Widow co*cks bathing on the day of basketing
Our second visit was on a Saturday morning in the early Spring. When we arrived at about 10 o’clock Vic told us that Louis and Charel were in the back yard. After a friendly greeting we saw the pigeons sitting on the roof and saw them flying around. Louis told us that they had to basket that afternoon for Quièvrain and that they had given the widow co*cks about an hour before a bath at the loft and could go out for a spin. When we asked why they gave at the day of basketing a bath and let them even out afterwards, Louis told us that the pigeons would get a tail wind on the day of race from Quièvrain and to basket the widow co*cks quietly they got a bath and could fly out. During the conversation we heart all of a sudden a screaming whistle and when we looked up to the roof we only saw one more pigeon. The others did go inside in a blink of an eye. The one that was sitting outside was a widow co*ck that won the week before a 1st prize. He would stay at home that weekend as he didn’t go into the bath and didn’t train well and now didn’t listen to come in. The were afraid to loose him. Many fancier would basket such a first prize winner immediately for such a short race despite its hesitations. But this is how the brothers were. Rather to keep a good pigeon home than to loose it and feel sorry about it
Sundry
The brothers always had a lot of attention for the food and the feeding of their pigeons. This was the case for the quality of the cereals, legumes and seeds as also the composition of the food. At the big attic of the house there were bags with separate legume and cereals with in it a stick to stir the food up on a regular base. Next to the bags there were zinc buckets with food that they’ve mixed themselves. Throughout all the years they fed their own mixture which existed out of corn (about 50%), vitsen, peas and beans and a bit of wheat, dari and barley. Sometimes the percentages fluctuated a bit along the season and weather. Legumes and cereals were sometimes soaked to look at the germination. In the morning the widow co*cks only got some small seeds, existing out of linseed, rape seed, sun pit seeds, white seed and pealed oats. The nest pigeons and young pigeons got a slightly broader mixture also they got in the morning some small seeds. The nest pigeons were being fed 3x a day. When the pigeons got back from a race they got a lighter food but were being fed thoroughly. Both the widow co*cks as the nest pigeons got a mixture where they were almost being fed by grain. Throughout all the years Charel and Adriaan got a good feeling in what the pigeons needed.
During the winter period they added more barley to the mixture. The brothers were always scared from medication just as his father Henri was. Everything went according nature. They always were an advocate of tea which they bought in a store alternating with tea that they made themselves from self-picked herbs like plantain and white dead nettle. During the moulting period the tea was accomplished with seeds. During the summer period they gave after a race always one day honey in the water. Carrots were also on the menu on a regular base in winter. Only in emergencies they would give medicines. They didn’t want to give vitamins as they didn’t believe in them. Visiters who could have their pigeons in their hands noticed immediately the perfect health, perfect appearance and soft feather of the pigeons.
More than 100 years of pigeon sport
Henri Janssen and his sons Louis, Adriaan and Charel knew how to breed pigeons which easily can win 1st prizes and head prizes. Over and over again there were pigeons bred that met by far their equals and took the fame of the Janssen further and further into the big wide world. There isn’t that much known about the strain of pigeons that father Henry had on his loft during the period before the 1st world war. Mostly they came from good fanciers around the neighbourhood. But he knew already back then to distinguish very fast and to win a lot of 1st prizes and natural prizes like bikes. Father Henri was a fervent canary breeder and knew very fast that if you would like to keep a strain of good singers and pure colours, you could only keep this by breeding within the family and not in a too close grade. He used this breeding method later with his pigeons just as his sons did (until niece and nephew couplings). Off course, also they understood that it could only be possible when you had the good strains in your possession with a very high quality and those who could win easily 1st – and head prizes. The base of their yearlong successes finds it origin in about 3 base lofts. The pigeons from these origins were being crossed into each other and did family breeding later on.
Fonne Ceulemans Berlaar
After the first war in 1919 pigeons from the ‘vosse’ kind from Alfons (Fonne) Ceulemans on their loft via his son Fons as his father was serving his country. This would be a part of the base of the world famous strain of pigeons of the Janssens brothers. Out of this strain there is still the world famous ‘Wondervoske’ from 1945.
