検索

Engels Jos & Jules

The 'Golden Framework' in the period 1989-2007
8 x 1st National
7 x 1st National in Zone B
2 x 1st Semi-National
81 x 1st Provincial

Jos and Jules in front of the aviaries

The stock father of the loft " Den "231"

How it all started
1947 It began in the same way as by so many others at that time. . . . . Flor Engels started racing pigeons. There were lofts built around nearly all the houses. The sport of pigeon racing was a welcome respite after working hard in the fields. The cultivation of vegetables took and still takes a lot of work. No-one could have anticipated that this loft would grow to be one of the biggest middle and extreme middle distance lofts in Belgium, or even Europe. The first couple came from older brother Jef, pedigree Van Alphen from Antwerp. It soon became clear that Flor had talent because he soon outclassed his brother and regional competitors. He started, like so many others, with the sprint races. He soon grew tired of this discipline and turned his attention to the Middle Distance. The two sons, Jos and Jules, were introduced to pigeon racing at a very early age. Their father was an excellent teacher. For the last few years this duo have taken over all father's responsibilities. What immediately strikes you is the straightforwardness of these champions with a capital "C". No bragging, but an astonishing knowledge of the goings on in the world of pigeon sport in Belgium and even outside our boundaries. Ask about one of their pigeons and straight away they tell you the correct pedigree and achievements. They use the computer, but nearly everything is in their heads. . . . The continuation of the legendary Flor is assured. In 2002 the inevitable happened. Flor passed away at the ripe old age of 93. By coincidence, in this period another legend passed away who had the same Christian name, Flor Vervoort.

The best breeders
If we ask which the best breeders are at the moment, straight away four names are mentioned. "De 178", "de 086","De Dikke" and "De oude 93". Of course, these are not the only top breeders in this "Golden breeding loft" Most breeders are more of the larger type, you could say the really strong "Middle distance pigeon".

"De 178" - 6495178/94 is a son of the legendary "231"
A giant of a super breeder who is father and grandfather of a whole series of '1st Prize winners', 'Crack pigeons' and 'superior breeders' of the current generation, not only in the Engels-lofts, but also in many other colonies. It is obvious who he got it from and he is well on his way to following in the footsteps of his world famous father "De 231" and could equal or even surpass him.

"De 086" - 6362086/97
Super breeder and amongst other things, father of "Marieke"
1st OLYMPIADE-PIGEON Middle Distance Liévin 2003.

"De Dikke" 6237584/90 - son "231" and won self 1st semi-National Châteauroux against 13.285 pigeons and 2nd Provincial from the same liberating place against 1.848 pigeons - 10th National Bourges 9.759 pigeons, 48th National Limoges and 18th National Argenton.

"De oude 93"6529698/93 Grandfather of "Marieke" and "Geuretje" - 1st National Gueret 2001 and 2nd National La Souterraine in 2003.

But the real stock father was of course "Den 31" (see photo at the top of the page). This super breeder is to be found in the whole colony of Jos and Jules Engels. They readily admit "You are very lucky if you have such a good breeder that almost by himself produces such good descendants that also breed so well and produce excellent offspring".

"B90-6237714"
Here we find the "Witpender" 304/81, both on fathers and on mothers side.
1st Provincial Bourges 3.246 pigeons - 5th National Bourges 17.048 pigeons - 11th Semi-National Châteauroux 13.996 pigeons - 1st Provincial Poitiers 1.923 pigeons.
Grandfather of "Gueretje" 1st Prize National Gueret 2001 (10.203 pigeons)
Also father of the "097/00" one of the star racers from the loft at the moment.

"B88-6163562"
Son of the "231/86" x "660/86 (Daughter of a half-brother of the "Old Lichte") - 4 x Top 15 National !!!! 3rd National Argenton 3.125 pigeons. - 6th National Bourges 9.550 pigeons. - 7th National Argenton 2.783 pigeons. 15th National La Souterraine 17.343 pigeons.

"Witten" B89-6324103
Son of "Witpender" 304/81 (3 x 1st Provincial) x "B85-6568089" (Daughter of the "B78-6084723", "Old Lichte") "Old Lichte" is a son of the "Zot" 4th National Ace pigeon Middle Distance KBDB. 1972

1st NATIONAL BOURGES 9.756 pigeons - 1st Prov. ARGENTON 2.197 pigeons -
5th National Ace pigeon Middle Distance K.B.D.B. 1990

"Dikke Duivin" B89-6324199
1st National La Souterraine 2.053 pigeons - 1st National La Souterraine 847 pigeons (hens) - 3rd National La Souterraine 1.927 pigeons. - And all this in just TWO weeks !!! - 3rd Prov. Vierzon 900 youngsters.
Titles, national victories, places of honour, championships . . . . . it's not possible to list everything. They even received the "De Bronzen Putteling" in 2001. This prize is presented by the mayor of Putte to the most worthy inhabitants of Putte.

