Ixworth Chicken Temperament, Characteristics, Growth Rate, Egg Production

 Ixworth Chicken is a domestic English breed. As its name indicates, it originated from Ixworth which is a small village located within Suffolk. Reginald Appleyard, a poultry expert, crossbred a few chicken breeds to produce Ixworth Chicken. The possible parent breeds of Ixworth chicken are White Minorca, Jubilee Orpington, White Sussex, White Indian Game, and White Orpington. The Ixworth chicken was first produced intentionally in the year 1932. After 6 years of progress, in 1938, Appleyard raised the first Ixworth hen. This breed became famous for its high-quality meat production and great capacity for laying eggs. After the 1950s these chickens started moving to extinction. These chickens were greatly replaced by broiler chickens. In the year 1970, these chickens nearly got extinct and are found as one of the rare breeds of chicken. 

Temperament

Ixworth chickens are friendly and make friends within no time. The relationship between roosters and hen is exceptional. They never fight and stay connected all the time. They are non-aggressive and very sweet. They are fond of wandering around and discovering new places. So, these chickens would prefer a free-range area. Their personality is hardy and active. They require enough space to roam around and make new friends. Their adaptation to climatic changes is exceptional. Ixworth chickens are not aggressive but sometimes their mood shifts and become aggressive. But their anger can be controlled easily. Ixworth chickens are very good pets if a bigger space is provided in the backyard.

Characteristics

Ixworth chickens have white skin with white feathers on them. They have a comb on their head that looks like a pea. The face, comb, earlobes, and wattles of these chickens are bright red in color. There is a pinkish touch on their feet. Their beaks, shanks, and flesh are white. A slight shade of orange to red color can be clearly seen in their eyes. These chickens keep their tails a bit low. Ixworth chickens have deep bodies that look heavy and solid. They produce high-quality meat and a large volume of eggs. 

Growth Rate

The Ixworth chicken breed was developed because of its fast growth rate and excellent quality meat. But broiler chicken has widely replaced this breed because of its fastest growth rate. Ixworth chickens take almost 9 to 10 months to mature and lay eggs. The average size of a full-grown Ixworth hen is within the range of 2.7 kg to 3.2 kg whereas the Ixworth rooster weighs within 3.6 kg to 4.1 kg. The rooster bantam has a weight of 1.02 kg and the hen bantam weighs 0.79 kg. They show a continuous growth progression up to 10 months of their age. 

Egg Production

Ixworth chickens are developed for two main purposes, one of which is egg production. These chickens lay off white to pale tinted color eggs. The average size of their egg is medium. The Ixworth hens lay a great volume of eggs per year. On average, they lay about 270 eggs a year. With proper diet and care, the Ixworth hens may lay more eggs in a day.