Jef Schoeters Herenthout
It would take until 1928 until there was again something that was being added to the strain of the Janssen pigeons. Now pigeons from the beer brewer Jef Schouters from Herenthout came to the loft. Fons already had this kind of pigeons on his loft and through him they got to the loft of brother in law / son in law Tist Eyssen. And via Tist the first Schoeters pigeons went to Arendonk. The Schouters pigeons also came on to the loft via Cas Goossens, a friend from Schoeters. Out of these strains they got the ‘schalies’. Also on a sale from Goossens in 1936 they bought two Schoeters pigeons. At Schoeters himself they got pigeons and these were out of “Oude Lichte”, “Bordeaux duivin” and “Aap”.
George and Victor Fabry Liege
A further crossing was done in 1960. End of the fifties George and Victor Fabry out of Liege bought in Arendonk a co*ck named “De Trage” (‘the slow one’), out of “Blauwe van ‘48”. They promised here to bring a youngster from them to Arendonk.. “De Trage” coupled to the “Heroïne” from Fabry, gave the “Halve Fabry” and in Arendonk he was brought in the Janssen strain after a successful career. And this with a lot of success!
Just some world famous pigeons from the brothers Janssen
The late co*ck which was bought by father and sons Janssens at Cas Goossens was the “Schalieblauwe van ‘32”. He was a grandson of the “Aap” from Schoeters. They bred out of this one the “Oude Witoog van ‘33”. One of the base pigeons from the loft of father and sons Janssen-. A half-brother from the “Oude Witoog” was the “Late van 35” who got later the name “De Rappe”. This crack would win in Arendonk 15 x 1st prizes.
A full sister of the “Oude Witoger”, namely the “Dikke Duivin van ‘36”,would become together with the “Vos van ‘39” the parents to the world famous “Wondervoske van ‘45”.
The “Vosse kind” which can be find until the very end in the Janssen strain, goes back to the “Vos van ‘26” from Fonne Ceulemans
The “Wondervosje van 45” became one of the base pigeons after the second world war. Via her son the “Vos van ‘49” she became grandmother to the “Bange van ‘51” also a base pigeon from the Brothers Janssen. They bred a series of top pigeons out of him like for example the “Stier van ’55” and the “Bange van ‘59”.
Out of the “Stier van ‘55” they bred the “Donkere Stier van ‘63” and was coupled to “ ’t Kleintje” from ’65, which was on her turn a daughter of the “Bange van ‘59”, became the parents of their phenomenon and head racer pur sang namely “De Merckx”. The “Merckx” didn’t race less than 18x 1st prize. But also as breeding pigeons the “Merckx” didn’t find his equal and became father of the even illustrious “019” who also knew how to race 18x a 1st prize. Also the “Velo” with 15 1st prizes and the “Jonge Merckx” with 15 1st prizes were sons to the “Merckx”.
Out of a brother ‘Broer 019’ the even wonderful “Schouwman”, with 6x 1st prize, was bred.
The “Jonge Merckx” was at his turn also a top breeder and many within the international pigeon sport had big successes with off spring of this pigeon.
Also the “Oude Witoger van 65” (BE65-6371177) belongs to the list of illustrious breeding pigeons. One of his most famous children was the above mentioned “Raket”, the “Rakkertje” (4 x 1st )
An equally classfull breeding pigeon, but was written about not that much in the rich Janssen archives (probably as he didn’t participate to that much races), but nevertheless less important, is the “Blauwe van 48” (out of the strain of the “Schalieblauwe van 32”), who was coupled to the “Schoon Licht van 51” (daughter “Wondervoske”) maybe the best breeding couple that resides on the breeding attic in Arendonk. One of the most famous daughters is “Blauwke van 54” (with15 x 1st prizes), mother to ‘Stier van 55’ (grandfther ‘Merckx’).
The “Geeloger” van ’67, coming out of the “Lichte Witoger van ’66” (a grandson of the “Bange van 51”) was also a phenomenal pointer, with 16x 1st prizes.
It were only a few names of pigeons, call them if you like ‘icons’, that made the name Janssen world famous! From 1945 to 1954 they won around the 154 1st prizes! The following years they just went on at the same pace with years of 30 1st prizes and more. Their last big achievement was set in 1989 by “Chantilly” (BE89-6150123) on a prestigious interregional race with participation of Belgian and Dutch pigeons out of the Kempen where this topper with a lot bravura won the victory against about 2,000 pigeons..
