The end of the Janssen brothers of Arendonk

Janssen Brothers from Arendonk… a name that people still speak of with great respect in the pigeon sport. The Janssen Brothers found themselves among the great ambassadors who practiced Belgian pigeon racing all over the world. How many amateurs from all over the world have passed, over the years, through the small white door of Schoolstraat 6 in Arendonk, a small town in the Campine in the province of Antwerp, to meet the famous brothers and or have gone to look for something thing of their unbeatable pigeons. How many did not leave with a small pigeon of only 10 days to constitute an entire colony. Despite their success, they were always very friendly and honest people and they all lived together as one family with ease and alone for their pigeons. Certainly not easy to write a short story about these celebrities from a very rich pigeon story. We will try on this video to give you a short story and to give you an idea of ​​who the Janssens brothers were and how they lived and which pigeons took care of the world successes. The history of the glorious Janssen pigeon family from Arendonk actually started in 1886 when Henri Janssen, also popularly called Driekske and born in 1872, joined the pigeon fanciers guild. From an early age he was obsessed with pigeons and at just 14 years old there were already pigeons in the attic of the Begijnhof. It didn't take him to show that he would become a successful fancier. At that time it was better known as 'Driekske den Pauw'. In the period from 1908 to 1914, Henri already had very good pigeons, including a pigeon named “Het Blauwke” which won 20 first prizes in sprint races. During this period he also won several main prizes with a few bikes. He married Pauline and they became parents to nine children, Frans, Fons, Jef, Vic, Irma, Adriaan, Charles, Marie and Louis. All born between 1895 and 1913. Henri and his sons also maintained their carefully built stock of pigeons through family breeding and in a not too close context, and from time to time something was added to it. If one discovered the lineage of the famous pigeons of yesteryear, one could clearly trace the mutual relationship. Henri was a calm person who loved nature and everything that had to do with pigeons also had to do with nature. For example, he never did any winter breeding or widowhood racing pigeons. With a lot of patience, observation, knowledge and an immense love for pigeons, he built his own strain of pigeons with the help of his family which was almost unparalleled. In the 1920s the sons also began to become intensely involved in the pigeon sport and until Henri's death in September 1949 they practiced the pigeon sport as a family sport. After Father Henri's death, the family united and together they would continue Father Henri's lifelong work . They shared the duties regarding the pigeons, family events and everything else involved. The Janssen brothers were indisputable specialists in mating pigeons. The Janssen pigeon has acquired a worldwide reputation. No breed or strain in the world is so well known. The Janssen pigeon was introduced with enormous success all over the world, in speed, as in middle distance and long distance. Do not believe that the Janssen brothers had a special and technical formula to form pairs of breeders, because it is not so. The Janssen brothers were discreet people, without the slightest pretension, with good pigeons and who had no secret methods . No more secrets have in breeding. They had few pigeons, but very good ones. They selected severely in view of the results in the competitions. Only the best could keep their place and it was from these that they raised. Some pigeons are better than others, but it can't be seen with the naked eye or felt by taking them in the hand…. If certain pigeons appear in many pedigrees, it is because they were confirmed producers. The Janssen brothers only rarely resorted to crossings with other strains. They didn't feel the need to; they had enough good pigeons. They would have risked introducing junk instead of getting their hands on something worthwhile. Several champion pigeon fanciers have repeatedly tried to learn secrets in pigeon racing during a conversation with Charles. His blunt and honest response never wavered. “You can mate the best pigeons together, you will always play randomly and you will have to wait for what their youngsters bring you”. This is how Charles summed up the Janssen breeding system. The amateur who had the opportunity to visit Brother Janssen and who expected a huge villa with a grand entrance and huge lofts behind the villa, was surprised when they turned into the Schoolstraat in Arendonk and found a very simple house at No. 6 which was built before the first world war. The famous white gate next to the house gave access to the garden behind the house. In the courtyard you will find a small attic which they called the “aviary”. There were breeding pairs and older pigeons. To the left was a garden loft where the young birds resided. In front of the attic there was an open aviary. This is where the widower pigeons resided. What struck you immediately when you entered the small yard was a water well under the pear tree. From this well they took drinking water for their pigeons. Breeders and widowers resided in the attic of the house. In the roof there were shelves. The brothers have always had a lot of attention for the food and the feeding of their pigeons. This was the case for the quality of cereals, legumes and seeds as well as the composition of food. In the large attic of the house there were bags with legumes and cereals separated with a stick to stir the food regularly. Next to the bags were zinc buckets with food that they mixed themselves. During all the years they fed their own mix which existed with maize (about 50%), peas, beans and some wheat, dari and barley. Sometimes the percentages fluctuated quite a bit during the season and weather conditions. Pulses and cereals were sometimes soaked to observe germination. In the morning, the widower pigeons received only small seeds, from linseed, rapeseed, sunseed, whiteseed and peeled oats. Breeders and young pigeons receive a slightly larger mixture and they receive small seeds in the morning. Breeders were fed 3 times a day. When the pigeons came back from a race, they got lighter food , but they were well fed. Both the widowed males and the breeders receive a mixture based on cereals. Over the years Charles and Adriaan had a good idea of ​​what the pigeons needed. During the winter period, they added more barley to the mix. The brothers were always afraid of drugs, just like their father Henri. Everything happened according to nature. They have always been fans of tea that they bought from a store , alternating with tea that they made themselves from picked herbs like plantain and white nettle. During the moulting period, tea was prepared with seeds. During the summer period, they always gave after a honey run in the water. Carrots were also on the menu on a regular basis in winter. Only in case of emergency they gave medicine. They didn't want to give vitamins because they didn't believe in it. Visitors who could have their pigeons in their hands immediately noticed the perfect health, perfect appearance and soft feather of the pigeons. Many amateurs have achieved worldwide fame with themselves. Arendonk has become the Mecca of pigeon sport and in memory of the glorious Janssen family. After the death of Adriaan and Charle they no longer raced pigeons and Louis kept about 23 pigeons from their stock on the lofts. In April/May 2012 these last 23 old birds and 2 youngsters were sold at public auction through the Pigeon Paradise auction house and the myth around the famous strain of pigeons came to an end. You could say they were still in high demand when you saw the average of over 20,000 Euros per pigeon. For many, a real collector's item. The sale of the century broke all records and finally brought in a phenomenal amount of 556,140 euros. The most expensive pigeon went under the hammer for 50,600 euros. The new owner is a great Chinese pigeon fancier. The last twenty crown jewels of Janssen have all been transported in a basket to Asia: seventeen to China and three to Taiwan. After the death of Louis Janssen, in April 2013, Louis was the last living legend of the world famous pigeon family, the 100+ year old myth that lasted over 100 years probably came from the greatest and unsurpassed pigeon fanciers of pigeon history. The Janssen brothers have not only gained worldwide fame by their impressive results, but also by the dominant breeding value of their pigeons. This story is by no means complete, but we have tried to put the world famous Janssen brothers and some of their famous pigeons in the spotlight for them. Thanks to the Janssen brothers, Arendonk is known worldwide in the international pigeon sport. Arendonk was the pigeon sport, and the pigeon sport was Arendonk. This is mainly due to the work of Louis Jansen and his brothers. They have made Arendonk and the school street a sanctuary for pigeon fanciers.