JAC
& HARRY FRENKEN
of
Holland
talking
to Les J. Parkinson
Q.
Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport?
A.
Our names are Jac and Harry Frenken from weert Holland. We started with
pigeons in 1960, because we wanted to start a hobby. We first came into
contact with pigeons when a few friends of Harry had already pigeons and
they helped us.
Q.
With your pigeon work do you have a silent partner i.e. wife, partner
or friend, if so what part do they play?
A.
We play alone we do everything together with the pigeons, but we have
friends in the sport.
Q.
Do you consider there to be any advantage having a racing partnership?
A.
Yes it does, because doing pigeon sports and taking care of them costs
a lot of time and any additional help from a partner means that you can
have more time with the birds.
Q.
Are there any points that you disagree on and if so how do you compromise
a situation where there is a different viewpoint?
A. Sometimes there are words, everyone doesn't always
agree but that's often when two people work together. You have to come
to an agreement over everything that you do.
Q. Do each of you have an area within the partnership where responsibilities
take control regarding a decision?
A. No, we don't, all the things are done together and we know
what is going on all the time.
Q. Give the readers the most memorable results that you have achieved
flying as a partnership and flying on your own?
A. Some of the most important price we have won:
The European Trophy in 1988. 2 nd National Soustons 1995. 2 nd National
Perpignan 1995. 1 st National St. Vincent 2001. 1 st Marathon Champion
Limburg 1995. 2 nd National Marathon Champion 2001. For full details p
lease see www.fondduiven.com/loft/frenken
Q.
Is there anything that you have not won in the sport that you would like
to achieve?
A.
First International Barcelona, yes we think it is possible, because we
have the right kind of pigeons for this race.
A.
What organisations do you race with?
A.
Afdeling 4 limburg Nederland and ZLU these are both National clubs, there
are more clubs, but these are the most important.
Q. Do you hold any official position and if so do you take an active part,
if no what are your reasons?
A.
No we don't hold any official position, only when we have to (5 times
a year).
Q.
What are your lofts made of and how big are they?
A.
Our lofts are made of wood. They have 2 lofts with sizes at 12*3 meters.
The roof is curved down in the front and it is made of wood, and in the
summer it keep's the warm inside the loft(in the evening and the night
Q. Do you attach any importance to having a tiled roof on a loft, if so
are there any benefits.
A.
Yes we find it important to have a tiled roof. We think it is better for
the pigeons (no only use baked tiles) they are the same tiles as we used
on our living house.
Q.
Do you use any form of heating system in any of your lofts. Do you think
it would be advantages for the birds?
A.
No we don't use that. We don't think it is necessary for the pigeons.
We start coupling in May, then it is not cold anymore.
Q. How do you control the ventilation in your loft?
A.
We don't check the ventilation, because our results of the pigeons are
good, we assume it's all right, we have some room left between the roof
and the building.
Q. Do you have any grills fitted in the floor or in the boxes, are there
any advantages to using them?
A.
No we don't use them, we clean every day in summer and in the winter we
use straw in the lofts.
Q. What families of pigeons do you keep?
A.
We have: Turbo-line, Rambo-line, 1 st National St Vincent-line. (See the
website) The turbo-line is from Gebr. Kuijpers x Frenken. The Rambo is
from Braakhuis x Frenken. The 1 st National is cross breeding Frenken
x Theelen.
Q. Easterly or Westerly do you set any stall by the position and if so
why?
A.
Ours is south-east because of the dawn, because this is where the sun
comes up(east).
BREEDING
AND RACE PREPARATION/PLANNING
Q.
How do you go about bringing in a new family and what do you look for?
A.
We do sometimes buy young pigeons from winners from other people. They
have to be National or International winners, its not necessarily for
them to have a 1 st price, but they have to have an early price.
Q. When you bring in that new family do you think that they need time
to acclimatise, if so how long?
A.
Because we play only 1000 km flights, it takes a bit longer for them.
We think about 3 or 4 years.
Q. When looking for new pigeons do you look for a particular family, one
for specialist races or club races or just by name.
We
only buy them from winners, and never any name pigeons. These being good
Pigeons (by name) they were bought by fanciers, and then don't win or
play no races.
Q. Which of the two sexes do you consider is the most important when it
comes to breeding?
A.
We think that they are both as important as each other.
Q. Some fanciers like big hens for breeding does the size of the hen make
any difference to the quality of youngsters that she breeds in your past
experience?
A.
