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Scots Grey CHICKENS
this breed is one of the two traditional breeds of Scotland, having great old names such as : Shepherd's Plaid, Chick Marley the other being the Scots Dumpy. Both are very rare breeds now and the productive strains are virtually non existant. They have been bred almost entirely by exhibtion breeders or others who have not kept reocrds of the egg numbers etc so there ahs been no selection for old fashioned productivity - which would have been why the birds were popular hundreds of years ago.
At present we have a small flock of a very old line - they seem smaller than the large fowl so often seen at shows but certainly larger than the bantams. Old breeders who have seen them say they are more like birds they used to see. So we will continue with them, ensuring they do not get any smaller. They are a great fun bird - the boys strutt around the yard like little soldiers and are very proud. The girls are active and pretty good layers. Both have attractive barred feathering and prefer plenty of space to range in. The eggs are not huge and are tinted in colour.
I have not had the time yet to do the research on this breed - its history and what it should produce. I have concerns that many of the birds I have seen at shows etc are rather soft looking and don't think this is as they probably were.
It is an ancient breed, from at least the 1500s, and was once widely distributed in the area around Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is likely that records of birds around ancient houses; farms and crofts were Scots Greys - so any historians out there doing research on life in olden times in various parts of Scotland, if you come up with references to chickens at all I would love to hear about it.
It may carry both Dorking and Game blood but I can find no more evidence for this so far. They are some of the oldest breeds we have in the UK so its likely. It is a more slender bird than the similarly marked Barred Plymouth Rock, and the barring is not as distinct. The barring on the hen is slightly larger and more clearly defined than that on the cock and the hen is darker. Black mottling is allowed on the white legs.
It is a long-legged, upright standing fowl. Large fowl hens now have a recommended weight of 7-9 pounds and roosters 9-11 pounds. I cannot find any old records yet to confirm this.
The Scots Grey should be a good, year-round layer of large whitish eggs and its flesh is reported to be extremely tasty. A vigorous breed and excellent forager, it was a good choice for a small dual purpose chicken. It is usually a non-sitter.If anyone has any information about this old breed I would love to hear it - even if it is only anecdotal.
This picture os from a pair of posters we sell depicting a collection of cigarette cards from early in last century. To me it is interesting to see the shape and form of birds then when often the breeds were much more productive.
Scots Grey champion at the Scottish National poultry show 2000
We do not show our birds at all - for a number of reasonsWe are simply too far away and too busy We are selecting for productivity in old strains, not feather and form We select our eggs at incubation by their correctness for the colour; size for the breed While we don't breed from birds that are "wrong" for their breed it is health and vigour and egg numbers [or table qualities that interests us more As a result probably many of our birds would not do well in the show ring However if you want good eggs; good hatchability; to increase the vigour of your breeding stocks we may be more interesting to you WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR MORE GOOD UTILITY FOUNDATION STOCK SO IF YOU KNOW OF ANY PLEASE LET US KNOW.
WE TAKE ORDERS AS OUR BIRDS ARE OFTEN BOOKED BEFORE REACHING POINT OF LAY
Availability for 2007:-We have sold out of birds hatched last year so are now taking expressions of interest for the 2007 season. We have a limited number of birds we can rear in any one year so please book early for collection in the autumn. If you want eggs for hatching or day old ducklings please ask - limited supplies should be available between late spring to mid summer.
Our 2007 Price list list for hatching eggs, day olds and birds is here
***BOOK NOW*** TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENTPlease note we DO NOT export eggs, birds or housing.
Please bear in mind that all birds have to be collected from the farm - as far as I am aware there are no specialist carriers who work this far north
Our breeding flock of Scots Greys bantams are housed in Brentford houses
click on the picture to find out more.
They would also be suitable for the Grosvenor - which is a stylish chicken house and run for the garden.
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Tim and Jill Bowis
Kintaline Mill Farm, Benderloch, OBAN Argyll PA37 1QSScotland
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