The Sussex thread!

[Johnn]

Can yous remember the mother of my 8 week old Speckled Sussex's mother? Well she is broody again after a 2 week break, so i have got her some Light Sussex hatching eggs!

 

[karlamaria]

Nutrition is an intersting thing. YOu can feed out of a bag or learn a bit about nutrition and make a custom mix to go with the foraging. 

THe easiest is the commercial mixes. ANd a great place for the novice to start. 

I have one group of hens that are laying and free forage all day long on grasses, bugs, etc and have layer pellets as a back up.  A second pen is far away from the grasses but they find a way to eat enough greens to make orange yolks; layer pellet in their coop. 

Getting enough calcium for the layers is key. On average the diet needs to be 3-4 % calcium and 15% protein. Remember, they eat a lot of food when laying. THey use volume of food to meet their needs. 

I also have turkeys-- they need the 22% protein and they go off to forage as well.  GRowth id determined by two factors: genes and available nutrition. 

I wish I had my lt sussex girl-- she grew very fast, which meant she also was eating more than the other chickens.

not only do I choose wisely but I choose organic now days. I feed everyone flock raiser by scratch and peck, until my girls are all laying at one time. I also give them romaine lettuce every single day .yougert once a week, Raisens a few days a week , romaine has lots of calcium in it already, and other great things


10 Surprising Nutrition Facts About Romaine Lettuce
By Tracy Russell
Crisp romaine lettuce is a highly nutritious leafy green to use in a green smoothie. It has a mild flavor that is easily masked by fruit so it’s perfect if you’re new to green smoothies or making it for picky eaters.
You can add an entire head of lettuce to a fruit smoothie and not impact the taste at all. I typically toss in an entire head of romaine in my morning smoothie. It provides 106 calories and gives me a super jolt of nutrition first thing in the morning.
Here are some surprising nutrition facts about this wonderful smoothie (and salad) green:
1 – Protein. Believe it or not, romaine lettuce is 17% protein with 7.7 grams per head. It is also a complete protein! That means that it has all 8 essential amino acids, 9% RDA of some and up to 26% RDA of others.
2 – Calcium. One head of romaine has 206mg of calcium (about 21% RDA). Blend it with calcium rich fruits like papaya and oranges and you’ll get more calcium than a glass of milk!
3 – Omega-3s. One head of romaine lettuce contains 44% RDA of Omega-3 essential fats. Forget the tainted fish oils, reach for some leafy greens instead!
4 – More Vitamin C Than An Orange. One head of romaine contains 167% RDA of vitamin C while an average sized orange contains only 92%.
5 – Iron. One head of romaine contains 6mg of iron, which ads a significant source of iron to the diets of vegetarians and vegans.
6 – Romaine Lettuce is Rich in B-vitamins: Thiamine (B1) – 38% RDA, Riboflavin (B2) – 32% RDA, Niacin (B3) – 12% RDA, Pantothenic Acid (B5) – 18%, Pyridoxine (B6) – 36 %, Folate (B9) – 213%!
7 – Water. One head of romaine provides 16% of your daily water needs with about 20 ounces of water per head!
8 – Rich Source of vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and K. As with most leafy greens, romaine is super rich in beta-carotene with 1817% RDA per head and has 535% RDA of vitamin K.
9 – Low Levels of Oxalic Acid. If you have problems with calcium oxalate kidney stones, romaine lettuce might be a good choice for leafy greens since it is very low in this anti-nutrient.
10 – Mineral-Rich. Don’t let the lighter color of romaine lettuce fool you. This not-so-dark leafy green is rich in minerals. One head contains copper (33% RDA), magnesium (22% RDA), manganese (42% RDA), phosphorus (27% RDA), potassium (33%), selenium (5% RDA) and zinc (13% RDA).
How To Select And Store Romaine Lettuce
Choose bright, crisp heads of romaine lettuce. Avoid bunches that have rust, holes or that are limp, wilted or yellowing. It is common to find romaine that has slight browning along the very edges of the outer leaves. This is okay as long as the rest of the head looks fresh and green. I just trim the brown edges off the outer leaves.
Romaine is highly perishable. I store it in the fridge in a large plastic tub with a piece of paper towel to absorb excess moisture and condensation. My lettuce will keep for up to 5 days this way. If you store wet lettuce in a produce bag, it will likely only last a couple days.
Whenever possible, choose organic romaine (sames goes for any leafy green) as greens are often high in pesticide residue.
How To Use Romaine In A Green Smoothie

 

[Arielle]

Question, are the % quoted on a dry matter basis or fresh??


How does kale, spinach, and chard compare?? Also, mineral content is somewhat dependent on the local soil content . . . . good reasons to grow your own!! ALso, consider the benefits of changing up the greens and vegies; I think we need more than 8 amino acids, 11 or12? WOuld need to look it up to be sure, been a few years since nurition class!! lol

 

[Metella]

Hi All :

I have a roo up for a new home ... willing to trade for hen or any farm type things.

He is in central Vermont ... so probably too far for most of you.

he is just under 1 year old.

 

[Johnn]

10 weeks now

 

[NookNook01]

My Biscuit girl is 10 weeks old and I Just Love Her!!! She's getting so Pretty, she's got a pretty green sheen on her feather tips and she is So Funny!!!!

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: This bird looks to have some yellow cast to his hackles and yellow legs. If so, then this bird has foreign blood in him. Light Sussex are Silver-based birds and have no yellow I their plumage except when they are in chick down, when they are light yellow. The legs of light Sussex are always white with a slight pinkish cast. Foreign blood could be the cause of his aggressiveness, depending on what the other breed was.
Best,
Karen

 

[insanity]

I finally named my sussex Peck. Not the most original but it seems to fit her temperment. At my house


once you have a name your permanent fixture.

 

[Metella]

Peck is a cutie.

and if meanie fought off hawks - he would be a keeper for me ..... I would do aggressive human work with him - that being - pick him up and cuddle him until he is INSANE.... he will be so worried you are going to cuddle with him, he won't attack you and will keep well away when you are out doing hen chores. but that doesn't transfer to other people, so they all have to do the cuddle therapy too.

Also, my experience is that you have refresh the cuddle issue every few weeks - but usually an hour of cuddling is good for a month.

 

[sonderah]

I am a newbie to chicken raising, and am struggling to determine the sex of one of my Speckled Sussex's. I have 6 chicken, 4 red pullets, and 2 speckled Sussex. 1 of those, Colonel, is most definitely a rooster, already crowing and mating my 4 red pullets. The other, Popcorn, is doing neither of those things, that I have seen at least, and I have also never seen Colonel try to mate with Popcorn. They are both approximately 18 weeks old. I cannot get this site, or my TapaTalk app either one to allow me to post pictures, just keeps saying Error.
Popcorn has always been smaller that all the others, that's y he/she is named Popcorn chicken. Lol But has now definitely outgrown my red pullets who are 2 weeks older than them. Popcorn and Colonel keep fighting. Their neck feathers will point out all crazy and they run at one another beak to beak. Popcorn has actually drawn blood on my roosters comb. Popcorn mostly stays off by itself, and never comes running like my pullets when Colonel calls, Popcorns comb and wattles are smaller than Colonel's, but much larger than the girls, and Popcorn also has a very attractive tail that stands up, instead of just laying down. If I cant post pics, Idk what to do to decide! I cant keep 2 roosters because they do not get along. Any ideas?