Because we only race cocks, we only buy hens from good flyers; we just
started in 2003 racing hens. The hens were good enough (for a 1 st year
start), it's hard to get a good loft of racing hens, because we have never
done this before.
Q. When it comes to breeding do you line-breed or use a first cross or
just pair winners to winners?
A.
Young pigeons from good flyers crossed with good flyers.
A.
Do you think that fanciers change for the sake of changing or do you think
a loft can breed a winning team out and lose track of the winners?
A.
We have a maximum of 5 a 6 times breeding a year. And next year we change
them some fanciers change the strain of pigeons too much and some don't.
Q. What method do you use to select your breeders?
A.
Good flyers and bought pigeons from a winning family.
Q. Did you find your best breeding pigeon by luck or judgment?
A.
That's always luck, but you can change luck when you breed good pigeons,
when you have good pigeons your luck will be more chance.
Q.
What materials do you use for nesting?
A.
Dried tobacco-straw.
Q. When do you pair your pigeons and why then?
A.
Half May, because we want to keep the shape out, not until the big races
that are in June and July, this is where we like to race our pigeons.
How
many stock birds do you keep and do you breed off your race team also
how many pigeons do you think that you need to breed off any individual
stock pair each year to see if they are quality producers.
We
have 8 breeding pairs and we have 60 racing pigeons, which also breed.
One year the young off the breeders win more and the other year the racers
win more, so it's almost equally.
Q. Please explain the method used from pairing up until the first race.
A. The cocks stay alone before the race
(7 weeks before the first race)
Q.
Do you move the hens with the young birds?
A.
No we don't.
Q. What is the farthest distance that you would train your old birds or
young birds?
A.
Old birds: Orleans (460 km). Young birds: 4 flights up to 180 km.
Q. Do you breed off the top widowhood cocks after the racing has finished;
do you breed late bred youngsters and what do you think of those later
bred youngsters?
A.
Then they can breed (egg à youngsters) and then eggs again, but
no more youngsters from them.
For
every 50 pigeons that you breed realistically how many of them would win
at 500mls, based on your past records. There's
nothing to say about that but one year there's more than the other year.
RACING
Q. How do you race your pigeons and how many?
A.
We race about 60 pigeons, 3 to Pau, 25 to Barcelona, 15 to St. Vincent
and the other are only training in other races (yearlings) before they
are prepared for the longer races as 2yo.
Q. Do you compete in the National events, if not why not? Or are you happy
to race in the club?
A.
Yes we race Nationals, we find all of them nice to compete in but we specialise
in 1000 km races at International level.
Q. Do you ever think of competing for averages, if not why not?
A.
We always try to win prizes with 50% of our pigeons (50% prizes) if we
achieve this rate of success we are happy.
Q. Do you race your pigeons every week or do you prefer to condition them
for a specific race?
A.
Old pigeons one time in the 14 days and the first 1000 km is the 6 th
or 7 th race in a season, we mean 14 days before basketing them for 1000
km flight.
A.
In your view do you think that a loft needs different pigeons for different
distances?
A.
Yes we think it is, 300-500-800-1000 km are different kind's of pigeons.
Q. Is there any specific condition that your pigeons perform best at,
or any particular time of the year?
A.
Our pigeons are best with warm weather; the last years there are many
hens that win the racing.
Q. When do you allow your racers to take a bath?
A.
Once each week on Monday or Tuesday and when the pigeons go in bath, they
are healthier and is necessary
Q. Do you use any floor dressing or do you clean the pigeons out daily?
A.
We clean daily in summer and in winter we use straw.
Q. Do you like to have plenty of room for the pigeons?
A.
In the summer we have 56 cocks in 12-meter loft, which is a lot of space.
Q. How do you feed the cocks and what do you feed them on, a branded mix
or do you buy separate corns and mix your own?
A.
We feed them twice a day, after training, we mix our own food (2 kind
of brands) they are Natural and Marimans, we think it is good quality
food for the pigeons.
Q. Do you measure the amount that you give to each pigeon, or are they
fed according to the individual pigeon?
A.
They eat all together on the floor from a plate. But 5 days before a 1000
km race they get as much as they want to eat and are fed separately.
Q. Do you attach any importance to grits and minerals or can the pigeons
get what they want they are out of the loft?
A.
Yes we do. We give it to them in the loft (it's there the whole time)
Q. Is there a way that your pigeons let you know
when they are in form?
A.
