What a Line of Pigeon this was

[MIL]

Gaby Vandenabeele


With the years I built my own 'family' out of super breeder “Kleinen” (1981) he is the base pigeon and my number one breeder and he was never raced. I bred him myself and everything about him came about by chance. The sire of “Kleinen” is “Zitterke” who was on loan to my loft from Jozef Delodder of Zulte, my problem was that all my best hens were coupled so I did not have a hen for him. “Zitterke” was only at my loft for a short time so I went to my friend Gilbert Van Parijs who used to race the young birds very hard. Gilbert offered me his best hen “Ameyke” who had already bred good young bird racers.

The “Kleinen” got his name because he was so small but later matured into a good medium sized pigeon. He was paired to the “Goed Jong 76” of my father and they immediately became super breeders when they produced the “Picanol” who won the title of Ace Provincial Champion as a yearling. His descendents were also very good pigeons including “Sissi” who became the base hen for Ad Shaerlaeckens. “Sissi” is a half sister to the father of my Limoges National winner “Ronker” Another good racer was “Fideel” a son of “Zitterke” & “Ameyke” who won 2nd National Limoges against 6,911 birds.

A son of “Fideel” the “Schone Fiddel” was 1st National Brive 661km against 4719 old birds and 3,70 2yo’s. The “Kleinen” produced a line of top winners including “Stier” “Turbo” “Dokus” “Bambino” “Wolfgang” “Parel” plus many more. One of the very best I have bred from the “Kleinen” is “Wittenbuik” whose racing in 1989/90/91 was truly outstanding and more importantly there are many winners around the world from this top winner and breeder.

The winning line continues with “Bliksem” who missed out on the chance of being National Ace Pigeon because I did not send him to Bourges. “Turbo” another son of Kleinen” has bred some very good pigeons as both racers and breeders such as “Bourges” and “Het Provinciaalke”. It is this type of selection that makes a good pigeon fancier.

[Buster121]

Good birds with impressive results, congratulations

[Devo1956]

I loved the Gabys, good honest birds. A hen i did like was Neptune, some great lines there Mike.

[MIL]

I remember "Neptune" producing "Spy" who won 2nd place in the Final of Sun City winning $120,000 US Dollars

[NeilA]

Very interesting read

[MIL]

I actually wrote a book on the Gaby's Neil

And here's a random page from it. I still have cause to refer to it from time to time

[NeilA]

I never new that Mike

[MIL]

Not a lotta people do Neil

[Murray]

No, being way down in the colonies, I knew who Mike was, but didn't know he had written scholarly works about the sport.
I agree, the Gaby pigeons have been a big influence wherever they have been introduced.
I have a nestmate pair of Vandenabeele X Heremans hens, blue bar white flights, which I got as eggs. Obviously they cross well with the Heremans, and Van den Bulck X Heremans pigeons, but I think they actually upgrade them.
I may be wrong, I often am, but they are terrific pigeons.

[MIL]

The Gaby's have always been a great cross

Look at Jan Hooymans

Took a son of Gaby's "BLIKSEM" and banged it onto a daughter of Koopman's "KLEINE DIRK"

And hence the "HARRY" dynasty was born



And that's pigeon racing in its most simplest form

Get the best birds you can, bang em together then test, test, test, test, test