DNA Testing – Creeper (Cp) Gene

Creeper (Cp) Gene DNA Test

This test detects the presence or absence of the Creeper (Cp) gene, the mutation responsible for the short-legged, low-set body type seen in Japanese Bantams (Chabo), Kikiriki, Scots Dumpy, Courtes Pattes and other short-legged breeds.

Creeper is a dominant mutation with a lethal homozygous form. A bird needs only one copy to show the short-legged type. Birds that inherit two copies do not survive: those embryos die during early incubation, typically within the first few days.

This means every living Creeper bird carries exactly one copy, and pairing two Creeper birds together loses roughly a quarter of the hatch in shell before it ever pips.

What the test tells you

• Carries the Creeper (Cp) gene (one copy)
• Does not carry the Creeper (Cp) gene (normal leg length genetics)

Why breeders use it

• Confirm which birds in a pen actually carry Creeper before making pairings
• Identify normal-legged birds out of Creeper lines that can be paired to a Creeper parent for a healthier hatch rate
• Explain unexplained early embryo deaths in a short-legged breeding pen
• Verify the genetics of a purchased bird rather than guessing from leg length alone

Accepted samples

• Blood in a vial
• Blood spots on a plain piece of white paper or an index card
• Eggshells from hatched chicks
• Feathers, from birds at least 4 to 5 weeks old

Please do not send feathers from birds under 4 to 5 weeks of age. Their feathers are extremely small with very little shaft, and the shaft is where the DNA comes from. Send blood spots on a plain piece of white paper or an index card instead for birds that young.