Ixworth chicken is an English breed which originated in the village of Ixworth in Suffolk, England. It was developed during the 1930s by Reginald Appleyard and named for the village of ‘Ixworth’.
Ixworth chicken was created as a fast growing and high quality meat breed with reasonable laying abilities. It was bred from White Indian Game, Jubilee, White Minorca, White Orpington and White Sussex chickens.
It is among the very rare chicken breeds, which almost disappeared in the 1970s (it has since gradually recovered). There is also a bantam variety of this chicken breed.
Physical Characteristics of Ixworth Chicken
Ixworth chicken has pure white plumage. Their skin color is also white. They have pea comb. Comb, face, wattles and earlobes of Ixworth chicken are of brilliant red color. Their shanks, feet, beak and flesh all are of white color. Their eyes are of red or bright orange color.
On an average, Ixworth roosters weight about 3.6-4.1 kg and hens about 2.7-3.2 kg. And the bantam variety weights about 1.02 kg for roosters and about 0.79 kg for hens. Ixworth chickens are highly priced in the market for their excellent meat quality.
Behavior/Temperament
Ixworth chicken is very active and hardy breed. They are excellent in free range. They will forage most of their food if given access to roam freely. They are not a fast growing breed like most of other hybrid meat chickens.
They also do well in cold climates. It’s very easy to handle them, but sometimes can be aggressive. Hens are pretty good layers, tend to go broody and good sitters. See full breed profile of chicken this chicken breed below.
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Ixworth Chicken | Breed Profile |
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| Breed Name | Ixworth |
| Other Name | None |
| Breed Purpose | Dual Purpose/Meat |
| Breed Temperament | Active, Easily Handled, Docile |
| Breed Size | Large |
| Broodiness | Yes |
| Comb | Pea |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Egg Color | Tinted |
| Egg Size | Medium |
| Egg Productivity | Medium |
| Feathered Legs | No |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Varieties | Only White |