Old Albert (05-05-26)
Advice
One of the few fellow fanciers I visited regularly in earlier years was Albert Marcelis. That had everything to do with my wife's cousin who lived near him. Albert was a good man and pleasant company. Even my wife's mother agreed.
A man who lived even closer to the 'Sprint champion' was Eric Berckmoes
IDEAL CARETAKER
Albert was able to continue racing pigeons into old age thanks to his young neighbour. He couldn't have wished for a better caretaker.
Eric also had a lot of respect for half a century of pigeon sport at the highest level. Although he was a very meritorious fancier himself, it would not occur to him to tell the experienced Albert from which pigeons he should or should not breed, or how many pigeons he should breed, or to administer medication to them himself. He would also not dream of threatening to abandon him if Albert wanted to take a youngster from the loft to exchange with someone.
There are others. Young neighbour Eric was a meritorious fancier. For example, there was that year when he dominated the Nationals, so the long distance races in September with his... Sprint pigeons'. Hens on nest to everyone's surprise. I bought that team and that gave Eric the opportunity to find accommodation elsewhere after Albert's death. There Eric changed from a sprint man into someone who was also to be reckoned with in the long distance, even in the nationals.
REMEMBER
Making a name as a Sprint champion was not easy years ago. Or you had to have an exceptional pigeon like Albert; his legendary Sprint, a cock that won no less than 22 first prizes.
I got s youngster and when I asked how much I had to pay he answered; 'Oh just give me something'.
Albert agreed with me that Vitesse races were mainly orientation matches, they had nothing to do with speed.
But there were exceptions to that, he said: Like his Sprint. Albert was sure other birds could not follow his Sprint.
I still remember his loft, flat wooden roof with roofing on top and it could be scorching hot on it. Apparently his pigeons loved it. His breeding loft was poor and dark and what I especially remember was how young he weaned his spuds.
Hardly three weeks old. From then on I also started weaning them younger, but not that young. 25 Days became the norm for me and then they should no longer be baited. In other words, there may not be any old ones in their loft.
An anecdote about that:
Legendary Gust Christiaens was visiting me once mid-February.
We both stood in front of the aviary and saw that several youngsters were hanging on the beak of ONE hen.
'Do you want to fly with that hen this summer?' asked Gust. I nodded.
Gust again: ‘I apologise but that one is finished.’ . And indeed. From that winter she had changed from a champion birds into a simple prize winner. Or not even that.
Albert Marcelis