any new stock ?

what new stock are you bringing into your lofts this year if any, I`m looking to buy a pair of van loons to breed into some janssens I have, hoping it will help for channel racing, worth a try.

not for me pied, got enough to last me a life time.......or at least a few years.

Van Loons are excellent stock. Had some won with them. Des Mathys also. However, that was many years ago. I will never buy by strain names now. Unless a fancier is line breeding or inbreeding and winning with them. So many have been sold on the merit of the strain. Of course the strain gets really diluted over the years as some fanciers promote on the strain name. If it from this strain it has to be good. Garbage comes from all strains. As do winners. If you get a pigeon or want to buy one, check the pedigree. It cannot be bred for stock only. It has to have performance in the parents pedigrees. Also, performances noted there are not always truthful. Friend of mine inquired as to birds for sale in Europe, Belgium or Holland forget now. Seller had listed many firsts and seconds and so on. However he checked the records and could not find the birds. So he asked the guy. Guy told him "results to my loft only". Buyer beware! Regardless of strain, the great majority of fanciers in the world have a few good pigeons. Best to best hope for the best. Cannot do it that way introduce new blood. Cull poor performers or better yet, use them as feeders (pumpers) for the young off the better birds. Birds I have here are mostly reds. Jannsens basically but good and bad as usual. Fortunately more good than bad. Take a step back. Look at your birds. Janssen van Loon basically the same birds different name. My reds have flown 586 miles and won. 150 miles and won. Try your birds across the channel. But in all discussions pigeon related, it seems to me, people have the birds good enough to do what is asked of them. Try them before you condemn them or cross them.The usual fancier is his own worst enemy! I am in that category also!

interesting reading hal.........some good info there, thanks for that

wise words from our hal there added a few more frans zwols here from different lines they are also a janssen based family ...most will be kept together but have a hunch on a few crosses so going to try a few grondelaers always nice to experiment with a few pairs

I think on the whole, I`m just going to let mine pair to who they are already paired to this year, its easier.......then once the ybs have raced, I can take it from there, and adjust any pairs I think might produce better young, by giving them a different mate.

We've been offered 2 pairs of Louis cooreman birds off a mate, he's had them on loan off a guy who's paid lots of money for the parents, he asked the guy does he want them back and he said no, so our mate has offered them to us, not knowing anything about them we don't know what to do yet, last time we were at his place I picked some of them out as being nice birds, sprint family I think so would suit us, will try and find out a bit more on the cooremans before I do something stupid, do any of you guys know anything about them

not a lot roy, I just read they are supposed to be fast flyers......

I`m sure someone here will give better info.

...like anything roy good and bad in them all and the fruits never fall far from the tree ...I think that bob fenech has some really good ones and is probably the uks main source of top cooremans

you just reminded me of a saying the last janssen brother said on a video Darren, "you can sell the fruit but never the tree"

oldstrain wrote:

...like anything roy good and bad in them all and the fruits never fall far from the tree ...I think that bob fenech has some really good ones and is probably the uks main source of top cooremans

That's it, that's where he got the parent birds from, Bob fenech, as soon as I saw your post daz the name jumped into my head, thanks buddy I'll go and see what I can find on him

maybe worth a pop roy good luck whatever you decide

http://www.lightning-fast.co.uk/ info here.

Thanks Hal, just been reading through his site, look to be out and out sprinters, I'm going to call up to see our mate and have a better look at them before I decide, thanks all

Darren formula 1 stud down my way have very good frans zwols, they are always there or there about with them.

Boosey wrote:

Darren formula 1 stud down my way have very good frans zwols, they are always there or there about with them.

got a few here off F1 steve ...they bought the frans zwol family off frans last year ,they seem to do well racing and as a stud

If you have room for them give them a try. You never know you might hit that magic mix.

We are going to try Mark Gilbert's And van reet

Lofty. Out and out sprinters they may be. But pigeons are full of surprises! Last race around here week or two ago was 400 miles for most fliers. Very big area. Weather not the best. However, Combine here, this area, is noted for it's sprint birds. Belgium, Dutch fliers basically. My club members do not fly past 300 miles old birds. Half the positions taken in the 400 were by sprint fliers! One never knows unless one tries them. That is what makes it all interesting!

Friend called about picking up culls. Yearly routine. I have not kept detailed records last few years. So was going back through some old folders and came across some pedigrees. Quite a few of them. Was quite surprised! Most of the reds I have are from Gallez pair. Oude Vos, Jannsen (64/Belge/6209869) x BC hen. (68/Belge/ 6565723) Bl WTP Berte) Way back when. Then came some Kannibal, from Op de Beek-Baetans (Cassleman) crossed in other strains. Van Loon, Grondolaer,, Klak Borgman,Golden Sissi etc,. Super Champ, ( 1st Olympic Champion bird of the entire world .all distances 2001, Holland and South Africa.) But 80% are Jannsens here.
Puts a new slant on the breeding aspect. Line/bred inbred perhaps not as planned. Will go back to the usual way. 15 best cocks in the stock loft, 15 best hens. They can pick their own mates as per usual. Fly them until the poor ones are gone. Best to best hope for the best.
Guess I better call him back and tell him no culls this year, all stay!!! Mate mid November.

Thanks Hal, he recons they will do our first channel race easily, which is Ypres, at 310 miles, will have a chat with Luke when he gets home from work and we'll go and take another look, as I remember they were nice dark chequers, quite biggish birds in the hand, but my memory is shot and I was probably handling totally different birds

some exceptional lines their hal from different fanciers with a janssen base should bode well for years of breeding yet just aswell yer cancelling the hatchet man atb should be a exciting breeding season