couple also moved to the lofts of Norbert & Filip Norman, after they had bought the couple for a ‘record amount’ in the total auction of Gilbert Van Parijs… where, amongst other things, they formed the basis for the winning of the 1° National Argenton youngsters in 1989 in ‘Mas Palomas’ in Knokke!

Let this ‘Ameyke’ together with the ‘Zitterke’ Delodder… be the parents of the ‘unbeatable’ stock bear of the colony Gaby Vandenabeele… the world famous ‘Kleinen’ B81-3238253. The rest of the story is sufficiently well known… because in Dentergem this ‘Kleinen 253/01’ became father of an entire mob of exceptional crack pigeons, so as the ‘Picanol 240/82’ (1° Prov Ace pigeon Yearlings KBDB), the ‘Fideel 147/83’ (self 2° Nat Limoges 6.911 p… and grandfather 1° Nat Brive both by the 4.719 old birds as the 3.970 two-year olds), the ‘Stier 028/89’ (1° Prov Orleans, 2° + 3° Prov Chateauroux), the ‘Turbo’ (1° Prov Ace pigeon Log Distance KBDB ’93, 2° Prov Ace pigeon Long Distance KBDB ’94), the ‘Wolfgang’ (father ‘Neptunus’ and grandfather 2° Prize ‘Sun City’ one loft race 2009), the ‘Parel’, the ‘Dokus’, ‘Bambino’… but above all of wonder boy ‘Wittenbuik 112/88’ (1° Intprov Angoulême 2.450 p., 1° Intprov. Poitiers 2.713 p., 1° Intprov Limoges 2.309 p…), without doubt the ‘figurehead’ and ‘sign board’ of the Vandenabeele-colony. Via his son the ‘Kolonel’ he became grandfather of the new figurehead in Dentergem… the now famous ‘Bliksem’… not only a super crack as a racing pigeon, but later also a giant of a top breeder… and already grandfather of powerful 1° Prize winners and 1° Nat Ace pigeons! Not only in Dentergem, but also in numerous other lofts worldwide. We are thinking of a certain Jan Hooijmans from the Dutch Kerkdriel who in 2009 took pigeon loving Holland by surprise with his super crack ‘Harry’ NL017-2007621. He comes from a ‘Son Bliksem’ (an inbred product out the ‘Bliksem’ x ‘Dolores’, a daughter ‘Wittenbuik’ and full sister of the ‘Kolonel’, who is father of the ‘Bliksem’) x ‘Dirkje (daughter ‘Kleine Dirk’ Koopman x ‘Amore’), this ‘Harry won:
1° NPO Blois        5.553 p.
1° NPO Chateauroux    5.979 p.
3° NPO Chateauroux    8.781 p.
1° Nat Ace pigeon Extreme middle distance WHZB 2009
1° Ace pigeon Extreme middle distance ‘The best of the best’ 2009
1° Dutch Ace pigeon West European Counties cup Long Distance in Dortmund 2009

The powerful top racer from the colony of Kristaan Hennes from Rotselaar… the ‘Ballon’ B06-2246393… also comes from a ‘Daughter Bliksem 565/05’! In the autumn of 2009 this super crack moved to the breeding loft of Gommaire Verbruggen, who was very impressed with this pigeon… not only because of his build and pedigree, but most of all for his great performances!
The ‘Ballon’ won the following toppers:

’07 Soissons            752 p.    1

’08 Montluçon S/Nat   7.302 p.   70

’08 Argenton S/Nat    3.144 p.    1

’08 Argenton Nat      5.208 p.   19

’09 Bourges D & D       664 p.    1

         Nat Zone B   9.061 p.   11

         Nat.        27.506 p.   73

’09 Argenton Nat      9.901 p.   47

’09 Pithiviers          964 p.    2    etc

The wonder hen ‘Marieke’ from Rik Cools from Ruiselede was also bred from a ‘Son Bliksem’. This ‘Marieke’ noted down the following toppers:
1° Prov Ace pigeon Long Distance KBDB West-Fl 2008

