THE SUSSEX CHICKENS BREEDS
The Sussex Chickens
Sussex Chickens are calm and curious fowl and make a good backyard bird. Gentle and friendly enough for children to pet. This is a good dual purpose bird and is happy in a pen or outside in the field. The Sussex makes a very good meat bird. The Sussex is a cold hardy Chicken and will venture out even on the coldest days to
The Sussex was bred to be a dual purpose chicken and originated in England. This chicken has pretty much been a favorite for folks who own gardens. They are excellent garden chickens.
The light Sussex, as shown in the photo above is a very pretty chicken and has a full white body. It has a black tail with black wing tips and the neck is laced with black feathering. This is the most common Sussex in the UK.
The Sussex has a Bantam version of the breed and it is approximately 1/4 the size of the standard breed. They also are bred in 8 different colors that both the standard breed and the bantam enjoy!
The Sussex Chickens colors:
- Brown
- Buff
- Light
- Red
- Speckled
- Silver
- White
- Coronation
The red and brown varieties of the Sussex are rare but the other colors are very common. You will find this chicken pretty much in any state as they do well in a variety of climates.
The Buff Suxxex Chickens like the one above is like the white, only the white color is changed. Instead of black on white it is reversed to black on buff in the same pattern. It has the black tail, black wing tips and black feathers on the neck. A beautiful chicken indeed!
The Sussex Chickens Weights:
- Cock: 9 lbs.
- Cockerel: 7.5 lbs.
- Hen: 7 lbs.
- Pullet: 5.9 lbs.
The Sussex has a thick body and is a wonderful meat chicken as well as a garden fowl.
Chicken Terms
- Cock: A male chicken (rooster) over one year old.
- Cockerel: A male chicken (young rooster) under one year old.
- Hen: An adult chicken (female) over one year old.
- Pullet: A chicken (female) under one year old.
The Speckled Sussex is another beautiful chicken. This one has a mahogany and black color with white tips. The white can increase sometimes after molting and aging. The Speckled Sussex is the most common of the Sussex chickens in the USA.
This dual purpose chicken is very adaptable and can survive in pretty much any surroundings. They love free-range and are very happy in a pen as well. They are know to breed better in free range conditions where there is plenty of space but they are very comfortable around people also.
The Sussex is not too broody in the winter months but can be so in the warmer months of the year. They make very good mothers also.
As an egg producing chicken, the Sussex will lay you around 240 – 260 large brown eggs a year! The lighter variety is the better layer of the Sussex.
As a meat chicken, all the Sussex fall under this class. They are all good and produce lots of meat. The cockerel is the most tender and is actually preferred above the broiler chickens on the market.
All in all, the Sussex chicken makes a wonderful back yard or free range chicken and does not need a lot of maintenance!
Sussex Buff photo found at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABuff_Sussex.jpg
Sussex Speckled found at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASpeckled_Sussex_Chicken.jpg
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