show quality speckled sussex ??

[coopncottage]

Just wanted to say thanks for this amazing thread. We have one SS named Mabel (pretty sure she's a hatchery bird) whose personality and coloring I love (I have never had a hen who talked so much, all the time, and who was so curious), so I've been thinking I'd like to get a couple more SSs when we need to add to our flock. This thread has been invaluable and educational. Thanks!

ETA: I'll see if I can figure out how to add a photo of Mabel ... She's about 18 weeks, we think, not yet laying. When we got her at about 10 wks, she was missing a bunch of tail feathers and they are finally growing in (she had been in with a huge group of chickens). She's now bigger than our 10 month old BR--I think she'll be our biggest hen. This isn't the best photo -- she's stretching a bit.:

And here she is on the run, because someone else found something interesting:

 

[stormylady]

Quote:
I absolutely agree, the SS is the Ultimate Chicken Breed! The have it all, Personality, Smarts (smartest breed I know) Sweet, now we just got to get the outsides looking the best they can look! So we are all working toward making them as close to the SOP as possible. I'm working down to having all SS in my flock one day and hope that I can bring them up to show quality in the process. Kinda like the super models of the chicken world!

 

[GhostRider65]

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LOL I just said to my husband not 5 minutes ago that I must be crazy for wanting more SS because all they do yack yack buwc buwwwckkkkkkkkkkk at me everytime they see me in the yard/ barn and lord have mercy should I be carrying a bowl they are so loud....hehehe my Snowflake will jump up against the stall door trying to get to me she is the funniest chicken, and my Sissy is so very lovable, I just love them to pieces..... my Dels are exceptionally nice as well but don't talk to me as much........

 

[coopncottage]

Quote:
LOL I just said to my husband not 5 minutes ago that I must be crazy for wanting more SS because all they do yack yack buwc buwwwckkkkkkkkkkk at me everytime they see me in the yard/ barn and lord have mercy should I be carrying a bowl they are so loud....hehehe my Snowflake will jump up against the stall door trying to get to me she is the funniest chicken, and my Sissy is so very lovable, I just love them to pieces..... my Dels are exceptionally nice as well but don't talk to me as much........

LOL... That's too funny that your SSs talk a lot too.

We recently added an angora rabbit to our menagerie, and when my daughter had the rabbit out, Mabel just could not stand her own curiosity. She was scared of the big bunny, but she really, really wanted to peck it's fuzzy butt. But she's very sweet with my daughters and with the other hens. We are just tickled with her.

 

[Maggiesdad]

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Good of you to drop in and say hello!

Ditto damselfish... I've been following along, and hope to get some SS hatching eggs from Justuschicks in a couple of months.

 

[math ace]

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There is a lot I like about this girl. She looks like she has good size. The tail looks like it normally pretty open. The tail angle is good and the back is long. I like the way the speckles are on her tail - the fluffly open part of the tail. I think THINK they are called coverts. . . .

It would be nice if her mahogany was darker. Next time you get a hold of this girl, run your hand across the top of her back. Some of the photos look like she could have something going on - - like a roach back or too much back cushion. It could just be the photo and the way she is standing because I did not see it in all photos. Run your hand across her back and see if you feel a lump or hump.

 

[cowchick11]

I like that little girl too. I was surprised by the white in her tail as there have not been many posted that have that in a correct, not whole feather sort of being.

I feel like I'm practicing for a collegiate dairy judging competition learning all of this stuff. Or like I'm back in FFA studying from photos!

Math Ace, the spotted feathers are the main tail feathers and the coverts are the non-spangled ones of the same size just forward of them. The nomenclature of birds in the SOP is very good and my 4-H kids say I need a review, I say they need to practice and when they can beat me I will practice.

Also, I was just asking about bantam SS because I was reading and still trying to catch up. I want to work with standard size birds.
Sometime when is it not raining or dark I will try to get pics of our three two year old feed store girls. One looks pretty good normally but they are at the end of molt currently so waiting!

One of them also hatched out the unauthorized chicks that are part of my signature line. To bad we don't have a SS rooster!

 

[cowchick11]

Think that little girl's comb might have a twist to it? But I like her overall shape. That reminds me, I should weigh my older girls. Now I am curious!

 

[math ace]

What do you call the feathers covering the butt area as in this view ?? ?

 

[culler]

Math Ace, these feathers are called rear Body feathers in the SOP. Dennis