About the Breed

      The Scots Dumpy is one of two breeds of poultry originating in Scotland (the other is the Scots Grey). Although the exact origins of the breed are unclear, from archeological findings in York and tales of the Scots being warned of attack by crowing, birds with similar characteristics (short legs) were reportedly present in Britain several hundred years ago.

      There is no fixed colour for Scots Dumpies and as a result, there are a variety of colours seen. The most common are black and cuckoo, while white and blue also exist. Perhaps the most unusual feature of the Dumpy is its genetic make-up. Like the Dexter cow and the Japanese bantam, the Dumpy has a semi-lethal "Creeper" gene that shortens its legs in a single dose (heterozygous) or causes the embryo to die during incubation in a double dose (homozygous). However, since the Creeper gene is dominant to the normal (wildtype) leg length, those birds with a single dose appear with short legs. This produces interesting results when breeding!

      Parents

      Short legs X short legs

      Short legs X long legs

      .

      Short X Short Map

      Short X Long Map

      Progeny

      CpCp = Dead in shell (25%)
      Cpcp/cpCP = Short legs (50%)
      cpcp = Long legs (25%)

      cpCp = Short legs (50%)
      cpcp = Long legs (50%)

      From the above table, you can see that from the point of view of genetics it does not matter whether you cross two short legged birds or a short legged and a long legged birds in terms of the number of short legged progeny. Instead there is an increase in the number of birds with long legs at the expense of those dead in shell. Furthermore, although there are no actual records to show this, long-legged females seem to lay more eggs than those with short legs, and are often bigger birds overall (ie notwithstanding the long legs). This is probably because the Creeper gene stunts growth overall, with the limbs affected more than other parts of the body. If anyone has any specific records of this, we would be delighted to hear about them.

      Whilst the genetics of the Dumpy (short legs) has probably led to its relative rarity, it is a utility fowl, and those breeders who have eaten their birds report that they provide a very tasty and succulent meal! Compared to some other breeds, Dumpies are also good layers, and they are (generally!) also very good as broodies and mothers.

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