Should I get a Light Sussex breeding flock?

[eggsrcool]

I've heard that Light Sussex's are now a threatened species and was wondering if I should separate my current pen into a light sussex flock and the other half into a flock which will hold my current hens and cockerel.

Any advice or thoughts?

 

[patandchickens]

AFAIK the breed is only rare in North America, it exists in plentiful numbers elsewhere e.g. the UK and Australia.

Whether you want to breed them kind of depends on a) whether you have, or could obtain, GOOD breeding stock i.e. close to the standard and laying/hatching well and not from a commercial hatchery; and b) whether you have time/room to raise enough chickens to propagate the line properly. (You pretty much have to be able to hatch a bunch of them each year, cull heavily, and still be keeping a good number of breeders going til next year)

If you *are* in a position to truly raise a rare breed, that's great; but I mention the above because a lot of people seem to think that buying a few birds from a hatchery, or buying a few good birds but only producing a dozen or two dozen chicks a year, is somehow "saving the breed", which it's not really.

Have fun whatever you decide to do,

Pat