700.jpg
700.jpg

Sussex

The Sussex was developed in Sussex County, England over 100 years ago. It was famous...
Overview Reviews (106) Gallery
Leave a rating

General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Frequent
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
High
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Brown tinted
Breed Colors/Varieties
Speckled and Light
Breed Size
Large Fowl
700.jpg

The Sussex is a dual purpose breed that originated in England around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, making them one of the oldest known breeds. Today they are a popular breed for show exhibitions as well as a garden breed.

The Sussex is an alert, docile breed that can adapt to any surroundings. They are comfortable in both free range or confined spaces and in the presence of humans, although they will mate and breed better in larger spaces. The breed frequently goes broody in the warmer months. They are good foragers and are generally vigorous and hardy as a garden fowl.

333622f7_9.8.12firstegg.jpeg
Sussex egg

chicks.jpg
Sussex chicks

hen.jpg
Sussex hen

rooster.jpg
Sussex rooster

For more information on this breed and their owners' and breeders' experiences with them, see our breed discussion here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-sussex.1154699/
  • Like
Reactions: Old Grey Mare, Ladies-Eight, BlueHorse17 and 12 others

Latest reviews

btagg
Love these birds!
Pros: Very friendly, beautiful
Cons: Hard to find any color other than the speckled variety.
I have just loved this breed of chicken. I got my first light Sussex about a decade ago and am currently looking for a breeder to obtain more in the spring. They have been my friendliest birds along with my Delaware and Dorkings. I will always have them in my flock from this point forward.
Purchase Price
5-50$ depending on the breeder
Purchase Date
3/2012
triciayoung
Love My Speckled Sussex Chickens
Pros: Calm
Friendly
Nice
Beautiful
Cons: Too nice get bullied
Loud (if this is a problem)
I have a flock of 11. I was supposed to have 3-speckled Sussex hens, but 2 ended up being roosters. All three are very calm, extremely friendly, and easy to care for. My hen, Lucy, is too nice and ends up being low on the pecking order scale, only above the 3- Silkies. She is a good egg producer and started laying at 20-weeks.
Purchase Price
$5.00
Purchase Date
06/01/2022

Attachments

  • A81D5DCB-871B-4714-82AE-F10B8F722CB6.jpeg
    A81D5DCB-871B-4714-82AE-F10B8F722CB6.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 113
  • 4B4280E4-3079-4DE8-BC50-4EA4F2848511.jpeg
    4B4280E4-3079-4DE8-BC50-4EA4F2848511.jpeg
    779.8 KB · Views: 116
  • Like
Reactions: Old Grey Mare
SesameRoad
Speckled Sussex pullet...
Pros: Very pretty plumage
Cons: loud, food crazed, not friendly, skittish
Got her with a few others at Coastal farm store as chicks. Never was friendly. Lays every 2 days or so. Avoids me unless there are treats. Got for the plumage, but just disappointed in the breed, at least the quality from Coastal farm.
Won't be purchasing again unfortunately.
Purchase Price
$4
Purchase Date
August 8nd 2021
  • Like
Reactions: SmotherHen
Read more…

Comments

Coopacabana
aren't they great? Beautiful, hardy, friendly, not aggressive but not pushovers, good layers... I could go on.. and on... and on. Mine was even grabbed by the bob cat, but my dad saved her. She is fine except she now barely tolerates being picked up, and I don't blame her. She still comes over and stands near my feet and accepts treat, though. I love her!
 
PurpleLotus
Oh and the picture above does NOT do any justice to the breed. When they're young they look like little sparrows, but as they get their full adult feathers the speckling comes out. It is supposed to get "specklier" with each molt.
 
chickencowranch
i have 5. 3 have white around their head. The other 2 are dark colored. The one I suspect is a rooster. I've never seen this breed before actually getting them from TSC. I like them so far.
 
fettslady
I was only going to get one speckled sussex in our first mixed flock - but I now will be getting at least two! Thanks for the review :)
 
PurpleLotus
Oh and I will add that I had originally ordered two in my mixed flock. Well one of mine ended up being a roo. We kept him until he was around 20 weeks old or so (then he went to a friend's farm) and he was very sweet and good natured as well. And if you think the hens are pretty, he was gorgeous!
 
Penpike
My speckled sussex is still a chick. When we 1st got her at 4 days old, she was a tiny bit bigger than the other 2 chicks (a cucoomaran and a welsummer, i spelled those wrong) and within a week she had grown so big and had so many feathers she seemed to be about 3 or 4 weeks old while the others still were all fuzzy. Now the other chicks have caught up to her at about 3 weeks and she is the perfect chick with beautiful white chest feathers and a sweet and loving and curious personality!
 
annies737
we love them 2 she allways lays an egg and talks to me all the time! shes bossy with the others but not nastey and she loves her cuddles and food, she just pips the post on the chocolate/black marans as they are calm and sweet n gentle,but for carachter she wins!
 
chickencowranch
I have 2 hens and 3 accidental roos. I got mine from TSC. I nver heard of them before so I bought them to try for my first backyard chicken adventure. They are nice chickens. The hens are bossy with the other hens like the other posters said. None lay eggs yet. they are all friendly, but I do stay on guard around the roos just in case.
 
Cynthia12
Mine is a talker! She will come right up to me also. She just started laying, and is laying often, but those eggs are pretty small. They seem to be getting a bit larger. What a beauty she is!
 
chickencowranch
I have two hens and they are both talkers. One is louder than the other. They are both nice. I'd buy more. They both lay nice eggs.
 
cluckitall
Delightful write-up! I've got one SS coming with a few other chicks in two weeks. I'm trying a few different breeds hoping for a broody, but the more I read about speckled Sussexes, the more excited I get waiting for this girl's arrival!
 
FrancesR
I also noticed the sussex getting picked on. I thought perhaps they were targeted because they are a bit smaller than our other birds. But perhaps that's not a valid reason either, because my sussex roo is quite large and he has no tail feathers because of the hens picking at him. I now have about seven sussex and I'm considering giving them their own space. Is there anything lovelier than a speckled sussex in the sunlight, with that iridescence glittering green-black?
 
canesisters
I have 2 (about 9-10 months old) and they are definately the flock favs! They are ALWAYS the first to try something new. Always the first to come to the gate. If I go in the coop, here they come to see what I'm up to. When I sit out in the run, one of them will have to jump up on the chair with me. They are friendly, curious, smart, brave (for a chicken - lol) and beautiful. I'm hoping to add a few more breeds in the spring, but if I had to pick just one of the breeds I've know so far - it would be speckled sussex.
 
kefiren
it seemed like my SS hen was too docile for her own good, but once she had babies to protect she became very tough with the other ladies and they came to respect her.
 
ellie32526
Im glad to hear that. I have really been leaning toward Speckled Sussex. Everything I read about them is positive. Thanks.
 
chickencowranch
I like the two SS I have as well. Never saw this breed til I got them from TSC as chicks. Mine do the picking. They're the first two in the coop at night. I have two other breeds in the flock and these two stick together wherever they go. I had roos I got rid of. I wish i would have kept one.
 
Curly Beard
Sometimes i think that the Specks are SO friendly as a survival trait ( if you have to cull the flock the speck will be close to the last bird you will want to cull , your kids would never forgive you ...LoL )
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
bilbothebanty
Views
94,901
Watchers
32
Comments
126
Reviews
106
Last update
Rating
4.53 star(s) 109 ratings

More in Chicken Breeds

Share this item

Back
Top Bottom