Ixworth?

[canada-goose]

I was reading one of my chicken books and I was interesting by a breed called Ixworth. They were created by the person who created the Appleyard duck breed and are said to be a good meat chicken. Ixworth breed info.
They sound like a good dual purpose breed. Does anyone have any? I'd love to learn more!

 

[faykokoWV]

never heard of it but I hope someone has one.

 

[becky3086]

I would love to know as well. They do look like a really good meat chicken but I guess that is understandable considering the breeds that went into its making. It looks like something a lot of us want to do--an alternative to the Cornish X that we can hatch outselves.

 

[canada-goose]

Not the prettiest breed but very useful.

 

[becky3086]

They only have to be pretty on the table

 

[aveca]

A small bit of information on history ect of the breed. I LOVE some of the obscure birds of different nations. A long time ago it was much easier to import birds. Today it would seem like a peice of cake with fast overnight travel and shipments but due to new illnesses ect that could be imported with the birds regulations had to be tight to protect domestic flocks and even humans from disease. I read a lot about near extinct breeds. One man in europe is trying to re-create a breed that went extinct probably during the first world war. Great project, he was collecting up the breeds it takes to make this breed..

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Ixworth/BRKIxworth.html

 

[blackdotte]

The breed is rare even in the UK.
David

 

[aveca]

Its a great subject.. And its too bad so many breeds are close to being lost. It was like this with antique apple varieties. A few trees were saved out of many thousands. Left to go by the wayside for the more commercial varieties that are good keepers and shipe well..but if you have ever had a good chenago strawberry apple or yellow transparent in apple sauce, boy what a treat. There were pink fleshed apples that were favored for apple sauces now only a couple varieties. One of my favorites now pretty much lost to time was a cream apple, very smooth texture creamy like the name says for a taste treat apple sauce. pretty sure its gone now. the one tree we knew of was struck by lightning and no one thought about propegating it at the time, it came with a farm that was built in the early 1800s.

Sometimes we give up the better tasting birds for more meat or more eggs. I would love to see people take more interest in these rare breeds, but finding them is a real challenge.

More and more fine resturants are asking for the Poulet de Bresse.chicken but only a handful of breeders have them and they dont sell hatching eggs or chickens. very hard to find birds.
A freind from california said she saw them once at a show but they were under lock and key.

 

[ChickenCharmer]

It was from this book, right?

I have it too, and the breeds section is supposedly of well known breeds. However, many of the breeds in that section I have never heard of, Ixworth included. Seeing as how the author is British, the Ixworth is possibly known in Britain. I believe it's a British breed. Check out feathersite-- they have everything.

 

[canada-goose]

Quote:
Actually, it was this one.