When Reginald Appleyard set about creating the Ixworth breed in the 1920s and 30s he wanted a top quality table bird that would lay a lot of eggs. In other words the Ixworth would be a dual purpose utility breed. The skin and legs would be white, as demanded by British consumers and the eggs shells lightly tinted. Initially the new breed was successful commercially and it won the "Best new breed" award at the London Dairy Show. If you are over 60 years old you might just remember when chicken was a luxury food, it only appeared on many family dining tables at Christmas. The Ixworth with its gamey flavour and texture fitted this niche market well but it soon fell from favour.
Less than 20 years after its creation the broiler industry got going; fast growing, intensively reared American hybrids raised indoors in huge flocks revolutionised the market. Industrial chicken production meant low cost and wide availability, Ixworth numbers fell rapidly. In the 1960s numbers fell so rapidly it almost became extinct. It is still officially a "rare breed".
If you want eggs and poultry meat for your own table or if you have a market for table birds in say a local restaurant then the Ixworth is worth considering. The cockerel in the painting above was the great grandaddy of my Ixworth flock and made excellent "Coq au vin" at the end of his working life.
I have Ixworth hatching eggs for sale from March until June they are £2.00 each and sold in multiples of six. The eggs are delivered by Royal Mail Next Day Delivery costing £6.50 ( packed in crush proof polystyrene boxes). So far the Royal mail has never let us down however they do take two days to get to Shetland.
A sample of eggs is tested for fertility each month and if 50% or more of your eggs are clear when candled at seven days I will replace them free of charge if you return the clear eggs in the original packaging. The parents of the hatching eggs will be those in the banner image at the start of the blog, they have been together as a pen for two years and the cock was bred by Ian Simpson in Norfolk. Ian won the Best Ixworth in the National Poultry Show in 2010.
In September I plan to have a small number of point of lay pullets for sale with an unrelated male if you need a breeding pen. Young stock can be collected or I am prepared to deliver them within Lochaber.
To order Email; tombryson@btinternet.com
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| Ixworth cock by Steven French |
If you want eggs and poultry meat for your own table or if you have a market for table birds in say a local restaurant then the Ixworth is worth considering. The cockerel in the painting above was the great grandaddy of my Ixworth flock and made excellent "Coq au vin" at the end of his working life.
I have Ixworth hatching eggs for sale from March until June they are £2.00 each and sold in multiples of six. The eggs are delivered by Royal Mail Next Day Delivery costing £6.50 ( packed in crush proof polystyrene boxes). So far the Royal mail has never let us down however they do take two days to get to Shetland.
A sample of eggs is tested for fertility each month and if 50% or more of your eggs are clear when candled at seven days I will replace them free of charge if you return the clear eggs in the original packaging. The parents of the hatching eggs will be those in the banner image at the start of the blog, they have been together as a pen for two years and the cock was bred by Ian Simpson in Norfolk. Ian won the Best Ixworth in the National Poultry Show in 2010.
In September I plan to have a small number of point of lay pullets for sale with an unrelated male if you need a breeding pen. Young stock can be collected or I am prepared to deliver them within Lochaber.
To order Email; tombryson@btinternet.com
how do i get in touch to order some eggs
ReplyDeletethank you
chris wright
west yorks
Thank you, I have added my Email address to the blog; tombryson@btinternet.com
ReplyDelete