About Gimmizah Chickens

Gimmizah chickens are an Egyptian chicken strain developed at the El-Gimmizah Poultry Research Farm, Gharbia, Egypt. It was created using a selective breeding program that utilized the White Plymouth Rock and another developed local breed known as Dokki 4. The purpose of its creation was to significantly improve the meat and egg productivity of local Egyptian chickens, making it a highly valued dual-purpose breed for commercial farming conditions. The Gimmizah generally exhibits performance that is superior to many other native breeds in terms of productive and reproductive traits.

The Gimmizah strongly resembles the Barred Plymouth Rock in both body shape and color pattern. Its most notable feature is its barred plumage, characterized by a grayish-white base crossed by dark bars on each feather. A distinguishing characteristic of this breed is that it is auto-sexing: in adult males, the light and dark bars on the feathers are of approximately equal width, while in females, the light bars are visibly half the width of the dark bars. At hatch, chicks can also be sexed: males have a light grayish-white patch on the head, while the dorsal surface is black on the chicks. Physically, the Gimmizah has a single comb, red earlobes, and its beak, shanks, and skin are a yellowish-white color.

The breed excels as a dual-purpose bird, meaning it is used for both meat and egg production. In cross-breeding programs in Egypt, the Gimmizah strain is often used to produce fast-growing, heavy hybrid birds. Studies often cite the Gimmizah as the heaviest of the Egyptian strains at various ages, making it a valuable stock for meat-production goals. Its ability to perform better than native breeds under standard farming conditions secures its place as an important contributor to Egypt's poultry industry.