"Pipa" visit
Jos en Jules ENGELS loft

Hens in widowhood
Hens in widowhood. Every year 30 hens are trained to race in classic widowhood. Their residence is quite far away from the widowers loft so as not to disturb them after their daily training. In order to achieve a place, the future racing hens have to pass their exams as youngsters. Only the best youngsters qualify. The loft consists of two identical compartments, both with 15 boxes and a resting place where they can only stand. All the stand places are protected so that they can't see each other. The ventilation is by means of a ventilator. The hens are paired with old cocks who already have a box. They are paired for the first time at the end of November . After brooding for a few days they go back to the aviary. At the beginning of March they are paired for a second time and are now allowed to raise their young. During this period the widowers train daily between 6 and 7 o'clock, and are gradually trained. In the evening they train from 18.45pm until approximately 19.30pm. They return to their brooding boxes where they are fed together. After an hour they are brought to the adjoining loft where there are no boxes and is quite dark. This encourages them to rest. From this period onwards the racing season begins and lasts until the middle of August. Weather permitting, the hens race their first Long Distance race in the first weekend of May.
To increase motivation after a few weeks of widowhood, the hens are paired for the last two Middle Distance races (Bourges and Argenton). A small youngster, or depending on the position of the pigeons to be basketted, a what older youngster is given and is usually accepted, even when the future mother has only been brooding for a few days. According to Jos it is important that the pigeons are basketted weekly, and preferably for races where they remain in the basket for two nights. By 1 week rest or 1 week with a short extra race (sprint race or small middle distance), you can have problems with hens that lay. Experience has taught that racing with hens in widowhood is an ideal system up until the Provincial Extreme Middle Distance races. Starting with the Long Distance (read Brive, Limoges) the ladies in widowhood experience problems with the rhythm according to Jos Engels.
Pigeons that weekly race distances of 500 Km don't have to train as hard in Jos's opinion. 30 to 45 minutes every day (with the flag when necessary) is more than enough. Frequent training during the week, so as many fanciers do, is not for them and seems to be more of a 'rage' than a necessity! At the moment they are deciding whether to adopt the system of 'total widowhood' in 2008, a system that has been very successful for their fellow villagers Van Hove-Uytterhoeven. Jos & Jules often visited Gust and Mit, to see how they used the system and of course to see if they had to make alterations to their lofts in order to be able to use this 'upcoming' racing system with success.

And the cocks?
We can speak here of the classic widowhood. The old widowers are, just like the hens, paired at the end of November. They breed a round of youngsters and then go to the open run until the middle of March. The yearlings stay in the runs until the end of January. Only when the breeding with the old pigeons is finished, do the yearlings go to the widowers loft and are given a permanent box. Once the breeding with the yearlings is finished, the old cocks are allowed back in their box, together with the yearlings that are allowed to stay. After five days of brooding they go to definitive widowhood. The real season can now begin. Weather permitting, Bourges is achieved in 5 stages. After this they have to race every two weeks. After the racing season they can brood for a little longer, but are soon separated, so no breeding for the widowers after the racing season. They are put back into the aviaries for three months. A second oxygen cure. An easy system according to the brothers. Low maintenance and it is good for the pigeons. During this period the pigeons are fed a lot of barley, up to 75% supplemented with 25% breeding. This light food stops the pigeons becoming too fat.

Racing with the youngsters.
The first round consists of 100 youngsters, the second consists of 70 youngsters, mainly from the breeders. The two rounds are darkened from 1 March until the end of June and then from 17.30pm until 08.30am the following morning. Round about the 10th of July lighting is also used, and the longest day is kept, and this until the last national race for youngsters, at the moment Gueret. After this, lighting is not used anymore and 'mother nature' takes over. Using this method means there are no problems with moulting up to and including the last race. When the youngsters are taken away from their parents, they are separated according to their sex. There is one loft for the hens and three for the cocks. The second round is placed in a different loft. The first training races are planned for the end of April, beginning of May. In the past the young hens were paired with old cocks and the young cocks with old hens after Noyon. Nowadays the 'classical sliding door' method is used with success. The pigeons don't come with a nest before starting with widowhood. Once they are in love, they are raced on widowhood. Before basketting, the youngsters get to see their partners for just a few minutes. When they return home the love affair lasts for a few hours or until the next day, depending on how the race went. The youngsters are trained daily, but once the races start, they are not taken a distance away anymore.

2001. . . Was it "Marieke's" year? ...Judge for yourself...

Philippe FREDERICK with "Marieke" 1st OLYMPIADE-PIGEON Middle Distance Liévin 2003

Results of "Marieke" - 6153558/2001
30 jun 01	Pithiviers	Hafo	9th	651 younsters
08 Jul 01	Pithiviers	Hafo	49th	624 younsters
4 Aug 01	Vierzon	Interprov.	7th	3.621 younsters
11 Aug 01	Argenton	National	20th	23.493 younsters
18 Aug 01	Vierzon	Prov.	1st	1.712 younsters
25 Aug 01	La Souterraine	National Zone B	2nd	6.078 younsters
12 May 02	Pithiviers	Haacht	1st	566 younsters
18 May 02	Vierzon	Interprov.	10th	12.705 old
25 Mayei 02	Bourges	National	326th	16.945 yearlings
1 Jun 02	Châteauroux	Prov.	21th	2.327 yearlings
8 Jun 02	Châteauroux	Interprov.	261th	6.018 yearlings
15 Jun 02	Châteauroux	Interprov.	193th	8.360 yearlings
22 Jun 02	La Souterraine	Interprov.	74th	5.229 yearlings
29 Jun 02	Argenton	Interprov.	67th	8.142 yearlings
07 Jul 02	Bourges	Prov.	29th	2.230 yearlings

The breeding lofts and aviaries

The actual toppers from the Engels racing lofts

-The 6154559/06 'GESCHELPT 'LE MANS'

Super hen and winner 1st Prov Le Mans 772 d, and quickest of 3.360 p Provincial in 2007.