Gueret         Nat Zone A  5.166 p.   1

Blois          Club          362 p.   1

               Prov        5.035 p.  14

Bourges        Nat        41.873 p. 191

La Souterraine Prov        2.553 p.  17

Also in his own loft the ‘Bliksem line’ once again showed what it was worth in the form of ‘Barnaby’ B08-3035057, coming as an egg from Jos Deno-Herbots… but a 100% Vandenabeele out 2 direct Vandenabeele pigeons, namely… the ‘Schone Bliksem 815/04’ (son of ‘Bliksem’ x ‘Nancy’) x ‘Christina 862/03 (daughter 1° Nat Bourges: ‘James Bond 007/01’ x ‘Vuilke Wittenbuik 245/00). This ‘Barnaby’ performed in Dentergem as follows, before going to the ‘far shores’:

’09 Bourges     Nat    22.499 YL    2

’09 Argenton    Prov    5.251 YL    3

The ‘Harry’ , the ‘Ballon’, ‘Marieke’ and the ‘Barnaby’  are just a few examples from a long list of pigeons…  that have the ‘golden’ Vandenabeele blood… out het world line of the ‘Bliksem’-‘Wittenbuik’ and stock father ‘Kleinen’… flowing through the veins, which in 2009 once again produced miraculous ‘top references’ for the grandmaster from Dentergem. 
The basis of his loft is still formed by this stock line… against which ‘super pigeons’ are then crossed. The question that is probably hanging on everybody’s lip is… on what does a topper like Gaby Vandenabeele base his criteria for introducing new crossing products? First and foremost on performances… in the first place, pigeons of the opposition that make it hot under my feet … and also ‘real crack pigeons’, especially ‘Ace pigeons’… have my preference. The name is not important, but the performances of het pigeon in question… and if possible those of his family! But these days you have to act immediately to be able to obtain such examples… the message is being and staying awake… says Gaby! He doesn’t like to see pigeons with ‘wide feathers’…  but pigeons where the last four feathers are… long, parallel, preferably narrow but supple, with nice rounded tops, that form 1 line when the wing is opened. In addition, the build of the pigeon and the quality of the plumage plays an important role… with a very soft plumage and strongly pigmented and lively eye… important for breeding! Top racers that demonstrate exceptional breeding qualities to Gaby… are quickly put to breed! Preferably so… than risk losing them in a race, says Gaby… because real ‘super cracks’ as racing pigeon, which later produce just as big ‘cracks’ are few and far between! The ‘quality’ of the breeding loft is of paramount importance… it is the ‘beating heart’ of the colony! The breeding loft is and remains the basis and the future of a colony… it is there that the future ‘cracks’ see the light of day… that’s why it is very important to Gaby that he keeps building up and expanding his breeding loft A strategy that he has done well by!  

In own loft
Not only are the Vandenabeele pigeons causing furore, in a number of what is becoming countless lofts, at home and abroad… but also in their own loft in Dentergem was the list of 1° Provincial victories thickened yet again in 2009 with 5 x 1° Provincial victories, and 9 pigeons that achieved a 1° prize Provincial against the entire competition, wherefrom 4 were then only beaten by their own loft companion! Quality always comes to the top…  as a reader you have to know that Gaby only keeps 1 round of youngsters for himself every year, supplemented with the pigeons of the 2° round of the best couples wherefrom the eggs are immediately placed under other couples once they have been laid… all in all this is 100 to 120 youngsters for own use.
At the start of the sport season 2010 the Gaby Vandenabeele colony consists of 30 breeding couples,  70 racing cocks and 8 racing hens which reside with the youngsters and are raced from there! It was not actually the intention to have such an extensive group for 2010, says Gaby… I would have preferred not to have started with widowers in the lofts upstairs at the back… yet, there are 7 two-year olds living there that have really performed magnificently… and the youngsters also performed excellently in 2009… I couldn’t just get rid of them. Totally understandable…
How does Gaby keep such a large group of racing pigeons healthy and in top condition?  Because without top condition… no top performances. Well… first and foremost Gaby believes in a strong natural health of the pigeons… people that give their pigeons a lot of medicine cannot race for a number of years with the same pigeons. Gaby definitely has a point, because he has been running with the national top for over 30 consecutive years, mainly with the same stock of pigeons, the golden line of stock father ‘Kleinen’… you know! Pigeons that have problems keeping a natural health don’t last long there in Dentergem. Look, when an entire loft doesn’t seem to be in order, then you have to consult the veterinary surgeon, and act according to his diagnosis… when 1 single pigeon becomes sick… then you simply have to remove it from the loft… and leave the rest alone! According to Gaby, that is where a lot of fanciers go wrong! In addition to the compulsory smallpox vaccination the pigeons are also injected against paratyphus… but then ‘without’ the preceding cure of antibiotics! If 2 or 3 pigeons develop problems after the vaccination… then the ‘weaklings’ are directly found and disposed of… says an, at that level, ‘merciless’ Gaby Vandenabeele!
In Dentergem the pigeons are given a lot of tea, and on other days a ‘sour environment’ is created in the drinking water… for which mainly Avidress Plus is used.  Trichomonas germs don’t thrive to well in a sour environment… so whoever serves a sour environment in the water a few days a week… shouldn’t be afraid of a large outbreak of trichomonase, a germ that is often the cause of numerous underlying illnesses… one now has this better and sooner under control! And head illnesses… in Dentergem rarely or never a problem… the pigeons are ‘fumigated’ on time with ‘koudijs dry disinfectant’ (3 or 4 times per season), whereby the pigeons remain in the lofts during the fumigation! The loft climate also plays a great part here… the Vandenabeele lofts are orientated SE (south east), so that the sun can shine inside from the early morning to the late afternoon!

