Busschaerts

[Guest Paulo]

One of my fave strains has to be the busschaerts brave and hardy birds who will fly their hearts out in the right hands and have made a lot of fanciers into legends. In fact a lot of people will keep no other strain. This is just a thread to talk about why you like the busschaerts so much if you are like minded and to put any stories, pictures and information up you have about them.

 

Don't want to turn this into an argument about which strain is the best we all have our personal faves this is for the busschaert men and women.

[Guest Paulo]

Famous busschaerts and the man himself who made it all possible. A true master stockman

[Guest Paulo]

The strain makers - Georges Busschaert

Written by: Alan Wheeldon

If you were asked which pigeon fancier had the greatest impact on the racing pigeon scene in Britain, who would it be? Well one very strong contender must be Georges Busschaert.

 

There cannot be a fancier in Britain that has never had a Busschaert pigeon in their loft. The strain seems timeless, even now there are many fanciers that still keep and race Busschaert pigeons, and with great success. When you think that George Busschaert first came to this country over thirty years ago, it is a great testament to his pigeons that they are still being raced today.

 

How did it come about that this strain of pigeons could have such an impact on the racing scene in Britain? It all started over 90 years ago. George Busschaert was born in 1911 in St Lodewijk-Deerlijk in Belgium. His father was a pigeon fancier and inevitably he soon got the bug. His other Brothers Andre and Marcel were also keenly interested as was his sister Alice. George’s first name was really Remi but he preferred to be called George and it soon stuck.

 

George went into partnership racing with his new brother-in-law Albert Nuttyens who had married George’s sister Alice. They bought several birds at auction, a mealy Commines and a pigeon called Tito from Hector Baele of Scheldewinke. They bought De Plattekop from Vandevelde and sons and daughters out of ‘The Coppi’ and ‘Witterugge’ from Michel Nachtergaele of Zulte. George later borrowed ‘The Coppi’ to pair to the daughters of ‘Tito’. They later also bought the pigeon called ‘De Fijnen’ from Michel Nachetregaele.

 

The Busschaert family decided to build a textile manufacturing plant in England, in Kent. George was sent over to run it. Being from Belgium it was inevitable that he had a passion for pigeon racing and he subsequently met fanciers from England and soon had his own set up in England.

 

Pigeons were bred from those now held in Belgium by George’s brother-in-law Albet Nuttyens, and shipped over to England. Birds were also obtained from his brother Albert Busschaert who was in charge of the carpet-weaving factory in Deerlicjk, Belgium.

 

George struck up a friendship with Gil Duncan of Deal. They went into partnership and George’s pigeons soon set the racing scene alight with their wins. They bred pigeons such as ‘The Crack’, ‘The Coppi cock’, The Great Coppi’, The Bonten’, ‘The Blesse’. Between 1956 and 1962 they won over 150 first prizes often taking the first three in the fed. Soon people started to take notice of these fantastic sprint pigeons and they started to buy them.

 

One of the first to purchase them was a Mrs Newton from West Durham. She bought a pair for her husband as a silver wedding anniversary present. He put them in the stock loft and they bred birds that took the West Durham amalgamation by storm. He suddenly shot up from being an average fancier to becoming a champion almost overnight. These stock pair were later known as ‘The Newton Pair’, and they went on to breed many champion pigeons. News soon spread and fanciers all over the north wanted them. Another to purchase was JJ Horn. He obtained sons and daughters of the Newton pair and later purchased the Newton pair themselves. He also purchased ‘The Broken Keel Cock’ and a grandson of the Newton pair, the Wilkinson cock. He built a family around these pigeons, which kept him at the top for years to come.

 

Back in Kent someone else was about to try the Busschaerts, Ron Hallam of Belvedere. He took the first three in the London and South coast Combine from Bergerac with over 4000 birds entered. This is a remarkable performance on its own, but when you realise that there were only 4 birds home on the day it puts it into a new perspective.

 

By now George had sold the factory and went back to Belgium to see what else he could pick up. He wanted pigeons that were smaller, he wanted pigeons that could not only sprint but sprint the distance. He bought ‘the Klaren’ from Georges Doetreloigne of Waregem, ‘Sooten’ from F. Declerc and the Old Sooten, and 14, and 817, from De Klinge. And boy could they race the distance. In only 3-4 years they bred pigeons to win 1st National Limoges not once, but twice, 1st Perigeux National, 2nd Cahors National, 3rd Brive National, 5th Cahors National, 27th Barcelona International, 33rd San Sebastion International.

