Scots Dumpy
Encyclopedia
The Scots Dumpy is a breed
of chicken
from Scotland
. The moniker dumpy, meaning short and stout, refers 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
.
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 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.
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 led to them hearing attackers responses to stepping on thistles that 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.
Originally the Scots Dumpy would have been Crofters/Cotters fowl, and its trait of having extremely short legs would have had benefit in naturally restricting the birds free-ranging around the homestead. Other benefits conveyed by this are the ease of catching, and given that the birds exercise less the flesh on older birds is less well toned and thus more succulent and tender. As Crofters/Cotters fowl they would have a threefold role; to provide eggs, meat, and eat any spillage which would otherwise attract vermin. Their success in foraging for spillage and other food sources to a sufficient level to deliver both eggs and meat would be intrinsic to their success in their niche.
Krüper, the French
Courtes-Pattes, and the Danish
Luttehøns. It significantly differs from these in having a heavier bone structure, and red earlobes (even though it lays a white to tinted egg). However, references to earlobe colour in the mid 19th century relate Scots Dumpys having full white earlobes.
The short-legged nature of Creeper Fowl is determined by a single (heterozygous) dominant instance of the creeper Cp allele
, which has a dwarfing effect on the legs and wings. Unfortunately, two instances (homozygous) of this dominant allele are lethal. Therefore, and short legged creeper fowl will have one instance of the Cp allele and a matching non-dwarfing recessive cp allele.
When breeding this gives rise to a differential outcome. Where two short legged creepers are bred together the arithmetic of the allele combination will result in 50% Cpcp (short legged creepers), 25% cpcp (normal legged creepers) and 25% CpCp (which have the self-terminating lethal combination). The nature of the lethality is that the chicks die in the shell prior to hatching. To avoid a predetermined 25% dead in the shell occurrence a long legged bird can be crossed with a short legged bird. This will give rise to a 50% split in short legged and normal legged offspring.
The dwarf nature of the legs does not appear to have any actual disadvantages to the birds in their native context, and flocks have been known to survive with natural selection situations where normal supposition would presume that the long legged offspring would have more advantages for survival.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The moniker dumpy, meaning short and stout, refers 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
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity, whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources...
.
Characteristics
The shortness of its legs is its most defining characteristic, and imparts a waddling gait to the chicken; adult birds are less than 5 centimetres (2 inches) 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 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.
Origin
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
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
, and the claim that it was the bird’s superior hearing that led to them hearing attackers responses to stepping on thistles that 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
Columella
Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella is the most important writer on agriculture of the Roman empire. Little is known of his life. He was probably born in Gades , possibly of Roman parents. After a career in the army , he took up farming...
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
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
of Francis Willughby
Francis Willughby
thumbnail|200px|right|A page from the Ornithologia, showing [[Jackdaw]], [[Chough]], [[European Magpie|Magpie]] and [[Eurasian Jay|Jay]], all [[Corvidae|crows]]....
". These Grigs were bantam rather than dwarf fowl.
Originally the Scots Dumpy would have been Crofters/Cotters fowl, and its trait of having extremely short legs would have had benefit in naturally restricting the birds free-ranging around the homestead. Other benefits conveyed by this are the ease of catching, and given that the birds exercise less the flesh on older birds is less well toned and thus more succulent and tender. As Crofters/Cotters fowl they would have a threefold role; to provide eggs, meat, and eat any spillage which would otherwise attract vermin. Their success in foraging for spillage and other food sources to a sufficient level to deliver both eggs and meat would be intrinsic to their success in their niche.
Creeper Fowl
The Scots Dumpy is regarded as being related to other European Creeper Fowl, such as the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Krüper, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Courtes-Pattes, and the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Luttehøns. It significantly differs from these in having a heavier bone structure, and red earlobes (even though it lays a white to tinted egg). However, references to earlobe colour in the mid 19th century relate Scots Dumpys having full white earlobes.
The short-legged nature of Creeper Fowl is determined by a single (heterozygous) dominant instance of the creeper Cp allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...
, which has a dwarfing effect on the legs and wings. Unfortunately, two instances (homozygous) of this dominant allele are lethal. Therefore, and short legged creeper fowl will have one instance of the Cp allele and a matching non-dwarfing recessive cp allele.
When breeding this gives rise to a differential outcome. Where two short legged creepers are bred together the arithmetic of the allele combination will result in 50% Cpcp (short legged creepers), 25% cpcp (normal legged creepers) and 25% CpCp (which have the self-terminating lethal combination). The nature of the lethality is that the chicks die in the shell prior to hatching. To avoid a predetermined 25% dead in the shell occurrence a long legged bird can be crossed with a short legged bird. This will give rise to a 50% split in short legged and normal legged offspring.
The dwarf nature of the legs does not appear to have any actual disadvantages to the birds in their native context, and flocks have been known to survive with natural selection situations where normal supposition would presume that the long legged offspring would have more advantages for survival.