BASIRAJ COKA PIGEONS DISTINCTIVE CALL # COOKKA ! KOKKA !!

By: Time to us On 8:16 AM

Continue Reading

Ringo is a truly invaluable pigeon in the collection of Chris van der Velden

The pigeons from Molendijk in Zuid-Beijerland have become used to winning national victories. Jaap, who races under the name of his late father Chris Van der Velden, managed to claim a national first prize in 2013 as well, with his pigeon Ringo (NL08-1525228) being the strongest of a total of 2,916 pigeons in The Netherlands. 

 

Jaap van der Velden is our host today. He is 42 years old and he has been a pigeon fancier for many years. He and his father formed a great team until 2010. They complimented each other really well and they both knew what they were doing: creating a team of outstanding racing pigeons. Sadly enough, Jaap’s father Chris died in 2010 so Jaap had to start taking care of his pigeons all on his own. We were not surprised to see Jaap continue running his loft with the same motivation, passion and drive that he inherited from his father. The champion from Zuid-Beijerland is always aiming to use the methods he adopted together with his father. “It is not always easy to be just as disciplined and committed as a few years back”, says Jaap, “but the pigeons’ performance suggests that they feel comfortable so I do not try to make too many changes.”

His pigeons seem to feel at home indeed and they are performing really well, with an impressive eight national victories. This is an overview of his national first prizes:

1st national Marseille 2013 against 2,916 p.
1st national Pau 2011 against 2,706 p.
1st national Sint Vincent 2008 against 5,201 p.
1st national Barcelona 2003 against 3,915 p.
1st national Mont de Marsan 2002 against 6,220 p.
1st national Bergerac 2000 against 11,953 p.
1st national Cahors (S2) 1996 against 7,250 p.
1st national Carcassonne (S2) 1994 against 1,371 p.

This is quite impressive! We also asked Jaap to give us an overview of his national successes and he came up with an endless list of national top results. Were really curious about how his pigeons are being prepared for the races.

A strong will

A strong will combined with great commitment and a team of excellent pigeons is a sure way to gain success in pigeon racing. Getting his pigeons in excellent shape is almost a full time job as he takes nothing for granted. Jaap Van der Velden races pigeons on widowhood and a second loft is raced on the natural system as well. This two-fold approach plays a key role in the loft of grandmaster Jaap and it allows him to perform at a high level. The reason is that the weather conditions will give an advantage to either the widowers or the pigeons raced naturally. We know Jaap as a fancier who leaves nothing to chance.

Preparation

From the moment a youngster is born in Zuid-Beijerland it is being carefully prepared for the races it is expected to complete at a later age. The young birds are basketed no more than five times in their year of birth and only in the natour competition. As yearlings, they are taken away and basketed for five races of approximately 420km. They do not have to prove themselves yet in these overnight races. As two year olds, they are raced every two weeks and they are basketed twice over a short period of time to get them fired up for the first important races.

Leading names

As in every loft, Jaap has a number of pigeons that really stand out from the rest, including his outstanding hen and top class breeder Cheeta (NL97-1505508).

This hen is one of Jaap’s great stars. She was an excellent racing pigeon and winner of a 1^st national Barcelona 2003. Another great pigeon in this loft is the world famous Super Vanoppen (NL00-1010256).

This top quality pigeon is the sire of:

 1st nat. Marseille’13 (2,916 p.) by NL.08-1525228, Ringo
 3rd nat. Cahors’10 (6,397 p.) by NL.08-1525172, De 172 (=sister of Ringo)
 4th nat. Perpignan’05 (6,300 p.) by NL.02-1620685, Salinero
13th nat. Narbonne’08 (3,816 p.) by NL.06-1055405, Lucky
16th nat. Narbonne’12 (4,303 p.) by NL.09-1174548, Zn Super Vanoppen 548
18th nat. Narbonne’11 (3,968 p.) by NL.09-1174548, Zn Super Vanoppen 548
21st nat. Mont de Marsan´08 (3,814 p.) by NL.06-1055405, Lucky
25th nat. Marseille'10 (3,248 p.) by NL.08-1525228, Ringo
29th nat. Narbonne'10 (3,850 p.) by NL.06-1055405, Lucky
1st Ace Pigeon Internat. Marseille ’13 (over 3 and 4 years) by NL.08-1525228, Ringo
1st Ace Pigeon Marseille’13 (over 3 and 4 years) by NL.08-1525228, Ringo
1st Ace Pigeon Pau’12 (over 4 years) by NL.06-1055487, De As 87 
1st ace Pigeon Pau’11 (over 3 years) by NL.06-1055487, De As 87
1st Ace Pigeon Narbonne’10 (over 3 years) by NL.06-1055405, Lucky

Ringo

It would be impossible to discuss every top quality pigeon in his collection but one of them deserves special mention: Ringo (NL08-1525228).

This strong yet quiet blue coloured pigeon managed to add a national victory from Marseille 2013 to his already impressive list of achievements. This was an impressive feat but it was not his first top prize at national level:

1st national Marseille 2013
25th national Marseille 2010

75th national Marseille 2012
123rd national Pau 2011
187th national Marseille 2011
225th national Cahors 2010

It is not surprising that the achievements of Ringo have resulted in a number of titles as well:

1st Ace Pigeon Int. Marseille 2013 (over 3 and 4 years)
1st Ace Pigeon National Marseille 2013 (over 3, 4 and 5 years)
3rd Ace Pigeon Int. Marseille 2012 (over 3 years)

This racing pigeon will now be moved to the breeding loft, to pass on his excellent qualities as a racing pigeon to future generations.

To conclude

It is not an easy decision to quit your studies in economics as a 23 year old and to devote your life to your hobby, your passion. He made this choice in 1996 and his only goal was to make it to the top of the sport. You can tell from his impressive results that Jaap has achieved his goal. Jaap feels connected to his pigeons and he is confident that he will be able to maintain his level of performance and possibly to make further improvements as well. Over the years he created a solid foundation and he continues to be just as motivated as ever. We are quite confident that we will pay him another visit this season to discuss yet another national victory in the company of his kind mother. We wish him good luck! FROM  http://www.pipa.be

By: Time to us On 5:10 PM

Continue Reading

This world famous inventor was in love with a pigeon.

Nikola Tesla is one of the most eccentric and interesting people in history, often overshadowed by Thomas Edison.

pigeon

Some of the weird stories about him are grounded in truth, however, since he was such a weird guy.
One such story takes place in his later years when he was pretty much in love with his pet pigeon.
Tesla made a trip one night in 1937 after midnight to visit the local cathedral and library to feed the pigeons. On his way he was struck by a taxicab and thrown to the ground, wrenching his back and breaking three ribs.
Of course, his lifelong custom was to never visit a doctor, so the full extent of his injuries will never be known. For a while he was unable to feed the pigeons since he was bedridden until he was able to walk again in the Spring of 1938.
Near the end of his life he visited the park every day and fed pigeons. He took to one white one in particular and spent over $2,000 that comfortably supported her when she was injured.
He stated that he loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and that she loved him. As long as he had her he had a purpose in his life. He was a genius, but also a real weirdo!

By: Time to us On 4:08 PM

Continue Reading