The Sussex thread!

[snowbird]

Don't worry about the black ticking on the back. That is caused by 1 of 2 things. Either the bird is of "Light" coloration caused by the eb gene instead of the proper eWh gene...or... his sire's hackle was too dark ,and the ticking on his sons' back is a result of the uneven color balancing in the mating that created him. Now we know this boy is based on proper eWh because eb based birds have much more ticking on the back than this boy does. So it is a result of uneven color balancing in the breeding which created him. Not a big problem in the show ring. He can be used with a hen which balances his color. To see how to create the right breeding with him which will produce males w/o black ticking, see the book, The Sussex Fowl by Sharpe (the creator of the Light Sussex) at : http://archive.org/details/cu31924003091398
Judge Wid Card wrote a wonderful little book on poultry breeding laws written in easily understood verbage. http://archive.org/details/cu31924003158312 The whole book is a great read. For "Light" coloration, esp. see Chapter 2.
Nice boy! Loving his very correct hackle. Just perfect in coloration and placement. These very black hackles we see that literally form a black collar on the male are called "super hackles" and incorrect for the breed. The judges are gonna love your boys' hackle!! I would show him and then after Judging ask the judge for an eval.
Best,
Karen
P.S. Here are three more of my fav cites on Light Sussex. The one by Broomhead is a rare classic. I read it about once a week.
W.W. Broomhead was one of the three famous Broomhead brothers in poultry. He went on to become President of the British Poultry Club.
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1888 William Kitchen Parker On the structure and development of the wing in the common fowl Published by the Royal Society of London This is a paper published in the " Royal Society of London " . , Vol. 179 (1888 ) , B , pages 385 thru 398 . Plates 62 thru 65 . 14 pages of stunning colored diagrams from the Victorian era of biologically correct drawing . http://tinyurl.com/yh6zzok
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1959 J COHEN The pigment cell system in the Light Sussex fowl. Article in Publication: Journal of embryology and experimental morphology, 1959 Sep; 7: 361-74 Database: From MEDLINE

/PubMed

, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. ISBN/ISSN: 0950-1991 . "Summary" and the paragraph directly above it sum it up very well. Fascinating. It seems this study reveals that each feathers' color isn't programmed individually, but by how each feather interacts with the epidermis . http://tinyurl.com/ygrb7bb (just click on the "download button" .)
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The Light Sussex.
Author: Broomhead, William White, 1875-
Published: London, 1921.
Physical Description: 8 p.
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003137332;q1=light sussex

Karen, Would you explain what you mean by "do not worry about the black ticking as it is not a problem in showing". I have bred the columbian color eb gene and can explain some of the problems if anyone is interested in actual experiences with the color Pattern

 

[mountainvieworchards]

I would like to hear it Don. I was under the impression that the lights were typically on eb. I have the Greenfire line and they are from Australia and Smith in his book states they are eb. Interested in your experience on columbian on eb, thanks

Andy

 

[mountainvieworchards]

Just a clarification, Smith doesn't mention Greenfire of course but he speaks generally about the lights in Australia and states they are eb. I understand you could have the columbian pattern on Wheaton but I was under the impression that most of the Ausie birds were eb.

 

[jeremy]

mountainvieworchards, any updated pictures of your Golden Mille Fleur Sussex?

 

[mountainvieworchards]

mountainvieworchards, any updated pictures of your Golden Mille Fleur Sussex?

I will try to get some this week while the weather remains sunny!

On another note: looking at another BYC post one member stated the Greenfire Light Sussex and Coronations are based on E^Wh. The chicks sure are yellow like wheaton chicks. Makes me wonder if I wouldn't get better ground color in my Golden Mille Fleurs Sussex if I also based it on wheaton.

Andy

 

[jockeyeba]

Never had Sussex before but we have 6 Speckled & 4 Silver eggs in the bator that should hatch the 12th

 

[Arielle]

Don, I was wondering where you were.

Yes, please, love to hear all input.

 

[mountainvieworchards]

mountainvieworchards, any updated pictures of your Golden Mille Fleur Sussex?

I took some pictures of two of the Mille Fleur Project Pullets and my cockerel who is younger than the pullets.

The first pullet is more plain and taller and I think will be larger.



The second pullet is lower set and fluffier and showing more mottling,



Here is a front shot of my cockerel



Here he is from the side

 

[nova022]

Does this look like a Speckled Sussex chick? I was born on Oct. 1.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: That second pullet is very appealing! I"m not expert--just saying I like her.