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Sussex

The Sussex was developed in Sussex County, England over 100 years ago. It was famous...

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
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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.

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Sussex egg

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Sussex chicks

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Sussex hen

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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/

Latest reviews

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

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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
Love These birds!
Pros: They are super beautiful birds
Very cuddly to pick up and like to be held
They LOVE attention and they are very "sticky" and love to follow you around.
They are amazing mothers
they are very soft and gentle when hand fed.
they are not aggressive at all.
Cons: they can be slightly noisy when they are young (at around 10 months) females sometimes crow or cluck really loudly, but it stops once they have fully developed/ adults.
They lay quite small eggs, but they are pink and very pretty
They go broody A LOT (but that might be a pro for you :D)
I got one of these beautiful birds as a pet on my birthday a few years ago. Such a lovely bird! She loves attention and loves being pet or hand-fed. She would even fly outside my window, and would always wait for me to open the window to pet her and carry her back into her coop. every time I came home before dark, I would always go to the coop and hand feed her some corn, She is so soft and gentle. The trust and bond I have between me and my light Sussex, Snowball is stronger than titanium. I love her very much. Overall, the light Sussex is an extremely friendly bird, they are normally at the top of the pecking order because of their large size, but they rarely peck other chickens. They are perfect for if you want to raise them as pets.

Warning: I got my light Sussex chickens from a very good breeder, so the prices would most likely be lower in other places.

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Purchase Price
adults: $75, day olds: $12.50
Purchase Date
2/1/2020, 20/11/2021
Last edited:
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Comments

They are my all time favorite breed of chicken! Beautiful, sweet and spectacular layers! I personally, think everyone should have at least a few in their flock.
 
If I can figure out google drive, I will share some photos of my Coronation Sussex. I don't seem to see any in the gallery yet. I agree with the above descriptions completely. I love these birds!
 
I have two speckled sussex, one turned out to be a roo. I have to say they are the greediest birds in my flock. When it's treat time , or even a big pile of greens if they have to stay in the run, those two will beat out everyone else for speed of stuffing their beaks and shoving their way in to gobble everything first. The hen is a good layer, I will say that.
 
I have 10 hens and my Speckled Sussex is my favorite. She is social, friendly, middle of the pecking order, good layer, and beautiful to boot! I will definitely be getting this breed again when I add to my flock. Sweet, bright, funny, adorable girl.
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
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Last update
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