History

Piet de weerd

He was a living legend, and in 2017 his name still evokes a great deal of respect in pigeon fancier circles. He never raced pigeons himself, but his instincts for the birds, especially where breeding and selection were concerned, was unprecedented. His understanding of the muscle quality of pigeons, which he studied with the fingertips of his left hand, was phenomenal. It was a gift that granted him a role as cosmopolite as he travelled around the globe to Mexico, the USA, South Africa and the Far East already in the 1960s and 70s. His gift also gave rise to enormous gratitude, and accolades such as honorary citizenships of New Orleans and Lafayette.

With his books, he shared his knowledge and insights of pigeon rearing with a wide audience and inspired many aficionados along the way. Piet de Weerd wrote unique books. Not only did they introduce fans to the big names in international pigeon racing, but also to his own vision regarding the sport. His ability to select homing pigeons was noted by a number of leading scientists in the fields of biology and zoology, and they were eager to involve Piet de Weerd in their studies of homing pigeons. Prof. William Keeton of the renowned Cornell University in the USA consulted him as part of his study of the orientation abilities of pigeons.

Prof. Jan Bonsma in Pretoria, who later became famous around the world for breeding the Bonsmara strain of cows, approached Piet de Weerd as part of his research of heredity in pigeons. Piet de Weerd also worked together closely with Alfons Anker in Kaposvar, Hungary, professor of genetics, as well as German biologist and pigeon fancier Arno Meyer. Possibly the most inspiring achievement by Piet de Weerd in the pigeon sport is his role in the creation of the Aarden breed, which plays a leading role in international marathon racing to this day.

The beginning of a legacy

It is no exaggeration to say that Piet de Weerd was the architect of the Aarden breed, by means of the pigeons he brought to Jan Aarden on his many visits to Steenbergen. He brought Jan Aarden pigeons from a.o. Oomens (Delbar-Deguffroy), Delbar (a.o. via Dusarduijn and Wagemaker), Stichelbaut, Meesters and Burgemeester Boels, which were subsequently cross-bred with local pigeons from the town of Steenbergen, thereby laying the foundation for the Aarden strain. As a result, the original stock hen for Jan Aarden, the OOMENS hen, is often also referred to as the PIET DE WEERD hen.


Piet de Weerd also played an important role at Piet Lazeroms in Zegge. On recommendation of Piet de Weerd, Lazeroms purchased entire lofts based on the Jan Aarden pigeons. Lazeroms presumed this tactic would at least ensure the best pigeons could be acquired, and this is how he became keeper of the Aarden strain. Many would later benefit in their own quests for good pigeons, such as the Van Zelderen brothers, Jacobs, Van Peperstraten and De Heijde.

Piet de Weerd made his mark not only in the Netherlands, but far beyond. The acquisition of WONDERVOSKE from Van der Flaes for the Oomens-Van Tuijn combination became a true catalyst for improved quality. At George Fabry in Liege, he mated FRANCK, ring number BE44-306686, with HEROINE, ring number BE47-1008650. From this pair, PORTHOS, ARAMIS and FAVORI were born, three pigeons that went on to bring world fame to Fabry. This lineage also played an important role in the creation of a strain by the Janssen Brothers in Arendonk. Raymund Hermes in Germany also owes a great deal to Piet de Weerd. Not only for all the excellent pigeons he purchased from Piet, particularly PIET (Meulemans), but also for the knowledge he gained from Piet de Weerd about the pigeon racing sport.

In other words, Piet de Weerd contributed to Hermes’ success in two ways. STALLION JAN AARDEN, bred by Piet de Weerd, gave rise to such excellent offspring in South Africa, that it is still talked about with great respect today. The famous DIDI lineage at Van de Broucke-De Weerd was also the result of years of selection, inbreeding and crossbreeding by Piet de Weerd. DIDI was honored as the 1st National Ace Pigeon Marathon Belgium, which his offspring KLEINE DIDI also achieved at the lofts of Etienne Devos in 1997, in addition to winning the 1st National Dax.

Henk de weerd

At a very young age, Henk de Weerd accompanied his father Piet on visits to top fanciers all over the world, whereby his fascination for pigeons was fed. It is no surprise that Henk also grew to be a great devotee of pigeons. After completing his veterinary studies, he became specialized in the medical guidance of racing pigeons.

Dr. Henk de Weerd has been active as a veterinary doctor specialized in the medical and athletic support of homing pigeons since 1972. He is one of the leading veterinaries in the field of homing pigeons, based on his personal history, knowledge, and experience. He travelled around the world to share his knowledge, just like his father did. Currently, a team of specialists, all of whom benefited from Henk’s knowledge and many years of experience, are available at the pigeon clinic in Breda to provide advice to fanciers around the world about achieving the best health and condition for their pigeons.

Like father, like son

Advice is not limited to medical issues, but also touches on racing systems, feed, loft installations, mating and selection. Advice is not only dispensed at the clinic in Breda, but also at subsidiaries in Ransdaal (the Netherlands), Colchester (United Kingdom) and Beijing (China). In addition, connections are made by telephone, email and social media. The result is that more than 100.000 fanciers in more than 40 countries rely on the knowledge and expertise of Dr. Henk de Weerd and his team at the Pigeon Clinic in Breda. Their goal is to support all fanciers, from hobbyists to professionals, not only with medical advice, but also to help achieve their goals in the pigeon racing sport.

Henk de Weerd is not only a leading veterinary doctor, but also a pioneer in the development of specialized medical and complementary products for pigeons, marketed under brand name Belgica de Weerd. All of these products were developed after in-house research and extensive testing, and are produced according to GMP standards. It goes without saying that all products are free of performance-enhancing drugs.

The Belgica de Weerd range of products is used by pigeon fanciers all over the world to great satisfaction. The list with references from successful and satisfied customers continues to grow. It is wonderful to see how many fanciers have shared their gratitude for the advice provided by Henk and his team, and the importance of Belgica de Weerd products in accomplishing their goals.

Nicole de Weerd

In the same way that blood will tell, Nicole de Weerd, after first establishing a successful independent career in banking, joined the family business a few years ago, strengthening the ranks. Assisted by her loft manager, Nicole has also become actively involved in pigeon racing, following in the illustrious footsteps of her grandfather Piet and her father Henk. Her foray into the sport has been notably successful:

  • In 2015, she achieved 15th place in the National Ace Pigeon Small Middle Distance Young Birds competition.
  • In 2016, she became the 2nd National Champion Middle Distance.
  • In 2017, she was ranked 8th National Champion Young Birds.
  • In 2018, she won 1st place at the National Chateauroux Old Birds, was 6th National Champion Large Middle Distance Yearlings, and 7th National Champion Young Birds.

Like father, Like daughter

Her sporting achievements continued in 2016, as she and a small team of yearlings targeted the national large middle-distance competitions, achieving significant results including 14th place at the National Argenton with 12,389 young birds, 25th at the National Argenton among 18,363 birds, and 50th at the National Chateauroux with 9,540 birds. The crowning achievement was when Nicole and her loft manager Greg were named 2nd National Champion Large Middle Distance Yearlings by the Royal Belgian Pigeon Racing Association (KBDB).

In 2017, the move to Mol saw immediate success with the young birds, connecting to the earlier successes in Brasschaat, and culminating in an 8th place in the National Championship Middle Distance Young Birds KBDB.

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