The Sussex thread!

[Johnn]

Thank you both!

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Welcome! Here is ours last year. I'd say every chick is different, but you'll notice a big red comb pretty early on a boy, maybe around 4-6 weeks, sometimes earlier. You can wait for then and post in the 'what gender is this section'.

Ooh, and look at that posture! Pretty boy I was guessing around 6 weeks so unless I see anything obvious earlier, I should be good. Cackle Hatchery had 100% success sexing SS's last year of the order sent to the feed store here, so she has a good chance at being a She EEs were closer to 70% and hence my beautiful blue wheaton splash Easter egger rooster, Nero! ...And my healthy dose of paranoia LOL. happy to be a sussex owner, finally! She may be the first of several, seeing how she goes. Can't wait!! Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Jujubara]

Ooh, and look at that posture! Pretty boy I was guessing around 6 weeks so unless I see anything obvious earlier, I should be good. Cackle Hatchery had 100% success sexing SS's last year of the order sent to the feed store here, so she has a good chance at being a She EEs were closer to 70% and hence my beautiful blue wheaton splash Easter egger rooster, Nero! ...And my healthy dose of paranoia LOL. happy to be a sussex owner, finally! She may be the first of several, seeing how she goes. Can't wait!!

Thanks for the welcome!

Oops. Sorry, I should have included that she's a girl.

Some SS can seem boyish very young, but I think a big red comb by this age would indicate a boy.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Oops. Sorry, I should have included that she's a girl.

Some SS can seem boyish very young, but I think a big red comb by this age would indicate a boy.

LOL whoops! So I shouldn't worry about my little one standing tall and fly-running into the mirror then? they're still in their indoor adventure weeks and having a great time. Thanks for showing me Akita

 

[Jujubara]

LOL whoops! So I shouldn't worry about my little one standing tall and fly-running into the mirror then? they're still in their indoor adventure weeks and having a great time. Thanks for showing me Akita

Yeah, you will see a red comb coming in if she's a boy. But not until a few weeks. Enjoy her and share some pictures!!

 

[athomas718]

HI!
I am thinking about getting some Speckled Sussex chicks in May. What does everyone say is the main advantage and disadvantage of having some?

I am thinking of getting them instead of Easter Eggers since the farm I am getting them from said that EE are not a stable breed and can't be reliable in hardiness or egg laying. Since we live in Maine, the cold is a big issue for us. I would need reliably hardy chickens. The last thing I want is to lose a chicken. I know it will happen and be really sad, but I want to avoid it as much as possible.

Thanks for any info!

 

[Faraday40]

HI!
I am thinking about getting some Speckled Sussex chicks in May. What does everyone say is the main advantage and disadvantage of having some?

I am thinking of getting them instead of Easter Eggers since the farm I am getting them from said that EE are not a stable breed and can't be reliable in hardiness or egg laying. Since we live in Maine, the cold is a big issue for us. I would need reliably hardy chickens. The last thing I want is to lose a chicken. I know it will happen and be really sad, but I want to avoid it as much as possible.

Thanks for any info!

I can't answer on the SS, but my EEs do well on those -20'F winter nights. We never have to worry about those pea combs getting frostbite. However, they do stop laying Nov-mid Feb. EEs are a mix so health is also excellent. Personalities can vary a lot. They can get bullied by other breeds.

The SS are on my wish list because of their appearance, but I've also heard many great stories about the breed's temperment. I stop by this thread just to admire "Dorothy." Johnn takes amazing pics!

 

[Jujubara]

HI! 

I am thinking about getting some Speckled Sussex chicks in May. What does everyone say is the main advantage and disadvantage of having some? 


I am thinking of getting them instead of Easter Eggers since the farm I am getting them from said that EE are not a stable breed and can't be reliable in hardiness or egg laying. Since we live in Maine, the cold is a big issue for us. I would need reliably hardy chickens. The last thing I want is to lose a chicken. I know it will happen and be really sad, but I want to avoid it as much as possible. 


Thanks for any info!  

I live in Mass and we had a pretty mild winter. That being said, we did have a few weeks that were pretty freezing and our SS did fine. And like Faraday40 said, we also had an EE that did great as well.

 

[athomas718]

Thank you so much!! I talked to the farm owner today for a bit and he said a nice varied flock would be good too.

Our flock will be little so getting too much variety isn't going to happen, but I think I'm going to go with 2 Barred Rock, 2 EE, 3 Speckled Sussex and 3 Silver Laced Wyanotte. 10 will be a good little flock for us. I'm so excited I can't stop thinking about them. I still have a little over a month before our "chicken day". I can't wait!! I'm going to create a when I get them. I'm going to create a diary of their progress. Week by week at least. I think they will be about 1-2 weeks old when I get them.

 

[agarlough]

[/IMG]

I just picked up my first flock of 6 girls this weekend. I am totally enthralled!

One of which is a Speckled Sussex above. She's the littlest of all the girls, but is quickly showing she's the top of the pecking order. I picked them up from a breeder at a livestock sale, it was rather crazy and busy, and I had to make my decisions quickly.

Since bringing my SS home, I've realized she has quite a few feather missing from her tail and lower back. She's about 11 months old. Is this normal? Maybe from being with a rough roo?

Also, as you can see in the pics, she has a pretty big comb, bigger then most photos I've seen. I'm not worried that she's a roo, I saw the Roos and they were huge with gigantic combs. Do I need to be worried about this in the winter? We live in Canada, it gets cold!