An interview with Aage Møller Jensen & Frode Brakstad

026 Fladstrand, Section 053,Denmark

The partnership Jenssen & Brakstad is the field testing loft of Pigeon Vitality AS. Only Pigeon Vitalitys biproducts are used in this loft, and all new products are tested by this partnership before commercial lauching. Last year, the 2011 season, they got the new MultiViTra product for testing.

This was the first season where the partnerships tested the complete program of Pigeon Vitality including Improver (killing bad bacteria), AntiFungal (reduce fungal bloom from stress), Oxy B (antioxidants and B-vitamins for rapid recupteration), Belgamax (electrolytes) and MutliViTra (concentrated, balanced and containing all need vitamins, minerals and trace elements designed for pigeons). The partnerships season were among the most successful ever:

The partnership compete in section 053 in Denmark, Nort West of Jylland. A very competive region, especially when it come to middle distance and long distance racing. With the amazing results they have achieved I visited the partnership of Jensen & Brakstad early December for an interview. I arrived in the morning in nice sunny winter weather, and after handling a lot of really class pigeons in brilliant condition, I asked the partnership about their pigeon strains, management and methods.

THE STRAINS

The basic strain of the partnership is build on Flor Vervort and Luis Deluis pigeons. This strain is a typically all-round strain and is the basis for sprint distance, medium distance as well as long distance races. Both crosses and pure strain from these two lines bred winners on all these distances. To mention, the 1st Ace pigeon at long distance 026-07-338, 1st Ace pigeon middle distance 026-09-644 and the 2nd Ace pigeon sprint 026-10-038 are all closely related and based on the Flor Vervort-Luis Deluis line. The partners also continously experiment with crossing of top birds into their basis line. The receipt for competion is simple, and as a rule of thumb yearlings and the two year old pigeons are sent on the sprint and middle distances, while the pigons being 3 years or older are sent for the long distances. The last year they have bought some pure Klak Janssen (Viggo Elofsson, Brødr. Brøbeck), Van Loon (Erik Waaler, Ejerkamp) and De Rauw-Sablon (Koen van Roy, Erik Limbourg, Pipa) pigeons that have been crossed into their all-round strain to look for new combinations that can improve their basis line. When they select pigeons for crossing they are thoroughly examined. Of importance is the birds balance, muscles, feather quality, their wings and the performance of the bird and it’s relatives judged by the pedigree. Within the strains sprint, medium and long distance, best is paired up with best in winter and spring. Line breeding to secure future breeding potential is in special cases (only the breeders that have shown exceptional breeding results) done in summertime.
The partners do not at the moment compete on over-night races, so-called marathon races. But they intend to compete also on these races from the season 2013. To prepare for these races they have selected some pigeons from the following strains: Emil Denys, Karsten and Henrik Larsen (local champions on marathon races), Super Crack (Jim Biss and Robert Venus), Jef De Ridder (Erik Limbourg) and Stenbergen (Kees de Baat). Although the crosses of these lines still is in an experimental phase, the crosses of the Super Crack lines and the Stenbergen seems most promising.
The two amazing hens showns below took , all alone, the championship in long distance sport for the partnership. Their performance was amazing, as their condition seem to improve week by week through the whole season. Note, they were sent on long distance every second week.

The Amazing Hens
Station	Km	Week	Pigeons	Prize 026-07-338	Prize 026-07-1008
Münster	620	23	275	27	8
Göttingen	670	25	306	4	86
Antwerpen	770	27	205	47	110
Giesen	780	29	214	7	34
Dresden	725	31	192	36	4
Overall placement	in ace pigeon	long	distance	1	4

 

Other pigeons performing well:

The ”644″ winning the 1 Ace middle distance in the section 053. The ”644” is a very strong and well build cock, usally also winning the exhibiton shows in wintertime.

 

 

 

 

 

The “379,” one of the partnerships Super Crack – Stenbergen (Robert Venus – Kees De Baat) cross. A beautiful YB cock that we expects a lot from in the years to come. In fact, all the YBs crosses of the two mentioned strains performed extremely well, as the loss was at a minumum even at hard races and YB races classified as close to catastrophes.

THE FEEDING SYSTEM

When I ask the partners for their feeding system they reply; They use the basic feed advises from Matador (www.matador-petfood.com) and Willem Mulder, which they have changed slightly. They give the hens on the turnabout system slightly less proteins, and for all pigeon they add 10 % mixture of corn (maize) and brown rice (its 40% rice, 60% maize in this mixture) to the feed for the sprint and medium distances (brown rice and corn has the lowest glycemic index and the energy from these will last some longer than from other grains). They use the omega-3 Matador classification of the grain to optimize loading of oil before basketing.
Additionaly, the long distance birds they will have 5 peanuts each each day the last three days before basketing. They do not fly overnight races (> 900 km), altough they plan to do from the 2013 season.
sprinters, middle distance and long distance pigeons get som additional chicken pellets (maximum 5%) on their grains the days after race and the day thereafter. The chicken pellet they use contains added amounts of the essential amino acids methonine (0.5 %) and Lycine (1.3 %), two important aminoacids that among other is bulding bricks for Lecitine, which again support fat metabolism). The brand of chicken pellets they use is Kromat 3, a norwegian product that they import to Denmark for own use. It’s really superb.
The complete program of Pigeon Vitality is given as feed additives, no other feed additives are allowed into the loft as the varios Pigeon Vitality products are balanced to secure the sufficient need by both breeders, racers and YBs. Improver and AntiFungal is given two succeeding days after return from race to secure rapid stabilization of their natural microflora, gaining new energy and boost apetite.
On race day the Improver and AntiFungal is mixed with Belgamax.
Every Sunday the pigeons get Oxy – B for fast recupteration of muscles. Oxy – B contain a balanced mixture of all B-vitamins and selected powerful antioxydants.
Every Wednesday the pigeon get MultiViTra, a complete mixture of vitamins, minerals, traceelements and selcted amino acids to build new energy for the comming weekend. More on the use of Pigeon Vitality’s products are given below.

