Scots Grey
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Fun Fact
Scots Grey chickens were traditionally run on Scottish hill farms almost entirely without supplemental feed, foraging across rough moorland and surviving conditions that would devastate more refined breeds. They were described by Victorian writers as the 'closest domestic breed to a wild bird'.
Scotland's own breed and one of the British Isles' rarest, the Scots Grey is a lean, upstanding bird with cuckoo barred plumage — sharp black and white barring on every feather — and clean (unfeathered) legs. It has been present in Scotland for centuries and was once a common farmyard hen across the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, valued for hardiness and self-sufficiency in harsh Highland conditions. A good forager and moderate layer of tinted eggs, it is now critically rare.
🏷️ Breed
Scots Grey
💭 Temperament
Active, alert, self-sufficient, hardy, cold-hardy
📏 Size
Medium (2.7-3.2 kg)
⏳ Lifespan
5-8 years
🎨 Colors
Cuckoo — sharp steel-grey and white barring
🌍 Origin
Scotland; documented from late 16th century
🏠 Habitat
Free-range; adapted to cold, wet Scottish Highland conditions
🍽️ Diet
Layer pellets; outstanding forager historically kept on rough hill pasture
🎯 Purpose
Dual Purpose
🥚 Egg Colour
Tinted
👑 Comb Type
Single
🏅 EE Class
Large Fowl