Frans Belleter

Kyleakin Lofts · May 1, 2018

Frans Belleter-Nispen.

I have always been something of a D.I.Y enthusiast, very much an amateur but an enthusiast nevertheless. I built my own lofts, fitted out trailers for transporting my pigeons and I am constantly making and adapting new equipment for the loft. Up to know I have always felt quite pleased with myself but recently I was put firmly in my place. This did not happen in an unpleasant way, quite the contrary, it is just that I met Frans Belleter of Nispen, Holland and was able to marvel, at first hand, at his work. Frans is a professional D.I.Y. man, a very professional D.I.Y man.

Frans works as a builder, although I am not sure what his particular trade is as he seem to be ultra competent at all. Your attention is attracted by some excellent brickwork and learn that Frans built it, then some first rate carpentry which is also his work and then you see some superb metalwork only to discover that Frans is responsible for that as well. Frans can turn his hand to anything, as he often does, and he has also put together his own very successful family of pigeons.

Where it began.

Nispen is a small village just to the South of Roosendall and only just inside the Dutch border with Belgium. It is so close to the Belgian border that recently, when the threat of Avian Flu caused the Dutch pigeons to be confined to their lofts, Frans could only watch as his neighbour's pigeon, located in Belgium, flew around their loft and over Frans's head. Nispen is in a very pigeon part of Holland as only just down the road is Steenbergen, seen by many as the heart of the Dutch pigeon sport, and if it is not the centre it is an area that has played an enormous part in Dutch pigeon history.

How it began.

Frans started with pigeons when he was just 11 years old and his parents quickly realised just how deep his interest was, and no doubt were very pleased to see him take up with such a rewarding hobby, that they bought him a clock which he still has to this day, in good working order. His interest gradually developed towards long distance racing and one of the first pigeons he bought, with this sort of racing in mind, was a hen NL88-8819816, that came to be known as "DE LADY". He bought "DE LADY" from Cees Suijkerbuijk of Lepelstraat and she turned out to be a superb breeding hen appearing in the pedigrees of many of his top racers over several generations. She was bred from a Suijkerbuik hen, a good racer herself taking several top positions including 109th National Dax, when paired to a cock from Hans Oostenrijk down from the "GOUDRING". The Oostenrijk pigeons of course have been used to good effect in the families produced by Brugemann Brothers and C.J. van de Laan to mention but two. Gradually Frans has added pigeons from Theo Ernest of Halsteren and more recently J. Theelen of Buggenum, H. Wijnands & Zn. of Maastricht and Van de Wegen of Steenbergen. Using both inbreeding and out crossing he has produced a succession of all weather, hard flying pigeons that have won many top prizes in National and International competition from 850 to 1200 km. Frans likes to inbreed for a couple of generations and then outcross but he has produced good pigeons at all stages of this programme. Just looking at one or two of these champions we can start with a nest pair NL96-9668042/3 being "DE MAGIC" and "DE ANNE" respectively, both bred directly from "DE LADY".

"DE MAGIC" won 247th National Dax from 19,125 pigeons in 1999, 90th National Dax from 14,423 pigeon and 37th National St. Vincent from 17,333 pigeons in 2000 while his nest sister "DE ANNE", in the 1998 International Perpignan, won 259th National from 5,479 pigeons, 154th International from 2,969 hens and 579th International from 16,025 pigeons in the open.

Then we have NL00-0069210 "DE KORNEEL" a product of "DE KEESIE", another successful son of "DE LADY" who won 50th National St. Vincent from 17,333 in 2000 and 199th National St.Vincent from 16,486 pigeons in 2001, when crossed out to a hen from Theo Ernest down from a 1st National Tarbes pigeon. "DE KORNEEL" won 66th National Dax from 13,456 pigeons and 114th National St. Vincent from 15,966 pigeons as well as various local and regional championships.