 

Tom Larkins had got in touch with George and was now importing George’s new lines. He wanted to see how these new birds would perform. He was not disappointed, their results exceeded his wildest dreams. In 1972 Tom entered the Wadebridge Open sending only 4 pigeons. The race was from 276 miles. He clocked all 4 together, to win, which again is remarkable in it’s own right but he was 1 hour 10 minutes ahead of the next bird!

 

George Busschaert hysteria was by now reaching new proportions. George started to hold an annual sale in England. The racing performances of the famous Busscharerts soon started to become legendary. Ken Aldred bought two pigeons, one of them the famous stock bird The Little black. She produced pigeons that were totally unbeatable. George Corbett bought stock from George Busschaert and from Tom Larkins to produce the famous Dark Uns. The most famous bird to come from these pigeons is probably the ‘Coppi cock.’ This pigeon went on to breed hundred of first prize-winners, and they could also fly the distance. One fancier topped the federation from over 500 miles from two different race points on the same day!

 

Another buyer was Danny Challis. He was an experienced racer who had for years flown the old long distance English strain of Fuller-Issacson. He and a friend decided to try out these new fangled Busschaerts. They purchased 16 youngbirds from Tom Larkins and split them. Danny had amongst his selection a medium to small blue chequer hen. She was a double grand daughter of Little black. When she won the Open Wessex Combine she was put straight into the stock loft and went on to become one of the best breeding hens that this country has ever seen. She bred no less than 5 other Combine winners and 15 fed winners when paired to each of the other cocks that came with her.

 

Even more amazing was that her offspring not only won races but also went on to breed even more champions. One of her youngbirds called Moneypacker, for good reason, won 4 open first Combines, 1st Federation and 5th Combine and went on to breed Wilbur to win the Rennes central Southern classic, also Blue Steel to win 1st open Parkstone, 1st Dorset fed, Imperial black and Black fire who both went on to take 1st Solent fed. At one time Danny had in his loft 40 fed winners and 5 combine winners. Other famous Busschaerts and Busschaert flyers were the Larkin pair of Mr & Mrs Shuttleworth of Harrogate, W Parkes of Northern Ireland, John Palmers no 1 and no 2 pair. Bill Johnstons with his famous Busschaert ‘Old man’. John Hodgson of Annan. The list went on and on. Johnston Eagleson & sons went on to win over 50 1st open Combines with the Busschaerts.

 

People who purchased the Busschaerts were ending up with not one but a whole loft full of champion birds. Alf Wright was another example he obtained birds from George Corbett and started to then breed his own champions. Clapper 36 x 1sts, Twirler 30 x 1sts, Slimmen 20 x 1sts.

 

Other famous Busschaert fliers were Arthur Beardesmore, with his Terror Busschaerts, Little Terror 12 x 1sts , Short terror 12 x 1sts, Flying solo 12 x 1sts. Fred Elliot and his famous Euro Busschaerts. The Highview and Starview Busschaerts. The list goes on and on. The big studs had started to realise the potential of the Busschaerts and soon the pigeons started to command big money. Louella was one of the first to obtain a whole series of Busschaert champions. They started to offer their offspring to the everyday fancier at affordable prices.

 

In 1982 George Busschaert decide to have an entire clearance sale. It turned out to be three clearance sales on the 9th, 10th and 11th October. 274 birds were entered into the sale, of these 271 were bred by George Busschaert. All birds were sold.

 

Even today Busschaerts are still creating a stir by winning high birdage prestigious races. Those of Ron Williamson from Ireland are amongst the most recent high fliers. Tom boy 1st 20,367 birds, Ron Ville Del boy 1st 25,243 birds, Lauras boy 1st & 2nd open to 22,337 birds, 191 2nd NIPA 11,860, Ron Ville dark Destroyer 1st 24,108, Flash Gordon 1st 14,600 birds, Ron Ville Superboy 1st 26,770 birds, Millenium Superstar 3 x 1st average 23000 birds, Ron Ville Heartbreaker 1st, 3rd, 4th NIPA, Millenium Superstar 3 x 1st average 23,000 birds, Ron Ville Lee Der & Ranger 1st open winners, Ron Ville Maggie Ann 1st NIPA 7,11 birds.

 

The questions that have to be answered when writing about George Busschaert, why did his pigeons make such an impact on the racing scene in Britain and why have they stood the test of time and seen many other strains come and go?

 

Well you have to go back in time to what the racing scene was like in Britain all those years ago. After the war and into the fifties there was not a lot of money about, especially for pigeons. In the sixties times changed, there was a boom and as Prime minister Macmillan said ‘You’ve never had it so good’.

