| Manx Rumpy | ||||||||||
| Other names | Rumpless Game Persian Rumpless |
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| Poultry (Galloanserae) | ||||||||||
The Manx Rumpy, also called the Rumpless Game,[1] is a breed of chicken which lacks a tail and rump. Unlike the Manx cat and tailless poultry that were common on the Isle of Man in 1871,[2] the Manx Rumpy did not actually originate on the island, but was so named because of its resemblance to the Manx cat, which also lacks a tail.[3] Manx Rumpies are a very old breed from the Persian Gulf – their first name in English was the Persian Rumpless – but they are rare in the West.[3]
Manx Rumpies are among only a few other tailless breeds, most notably the Araucana and the Belgian d'Everberg. They do not grow a tail because they lack the vertebrae that most chickens have. Most have single combs, and red earlobes. Appearing in a wide variety of colors, the breed is recognized officially in British poultry standards. On realizing that that these bantams live without tail feathers to escape foxes, Kent Poultry Club chairman Dudley Mallett gave the tiny chickens the name Rumpless Game Bantams.[1] UK standards call the birds Rumpless Games, and they more closely resemble an Old English Game in that nation.[4] The breed has never been accepted in to the American Poultry Association's American Standard of Perfection.[4]
A relatively light-weight fowl, males weigh 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilos) and hens weigh 4.5 pounds (2 kilos). Manx Rumpy hens are good layers of brown eggs, and may also occasionally lay white, blue, or green eggs. They do have a tendency toward broodiness, but the breed's fertility is generally low.[3]