Gaby must be a bit of a pioneer in the wide range of ‘low protein’ mixtures, wherefrom every food manufacturer now has one on the market. In his free time Gaby has always liked to watch cycling… now and again he was allowed to take a look behind the curtains of the professional cycling, how things were there where the food and guidance was concerned. What he learned most… is that the men ate a great deal of pasta, but oh so little meat and other proteins. He learned that these ‘proteins’ were the cause of an ‘acidification’ of the muscles… something which is odious for athletes (read: pigeons) that have to exert themselves for long periods of time (often 6 hours or more). Gaby had known Staf Theeuwes, at the time ‘commercial manager’ of the firm Beyers (now Beduco) for a long time… and asked him if he could put together a high quality, but low protein mixture (read: without peas for his racing team. After doing some studying the now well-known and widely used ‘Vandenabeele mixture’ was a fact. This is given to the racing team daily, except for the last 2 days prior to basketting, when widowhood mixture is added, sometimes supplemented with extra corn and peeled sunflower seeds (no peanuts due to the danger of mould) + fatty seeds (so as hemp), and a portion of ‘cede’ (egg food) regularly. Fats are still the energy suppliers for the pigeons during their journey home. Further feeding supplements are drawn from the ‘Röhnfried collection’  so as Flugfit, and occasionally a dash of Kapuvit B or Blitzform.

Gaby still prefers the ‘dry widowhood’ for his racing pigeons, which implies that the pigeons only brood before the start of the sport season. In the past the pigeons were allowed to brood twice before the season, with the coupling around the 2nd of February and the 20th of March. For the last few seasons mostly the cocks are only coupled for a second time for 3 days (without brooding), a period in which the pigeons are then trained, not only to teach them the way… but also to teach them what is waiting at home for them when they return from the (training) races… to teach them to come home for their hen! During these 3 days, if possible, the pigeons go up to Moeskroen 6 times (about 30 Km), and this 2 x per day (morning and afternoon). Later, before leaving for the journey they are ‘never’ shown their hen, mostly only their dish… the long distance pigeons that are basketted on Wednesday are not usually shown anything… this to keep everything calm in the lofts for the pigeons that are basketted on Thursday! With this method Gaby tries to retain the ‘panache’ in the racing team from the beginning of May to the middle of August or the national Argenton… a mission in which he seems to be perfectly successful every year! The pigeons train twice per day for half an hour. After half an hour they are not as enthusiastic and  the pigeons start playing… a time when they often start circling and in the worst case start looking for strange pigeons. Gaby tries to avoid this by only letting them train for half an hour twice daily… they then sprint back and forth towards the ‘church tower’… then I know that everything is well, says Gaby. But I have no use for ‘loungers’ … it is training at its sharpest… or/and inside! That keeps the speed in the team. The widowers eat and drink separately, so that I can keep an eye on them individually!