 

However in spite of this newly found affluence most pigeon fanciers kept small teams of pigeons in back garden lofts. They nearly all raced natural and they raced predominantly traditional families of pigeons that were either handed down from their fathers or bought and swapped locally. Race programs were typically mixed, short races, building up in length throughout the race program to longer ones at the end of the season. Pigeons were thus bred and selected to be good ‘all rounders.’

 

In Belgium however, at the time things were very different. There were specialised race programs. Races were being separated into short, middle distance and long distance races. Specialised clubs were springing up. Fanciers were also concentrating their selection to pigeons to race predominantly short sprint races. There was a strong gambling culture and good prize money could be won. This drove a desire to obtain the best pigeons for the job, auctions sprang up to fuel this desire for more and faster pigeons. Champion pigeons were soon snapped up by the more wealthy to be put into their lofts.

 

This is where George Busschaert comes onto the scene. He was effectively a rich man, he had come to England and he had a passion for fast pigeons. On his visits to Belgium to obtain pigeons, he had a very big advantage. He knew the language, he knew the Belgium pigeon-racing scene, and he knew what pigeons were the best at the time, and he bought them. He also had contacts through his brother and brother-in-law. It is rumoured that he would travel to many successful lofts simply to buy their champion pigeon. He would then bring them to England and set them up in his loft. He soon made a big impact. He started to win everything. He had introduced fast sprint pigeons using widowhood methods on pigeons that had been selected from years and years of widowhood racing. At the time the English fancier was using predominantly what effectively were just homers on the natural system, which was simply no match. The old English strains were absolutely slaughtered in all types of races.

 

These out and out sprint pigeons were unbeatable. For example, Tom Larkins once described how he sent his team of 30 youngbirds to a race with over 2000 pigeons and 21 dropped in the loft all at once. John Palmer had 10 pigeons drop together to win the London and South coast combine 30 minutes ahead of the next bird in the federation.

 

George Busschaert also had this talent of being able to pick pigeons that would breed together to produce outstanding pigeons. This was not just a case of being rich and simply buying top pigeons from winning lofts and putting them together, although this did help. What also helped was that Georges Busschaert had this great sense of stockmanship. He would chose pigeons of the same shape and form, and he could identify in pigeons, qualities that he knew would blend in, but also be passed down throughout the generations.

 

In addition to all this, his pigeons were breeding champions through what geneticists call heterosis. This is hybrid vigour.

 

This usually occurs when highly inbred strains are crossed, but the reason Georges Busschaert could produce it in his pigeons is that there was a massive pool of winning qualities that were all different, in all these interbreeding pigeons. It was these winning genes that would produce excellent racing characteristics that kept reappearing throughout the lines. So for example you would have pigeons that won because they had fantastic cardiovascular systems, some that had perfect wing formation, others with super efficient metabolisms, others with fantastically powerful musculature. It was these individual characteristics that kept emerging and reemerging sometimes one at a time, sometimes two or more qualities together, that kept making champions.

 

The whole family was not inbred at all it was a family of maximum outcrossing but what made it work was that there were no bad genes to get in the way of producing champions. The chromosomes were packed with genes that could only produce these winning characteristics, different winning characteristics in each subsequent generation. This is why fanciers with distance Busschaerts would suddenly start to throw pigeons that won short sprint races and sprinters that would suddenly breed distance pigeons.

 

Furthermore this was all fuelled even more when people started to cross them with their own strains, their own old winning lines. You now had these qualities that had been selected and honed by the British fancier being added to the continental Belgium winning characteristics.

 

That is why they turned out to be so versatile. They would win from 60 miles they would win from 500 miles. They would win in a strong headwind they would win in a blow home. You could race them widowhood you could race them natural. They won as youngbirds and straight away were winning as yearlings and old birds. So fliers even today are winning classic races with them when they are up to 7 years old.

 

The other element that made the Busschaerts so versatile at all distances was that George Busschaert did not solely select short distance sprint pigeons, his later acquisitions were equally capable of flying the distance. Fanciers were purchasing offspring from these distance lines and crossing them with the original sprint-middle distance Busschaerts.

 

This diversity of champion blood also explains why the Busschaerts cannot be described as an inbred family of pigeons and why they came in all shapes and sizes and colours. One thing is certain, and that is this diversity of racing qualities is still being discovered today as fanciers cross and recross the Busschaerts and I think that they will remain within the pigeon fancy, especially in Britain, for years to come.

