The loft is 16 m x 2.5 m with 6 department. 4 with 24 breedingboxes and 2 for the youngbirds. On the attic of the shed I have lofts for my breeders and my Barcelona racers. The breeders have two departments of 4 x 4 meter. Also there are breedingboxes created 2 x 1.30 meter. For my Barcelona team I have made two departments each about 8 x 2.5 meter. 1 for the old birds (35 couples) and the other for the youngbirds. The youngsters selected to race Barcelona are weened on the attic.
All birds are coupled end of March beginning April. This remains until next year Februari. That means they are raced using their nest as motivation. On eggs or chicks. All birds have to train at the same time. Also the birds setting on their nest have to go out and train. In the beginning this causes some problems but after a few days the birds know the routine.
For the longdistance races I want birds that have a natural good health. That is why medication only is given when its absolutely necessary. I am visiting the vet Nanne Wolff regularly to check. In 2011 once it was needed to give some medicins against trichomonas. With my youngbirds health is a selection criteria whole year around.
All departments have grids where under once every year is cleaned. The nestingboxes are cleaned once every week. I am a fan of maintaining heath naturally. This through garlic or Jan Smits Duo Kruiden Elixer in the water. All by-products come from Backs but I don't have a fixed system with the products. I do have a system feeding. This is very easy. There is always food available from Matador both fot the old as the young birds. During the season the foodmixture will contain more fatcontaining seeds when the birds have to race.
The youngbirds I train myself 2 or 3 times. First time I bring them to a distance of 175 km mostly Hazeldonk. Then to Maastricht (200 km) and the last time they have to fly 250 km. The weather then is of no importance to me. As one year old birds beginning the season I will race them as much as possible with the "normal" department flights. Then a selection of them have to race Bordeaux, the other I will race the regular one-day longdistance races (up to 630 km). The 2 years and older birds I race, purely for training, some short and middle distance races until about 3 weeks before the first ZLU race. By then they had to fly about 1100 km. In the season I do bring them to Hazeldonk or Utrecht regularly to keep them "sharp". All these birds have to race 2 long distance races except the Barcelona team. They only have to race Barcelona.