Speckled Sussex

[Tex452]

For some reason I like the looks of this breed, so I ordered 15 chicks from Meyer hatchery, they should be here this week.
Has anyone ever raised this breed?
From what I understand they are a dual purpose breed, having a decent body size and a good egg layer.

 

[Pigeony]

Speckled Sussex are great birds. Males usually get a lot more white in their juvenile feathers, especially on the chest. If their chest is majority white, be suspicious of cockerels. Females can flush quite pink early in development, tends to make people worry they're male, but they don't tend to grow very large combs until point of lay.

 

[BoundlessLove]

We have raised SS for years.
Sussex chickens are a well rounded dual-purpose breed.
They are the friendliest birds we have raised.
Good foragers and seem to have the necessary camouflage to avoid predators.
The hens may become broody if given the chance.
Our roosters are gentle giants with us, but are protective and watch over their hens.
Hope this helps!

 

[Tex452]

Thanks everyone.
I’m sure I will like them.

 

[BoundlessLove]

Thanks everyone.
I’m sure I will like them.

You’re welcome. Best wishes with your chicks!

 

[thecatumbrella]

I've heard they're very people-friendly birds and very curious. I'm sure they'd love to "assist" in the garden. Enjoy them!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I had two of these. When I got them they were very sick and very flighty. I thought they would hate me forever but once they were better they were my buddies. They ran the flock and one of them raised several chicks for me. They were very chatty lol.

 

[Iluveggers]

My Speckled Sussex is my favorite chicken of all time! Just the perfect version of what I wanted a chicken to be.

 

[BoundlessLove]

I had two of these. When I got them they were very sick and very flighty. I thought they would hate me forever but once they were better they were my buddies. They ran the flock and one of them raised several chicks for me. They were very chatty lol.

SO true!
Chatty all the time!! We carry on conversations daily, I just say “bawk” a few times and my hens tell me all about what’s going on.

 

[sakerobot]

We have one in a flock of now 50 chickens, of which she is the smallest. She is definitely one of our favourite chickens. Very people friendly, she is always the first to try out the new water in every waterer as I'm refilling it. She's chatty. She's very resourceful and able to evade tough situations thanks to her size and speed. She lays a lighter beige egg that I can tell apart from all other hens (BRs, Orps, Wyandottes, DExOrps), it almost looks white by comparison. Popular with roosters.

She has a very unique sound when she chats, so I can always tell when she's near without seeing her. We joke that she speaks with a "British accent".