 

[stevebelbin]

Hi paul, Some of my birds go back to the pigeon above "Little Black". I like the fact that they win from any distance and have done for years  

[Guest Paulo]

Pictures of my busschaerts

[Guest Paulo]

Hi Steve your birds are crackers those dark un's are really striking pigeons. I like the charector of the busschaerts as well call me daft but all of mine seem really tame and follow you about like dogs. You can see how tame they are by looking at that p[icture of my dad with one of his old birds. Dunno if this is a trait bred into them as even through I spend a fair amount of time sitting and talking to them I don't put half as much effort in as other fanciers with tit bits etc and they still love me and as tame as a dog.

[Guest Paulo]

Some more pictures of busschaerts Steves breed very striking youngsters

 

note the red one is a janssen all the rest busschaerts

[Guest Paulo]

love them or hate them Louella seem to do well out of selling the busschaerts and have a lot of champs pictured here are the boss and mad max. Pictures copyright of louella

[stevebelbin]

The lad I get mine off has a cock in his loft that is as tame as they come. When he walks in it stands proud and starts cooing and when he cleans out it follows him round the loft pecking his head. Its a direct son of the pigeon Northern Light that topped the combine out of Bourges, best looking busschaert ive ever seen  

[Guest Paulo]

Quality its great seeing tame pigeons plus you know when they are that tame they love their home and will try their hearts out for you.

 

My granda had one come back from a hard race over the channel and it won the race but died 5 minutes after trapping my dad said its the only time he's ever seen him cry and thats a man who had went through world war two and worked down the pit.

 

Busschaerts will fly their hearts out. Mr Busschaert was a true master anybody got any more info about him apart from whats in his articles.

[Guest Paulo]

Another typical dark busschaert and a typical chequer

[Guest Paulo]

George Corbett

Ray Forbes

Alf Larkin

 

All men who have made names for themselves with Busschaerts dark uns are very popular pigeons.

 

Rapido Busschaerts are popular as well.

 

Many pigeons cross in well with the busschaerts which is understandable when Mr Busschaert used to say if its in my loft its a busschaert. Janssens X Busschaert is a cross that is supposed to work particulary well

[stevebelbin]

I had a yb this year that was the double of the dark pied above, and a bloody cat got it, i was gutted as it was turning out to be a cracker. Unfortunately the cat also got my foot in its face LOL.

 

I had a rapido bushy, that won from bourges for me and when I starting training the next year it was hawked. It was a shame, as you could send him anywhere and he would come home as fresh as he went.

 

Bloody hawks and cats LOL!!!

[Guest Paulo]

always the case isn't bloody cats and hawks!!! No cats at the minute but the hawk is hanging around all the time

[Guest]

my favorite bird ive ever owned was a nactagale busshaert a dark un.she was named peanut ! obviously named for her her massive liking to peanuts.

she was one of the birds i had to do away with this season (which was a massive upset to me but mostly my wife).

she was a constant tryer in races and only ever spent a nite out this season..which was her 1st in the 5 years she was with me.

if i remember right amongst her wins, she won lillers for me in the club ,15th fed 3,435 birds , 20th combine 9,100 birds...flying 254 mls. she was very tame and would be a nuisance at times in the way she wouldnt leave me alone ,she would be landing on my hand waiting for her peanuts ....now im starting back up in the sport im giving masserella,s a visit soon to aquire some more of her type. by the way..she came to me as a stray...wot a good transfer she turned out to be!

[Guest Paulo]

Sounds like a lovely bird mate its always hard when you get attached to one. I have a blue cock that isn't filling his eggs and should get rid of him really cause he useless but he's one of the first one's I bred myself when my dad packed in he's off one of my dads fave birds Pegleg so cna't bring myself to get rid of him.

 

Hope you get some nice busschaerts sorted out at masserellas.

 

the dark un's don't half win a lot

[schouwman71]

any body head of marlsborough productive gent,was a red busscheart cock,i still have a g.son from him and he has bred many winners.

[rlez]

I had a yb this year that was the double of the dark pied above, and a bloody cat got it, i was gutted as it was turning out to be a cracker. Unfortunately the cat also got my foot in its face LOL.

 

I had a rapido bushy, that won from bourges for me and when I starting training the next year it was hawked. It was a shame, as you could send him anywhere and he would come home as fresh as he went.

 

Bloody hawks and cats LOL!!!

 

hi steve

you must b made up having some one to gab about your busscharts.you know that they have stood the test of time

les

[ALF]

any body head of marlsborough productive gent,was a red busscheart cock,i still have a g.son from him and he has bred many winners.

 

THAT NAME RINGS A BELL WAS HE 1 OF JOHN CROWDERS BIRDS??