Then we come to NL01-0158594 "FLYER" who is again a cross between a pigeon bred down from "DE LADY" on the sire's side, in fact both the sires parents were bred from "DE LADY", and a hen from Theo Ernest who was actually a cross with a pigeon from W. Looymans. Four generations back on the sires side is "DE MISTERY", another successful pigeon from the 1996 breeding season, a vintage season for the Belleter lofts, who himself won 901st National Perpignan from 7,195 pigeons in 2000 and 399th National Barcelona from 7,567 pigeons in 2001. Then in 2004 his great, great grandson, "FLYER", came through with 19th National 7,646 pigeons, 56th International 17,570 pigeons Perpignan and 352nd National 7,875 pigeons, 644th International 24,913 pigeons Barcelona but bettered that Barcelona position the following year with 41st National 7,491 pigeons, 78th International 25,815 pigeons.

How he does it.

So how does he achieve these wonderful results. The first thing he will tell you is that it is the quality of the pigeons that counts and make no mistake about that. He likes to see pigeons that will fly in any weather and for him the main quality is that they return fit. They may be tired, and after a long flight they certainly will be, but he has no time for pigeons that return and sit about moping, they need to rest, feed and recover but they need to be alert and ready to go again. By constantly selecting from this type of pigeon Frans believes he has established a hard flying family.

The pigeons do not go without, they live in excellent lofts that Frans has taken a lot of care over both with design and construction, and they do not lack for food or care. However they do have to fit in with his life style, which has its own special demands.

Frans is a builder and he gets up at 5 am each morning and is soon off to work a full day. There is no time for pigeons before he goes to work. On his return at about 1700 to 1800 he and his wife Jose eat together. Only when they have finished their meal do they attend to the pigeons and then they work together to clean, feed and fly the pigeons out.

So the pigeons only fly once a day in the evenings, this will vary a little just before a big race because four days before such a race Frans likes to fly the pigeons out for one hour in the morning and then for one and a half hours in the evening. He says that for the first couple of days the pigeons find this a little difficult but by the third day they are really into the swing.

The yearly routine.

On 15th October the pigeons are separated, about 100 cocks and 100 hens. The cocks and the hens have a covered area for the night with about 140 perches each but in the day they have an outside run, 5 x 5.5m for the cocks and 4.5 x 3.5 m for the hens, which has no roof and steel gratings for a floor.

From 15th October until 1st January they are fed on Marimans moulting mixture and, as Frans is a great believer in Belgica products he gives B.S. for three days at the beginning of each month. On 1st January the feed is changed to Marimans winter mixture and on 5th January all pigeons are vaccinated against paramixo.

From 1995 to 2001 the pigeons were also vaccinated against Paratyphus but since 2002/2003 he has treated them instead for five days with Parastop then on 10th March they are changed over to a breeding mixture in preparation for pairing on 20th March and while the pigeons are sitting they are given B.S. for five days.

The racers raise 2 babies and when they are 20 days they are taken, with the hens, to the hens loft. Once the young birds are taken away the cocks are given B.S. for five days and a week after 5 days Parastop. The cocks are fed on Mariman sport mixture from this time and start training when Frans himself takes them 5 times to 50 km and then after that they go on the local transporter.

Frans only races widowhood cocks, about 36 old birds and 39 yearlings. The hens are never shown before a flight but they are always present when the cocks return home.

Youngsters

On the run up to a race feeding and care is intensified, especially before overnight races, and they are given both garlic oil and brewers yeast.

The race programme consists of five shorter races, which are very much a learning period both for the pigeons and for Frans. They will then go on two middle distance races before a one day long race. Then they are set up for either 3 overnight NPO races or two with Z.L.U. This regime has led to many winners and Championships over the years.

The future.

Frans Belleter has succeded in producing his own family of pigeons which have performed to the highest level against the severest competion in the world over many years and they still continue to perform at that level today. It is Frans greatest ambition to win Barcelona and with his pigeons, his determination and his attention to detail who is to say he will not achieve that ambition. Keep a careful eye open for the results.

Nigel Lane 25/02/07