Light Sussex

Light Sussex is one of the famous chicken breeds that is used for the production of both meat and eggs. They are known as “heritage breeds”. The hen lays approximately 230 to 260 light brown eggs each year. These astonishing birds come in both bantam and standard sizes.

They exist in eight different colors including red, brown, light, etc. Both male and female Light Sussex are large birds with friendly nature. They are not only convenient for egg and meat production but can be amazing family pets. Light Sussex is fast fast-growing chicken breed, and their baby chicks become mature very fast.

In AD 43, this chicken breed originated in Sussex, England. First, they created speckled Sussex and then the light Sussex. For this purpose, they bred original birds with native birds.  In the time of 20th century, they were recognized as a standard breed in England. In 1845, these birds first appeared in a poultry show.

The Light Sussex chicken was first bred in Britain during the time of the Roman invasion.  The purpose of developing this chicken breed was to create a “dual-purpose breed” that would be great for both meat and egg production. The color variety of this chicken breed is created with different crosses. In 1920, this breed was accepted as a licensed breed in America. However, you may see this chicken breed in UK more than in the US.

The average price of this chicken breed is between $15 and $40. The cost of these birds also depends on their color and age. The younger bird will cost less than the adult one.

Chicken	Price
Hen	$30 to $40
Chicks	$15 to $20

To set up a small coop for your chickens will cost you around $300 to $500. You can keep 8 to 10 birds in that small coop. However, if you have 15 to 20 chickens, you would need a big coop which will cost you between $1500 and $2000. If we talk about the feeding costs of your birds, it will be approximately $0.30 to $0.60 per day for each chicken. Apart from that, you may have to spend money on your pet’s veterinary checkups and incubators.

This chicken breed is famous for its distinctive characteristics and beautiful appearance. They enhance the beauty of your backyard with their attractive, uniquely colored appearance. Below are some basic characteristics of this breed.

This breed of birds can live up to 8 years or more depending on their care routine. Their lifespan increases when they get a proper diet, water, health check-ups, and a safe environment. However, they usually don’t get any health issues but due to being overweight, these birds might have health concerns that decrease their lifespan. A strict diet and a convenient place are also essential. If you want them to live up with you for a longer time. Along with that, you should not keep them in a coop all the time, to enhance these bird’s lifespan, their exercise is as important as their food and environment.

Light Sussex Chicks

The appearance of baby chicks looks like a yellow ball of fluff. They have black tails, wings, and neck feathers. When they grow a little bit, these chicks get black markings on their feathers. They start developing their neck and tail feathers at the age of 2 months.

Light Sussex Hen

The hen of this breed has a black & white tail and neck. They have a white body along with black markings. Their heckle feathers are black with white lace.

Light Sussex Rooster

The roster has blue sheen tail feathers that appear in the sunlight. Along with that, they have black tails, necks, and wing feathers. Their feet and legs are feather-free. Their beak is longer than their female.

These chickens have a normal-sized body, but there could be a slight difference in individual’s sizes due to the involvement of different factors. On average, their weight is mentioned below.

Body Type	Cock	Hen	Cockerel	Pullet
Standard Weight	4 to 4.2 kg	3 to 3.2 kg	3 to 3.4 kg	2.5 to 2.7 kg
Bantam Weight	1 to 1.2 kg	750 to 800 g	–	–

The Sussex chickens have various types of colors such as silver, brown, red, light, buff, white, and speckled.

• Light: This chicken comes with a white body along with a black tail and neck feathers. It’s a very common color pattern in this breed. In fact, this breed is only known for its black & white color pattern. All other colors are rare, and most people don’t even know about them.
• Silver: In this breed, this color variety is the latest. They have a black body and silver shade on their neck and breast side part. These chickens have silver feathers on their tail and neck.
• Brown: The brown color in Sussex chicken is rare. In this color type, the chickens come with dark brown feathers.
• Red: The body color of the red chicken is the same as the Rhode Island Red. Along with the deep red body color, These birds have reddish brown feathers.
• Buff: In the color type, the bird has a black marking on its tail and neck. Along with that, they have caramel brown plumage.
• White: The white Sussex bird is the same as the light Sussex chicken in terms of body color. This majestic bird has pure white feathers and a black shade on its tail and neck.
• Speckled: The speckled color type in this chicken breed has multicolored plumage. They have a black and white speckled pattern on their overall body.
• Coronation: This color variety of chickens has white bodies along with gray or blue tails. They have white neck and their feathers are pale gray. It is also one of the rarest color types in the light Sussex chicken breed.

Along with meat production, this chicken breed is also convenient for the production of eggs. The Light Sussex hens are also capable of laying eggs in winter when most chickens stop producing eggs. They only stop laying eggs when they are in the molting phase. People pet them along with Australorp Chickens or other chicken breeds for eggs production.

