Back in February 2019, several Ixworth breeders received an email from Olivia Muesseler of the University of Bonn. She was looking for 500 Ixworth Hatching Eggs, sourced from one farm, from pedigree stock. The eggs would be hatched and raised for ‘the working group Animal Welfare and Animal Ethology’, and would be compared with some other utility breeds for their performance and viability. The other breeds in the program are Mechelse Koekoek, Vorwerk, Poulet de Bresse and Bielefelder Kennhuhn. Finding one breeder who could supply 500 Ixworth eggs was an impossible task, but three breeders were found who could provide sufficient eggs, and after much complicated red tape, Olivia and her boss Inga drove to the UK and collected eggs from the breeders in person.

In the flyer that Olivia sent out, she says, “Our goals with the Ixworth”:

• Establish a stable breeding group

• Securing genetic resources

• Comparison of different breeds in terms of performance and behaviour

She goes on to say the aims of her research group are to “work on rare breed poultry, laying hens and broilers. One of our goals is to discover traits of genetic resources of the chicken in order to emphasize their value in a sustainable agriculture and food production system. Our special focus is set on the behaviour of the animals. This knowledge can be used to optimize their environment for the benefit of the domestic chicken and, generally, in terms of animal welfare.” The project has been a great success, and is still ongoing, Senta Becker having taken over from Olivia Muesseler. I will be receiving an update on the project in due course from Senta, and hope to use the information in a future article. In the meantime, here is a photo of some German birds out ranging.