Mary Allen
They are calm, breed reliably, and come in attractive colors: German Show Tipplers offer everything a breeder could wish for. Therefore, they are particularly suitable for people who want to start pigeon breeding.
They are an ideal breed for beginners. This is not a rating in terms of easy attainment of the racial characteristics or even a devaluation. On the contrary: German show tipplers bring everything with them that prevents disappointment for a newcomer. Here he can observe and control his heart’s content and be very close to the action. The breed doesn’t take it amiss and forgives some mistakes in this respect. You can’t pay them a greater compliment.
This starts with the rather calm nature of the breed. The pigeons stay on the eggs or young animals during the breeding business if you want to check something. They breed very reliably and usually raise their young without losses. Those who then want to exhibit will find representatives in most colors that do not have to be specially prepared. Last but not least, the German Show Tipplers come in few, but all the more attractive colors. In short, a breed that simply has everything, both for beginners and for experienced breeders.
A Compact but Elegant Figure
The English Schautippler became the German Schautippler. The breed has a large following, especially in the area of the former GDR, where it was also further developed. It differs more and more from the original appearance. Today, the German Schautippler is a stocky-looking show pigeon without appearing clumsy or coarse. The well-rounded chest and the deep stance contribute to this. The hind part is also not particularly long but is well matched to the body width so that there is a clear taper from the chest to the end of the tail.
The wings, which lie tightly on the tail, sometimes cause problems. Some animals still have a somewhat loose wing position, which should not be the case and can therefore be brought under control by breeding. An equally important breeding goal is rear coverage. It must be unequivocal. Since the wing color of some color varieties does not match that of the rest of the plumage and the feather hardness is different, it is understandable that difficulties sometimes arise here. It is therefore essential to ensure that the proportions are correct. This is a crucial factor to ensure backing is guaranteed. Much has been achieved in this regard in recent years.
The entire body is carried upright so that the chest appears slightly raised despite the width and depth. The front curve of the shield must not protrude beyond the chest under any circumstances but must appear built-in. The neck begins broadly at the chest and tapers upwards. But you have to make sure that the neck is not too long and thus lacking in substance. That would not go together with the impression of a squat pigeon.
A Miniature Version of the Head Shape is Undesirable for show Tipplers
It is interesting that the German Schautippler has retained a head shape that was not necessarily to be expected at first. But this is all the more positive. Because it guarantees the breed that it can raise its young animals without any problems and that nurse pigeons are unnecessary. A prerequisite for this is the medium-length beak, which is built-in at an obtuse angle to the forehead line. Strict care is taken to ensure that the angle of the beak does not open too much. Slightly lowered is enough here.
The forehead and the entire head are well rounded, whereby the back of the head, in particular, should not appear too developed. But it is at least as important that the forehead does not appear bulging. So you don’t want a miniature head shape like the English Long Faced Bottlenose Dolphin, for example. The pearl eye, which is as pure as possible, sits relatively in the middle, surrounded by a delicate and dark edge.
There are only two colors among the German Show Tipplers, namely copper and black. These, however, each come in different patterns, namely monochrome, tortoiseshell, tiger, and piebald as well as beards. The first four variants in particular can be bred together without any problems. It is even the breeding reality that these colors are available from a breeder. Which he then favors for himself is of course up to him.
Shield tigers are so darkly colored that the tiger marking is limited to the wing shield. Anyone who is familiar with pigeon breeding will notice from the explanations that these colors can be mated with each other. The prerequisite for this, however, is that you know what the ancestors looked like and in which direction you want to go. Randomly crossing in the hope that the correct drawing picture will fall will surely lead to a dead end. However, as with all breeds with these markings, the white color has a tendency to spread. Dye carriers are therefore very popular inbreeding.
Bearded Ones Impress with Their Attractive Appearance, but are Difficult to Breed
The bearded ones are a counterpoint to the colors shown. Its basic color is white. Here the primaries and the tail are colored as well as the eponymous beard, a 1 to 1.5-centimeter long spot on the throat. Under no circumstances should the beard grow so large that it touches the eyes. If the secondaries are also colored in addition to the primaries, then that is also okay. The Bearded is a very attractive variety, but one that is difficult to breed to perfection. You can therefore see them much less than the other variants.
German Show Tipplers are a charming breed whose advantages are not always emphasized. That has to be made up for, but it guarantees the further upswing of this impressive show pigeon.