[schouwman71]

dont know alf ill just have a look at his pedigreee

[schouwman71]

m/productive gent was owned by regency lofts GB77N60348 and was paired to black star GB77N10051 His sire was ch pluto belg69 3209010 his dam was Belgian queen belg71.229155. my dark cock is a double g.son of marlborough productive gent.

[Guest Paulo]

THE BUSSCHAERTS

 

The Busschaerts have made their mark on British pigeon racing history and, like the great Slabbinck another Belgium born

fancier with British connections, they are assured of an honourable place in it because of the successes which flew from this

remarkable family. A family capable of winning again and again as the records show. One can recall the names of fanciers in

Britain who successfully raced Busschaerts such as the Larkins, Henson, Palmer and Duncan to name but a few. And as R.

Kirkbride who flew them with success once wrote 'I don't think there will ever be a type, family, call it what you will, of birds, put together by one man to make such an impact on competitive pigeon racing in this country again.'A view shared by quite a

number of others. As a family the Busschaerts took to the British fancy and although defined as a sprint and middle distance type its representatives have flown well at the distance into Britain and Ireland. The phenomenal success of Ireland's, Ron Williamson, with his Busschaert family is known world wide.

 

Georges Busschaert was born on the 12th of May 1911 and was one of three brothers and one sister well known in Belgium's

industrial society. They opened a textile manufacturing plant in England and as a fervent pigeon fancier Busschaert made the

connection with their lofts in Belgium and the sport in England. Georges ran the company's plant in England and through his

various duties met many English fanciers which eventually ensured the coming of many of his pigeons into English lofts, and

from there into the rest of Britain and Ireland.

 

While in England Busschaert went into partnership with Gil Duncan of Deal and this perhaps was the opening for the successes

of the breed in Britain for in the late 1950s and early 1960s the partners birds had reaped a harvest of approximately 150 1sts,

while breeding great birds such as 'the Coppi cock' and 'The Crack', etc. As the years passed however the plant in England

was eventually sold and Georges returned to Belgium where he won races galore and was unbeatable upto 400 miles. The contacts he made in England however were not forgotten and many visited Georges loft at Beveren- Leie and bought what they required.

 

There appears some vagueness about the roots or base of the Busschaerts but apparently the Commines (which I have written about in this series) have been an input along with Vandevelde, Nachetregaele, and Baele bloodlines. In later years other crosses were brought into the family from Doetreloigne, Declerc and De Klinge... and these led to the winning of 1st National

Limoges twice, 1st National Perigeux, 2nd National Cahors, 3rd National Brive, 5th National Cahors, 33rd San Sebastion

International and 27th Barcelona International. Thus reflecting the genius of Georges Busschaert as a pigeon breeder and racer!

 

In partnership with his brother- in- law, Albert Nuttyens, Georges Busschaert moulded a family of pigeons who came in various shapes and sizes but possessed many winning genes. Thus was ignited a fire that is still burning for here in Derry City,

Ireland,(11-6-2005)a Busschaert owned by Liam Hegarty and Son won a tough race from Bude in Britain at a distance of 300 plus miles (only 4 birds in the Fed' on the day of liberation). Yes, the fire lit by Georges Busschaert is still burning as we traverse a new millennium and long may it continue.

[Guest Paulo]

The best way to put strength into a pigeon is via the cross which is why the Busschaert’s have stayed the test of time. Whenever Georges Busschaert brought a pigeon into his loft it was then called a Busschaert no matter who had bred the pigeon, it was then bred into his own. Over the years the Busschaert family has been very successful and even today they are still in fact crosses because there are so many lines of them. With the Dordins that we have we are always looking at the performances of other fancier to bring in the odd pigeon and they are as good as a cross because the re-vitalise the strength in the pigeon. That you need are two inbred lines from the same family and cross them and you will produce winners, proving the lines are from a good winning loft to start with. We have visited many top lofts over the years and then seen those fanciers have sales with a named family but when we have compiled a loft report it is obvious that they have a cross. Nothing wrong with that if you want to maintain a winning family.

[schouwman71]

now the dordins they do make excellent pigeons crossed into the janssen pigeons,i have seen many good racers bred 50% dordin 50 % janssen.

[Guest Paulo]

seems thats where Mr Busschaert was so skilled. In being such a good stockman he could pick a suitable outcross to bring into his strain. He bought a lot of distance birds in as well so they reckon and thats why busschaerts are so versitile they can handle anything from a sprint out up to 500 miles.

 

What breed are dordins are they english or belgium?