Proud owners, top animals and striking breed products Part 2

Transcription

1 Proud owners, top animals and striking breed products Part 2 By our reporter Dirk de Jong. In Belgium there is a good tradition to organize the National Exhibition in the French linguistic part of the country in one year and in the Flemish linguistic area in the following year. In the 2007/2008 season it was the turn of Flanders. At first, not one association dared or could pick up the gauntlet, not having a suitable location. Thus we have great admiration for the people in the association of small animal keepers in Geel, which succeeded in doing the job under the command of Andy Verelst. It has been a true feat to put down a complete show in a relatively short time and also at a time completely different from the usual date of the National Show. Apparently it was thought: better a late championship than no championship at all. Because Belgium is a country where officially three languages are spoken you can imagine what a job it was for the secretary of this National Show (Nationale Wedstrijden, Concours Nationaux, Nationale Wettkämpfe 2008), thus we take off our hats to secretary Geert the Clercq, the quiet worker behind the scenes. There were a lot of beautiful animals to see. For me it was extra interesting, because a lot of breeds which you hardly see in the Netherlands were present here. Totally 2445 backyard animals had been entered, plus another 59 for recognition. That makes together 2504 numbers from 301 exhibitors, subdivided in 845 rabbits, 143 guinea pigs, 384 bantams, 291 large fowl, 541 fancy pigeons, 150 waterfowl and 91 ornamental fowl. Above: Best Large Fowl in Show was this Orloff cockerel by Leon Janssens. Left: Head study of another Orloff cockerel.

2 Forced by circumstances I sometimes could not take a photo of the winning bird and selected another one; at several places in the hall the exuberant sunshine through the many windows made it impossible to photograph. The judges however must have been very satisfied to do their job in such good light! Well, enough talking, these are the names of the winners: Best of Large Fowl: Orloff by Leon Janssens. Best of L.F Belgian breed: Brakel by Bart Dellaert. Best of L.F. Belgian Breed Male: Liege Game by Pierre Thomas. (Photo right) Best of L.F. Belgian Breed Female: Herve hoen by Olivier Prégardien. Best of L.F. Foreign Breed: Orloff by Eugeen Lenaerts. (Photo left; pity this pullet would not pose for the camera) Best of L.F. Foreign Breed Male: Sumatra by Karel van Loy. (Photo below right) Best of Bantam: Waasse bantam by Andy Verelst. Best of Bantam Belgian Breed: Belgian Bantam by Andy Verelst. (Photo below left) Best of Bantam Belgian Breeds Male: Antwerp Bearded bantam by Raf Heymans. Best of Bantam Belgian Breed Female: Watermael Bearded Bantam by Alexander Rillaerts. Best of Bantam Foreign Breed Female: Rosecomb Bantam by Roger Struyf. Best of Bantam Foreign Breed Male: Cochin bantam by Freddy Hannes. (photo below)

3 Best of Waterfowl Belgian Breeds: Semois duck by Luc Steppe. Best of Waterfowl Foreign Breed: Blue-winged Teal by Stacey Vandercruyssen. Best of Ornamental Fowl Belgian Breed: Ronquières turkey by Mathieu Chaumond. Best of Ornamental Fowl Foreign Breed: Lady Amherst pheasant by Robert Cuveliers (photo below) Best of Pigeons: Jacobin by Armand Cleynen (photo Left) Beste of Pigeons Belgian Breed: Ghent Pouter by Paul Demeur. Best Utility Pigeons Belgian Breed: Belgian Beauty Homer by Luc van den Borre. Best Utility Pigeons Foreign Breed: Mondain by Leo Delen. Best Structure Pigeon Belgian Breed: Limburg Jacobin by Ghislain Stiers. Best Structure Pigeon Foreign Breed: Old Dutch Capuchine by Lieven Baert. Best Tumbler or Highflyer Belgian breed: Belgian Tumbler by Henk Baert. Best Tumbler or Highflyer Foreign breed: Old Dutch Tumbler by Roger Gemis. Best Cropper Belgian Breed: Leuven Pouter by Joris Deneire. Best Cropper Foreign Breed: Norwich Cropper by Joris Deneire. Best Owl Belgian Breed: Flanders Smerle by Madeleine Janssens. Best Owl Foreign Breed: Italian Owl by Andre Legrand. Best Trumpeter: Arabian Trumpeter by Andre Legrand. Best Wattle Pigeon: Carrier by Gilbert Fransis. Best Utility Pigeon, sub class: German Modena magnani by Jan Spaepen. Best Colour Pigeon: Berne Tigerhead by Koen Druyts. I would like to give a tip to the organisation: The most beautiful animals (the pheasants) and the most impressive (the game fowl) were in cages on the ground. Why not place these cages at a height of one meter; this will give a much better view at the birds. The second advantage is that these birds will be more at ease and behave more naturally, because people have become smaller in their eyes. This should be a good measure for all exhibitions: all cages at a height of minimum 80 cm from the ground. In Belgium, a country with so many breeds of Belgian origin, the exhibitions are always a true happening with each fancier participating for both pleasure and honour. They can be proud of the last National Championship Show in Geel; in two years time there will hopefully be a recurrence. See more photos of the show on the next pages.

4 Above left: Izegem Cuckoo cockerel. Owner: Ludo Lambrichts. Right boven: Malines, cuckoo pullet. Owner: Reginald Deyaert. Above left: Araucana, cuckoo cockerel. Owner: Marc LambRight. Above right: Head study of an Araucana pullet. Owner: Andre Van Damme. Below: For recognition, Leghorn M+F blue silver partridge, entered by A. Krekelbergh.

5 Above left: Satsumadori cockerel, silver partridge. Owner: Paul Struys. Above right: Liege Game cockerel, goldneck. Owner: Pierre Thomas. Above left: Araucana cockerel. Owner: Andre Van Damme. Above right: Appenzeller Spitshauben, cockerel. Owner: Tamara Kohn. Below: Lesser White-fronted Goose by Stacey Vandercruyssen. Below r.: Guinea pigeon. Owner: Marc Vandewalle.

6 Aboven: Versicolor pheasant. Owner: Patrick Mertes Right: Tula (fighting)goose. Owner: Andy Verelst. Below: Head study of a Tula goose. Below: Ronquières turkey, male. Owner: Mathieu Chaumont. Below left: Rouen clair, female. Owner: Andrea Steinmetz. Next: Rouen clair, male. Owner: Stefanie Pregardien.

7 Clockwise, starting above left: Andalusian bantam pullet and cockerel, blue laced. Owner: Paul Müller. Ardenner bantam cockerel, silver partridge. Owner: Andy Verelst. Marans bantam cockerel, black copper. Owner: Coen van Ouwenhuysen. Herve bantam cockerel, black. Owner: Michel Dasnois.

8 Above right: German Magpie Tumbler, black. Owner: Viktor Vandebeek. Above left: Valencian Frill, white. Owner: Wilfried Lombary. Right: Old German Owl, white. Owner: Marcel Schroder. Below left: Danish Suabian, brown. Owner: Andre Vandenabeele. Below right: Flanders Smerle, darkbarred silver. Owner: Madeleine Janssens. Copyright 2008 Aviculture-Europe. All rights reserved by VBC.