That's different for each pigeon we keep a close look at them and they
tell us.
Q. Do you have any secrets about what you do with your pigeons and how
you get them right?
A.
Training and feeding are the keywords
Q. Do the pigeons need any special treatment on their return from the
race to help them relax? Is any such treatment needed for the short or
long distance races or the hard races compared to the easy races?
A.
Yes when they come back from a race we give them electrolytes. We use
it for all the races, short or long.
Q.
How many weeks do you think a pigeon can maintain its form on the widowhood
system for both cocks and hens?
A.
We think 4 or 5 weeks maximum they can maintain its form but we can only
play them once in 3 weeks because the 1000 km races are once in the 3
weeks and a max of 2 a 3 races a season.
Q. If your race team went off form during the season what action would
you take to restore their condition?
A.
Then we use medication en vitamins to get them back in form.
Q.
What happens when you are racing either widowhood or the roundabout when
you have a bad race and lose a few from one sex, how do you continue with
those pigeons who have lost their mate?
A.
Then the other will not be raced.
Q.
Is a favourable loft location the single biggest factor in sprint racing.
A.
We don't sprint race so it does not affect our racing.
Q. Do you treat pigeons differently with their preparation if they are
to go to the bigger races whether National, Classic, Specialist club or
open?
A.
We only play National and International races and we treat them all the
same it makes racing pigeons easier.
Q.
Do you think a pigeon has the capabilities of racing both short and long
distance races? Also what distance can a pigeon actually still "RACE"
as opposed to homing from any race point?
A.
We think a pigeon is either good in one of the two things not in both.
Q.
Which is the more difficult, establishing a team of sprinter's or distance
pigeons and why?
A.
Both are hard to contain.
Q.
Sprinter or distance, there is no difference; it is all in the feeding?
A.
No, we think it's in the kind of pigeons you have that makes the difference
in distances.
Q. If you could pass on one piece of advice or tip, at this point to fanciers
old and young, what would it be?
A.
Make sure you have a good loft (the building), buy youngsters of winning
pigeons and not from name pigeon because everyone else ahs them.
Q. How far do you race your yearlings?
A.
Half of the yearlings 900 km and the other half 400 km.
Q. What races do you send your long distance candidates to before their
chosen race?
A.
Orleans (460 km), that is the 5 th or 6 th race in the season.
Q. Where do you house your widow hens?
A.
In a loft specially for them where they are all together.
Q.
Can you tell the readers your routine for preparing pigeons for the longer
races? Do you look forward to the channel racing?
A.
Training feeding and every 14 days a training-race.
YOUNG
BIRDS
Q.
Young bird sickness is a problem; have you had this in your loft and if
so what have you treated them with?
A.
No we don't have that problem. We start playing them in August.
Q. Do you race your young birds, if so how many races, if not why, do
you think they are better off in the longer events if they are only raced
lightly?
A.
Yes we do, 4 races up to 180 km (we think that's enough for them).
Q. What do you think the sport should do to change things for the better,
in relation to your points made a couple of questions ago?
A.
We think there are too much races in 1 weekend sometimes (4 or 5 in a
weekend).
Q. Do you use any preventative medication? If a pigeon goes ill do you
try to put it right or does the bird have to go?
A.
We follow belgica-de weerd for medical preparation.
Q.
Earlier in the article we discussed the wind direction, do you consider
that good pigeons will win in any position.
A.
When a pigeon is strong it will win anyway, the wind doesn't do anything
about it in our type of racing at the distance, good pigeons win.
Q.
Some fanciers go out and purchase good quality winning pigeons but never
appear to make the grade, why do you consider that this happens?
A.
Then they aren't good pigeon fanciers, buying is the easy part!
Q. Do you give any special treatments when the pigeons return from the
race as a precaution against anything that they may have picked up in
the basket?
A.
Only electrolytes and some medication for many common diseases(yellow
disease ,coccidiose, head disease).
Q.
Do you use the darkness system for the young birds, if so for how long
and do you think it affects them later in life?
A.
No we don't we don't think it is necessary for pigeons who race long distances.
Q. Are there any feeding methods for the young birds i.e. do you break
them down, do you keep them hungry for control purposes, do you give them
a trapping seed mix?
A.
We feed them enough, until they are not hungry anymore.
Q.
Do you attach any real importance to the pigeon's wing i.e. back wing,
end four flights and do you look at the wing to see if they have cast
before a race. Any other comments on the wing?
A.
