Article taken from PIPA.be

The YOUNG PLAYBOY, LESLEY, and the BLUE BOURGES are featured on Theo Ijskout's Breeding Card.  The YOUNG PLAYBOY, LESLEY, & JACKPOT (full brother to YOUNG PLAYBOY), are now breeding in Oklahoma.  A daughter of the BLUE BOURGES coupled with the GOLDEN MATTENS is also breeding at our loft.  These 4 breeders, along with a son of MIKE'S PICK, are 5 of the basis breeders in the loft.

Theo Ijskout's Story and Methods

Introduction

For as long as I know, Frans Yskout, my father, has always been a pigeon fancier. when he passed away, in 1985, the pigeons were sold in favor of  “the pigeon-league”.  This was for me the moment to get involved.  Even though I didn’t know the difference between a male and a female, it wasn’t an obstruction at all for me to get acquainted with the ‘birds-world’.  In no time we installed a loft in the garden and from my namesake André Yskout, living in Heist-op-den-Berg, I managed to get 6 breeding-couples.  Already in November 1985 pigeons got coupled and additionally I became 16 youngsters which were born out of the second breed of the pigeons of André Yskout. So I was in the running .My first race, I won ‘the price of honor’.  At Orleans I ended 7^th on provincial level, knowing that I had 1 pigeon in the race. I  ended my first year at the 6^th place on National level in Bourges, again only 1 bird competing approximately 49.000 birds. I received 12 times ‘the price of honor’.  After this I got totally wrapped up in the ‘females-game’, propagandized by Stan Raeymaekers, published in the pigeon-paper.  He would have copied it from Noël de Scheermaeker’s “Green Book”.

Initially I started with 4 females and increased this number to 12.

The breed

24 breeding-couples

These breeding-couples are selected through performances ; at least a first price, decent eyes and soft feathers. All pigeons are coupled around 28 November, race birds as well as breeders.

The race birds, namely 16 widowers and 12 widow-females raise only once youngsters. when the youngsters become an age of 18 till 20 days, the race birds will go to the run and their partners take care of them until they get weaned after 23 till 25 days. This to prevent the females from having a new breeding period.

Eggs of the breeders get shifted under feeding pairs after an 8 days brooding period. By doing this I have the opportunity to have twice young birds in the early season, which are instantly ready to race.

Every year, a few ‘late’ youngsters, offspring from the best breeders, are kept as reserve.
The breeding-couples also copulate with one another. Only 4 or 5 couples have a regular partner.

The lofts

Race-loft :
Young birds have a loft with a length of 12 meter, divided into 5 parts each 2 by 2 meter. In between there’s a passage of 1,5 by 2 meter. In this loft remain 80 youngsters. During the race the youngsters are separate by using the sliding-folding door.
There’s 1 widow-loft : 4,5 by 2 meter containing 16 widowers.
1females-loft 4 by 2 meter with a side-loft having an area of 1,2 by 2 meter, where they stay all day.
The race-lofts are built by myself and made out of wood, having a double wall. On the outside, these lofts are covered with ‘eternit-plates’ not being insulated.
This results in a very cold atmosphere in winter and a very hot one in summer. Air circulation is very less present in the race-lofts. Only above, at the front side, there’s on opening of 7 centimeter over the total length of the loft.
Constant circulation of air is not the part I’m most interested in. To my opinion, a draught-proof loft is much more important.

Breeding-loft :
The breeding-loft is built out of stone and consisted of 3 divisions. Every division contains a little run, so the pigeons can take a bath in open air.
The bottom has a metal grid. The brood trays measure broadly 80 by 60 cm, so that the birds can easily be locked away for copulating.

The game

females :
12 widow-females.
females are coupled on the 28^th of November and raise one time young birds. As soon as the youngsters grow 20 days old they move to the run and stay there till the 15^th of March. They strictly eat light food.
On the 15^th of March they return to the loft and the training-sessions start.
Twice a day the pigeons are let out; further, they are taken away 4 or 5 times till a distance of 50 km.
After that, the first 100 km-race is played. At the end of March the females are coupled again and an 8-days brooding period restarts. then it’s time for widowhood.
For about 2 or 3 minutes before basketing, they get to see their male; when the season passed by this time period gets longer. when they arrive back home from short flights they get to see their male for half an hour. At the end of the season they are allowed to see him till the evening and after tough or bad flights even till the morning after.
At their arrival, after a race, they get half diet-food and half race-mixing. Last two meals they get super-widow food served.
There is strictly taken care of that females don’t start to copulate with one another, because this is the ultimate wrong-doer !

Widowers :
16 widowers
The classic widowhood is applied. At the 28^th of November pigeons get coupled and they raise 2 youngsters. From the moment on the young birds reach an age of 20 days, the males are put in a run and stay there until mid March. They have flights twice a day.
At the end of March they got coupled again and get trained and after 8 days of brooding they rest in widowhood.
By basketing, males have the chance to see their females the first 3 times.
Their food is the same as for widow-females.
The male race on flights more than 400 km every fortnight.

Youngsters :
80 till 100 youngsters
Youngsters get weaned between the 20^th and 25^th day and get the first day only grit-stone and water. Further they have breeding-food and this during a period of 2 months. then, half diet and half race-mixing is given.
Youngsters always get a full tray of food for an entire day, every day throughout the year and also fresh grit-stone every day.
Youngsters are put in darkening from 17.30h till 08.00 o’clock from the end of February till the 10^th of June. If they get this treatment longer than the 10^th of June it may happen that they don’t entirely moult.
The darkening-schedules are strictly to be looked after. Although the birds find themselves in darkening, it is not that dark that they can’t eat or drink properly.
Despite what sometimes is claimed, the losses one not higher than normal, in a situation as mentioned here above. Youngsters get trained from half of April if the weather is fine, and when they are trained well at home, example when they fly away for about an hour of sight.
They are taken away by car 5-10-20 till 50 km. then they are ready to be taken away by the pigeon-league to Quievrain. then they are separated. Throughout the season I use the sliding-folding door. The young birds fly the total program till Bourges and Argenton. Afterwards the best ones take a break till the next season!