Recent content by SpeckledSussex7

I noticed my broody hen's comb and wattles aren't as bright red as the non-broody hens when we got them last week. I read that the roosters use that trait to know which hen is fertile. I'll be watching closely for her comb and wattles to gain more color, and to see if that has anything to do...

She seems to be spending a lot of time outside the coop now. We've had her for a week and she was broody when we got her. She is about 2 years old and we are wondering how long it will be before she starts laying again. We don't want her to go broody until early spring. She is a...

Thanks for the advice. We lock her out of the coop for a couple hours at a time twice a day to make sure she is eating and drinking, but we will remove the eggs as well. The 7 other hens lay at different times of the day, ranging from 7am to 5pm, and they prefer to lay in their nest boxes, so...

I forgot to mention that she only weighs about 5 pounds (guessing by feel). She's smaller than our Rhode Island Red hens. Here she is, sitting on her fake egg Thanks again for the replies.

Thanks for the replies. It doesn't matter what breed she is, but I thought it would be fun trying to figure it out. She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. We have fake eggs (porcelain, but they look and feel real), and she looks forward to getting back on the egg in her nest box...

I bought her as a mixed breed last week. She is broody but not moody when we handle her. She is at least 2 years old and has been raised with a flock of 7 Rhode Island Red hens that are a year old. None of the hens seem to have had much interaction with their previous owners, as they are very...

Thanks! I've heard nothing but good things about the Speckled Sussex. 2 weeks into it and we couldn't be happier with them.

My wife and I just got some Speckled Sussex 2 weeks ago and we have been browsing this site for information. What a great place to spend a few hours (or days) sharing knowledge and ideas. We are new to chickens but have researched them for the past year. We have been busy building a mobile...