TRAINING AND MOTIVATION SYSTEM

The partners start the training when the warm weather appear, usually late April. The pigeons are released on roughly 10 private training trips from distances starting with 15 kilometer and up to100 kilometers. After this first period the pigeons are trained with the club until the races starts medio May. The motivation system is the classic round – about, where both hens and cocks have to perform. If one of the pigeons turn out to race well with top prizes in a row, it’s mate will be stopped. In this way the best pigoens wil always have their mate in their nest box when returning from races.

Mid – week in the racing season they usually train the pigeons from 15 – 30 kilometer distance. The hens are released 5 minutes before the cooks. They are allowed to be together in the loft for 5 – 15 minutes. In this way they get them motivated and reduce the lesbian behaviour of the hens.

MEDICINES

Due to buying some new pigeons the last two years, the partners have treated their pigeons against Salmonella 14 days with Baytril or Emdotrin 60 % in February. 3 weeks before first race the pigeons receive a 5 days cure agaist cancer (usually Ronidasole 10 %, but they try to alternate with as many cancker medicines as possible). Every third week in the racing season they treat against cancker Sunday – Monday. Two weeks before first race they treat against coccidiosis giving Baycox in their drinking water for two days. They repeat this treatment every 6th week through the whole race season.
They do not treat against ornithosis or mycoplasma on regular basis. However, they examine their pigeons carefully in periods with high humidity (rainy or warm weather), and if they believe it’s necessary they imidiately treat with either Timutin or a mixture with terramycine & Tylane.
To avoid the need for regular treatment against air – sack diseases they have optimized the construction of the loft. Good and dry air and stable temperature without draught is the key. They uses fans in day time in the hot summer to get rid of high humidity and a termostate secures that oven tubes placed under the boxes (80 kWatt per meter) is turned on when temperature gets below 18 degrees Celsius in nights or at cold days. The oven is also turned on in rainy weather to gently dry the air in the loft.

PIGEON VITALITYs PRODUCTS

Frode Brakstad is CEO and nutrient advisor in Pigeon Vitality As, so it’s really no ”bomb” that the partners use the products of Pigeon Vitality. They explain how they uses their products;

In the drinking water:

They give Improver and AntiFungal in the drinking water the day of return (double dosage 1 teaspoon (i.e. 5 grams) of each product in 5 liter of water) together with the electrolyte product Belgamax.
The day after they get normal dosage of Improver and AntiFungal (2.5 gram of each in the drinking water). Rest of the week pure fresh water. However, every third week they blend the canker medicine with Improver & AntiFungal on Sunday (the day after race) until the next day Monday. From Monday until Tuesday every third week the pigeons get the medicine only in the drinking water. Every sixth week they give Baycox Sunady and Monday, both days without mixing with anything else. By using Improver and AntiFungal they inhibit the spread of pathogenic bacterias in the drinking water, and they stimulate the microflora in the gut and intestinates and therby the immune defence system. All securing as fast recupteration as possible.

On feed:

The day after race (usually Sunday) the pigeons get 5 gram Oxy – B per liter feed. Oxy – B contain antioxydants purifying the blood and B – vitamins beneficial for metabolism, apetite and for rebulding muscles. It contain aslo the prober selection of iron, B6, B9 and B12 which is elemens in building the red blood cells that transport oxygene to the muscles.
Mid – week they give 5 gram/ liter feed with the new multivitamin product MutliViTra, containing all the needed vitamins and traceelements that is needed for pigeons. The content of traceelements and vitamines in Oxy – B and MultiVitra is balanced so they together gives the exactly right dosages of what is needed. As first ever, the partners tested the new product MultiViTra for Pigeon Vitality in the 2011 season. And with great results. Both breeding and racing performance were great through the whole season.

For both Oxy – B and MultiViTra there is a need to moisture the corn so the products get sticked to the grains.
Jensen & Brakstad use Pigeon Vitalitys own omega 3 oils for the purpose of moisturing the grain, 10 ml per liter of grain. The omega 3 oil they prefer is a blend of 44 % ALA, 34 % EPA and 22 % DHA. These fatty acids are essential Omega 3 acids that secure high metabolism, endurance in races and is benefical for the immune defence system.
(This oil product is called Omega Optimal, although Pigeon Vitality has not started to commercialize it yet, however, on request we may ship a bottle or two.)
So they use Omega Optimal on the grain on Sundays (with Oxy – B) and on Wednesday (with MultViTra). As an important energy source, they even give pure Omega Optimal the day before basketing on middle and sprint distances (usually on Thursday), and an extra day with pure Omega Oil on the grain on Tuesdays for the long distance racers. All breeders do have the oil on the feed every day. The health, growth and feathers of the YBs become great on this program.

Jensen & Brakstad have used this system the two last years and they have won both the open sprint and the sport long distance championships on the system this year in their region (roughly 55 fanciers located around Frederikshavn in Denmark) . On the middle distance they ended up as no. 4, but last year they won the middle distance championship in the region as well as in the district being 2/ 3 of the Northern part of Denmark (close to 500 fanciers competing).

It is of course not a fasit on how to treat, feed, train and motivate, but this is how the partnership have done it the last two years with success, and in particular the last season. Hopefully you can get some ideas from their system that can be included in your own system.

For any inquiries please e-mail us on mail@pigeonvitality.com, or meet us on Facebook (Pigeon Vitality).

For Pigeon Vitality AS,
Marianne Walente