Creeper chickens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Creeper chickens are characterised by abnormally short legs, so short that the body is carried a few centimetres from the ground. This chondrodystrophy (dwarfism) is caused by a dominant lethal allele, Cp.[1]: 58 A number of breeds display the characteristic, among them the Chabo and Jitokku breeds of Japan, the Courte-pattes of France, the Krüper of Germany, the Luttehøns of Denmark, and the Scots Dumpy.[2]: 438 [3] They have been called by many names, among them bakies, brevicrews, corlaighs, crawlers, creepers, creepies, dumpfries, dumpies and jumpers.
![engraved illustration of crested chicken with only the feet showing below the body](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Ulisse_Aldrovandi%2C_Monstrorum_Historia%2C_Bologna%2C_Nicola_Tebaldini%2C_1642%2C_page_562_%28cropped%29.jpg/640px-Ulisse_Aldrovandi%2C_Monstrorum_Historia%2C_Bologna%2C_Nicola_Tebaldini%2C_1642%2C_page_562_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Kr%C3%BCperK%C3%BCkenMitEi.jpg/640px-Kr%C3%BCperK%C3%BCkenMitEi.jpg)