Zoontjens

 

Breeder Pairs

 

Key Birds

Range:

Middle Distance

Origins:

Obtained directly from Wal Zoontjens in 1999 when we purchased his entire fourth round. These foundation animals are direct children of his key breeders.

General Usage:

A performance based line that flies very well. They are quite intelligent and have one of the best return rates of all our families.  They are well suited to the fast middle distance races and futurities. They cross very well with Janssens and Van Loons.

Characteristics:

Some variation in handling characteristics. They tend to be a later maturing family, handling much better after they are a year old. Medium size. Very intelligent.

During my visit to Europe in 1998, Mike Ganus took me to visit the loft of Wal Zoontjens and Son. The Zoontjens family of pigeons has been developed over three generations (Wal, his father and his son) and has its origins in Janssen and Van Loon pigeons. The Zoontjens loft has for years consistently placed at the top in a very competitive area of the Netherlands.

I wasn't really looking to add another family at the time of my visit. However, I was so taken by the quality and consistency of the Zoontjens birds that I purchased an entire round (42) of Wal's 1999 babies. As we enter the 2003 breeding season, I must say this is one of the most impressive families we have at this time. They are consistently at the top of their contemporary test groups.