Chicken Breed Focus - Sussex

[ic46750]

I have had them for about four years now. They are fun to have. Being somewhat rare it took me a couple of years to find some. Many times i would find a lead and that person no longer had them. Speckled bantams are the only ones known in the US now but there was some lights here at one time. Most breeders said they did not have enough competition to want to keep them. Small numbers,Age and inbreeding can be part of the problem that i have encountered in my research. As with the large counterpart you have alot going on with trying to get the colors and body type right. I like a challenge so is a fun project. I would like to see them make a comeback and bring other varieties to the United States.

 

[Eggsakly]

Hi, Bill. I, too, would like to see more bantams available here that are common in the UK and Europe. These little suckers are hard to find. I had the same experience trying to find the breed as you describe, and the seller of my eggs wrote something similar regarding her attempts at obtaining these chickens, that it took three years to put together her first breeding birds.

I hope I like the Sussex breed as much as I think I might. From people's descriptions of them, they sound like fun. I'm an animal lover, and I enjoy having animals for friends and companions a great deal. The Sussex sound like a breed I would really enjoy.

 

[Leela NH]

Quote:
Skytop Bantams is Jackie Koedatich, a good friend of mine (and mentor). She lives in FL. I am unsure if she sells any eggs or chicks. You can find her on facebook or in the ABA yearbook. She also raises Black Australorps and Buff Brahma bantams. She moved to FL from MA a few years ago. She is also an ABA/APA judge and has assignments all over the US. All the best, Leela, President of the American Sussex Association Kindred Hill Farm Speckled Sussex LF

 

[Eggsakly]

It is 19 hours into lockdown with my bantam Speckled Sussex hatching eggs. This has been trying. It is my first hatch, and I am using an old still-air Hovabator hand-me-down. I don't believe I will do this twice. I thought I could manage this because I am home all day and available to monitor the incubator, and it is only due to vigilance on my part that I have any living eggs remaining; making the thermostat do what I wanted it to was a tough learning curve. I will be surprised if any of my remaining eggs hatch, but I did have 8 seemingly viable eggs when lockdown began.

I began with 16 shipped eggs, of which 5 were either broken, seemingly infertile, or too damaged to develop beyond a few blood lines. During the hatch I have had 3 embryos die. Given the drawbacks of the incubator, I'm not feeling confident, but either way, I will know soon. When the results are in I will post info and or adorable photos. In the mean time, I have ordered a STC-1000 digital thermostat and I am going to build a homemade incubator for any future hatching attempts.

 

[Leela NH]

Quote:
Sending you lots of good energy for a successful hatch! I find the hovabator 1602N with fan kit and turner is a great unit for the beginner that is doing small hatches. I have two of them, one as an incubator, and one as a hatcher. I also have a cabinet I am borrowing, since I have started incubating and hatching regularly, it makes things easier to stagger hatches. Keep your vents OPEN at all times. You will suffocate those embryos if you don't have air exchange. If you need extra humidity, add a plastic food storage container, fill with water, cut hole in lid big enough for a sponge to stick most of the way out. Be sure to use very warm water before you place in incubator. 102 is good. I like the shallow square containers, it allows a lot of the sponge to hit air, which in turn increases humidity more. Don't open the incubator once active pipping happens. Decreasing the humidity suddenly can shrink wrap the embryos and they get stuck. Good luck! Keep us updated! Leela

 

[Eggsakly]

Leela, thank you so much for the timely advice and the good wishes. I was unclear on the vents - it states "once hatching starts"; which I thought to mean once they pip. It sounds like I should have removed the vent plugs once I put the eggs in lockdown? It's done now.

It is an old 1602, but without a fan. I did have an automatic turner. Much of the difficulty was due to my inexperience with the thermostat and with adjusting the temps. I would do better a second time, but I don't know if I'm up for it. My thermostat is wonky, fer sure.

It won't be long . . .

Thanks again.

 

[3riverschick]

Oh I'm so excited for you . just one or two more days and you'll start to see chicks. I can't wait to see how many hatch. it sounds like you've done a wonderful job.

 

[3riverschick]

Have you contacted the seller to see about getting refunds or exchanges for the eggs that arrived on unhatchable.

 

[Eggsakly]

Oh, goodness, I hope I have chicks soon, Karen. I feel worried, myself.

I haven't contacted the seller regarding the non-viable eggs as the deal was for 10+ eggs, and I received 16. They were also extremely reasonably priced! They were a great deal at 10 eggs, even without the extras. I'm very happy with the outcome of this exchange, which you instigated. Even if no chicks hatch I feel certain it is due to incubator/operator issues, and not the seller's hatching eggs or shipping. I will say that the eggs were not double boxed, as some sellers provide, and it is my understanding that the eggs fare better when they are double boxed. I certainly would be happy to pay the extra $5 to ship a larger box if it added significantly to the viability of my eggs, especially for bantam eggs, which are small enough that shipping is quite reasonable.

I will let you know.

 

[Leela NH]

Quote:
In the future just throw the plugs away ;-) They really are useless. You may have starved them of oxygen if plugs were in for the full incubation. I've done it...so I know. I don't use any plugs in any incubator. The 1602N with fan and turner really is a great incubator. I add a wet bulb to gauge humidity properly, as well as a non digital calibrated thermometer. Works like a charm! All the best, Leela