Scots Dumpy
| Conservation status | at risk |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Use | eggs, meat |
| Traits | |
| Egg color | off-white to tinted |
| Classification | |
| PCGB | Soft Feather: Light |
|
|
The Scots Dumpy is a breed of chicken from Scotland. The moniker dumpy, meaning short and stout, refers to the breed's thick-set appearance and extremely short legs. Through history they have been known under a host of names such as: Bakies, Stumpies, Dadlies, Hoodies, or Creepies. They are classed as an endangered breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
The shortness of its legs is its most defining characteristic, and imparts a waddling gait to the chicken; adult birds are less than 5 cm (2 in) off the ground. The birds are longer in the back and have a lower set tail than most breeds.
There is no set colour for the Scots Dumpy, but cuckoo, black, and white are the most common colours. Other patterns/colours occur as sports, or are bred into the phenotype by fanciers. The breed's standard allows for any pattern/colour that is allowed for game fowl to be acceptable, however colour is only worth 10% of the breeds score in competition.
They are a docile breed on the whole, but as with any breed of poultry occasional males can be aggressive. Hens are good layers of light off white to tinted coloured eggs, and are said to make a good meat bird.
The standardisation of the breed emerged from landraces in the 19th century, though its vernacular history is much older than that. Short-legged birds have been written about in the U.K. for hundreds of years, and there is an archaeological record going back to York in the 11th century.
In addition to this there are several unverifiable legends regarding Scots Dumpies. One of which relates to their use as ambush alarms by the Celts and Picts, and the claim that it was the bird’s superior hearing that enabled them to hear attackers responses to stepping on thistles, which in turn led to thistles being adopted as a Scottish emblem. Other tales tell of them being trained to crow by the hour, day or night.
Scotch Dumpies were first shown in London in 1852. It has been one of the rarest British breeds since the late 1800s. Other references to short-legged birds can go back to Columella where he states he does not approve of dwarf fowls. However, a common reference date of 1678 (as found in the British Poultry Standards) is almost certainly erroneous as this refers to Grigs in John Ray's The ornithology of Francis Willughby. These Grigs were bantam rather than dwarf fowl.
...
Wikipedia