Article By Basil Smith
Article Published 05 June 2011

Loft visit to WFHU Champions 2010 Leukes brothers


Please allow me to introduce to u the champions of Western Flyers Homing Union,(WFHU) for 2010.

They are no other than the Leukes Brothers Ithriam, Wesley and Rudi Leukes of Atlantis.
It all started with Dad Leukes taking up pigeon racing and after he passed on the sons took over the loft and birds doing some racing on their own, but it wasn’t up to about three years ago when Ithriam set his heart on racing that the sparks started to fly.

After spending thousands on buying birds from all over Ithriam or Iefs as I call him soon realized that success can’t be bought and to put it mildly lots of time, energy and money was wasted.

Of all the various birds bought, the birds of two well known Fanciers gave him success namely D. Pretorius and Monty v/d Berg. The blood of the v/d Bergs pigeons,1801 Jansens is still flowing in his race loft. Later additions were birds from Gaddin, Penkin, Stander, F. Adams and being such a humble nice guy birds from top fanciers in our country graze his stock lofts.

Not being a strain man he admits that most successes comes from his Jansens, as we see in his bird 1091 both sire and dam were bred from the Jansens he obtained from F. Adams.


“1091”

A short list of their achievements the last two seasons:
Champions Atlantis Homing Union 2009
2nd best bird Klapmuts with 1091
WFHU Champions 2010
Runner up youngbirds
6th best bird Klapmuts and 15th,21st,31st in the main race all birds related to 1091(2nd overall 2009)
105th Sun City main race & 8th South African challenge with a bird bred by them, “Marlie and Me”, a superb Oswald/Turbo Tom crossing.

The lofts was build by his father and only the roof was replaced during 2010 and a fresh coat of paint but the rest are still the same as it was 30years ago when it was built. Plain and effective it has three compartments with only two sections being used for racing, the third section houses the stock hens and birds not racing. The main stock loft is a separated large aviary fitted with 9 breeding boxes.



Mom Leukes and Ithriam’s two daughters at the loft

The Marlie connection
As the saying goes “Birds of the same feather flocks together” so it goes true for Iefs and Nazeem Marlie of Wynberg racing in Wynberg Union. These two gentlemen will do nothing in their own lofts without discussing it with the other first, whether its training, feeding, medication even the cleaning of the lofts are being discussed between them ,the pros and cons are discussed and only when they reach an agreement they implement or do something in their lofts with feedback given on the results that were obtained. Between them they also form partnerships in one race lofts and have started to purchase future stock birds based on racing results only, no pedigree no hear say only racing results. It seems to be successful as one can see that the parents of their SCMDPR bird, “Marlie and Me” was purchased this way. S.Penkin was the third syndicate member in “Marlie and Me”.


Marlie and Me ZA Lim 1488-2010 | 105th SCMDPR 2010 | 8TH South African Challenge 2010

When it comes to loft management,Iefs for one is still a guy who feeds his birds on the floor in between their droppings and all.He does not stick to a set programme for feed or medication but rather goes with his guts and what comes from the Marlie-connection.


Feeding time note the dirty floors!

He does however believe in Avio products as he has been using these products over the past two years with reasonable success. Avio Entromune is a constant part of his feeding regime, he almost swears by it!

He does the normal pre-season treatment like all of us treating for cancer, cocci, malaria and worms he does however not vaccinate for pox. He prefers his birds to get it the natural way. He will find a bird with pox from a trusted friend and allows his birds to get infected via the drinking bowls.

Off season this guy uses plastic as waterbowls but during racing it must be glass, maybe I will try it this season since I am racing against him!

Ithriam firmly believes that life is what u make it and so is pigeon racing. What you put in you will get back. You decide how this sport is going to adapt to your daily and family routine and not the other way round. Too many times, too many fanciers make the sport unnecessarily complicated and expensive. Keep It Simple, then one will get a whole lot more enjoyment and reward from this fascinating sport we call pigeon racing.

Thanks for allowing us an insight in your loft and pigeon ways.