Scots Dumpy: Eggs, Temperament, Size and Raising Tips

Are you one among many who think that all chickens look the same and have the same breed? If you are interested in any poultry-related topics, then this is a perfect article for you. We will talk about how there are diverse breeds of chickens that were produced for different objectives. There are laying breeds, meat breeds, and a dual purpose.

So in what breed does a Scots Dumpy Chicken belong? It is a dual-purpose chicken, meaning they are produced for their meat and laying eggs. Although, this is a breed that has been around for a long time. It is currently considered to be endangered, according to Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Background and History of Scots Dumpy

Scots Dumpy Chicken, from the name itself, originated in Scotland. This chicken has been around since the early days of the twentieth century. However, it is believed that the history of this breed is way past that.

Scots Dumpy Chicken has been called with several terms such as Crawlers, Bakies, Dadlies, Creepies, Stumpies, and Hoodies. They are called such names due to their exceptionally short legs. Thus, Scotland had two traditional and native fowl: the Scots Dumpy Chicken and the Scots Grey Chicken.

Though its history has been documented in legendary stories, this breed has been introduced to Britain by Phoenicians. Phoenicians are considered to be the primitive people who live in Lebanon, known for their thriving skills when it comes to trading and manufacturing. However, they, later on, fought for their rights against the invading Romans.

Written in history, one of the Scots Dumpy Chicken’s famous characteristics is being a “Time Alarm Clock Bird”. They are recognized with this label because this breed of chicken has the ability to wake up at the same hour. May it be at night time or in the daytime.

Aside from the capacity to awaken at the same time consistently, they are well-known to have “ahead of the Collie ” dog’s abilities. Soldiers at the time used to bring chickens instead of watchdogs mainly because of their attentive ability. This breed of chicken paid an outstanding contribution to the victory of Phoenicians in opposition to conquering Romans.

Two classified breeds of chickens originated in Scotland. Scots Dumpy Chicken is considered to be one of them, while the other variant is regarded as the Scots Grey.

However, by 2009, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust recorded that the Scots Dumpy Chicken was nearly extinct. Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a charity institution that watches over the development and conservation of any breeds of livestock.

Scots Dumpy Chicken Breed Standard and Appearance

A significant number of people are drawn to this chicken breed. Its charm has already been proven since the early days of its existence. They are famous for having exceptionally short legs that do not even exceed at least five centimeters in its length., thus, pretty much having a waddling gait as they walk, which most people find very alluring.

Breeding Scots dumpy chicken is comforting rather than stressful as they are easy to maintain. However, they may have extremely low legs, which gives them enough freedom to roam around while being gentle in the backyard as they can only scratch the surface and not deep within the soil.

They can be considered low birds when we talk about height. But, they have this long yet broad physique allowing them to be one of the breeds with a deep chest.

The Scots dumpy is known to have no sets of colors. Though most of them are either in black or cuckoo, the chickens that have either white or blue colors are rising in popularity. Aside from these four varieties of colors, more are being developed.

Hence, the absence of a breed standard that permits to have standardized colors in any other breeds. Due to its short legs, the exercise for Scots dumpy chicken is limited. Hence, their weight is quite heavy. The average weight of a Scots dumpy rooster is around 7 pounds. On the other hand, the hens typically weigh around 6 pounds.

This breed has delicate facial features, a magnificent skull head, and an imperfectly curved beak. It has a bright red single upright comb matching its red earlobes and brightly big eyes. Their wings are known to be gracefully tucked. Its body is curvy enough that allows it to have that nicely flowing long tail. Moreover, it should have a U-shape from its head down to its tail.

Personality and Temperament

We have already established since the beginning that the Scots Dumpy Chicken is a dual-purpose breed. Means, it is eligible to be laying eggs and can serve as meat as well. When it comes to their temperament, Scots Dumpy can make magnificent pets. They can be quiet birds. They are considered one of the breeds that can be effortlessly tamed well as they are peaceful by nature.

This breed can pretty much tolerate any weather, but they are primarily good at cold climates. Moreover, they can also be loud, so they are usually known to have that “alarm clock” trait as they wake up at the same time, usually at the beginning of dawn. Frequently, it is the roosters who crow first among any other cockerels in the area.

The Scots dumpy hen is motherly. Therefore, you are exempted from worrying because once they have started laying eggs or around their chicks. However, in contrast to hens, some roosters tend to be more aggressive.

Even though they enjoy roaming freely, the fact that they have short legs and cannot have many exercises, unlike any other breed, their diet is something you should always watch out for as they tend to weigh more in an instant.

Hence, it will only demand less food intake to maintain their normal weight. With this, it will be able to produce lean and soft meat or muscles. Thus, it allows it to enhance the meat’s texture, quality, and flavor as it matures.

