Slobberknocker Lofts

The Kazaner Tumbler

Written by Julius Roliheuser Chateauguay
Quebec, Canada

One of the rarest Tumblers of today is the Kazaner Tumbler, bred and named after the city of Kazan on the Volga River in the Soviet Union. Pigeon breeding in Kazan goes back for centuries and the Kazaner Tumbler is one of the oldest breeds in the Tumbler family. Kazaner Tumblers were produced through crosses of Ancient Tumbler, Fantails and Frills. In the 19th century it was an extremely short faced breed with a round head and short beak. His body was short and his flights carried under the tail. His arched and trembled neck was obtained from the Fantails. The short, wide and flat tail carried upright, has sixteen feathers. The legs are short and feathered. His eyes are pearl, except for bull eyes in white. The eye cere is pale in color. All these important characteristics described above apply in today's existing Kazaner Tumblers, except the beak. Today, they are medium-faced. There is no information as to whether the short faced Kazaner still exists in Russia. In 1975, at the International Show in Budapest, Hungary, a collection of Kazaner Tumblers from the Soviet Union was exhibited. The quality was very good but they were all medium-faced. The first Kazaner was imported to Canada from Poland in the early 1960's. My own Kazaners are the offspring of these imports. Also in the 1960's and 1970's Kazaner Tumblers were imported from the Soviet Union and Poland to Hungary and West Germany. Since 1975, the Kazaner Tumbler was recognized in West Germany and a standard was officially established and published. Kazaner Tumblers exist in many colors and markings. The self's occur in black, red, yellow, blue, silver and white - also "magpie" marked and body marked, the body marked exists only in red and yellow and a white tail. Up to the present it has been impossible to breed a black Kazaner with a perfect white tail. According to the Russian Pige9n Book "Ptizewodstwo" by N.A. Vasilieff.. "in 1914 a famous breeder in Kazan offered two prizes each worth 500 rubles for a perfect Kazaner Tumbler, and one prize worth 500 rubles for a perfect black white-tailed Kazaner Tumbler. The latter prize was never awarded". In conclusion I would like to mention that the flight of the Kazaner Tumbler resembles in some way the flight of a butterfly in medium height. He also tumbles. kazan& Tumblers are very good breeders and parents. They are very quite and gentle birds. They are a very relaxing influence while one is in the loft with them.