No, we don't pay attention to that, when we still will put pigeon in the
basket, we think it doesn't affect the pigeon.
Q. If random drugs tests were carried out on your pigeons, would it reveal
any substance, illegal or otherwise?
A.
No we don't use illegal stuff .
THE MOULT/WINTER
Q. What criteria do you set down for the pigeons you winter with your
thoughts on the following seasons racing and breeding?
A.
We decided after the races which will stay and which have to go (in August)
old pigeons and the youngsters in November.
Q. Are there any special treatments that you give your birds once the
season has finished what do you recommend the readers to do with the birds?
A.
One time a day they will be fed and one a day they will be trained around
the loft (in the winter).
Q. What were the last four things that you put in your drinking water,
when and why and did you notice any benefits?
A.
We used the time in September: a cure against yellow diseases, coccidiose.
Q. If you could only give your pigeons one supplement what would it be?
A.
Against lung-diseases
GENERAL
Q.
Irrespective of how your pigeons have flown, what are your views on the
past season whether good or bad or the management of the sport in general?
A.
In Holland this year everything went wrong, I.e., with the bird-disease,
it was a chicken disease, but it had nothing to do with the pigeons. But
the government said we couldn't race at all.
Q. Which fancier has influenced you most, in the way in which you fly
your pigeons?
Braakhuis
en Gebr. Kuypers , with these pigeons we were successful.
Q. Which Champion pigeons over the years have left an impression on you
and perhaps influenced your direction in the sport?
A.
1 st National St. Vincent and the "Turbo" b ecause they have won many
prices (see question 15)
Q. Whenever I have visited a loft fanciers always look at the pigeon's
eye. Do you consider that the eye has any importance in (a) the breeding,
(b) distance races (c) sprint races. (d) The pigeon's health. Or do you
steer clear of the subject and if so why?
A.
All sorts of pigeons have different kind of eyes, regardless good or bad.
Q. Who do you consider being the best fanciers in the Country and for
what reasons?
A.
We are satisfied with our pigeons, any fanciers were happy (satisfied)
with our pigeons.
Q.
What do you think can be done to take the sport forward?
A. Fewer races, less championships and more fair championships.
Q. What past mistakes have you learned from?
A.
This year we had too little oxygen in the lofts, with the heat.
Q. Who or what motivates you to remain successful?
A.
By keeping the head cool and not getting carried away.
Q. To term a phrase are you a professional pigeon fancier and do your
circumstances make a big difference?
A.
It's a hobby for us and we like to keep it that way.
Q.
You are a successful fancier, there are far too many leaving the sport,
to encourage fanciers to either join or stay in the sport what do you
think about limiting prizes to two per race per loft. If not Why. If yes
Why?
A.
That would be the end of the pigeon racing.
Q.
Is pigeon racing as a hobby going beyond the average working man? Is it
becoming too technical and complicated or can you keep everything simple
and still win with the pigeons?
A.
That doesn't make a difference. Many people who don't work don't win anything
at all..
Q. What do you think about the vaccination programme for the pigeons and
do you think it affects the pigeons long term?
A.
It is necessary.
Q. What do you think of veterinarians in your Country and have you had
any dealings with them?
A.
We are from Holland and the medical support is necessary in the top sport
(also pigeons), belgica (de weert) is good. The vets are good in Holland.
Q. How do you consider that the sport is going compared to other countries
and do they have any ideas that you think would benefit the sport in your
area?
A.
You can't compare the two places; Britain has the channel for the pigeons
to cross.
A. Do you read many magazines/Articles, if so which type of article do
you find interesting and why?
A.
We read many kind of tabloids, mainly about winners are interesting.
Q.
What aspect of the sport interests you the most?
A.
Only 1000 km races.
Q. Is there anything that you do not like about the sport, something that
you feel needs changing for the good of the sport?
A.
Less races because most people have less pigeons and don't have the possibility
to race in all the races.
Q. If you went into another fanciers loft and were given the opportunity
to leave with a pair of pigeons, how confident would you be that you had
selected the best pair, or in other words do you consider that you are
a good judge of a pigeon?
A.
No one can see if a pigeon is a good player or breeder. We check the youngsters
of the pigeons and the change off succeeding is the highest when they
come from winners.
Q. Is your loft of pigeons as strong as it was 5yrs ago?
A.
It's the same.
Q. Do you have any further comments about anything that we may have missed
in any area of the sport?
A.
You can check us at www.fondduiven.com/loft/frenken
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