Another thing to consider when you plan to have your coop is to take special care of the chicks when it comes to drinking, feeding, and their surroundings. They cannot manage well a common scale of drinkers and high feeders. With the surroundings, Scots Dumpy chicks cannot handle cold weather yet, so you have to keep them away from the wet grass.

Scots Dumpy Chickens Egg Laying

As it is also an egg-laying chicken, they are considered to be one of the breeds that are excellent in laying eggs. They can lay more or less than three eggs in a week and are considered to be great sitters and gentle mothers, too. The hen of a Scots Dumpy annually lays up to 180 either tinted or off-white colored eggs.

Layer poultry is the term for poultry chickens raised to produce an ample amount of eggs. Scots dumpy chickens can be regarded to be a part of layer farming commercially. These hens can then start to lay eggs around their age between twelve and twenty weeks.

Then they start producing eggs frequently once they have reached twenty-five weeks of age. However, the production of eggs will gradually slow down once they have reached their adult stage of about seventy up to seventy-two weeks.

Their egg production is regarded to be in a medium-range, yet its egg size is surprisingly on a large scale. Scots dumpy chickens can handle any climate. Although they can lay more eggs during warm days than cold days, they are still considered good egg layers even during the winter season. If you consider having a poultry farm business, then this breed is a perfect fit for you.

Scots dumpy chickens are excellent scavengers, and they are best suited for a free-range farming environment. So you might wonder what free-range farming is? It is an environment that allows the chickens to roam around freely.

Health Issues and Care

Suppose you are a business-minded person and have Scots Dumpy Chicken for poultry farming. Then you must know how to take care of this type of breed. It will be stressful if you experience tremendous loss just because your chickens got a poultry disease. Viruses and infections only occur when you are not able to provide appropriate care to your chickens.

In order to get desired peak production of eggs, it is crucial that you are always aware of the health of your chickens and take good care of them. There are various classifications of poultry illnesses your chickens might get. Categories vary from contagious, parasitic, and malnutrition. Chicken breeds such as Scots Dumpy Chicken are not exempted from such diseases and viruses.

Provide them a comfortable and well-ventilated coop because it does not just help them fit and be healthy as they breathe in the fresh air. But putting the Scots dumpy chicken in a risk-free and well-secured coop will also assure them that they are protected from all predators lurking around and safe from natural disasters.

As a responsible poultry farm owner, it is essential that you can supply them with high-quality poultry feeds that provide them the nutrients their body needs. Good food intake will allow them to grow as healthy and better as they should.

Scots dumpy chicken is known to be a hardy, dynamic, and powerful breed of chicken. Thus, they do not require much or extensive attention, unlike any other breeds.

All you need to know is to check them frequently and look out for viruses or illness symptoms for you to take the necessary action needed. Learn the importance of vaccines as they will give you the ease that your chickens are safe and protected from any poultry illness.

4 Tips on how to raise Scots Dumpy Chicken

The Scots Dumpy Chicken is a dual-purpose breed. Thus, it is crucial for poultry owners to raise them well. Undoubtedly, raising any breed of chicken, especially the rare ones, can be a bit challenging. Fortunately, Scots Dumpy Chicken does not require much special care until they age.

Gentle care with the chicks

Since this breed is genetically short, you only need to pay special attention when they are still young. Please take into consideration that the feeding and drinking cups of these chicks are at an average height. The lower, the better. This is for them to access it smoothly.

Provide security in the coop

To successfully raise a flock of Scots Dumpy Chicken, ensure that these precious rare chickens are safe and away from predators. On the other hand, as you are already informed that this chicken has dwarfism genetics. Scots dumpy’s extremely short legs make them sensitive to high areas and prone to danger. Always check that

Clean coop, happy chickens

It is also important that their home is as clean as yours. Make it livable for them. With this, you will prevent any diseases that might endanger your whole poultry farm. Sanitation is essential simply because it will impact the general health of all chickens in the coop. It is necessary that you are always particular about the cleanliness of their surroundings.

A healthy chicken, generous gifts

We have already established that a Scots Dump Chicken can produce edible meat and eggs. And for this reason, it is significant that you always check up on their health because it will also be beneficial for you, especially when you are breeding it for business purposes.

Assure that you are always supplying them the nutrients they need to be healthy. In return, they will produce a significant number of eggs per laying and lean meat.

Conclusion

So just in case you are fascinated with chickens and ponder whether to have poultry in your backyard. Then you may want to consider Scots Dumpy Chicken for several reasons.

Firstly, their short legs will mean that they are easy to maintain because they can only scratch the surface of your backyard soil. Second, they are exceptional egg-laying chickens, which can also mean more business if you decide to have them for a living.

They are also obedient and gentle, especially the mother chickens. However, your only concern is that they can also be a consistent and outstanding alarm clock that usually crows at dawn.