The Van Malderens

Victor (B6-1)	Vern (B6-2)	Viper (B6-4)	Vermillion (B6-6)
Vinnie (B6-8)	Vanderbilt (B6-9)	Valentino (B6-10)	Kilo (B6-11)
Voyager (B6-12)

In this age of specialization, it is truly rare to see an all-around loft in Europe, one that flies both old birds and young birds at all distances. Several years ago, I discovered the small all-around loft of Willy Van Malderen in Belgium. He has an excellent reputation as a flyer. Just as important, I found that his birds are successfully being used as a cross in a number of European lofts.

Van Malderen has a colony of birds which he has very carefully cultivated and developed by blending key birds into every pedigree. He is a real student of the process of heredity -- a thinker -- very observant -- and is a master at locking in desirable traits into his birds. I have found that he and I share similar philosophies of breeding.

I was impressed when I saw how well the Van Malderens cross with the Meulemans in Europe, and decided to introduce these birds to the United States to give our customers a cross for their Meulemans. Hackemer Lofts has proved these birds for several years now and the results have been excellent for us, as well as for a number of select customers.

There has been an added bonus. The Van Malderens in their own right seem to cross well with almost any family to which they have been introduced. It is amazing how frequently a Van Malderen is in the pedigree of National winners in Europe.

Van Malderen and his birds are being mentioned more and more frequently in current pigeon news and literature. Victor Vansalen's new book, Masters of Breeding and Racing, refers to him several times.

A typical Van Malderen pigeon is a smaller, well-muscled bird that flies the middle and longer distances. Van Malderens are unique in that they do not lose their speed capability when flying longer distances.

When I evaluate a new group of birds for my loft, I first and foremost consider the family flying history for the past ten years or so. I must feel comfortable with the performance history of a colony of birds before I work with them in this country. Van Malderen has an all-around family winning from 100 to 500 miles. Here are the most important championships won by Willy Van Malderen in major competition:

Hackemer Lofts