The youngsters are only darkened from March to the middle of June, lighting is not used! Initially the youngsters stay together, but are separated at the end of June, and then raced with the sliding door. Before the race they come together for30 minutes to an hour. They race from the middle of July every week in the provincial grand middle distance… the young cocks until the last Tours at the end of August (so 6 races of 400 to 450 Km)… the ‘chaff’ is then separated from the corn. The national races for youngsters are not really for Gaby (because too many other factors so as wind, weather and mass play a decisive role in such (too) short distances)… only a few hens are entered now and then.
Gaby prefers to select in races raced with a velocity of between the 1.000 and 1.300 metres… so races in real pigeon weather, where the class and knowledge of the pigeon comes to the surface! It is like with cycling Gaby says… downhill (read: downwind) they can all participate, but a tour of Flanders, a Paris-Roubaux or a Luik-Bastenaken-Luik… that is usually another story… and food for the specialists, say for the class sporters! It is no different in the pigeon sport!
And a ‘Tour de France’ Gaby? Ha, you mean in the ‘extreme long distance’ or ‘overnight long distance’… that is not for me. Races up to 800 Km (read: home the same day) are my preference… it is keeping up or staying behind. Over the years the Vandenabeele pigeons have proved that they can win, that they can achieve 1° prizes in races from 100 to 800 Km. Even from Narbonne and Perpignan crossing products with the Vandenabeele pedigree has produced top pigeons, see what  Freddy De Jaeger-De Vylder achieved in 2009 with the descendants of his ‘Tsunamiduivin’ (a daughter ‘Bliksem’ nota bene!!!), which delivered him many a prominent title! Gaby has a clear explanation for this… you can compare it to a car with a powerful ‘petrol engine’, and a ‘diesel car’ with the same contents (read: the same fuel tank)! Look… says Gaby… my pigeons go for their goal in one go… as a result of which they can keep up with the best, and even achieve victories in up to 800 Km- even 900 Km-races… although it is then a close call of course, nothing must be against them! Their ‘petrol engine’ means that in the 1-day races they are far ahead of the so-called ‘grand distance pigeons’ (Gaby calls them the ‘diesels’), because they put everything into getting home. At the end of the day their (petrol)tank is then as good as empty… that is why by the overnight races… the ‘diesels’ come to the front… they still have some extra fuel (read ‘diesel’) in their tank for the 2nd day… because during the first day they haven’t used much energy to get home! A nice comparison, which in our opinion perfectly reflects the views of Gaby Vandenabeele… not only over the difference between ‘extreme middle distance’ and ‘overnight long distance’… but especially the  ‘possibilities’ and the ‘performance capability’ of his own pigeon stock! It also explains why Gaby sees races so as Brive, Cahors, Montauban, Limoges, Souillac and Tulle as his chosen field… also because, by normal weather conditions, these pigeons can be basketted every 2 weeks, and so complete more races! In other words he can ‘use’ his pigeons more per season… and so also experience ‘more pleasure’! In this perspective Gaby divides his racing pigeons into two teams, which are basketted every 2 weeks… with which he achieves top performances from May until the middle of August in the provincial ‘grand middle distance’ and the national ‘extreme middle distance’! Anyone who can perform in our national top for over 30 years with this manner of fancying… and who lies at the basis of so many great performances in other lofts… has definitely the right to speak!

The ‘cracks’ out 2009
Let us finally take a closer look at the real ‘cracks’… the ‘toppers’ out 2009, whereby we will limit ourselves to 4 toppers in the ‘national races’, this to spare you an abundance of figures… due to the ‘opulence’ of top talent residing in the Gaby Vandenabeele lofts at the moment…

-the ‘Keizer’ N07-3008349
New long distance topper, as son of the ‘Tsaar 538/02’, self 1° Prov Argenton 2.226 p., 12° Prov Chateauroux 4.061 p., 18° Prov Poitiers 2.070 p., 43° Prov Orleans 3.021 p. (and coming out the ‘Sultan 043/94 who won 3 x ‘Top-10 Provincial’ x ‘Franceska 939/96’ line De Rauw-Sablon) x ‘Betty 030/01’, self 38° Prov Blois 5.115 p., 32° Prov Bourges, 94° Bourges 14.535 p… (out the ‘Bleken 727/91 x ‘Daughter Kannibaal 076/98’). If you still doubt that ‘crack pigeons’ descend from ‘crack pigeons’… here is the living proof… see honours list:
In 2008:

