Speckled sussex, anything I should know about them?

[chkinut]

i have one SS who is almost 4 months old. she's a sweet docile girl. if i bend down she will come up to me (thinking i have MORE SNACKS) and she will allow me to pick her up and hold her....although she doesn't like to just sit on my lap yet. maybe she'll change after she starts laying some eggs, they usually get sweeter after they reach egg laying age. i hear they get more speckles as they age.....kinda like us humans i guess...

 

[Joyst]

I have two SS that are 7 1/2 months old. They always attract attention and compliments on their coloring amongst their Black Australorp and Welsummer sisters. They are the first to come running when I go outside, checking to see if I have anything for them. They are both good foragers and pretty independent - I'll often see one of them wandering around the front of our house by herself when everyone else is in the back. They are named Sookie and Stella - Sookie has no problem being picked up and carried around (even by my 2 year old grandson!) but Stella will run for it if it looks like you're going to pick her up. They're both very consistent layers so far - smallish creamy tan eggs. Sookie's are the prettiest eggs.
I definitely recommend them!

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

thanks for all the info on them!, I deff. think if I do get any chickens I'll go with them, they're just so darned pretty, my MIL just has a bunch of those...barred rocks? the stripey ones and red ones, I was talking to her earlier and now ofcourse SHE wants speckled sussex

, she said she was talking one of her neighbors who also has chickens (they regularly buy chickens for each other

) and she said that the guy has a couple speckled sussex, she said according to him 2 of his 6 speckled sussex hens have gone broody this year, one hatched out 18 chicks that are 6 weeks old now(she's getting some of those), and another just hatched out 7 (she's getting some of those too

), and apparently even with the older chicks, the mother is still chasing everyhting in sight and attacking things that get too close,but the chicks aren't pure, said their dad is a cuckoo marans?

anyways, I thought about getting some bantams too one day, theres a listing in the local for sale ads about a D'uccle?, hen and her two mixed breed daughters I thought about calling about just to see, just I still have to see how fast I can get the shed basically re-built, which will take about 600$ I really don't have lol, the frame of the structure is is very good shape, but the walls and door are practially non existant, not the mention the copperhead I found laid up in there today

......

 

[dretd]

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Speckled Sussex were the first chickens I wanted too, when I started my flock, they are quite eye-catching!
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I have 2 in a mixed flock of 8. They are medium to low on the totum pole and free range well. They lay 3-4 medium tinted to light brown eggs per week (the smallest eggs of my flock). They are friendly and docile. I have no roosters so I can't speak to their mothering capabilities. Cluckles 1 (you can see her as my avatar--she was mad after I took her off the nest as a broody) went broody at 16 months and is thinking about a reprise this summer. I plan to get her hatching eggs when she gets serious.
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I think your henhouse sounds downright roomy. Make sure it has really good ventilation. I have mine open about 2x2 feet (covered in welded wire) on the south side and have more covered space under the eaves. It was very cold in the winter, but they did great and I think it really helps in the summers. They also like to perch up pretty high so think about perches in your design.

Good luck!

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Just got my first SS - a female chick. Of the five new babies (the others are a Silkie, a Mille Fleur d'Uccle, an EE and a BCM -all female) the SS seems to be the least willing to be handled. I'm surprised by this because I read that they are a friendly breed.

She's a beautiful chick tho (pix on my blog - link in my signature) with a maple-colored body and lemon-yellow breast. She's greedy little eater, btw.

 

[dretd]

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Yuck, snakes! My girls killed one last year. I thought it was a rubber snake my daughter left on the path but it was a large snake with peck/bite marks. I am lucky we don't have capperheads here!

I built my henhouse on the cheap. Look at Craigslist and freecycle for stuff folks are getting rid of cheap/free. Also check some thrift stores-I got the hardware from Habitat for Humanity. I also frequently visited Home Depot and got a fair amount of redwood 2x4's and treated lumber from their cull lumber bin for 51 cents a piece. I think they are getting pretty stingy though because the last time I checked it looked more like stuff I'd use for firewood.

 

[Titania]

We built our coop largely from old unwanted fence panels. The inner walls are old scraps of plywood someone had for free on Craigslist. There's insulation in between the outer and inner walls. Good luck! We found a ton of wood and only had to buy wood for the run because we wanted cedar to withstand the weather.

I only have a small flock but it is my second try at backyard chickens. My first flock (all bought from Ideal Poultry) was eaten by racoons/foxes. It was really very tragic. Anyway, the first four that I had were all bought from Ideal Poultry. I'm very pleased with them. I had one speckled sussex pullet, 1 mille fleur d'uccle, 1 red sex-link, and 1 easter egger. Jane, my speckled sussex, liked to be handled least of all. And she was by far the fastest of them all!! We could not catch her, try as we might. She was smart too and would always escape. She was not as dominant as the EE or the RSL and overall an active, curious bird. An excellent forager. Her speckles were very pretty and I didn't have her until maturity. She was eaten around 4-5 months. I really would like to go back to a speckled sussex someday. My most recent sussex was a coronation sussex which are like the light sussex but with lavender coloring. a HUGE bird!! And just sweet and soooooo fluffy. I had never felt anything so fluffy as my Gertrude (she had to be put down today, sadly). Gertrude was 7 1/2 months but hadn't laid any eggs yet so I don't know how well she would have laid. If i had to pick between the light (or coronation) sussex or a speckled sussex, I would pick the light sussex. But if you don't have to choose, pick both! Btw, I hatched Gertrude from eggs I bought from Rockin Paints off here at BYC. I was happy with the quality of those chicks; they practically jumped out of their eggs. If you hatch your own eggs, DO vaccinate for Marek's. That's what Gertrude had.

Anyway...about the bantam mille fleur d'uccles. Sweet, sweet, lovely birds. I definitely will always have some in my flock from now until forever. Our first one from Ideal Poultry, named Chloe, was the favorite of all the children on the street. She was very docile. Then I hatched some from eggs, ended up with boys, swapped for a girl, etc. and ended up with Manon who laid 6 eggs/week and would go broody pretty reliably. She was not as docile as Chloe though. Still, she was not aggressive or flighty. The banties can fly though. Once the dog got out and started chasing Manon. She flew right over our 6 foot fence and I had to spend the next 1 1/2 hours chasing her down. Unless she was being chased, she never flew. Manon was from McMurray Hatchery I believe. Manon's eggs were so cute b/c they're smaller. BUT, the yolk is nearly the same size as the wyandotte egg yolks.

Anyway, best of luck to you! I hope you pick speckled sussex, light sussex AND mille fleur d'uccles!