You can expect around 230 to 260 light brown large eggs every year from your Light Sussex. Along with light brown eggs, this light Sussex chicken breed also lays pale pinkish, cream, and tinted eggs. The white and light type of chicken is convenient for eggs production. The first egg you can expect from your chicken when they reach the age of 18 to 20 weeks. After that, you will have 4 to 5 eggs weekly. Their egg-laying production may slow down around 4 to 5 years of age.

After characteristics and appearance, the thing that we notice in a bird or animal is their personality, especially when we are going to own them. This chicken breed consists of several personality traits which makes them the first choice chicken pet for any family.

There is nothing better than a pet who is affectionate with its owner. They are known as loyal pets like dogs and cats. These astonishing chickens always want to stay around you. They don’t hesitate to interact with people, that’s why these light Sussex birds are the perfect choice for family pets.

Light Sussex chickens are known as gentle birds. It is also easy to train them. They are tolerant of handling by people which makes them a convenient option to become a family pet.

The light Sussex are active and curious by nature. It always looks like these birds are searching for things. Chickens are always active and fast, so it will be fun to catch them when they are out of their coop. You will never get bored keeping these birds, due to their curious nature.

It is natural for a hen to go broody. This breed of hen lays eggs consistently in the late winter time till the autumn season before they come to the molting phase. During summer times, you may see them going broody like other breeds of chicken.

Every individual wants their pet to be docile like this chicken breed. They are level-headed and known for good temperament. Light Sussex chickens can be ideal pets for people who own a pet bird for the first time.

The baby chicks of this breed become mature very fast. All varieties of this breed including red, silver, brown, buff, and coronation are fast to mature except the speckled variety which may take a little bit more time to mature It’s always fascinating to raise baby chicks and see them growing in front of your eyes. It sounds interesting, but you have to put all of your efforts into raising them to adults. Below are some useful tips that will help you in this process.

• Make sure to get complete information about chick’s friendly food and how to feed them.
• Build a safe and warm place before the arrival of chicks.
• Keep them in a brooder for 5 to 6 weeks.
• Provide clean and fresh water to your baby chicks.
• Use heat lamps to keep them warm.

This breed of chicken is one of the healthy breeds that doesn’t get any major health issues, so they don’t need any special treatment to live. However, they may get some viral infections and common diseases in their lifespan, so make sure to be aware to avoid those certain problems in your bird.

Here we have mentioned some common health issues along with descriptions and symptoms. You can also check the treatment column but make sure to get in touch with your vet first before following any treatment.

Diseases	Description	Symptoms	Treatments
Respiratory infections	Chicken may get respiratory disease due to a bacteria called “Mycoplasma Gallisepticum”	1- Swollen head 2- Head shaking 3- Watery eyes	Give a treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotic
Parasites	This disease is different from bacteria and viruses and can be transmitted from one chicken to another	1- Weight loss 2- Pale comb 3- Diarrhea	There are different types of parasite disease so make sure to talk to your vet about any parasite condition.
Heat stress	In this disease, a chicken gets egg-laying problems, organ failure, and neurological issues.	1- Feather loss on the neck part 2- Your bird might start to pant 3- Their egg production may decrease	1- Increases the water intake 2- Increase coop ventilation
Arthritis disease	This health problem can be caused by metabolic orders, trauma, and infections	1- Low mobility 2- Swelling of tendon sheaths 3- Poor growth	Supportive therapies can control pain
Avian influenza	A viral infection that affects chickens and other poultry birds	1- Lack of appetite 2- Diarrhea 3- Swollen heads	Although there is no treatment for avian influenza, if you find any symptoms in your bird, make sure to contact with your local animal health agency.

To give your chicken a healthy and longer life, it’s essential to provide them with a perfect care routine in which they get all basic requirements. However, they are low-maintenance birds and don’t demand too much attention and care routine to survive. If you are going to own these majestic birds as pets or for poultry purposes, it’s important to note down our following caring tips.

The environment is very important while raising chickens. They need a warm and safe coop where these birds get food and water and can protect themselves from predators like dogs, cats, snakes, etc. Along with that, it’s necessary to clean the coop after every week, and don’t forget to change the water bowl and food container.

As we know these birds become dehydrated very often, so it is necessary to increase the water intake of your pets. Put a bowl of fresh water in the coop and be sure to change their bowl of water every day because they can’t stand drinking stale water.

As you go to the doctor for your health checkups, your chicken pet also requires a weekly or monthly vet checkup to ensure that they are healthy and disease-free. If you notice any health issues in your pets, it’s better to talk to your vet as soon as possible because some diseases may lead to death.

These birds need fresh and healthy food which can be vegetables, cereals, leafy greens, grains, and fruit such as apples and berries. These all foods are cheap, so you don’t need to spend a large amount of money to feed them.

Light Sussex chicken is an astonishing breed in every aspect. They are good layers with 250+ eggs on average every year. If you are going to start poultry farming, it is a convenient breed to start. A low-maintenance chicken breed along with majestic appearance and personality makes them ideal pets. Keeping these adult chickens along with baby chicks in your backyard will be a fascinating experience for you.