The National.us

The impact of the Ulens birds on the development of the modern racing pigeon is contested. Some say that Chevalier Ulens of Antwerp and his loft manager Beeranaerts, successfully crossed different strains; mainly the “Persian Messenger”, “Tumbler” and the mysterious “Smyter”, to create a type of pigeon that was superior to all other pigeons being raced at that time. Others, contend that this is all myth and Ulens was neither an exceptional breeder nor the creator of the modern Belgium racing pigeon.

I will not bother to rehash these arguments, rather I have combed printed material and have created a diagram of the dispersal of the Ulens blood to many of the top lofts of the late 19th and early 20th century. This is not a complete listing, only what I have been able to find and fit on one page. Certainly there are many more links between fanciers that used the Ulens pigeons in their breeding programs.

Just because there is a link from Ulens to these other fanciers, does not mean that these other fanciers, based their families of pigeons on the Ulens birds. As has always been the case, many crosses were used by these other lofts to create their family of birds. This diagram, has been created to show the effect the Ulens birds had on the Belgium racing pigeon sport.

Whether, Chevalier Ulens and his loft manager Beeranaerts, created the foundation of the modern racing pigeon, I do not know, however it is evident that his breeding stock found its way into the lofts of many fanciers who in later years, were considered at or near the top of the racing pigeon sport.

I have attached a PDF file that links the Ulens bloodlines to some of the greatest racing pigeon fanciers of the 20th century. I hope you enjoy the diagram, I plan to expand it in the future should I find any additional information. The latest version of the diagram was uploaded on 04/22/2010.