# What is the best breed for racing?



## Frosty

Hi all, im just starting out in pigeon racing and was just wondering which is the best breed for racing? I have been reading some of the posts on the site and think there is some great advice.
Thanks Frosty


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## Jerry

Hi Frosty,
All racers are homing pigeons. There are, however, lots of different lines or families of racing homers. They have been developed by individuals who have line bred or inbred those birds who exhibited superior traits for their particular interest. There are myriads of lines (Jannsen, Van Loon, Jan Arden and on and on). Most were originated in Belgium which is one of the biggest countries involved in the pigeon racing business. There are also lines which have been developed in the US, but most are originated from European imports. The various lines are famous for flying short, medium or long distance courses. Sometimes traits such as being high strung or docile (in general) are also connected with certain lines. However, there are always exceptions. This is not EVEN the tip of the iceberg of information. The key is just keep reading, reading, reading. There is a wealth of information out there in books and online. This forum is a great place for learning, too. 
Good luck. 

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Jerry H.


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## birdy

Hi Frosty,

Jerry has given you some very good information.

As far as strains go, I don't pay a lot of attention to them. This is just my opinion so you can take it or shake it.

I encourage people who want to be competitive in racing pigeons to look at performance. I will not add any pigeons to my loft unless they meet one of these three standards in this order:
1. They must have bred a winning pigeon
2. They must have won a race
3. Their parents (maybe grandparents) are race winners

There are three classes of performances: Short, middle, and long distances. You can specialize in one of these or all. You may find that you have pigeons that can win in the short and middle or the middle and long. Seldom is their one that can win in all distances.

There are many, many different strains of pigeons. However, with only the last 100 years of developing the modern racing pigeon it is my belief that they are very closely related regardless of the strain.

I'm sure there are other pigeon racers on the list that can share their opinions.

Good luck,

birdy


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## re lee

First I would say no breed is best. Like you have been told there are birds that perform better at different distances. No matter what breed you get. They have to be bred to fly well in your area. Janssen bred birds is a decant family of birds. The do well in the short races and will do well in the long. You just breed them from different groups of the family for both long and short races. But check with flyers from your area. To see how they are doing with different families.


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