Speckled Sussex less hardy to diseases than other breeds?

[1001Cochins]

Hi,
I absolutely love the speckled sussex breed. They are super sweet, super gentle and just gorgeous. The only problem is, they keep getting sick and dying. I am on my last pullet now, and she is not doing well at all, I don't expect her to last much longer. My first experience with these were 2 4-week pullets I bought at a swap, one got eaten by a predator and the other got Mareks. I decided to try them again in the past year and bought 2 5-month old pullets. Within weeks one was dead and the other is now going downhill fast. All the other breeds I have bought have been, if not still susceptible to diseases, at least not so much that they die from anything. I am trying again, this time with 5 day-old chicks that will be in a batch with another 17 chicks. One person I talked to said she thought they (speckled Sussex) had a higher mortality rate than other chickens she bred. I did buy both pairs from the same swap, though from different people. So, my question is, is this the same problem that other people have, or is it just the birds I have bought? I really love this breed and it is so hard when you get attached to them and then they die on you. Thanks for your replies!

 

[1001Cochins]

*BUMP*

 

[Michael OShay]

I'm sorry for your losses. I'm not sure what's going on with your Speckled Sussex, but the ones I've raised have been very hardy and I've never had any real health problems with any of them. Maybe the problem is with whoever you bought them from. I always vaccinate my chickens for Mareks so I've never had any problems in that regard. Mountain Peeps raises Speckled Sussex. You might PM her and ask her if she's had any health problems with any of hers. Hopefully this was an aberration and your SS will do fine from this point on.

 

[donrae]

If you're having this much issue with disease, I highly recommend to close your flock and quit adding birds for a while until you can have a healty flock with the birds you already have.

Once you're ready to add birds again, do not get birds from a swap. Buy from a certified hatchery or NPIP breeder, get day old chicks or hatching eggs.

 

[keesmom]

You may want to consider having a necropsy done on one to find out why they are dying. Call your state's department of agriculture and see if they can be any help.

 

[seminolewind]

If u have mareks in your flock they will die. You need day old vaccinated hatchery chicks and quarantine the m for at least three weeks. I got mine that way and they are healthy.

 

[1001Cochins]

Hi,
I just don't seem to have good success with adding grown chickens to my flock, chicks are fine, but fully grown birds just don't do well. I really don't have a lot of disease in my existing flock, it only happens when I get new birds. I try to stay away from them, but it is tough when you are obsessed.

These chicks I will be getting in March will set me up for a couple of years, so shouldn't need any after this for a while. I don't have a lot of issues with disease, but some years are worse then others. Predators are a much bigger issue with us. Thanks you for your replies!