Ablis                        252 YL    13

Bourges           Prov     1.409 YL    31

                  Nat     13.354 YL   113

Tours (08/6)      Club       128 p.     2  

                  Prov     2.394 YL     8

    Old birds     Prov     2.874 p.    21

Tours (21/6)      Club       121 YL     2

                  Prov     3.837 YL    93

    Old birds     Prov     2.503 p.    92

Argenton          Prov     4.544 YL   344

Blois (12/7)      Prov     1.125 YL    75

    Old birds     Prov       676 p.    60

Blois (19/7)      Prov       678 YL    36

    Old birds     Prov       507 p.    37

In 2009:

Ablis                        692 p.    19

Chateauroux       Prov     4.293 p.  1207

Brive             Nat     17.456 p.  2483

Tours             Club        42 p.     1

                  Prov     2.285 p.    10

Limoges Old birds Prov     2.170 p.    38

                  Zone A   5.109 p.    73

                  Nat     11.869 p.   105

Limoges Derby     Prov     1.235 p.    24

                  Zone A   2.941 p.    45

                  Nat      6.138 p.    63

Souillac          Club       312 p.     4

                  Prov     1.444 p.     7

                  Zone A   3.290 p.    30

                  Nat      7.597 p.    81

Tulle             Prov       780 p.    76

                  Zone A   1.897 p.   133

                  Nat      5.676 p.   153

-‘Diego’ B07-3008347
Top athlete out ‘Brother Kolonel 158/96’ (and so son of the world famous ‘Wittenbuik 112/88’ x ‘Prinsesje 173/88’… or a coupling ‘son’ x ‘granddaughter’ of stock bear ‘Kleinen 253/81’) x ‘Kaatje 099/00’, full sister of super hen ‘Bieke’ (coming out a grandson of the ‘Kleinen’: the ‘Gaby 184/93’ x ‘Francoise 530/95’… the ancient ‘basic pair 1’ by Cools-Blancke). He won:
In 2008:

Orleans           Rekkem   1.190 YL     3

Argenton          Prov     4.544 YL   889

Blois             Prov       678 YL    60

Bourges II        Prov     1.484 YL    46

                  Zone A   3.921 YL   137

                  Nat     16.771 YL   427

In 2009:

Roye              Club       239 p.     6

Brive             Club       426 p.     5

                  Prov     2.770 p.    40

                  Zone A   6.089 p.    61

                  Nat     17.456 p.    62

Limoges Old birds Zone A   5.109 p.   703

                  Nat     11.869 p.  1083

Limoges Derby     Zone A   2.941 p.   410

                  Nat      6.138 p.   620

Souillac          Club       312 p.     5

                  Prov     1.444 p.     8

                  Zone A   3.290 p.    39

                  Nat      7.597 p.   106

Tulle             Prov       780 p.    56

                  Zone A   1.897 p.    95

                  Nat      5.676 p.   103

Argenton          Prov       335 p.    73

                  Zone A     965 p.   242

-‘Louie’ B07-3008413
A top athlete inbred to the wonder stock father ‘Kleinen 253/81’! He is a son of the ‘Crayonné Fideel 604/01’, brother of the 4° Nat Ace pigeon long distance KBDB… who won self 2° Prov Tours 2.658 p., 16° Prov Orleans 1.068 p., 74° Prov Orleans 7.233 p., 182° Nat Brive 9.466 p., 189° Nat Brive 20.310 p (as son of the ‘Son Blauwe Fideel 584/96’ out the 1° Nat Brive ’95… x the ‘Ronkertje 012/97’, a granddaughter ‘Ronker’) x ‘Manuela 668/02 (daughter of the star racer ‘Condor 176/97’ who won 7 x ‘Top-79’ Provincial… x ‘Daughter Swing Louis 842/94’ Vandeneynde). This ‘Louie’ performed as follows:
In 2008:

Bourges I         Prov     1.409 YL   174

                  Nat     13.354 YL   704

Orleans           Rekkem   1.190 YL    28

Argenton          Prov     4.544 YL   323

Blois (12/7)      Prov     1.125 YL   145

Blois (19/7)      Prov       678 YL   136

Argenton          Prov       532 YL    29

                  Zone A   1.420 YL   120

In 2009:

Ablis             Club       692 p.     9

Tours             Prov     2.739 p.    38

Bourges I         Club       210 p.     5

                  Prov     2.763 p.    15

                  Zone A   7.394 p.    24

                  Nat     27.506 p.    24

Limoges (20/6)    Prov     2.216 p.   203

Limoges (04/7)    Club       190 p.     3

    Old birds     Prov     2.941 p.    17

                  Zone A   5.109 p.    29