Gammond
Songster
This year I naturally hatched out most of my chicks. For next year, who should I keep? Brock the Speckled Sussex or Brocolli the Buff? I am looking for neat looking chickens who lay a lot of eggs.
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They're both white skinned brown egg layers. Neither breed is a stellar production layer as a rule.
Besides temperament, color is going to be your main difference.
The disappointing thing is, that pretty speckling on the Sussex is all recessive. So, unless you have a speckled hen, none of the offspring will get that pretty color.
Underneath the speckling, the Sussex is mahogany red. That's a pretty strong color, so you'll get a lot of red chick, depending on who you breed him to. Black usually dominates over red, white tends to be about 50/50.
Buff is a fun color to play with in chicks. It's genetically very complex, and holds it's own against black. You can get some very pretty mixed color chicks with a buff rooster.
I'd go with temperament first, then color.