Once basic conditions are achieved one should find what type of bird will best suit you and what type of racing you will enjoy most. Keep in mind that there are ‘horses for courses’ but also that a mule has never won the Kentucky Derby. Find a fancier who not only has his own family of pigeons but also breeds the type of bird which fits you. It will save you years of work and a lot of money in the long run.

Over the years I have developed a small Janssen family based around birds down from DeWeerd imports of the late 50’s and 60’s. Every so often I introduce an outcross cock through a distant cousin or another strain of birds. Nearly all of my key hens trace back to the lofts of the famous brothers themselves. Why??? Because I believe that in the Y chromosome of a hen the vitality DNA resides. In many lofts the best birds descend from one hen through her daughters and g/daughters.

     
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The Y chromosome of a hen continues, unchanged, from generation to generation in my opinion. This is important in a breeding program. Bird sellers promote the cocks and sell them for big money. Granted, they provide important X chromosomes to a mating but they can only give 50% of the material needed. Hens are key contributors to vitality and performance. Additional information along these lines can be found on the internet with a little research.

When speaking of ‘horses for courses’ I find myself leaning evermore toward long distance pigeons. Originally obtained as reliable racing cross for Janssens, they now hold my growing interest in long distance events. These birds are different in that loft location, weather conditions, etc. hold little challenge for them. Arrival is nearly always from the proper direction and they seldom hit the landing board exhausted. While not as speedy as the sprint and middle distance racers, I suspect they fly in a more direct route with more efficiency while airborne. I like the fact that past 400 miles each pigeon races on individual merit and class. All told, it is a good reason for me to cultivate a long distance pigeon family.

   True marathon birds are hard to find, let alone build a family around but patience has rewards. Top foundation stock makes a difference. Several Van derWegen based birds were imported from a small loft in Belgium with a strong International race record. To them were added Vanbruaene birds. The result is a tightly bred family which excels in the 500 to 600 mile events in both good and bad conditions and crosses well with Janssens, etc. for shorter races.