Sussex chickens: The irresistibly sweet backyard bird
As excellent producers of meat and eggs, Sussex chickens are popular with homesteaders. However, these chickens are also an exceptional choice for the modern backyard keeper. Sussex chickens have such a sweet disposition, they will win your heart and become a part of your family.
Are these lovable birds right for your backyard? In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know to make an informed decision about Sussex chickens, including:
What Sussex chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns
Climate considerations for Sussex chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Space and predator considerations for Sussex chickens (Is your yard the right setup?)
Sussex temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
This post contains affiliate links for my favorite products from Amazon. As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Have Sussex chickens?
Sussex chicken facts
Category: Pet, eggs & meat
Origin: England
Egg-laying ability: Good
Broodiness: High
Meat production: Good
Cold tolerance: Poor-Good (depends on comb size)
Heat tolerance: Moderate
Predator evasion: Good to exceptional
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Good
Temperament: Docile
Aggression toward flock members: Low
Noise level: Moderate-high
Origin of Sussex chickens
The Sussex chicken, named after an English county, was developed in England. However, the chicken may have had its roots in the ancient Mediterranean—some historians believe the Romans may have brought the Sussex to England during the invasion of Julius Caesar.
The breed was well established in England by 1845, and was imported to America around 1912.
At one time, Sussex chickens were incredibly popular in England. From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, Sussex chickens supplied much of the eggs and meat for the city of London.
Like many heritage breeds, the Sussex lost popularity in the mid-20th century, when high-production broilers and layer hens were developed. Sussex numbers plummeted and the chicken became endangered. Today, those numbers have risen some, and the breed now has a conservation status of “Recovering.”
A bantam (i.e., miniature) Sussex was developed about 1920 and remains popular today.
What do Sussex Chickens look like?
Sussex feather colors and patterns
Sussex chickens come in 7 different varieties:
Birchen
Buff
Dark Brown
Light
Red
Speckled
White
The Light Sussex has a standard Columbian plumage pattern, mostly white with some black on the neck, wings, and tail. You can see what this variety looks like in the video below.
The most common variety of Sussex in the United States is likely the Speckled Sussex. This variety has a mahogany base color with white spangles. Thin black bands on the feathers separate the mahogany base color from the white spangles.
You can see what this looks like in the video below.
As with all spangled plumage patterns, the white spangles will grow as your bird ages. After your chicken goes through each annual molt (i.e., the period she loses her feathers and grows in new ones), her feathers will be whiter. So, your very old Speckled Sussexes will look very different from your very young Speckled Sussexes.
What is notable about the Sussex chicken’s appearance?
Aside from some beautiful plumage colors, Sussex chickens are large, broad-bodied birds with close-fitting feathers. Their tails are held at a 45 degree angle from their bodies.
Sussex chickens have medium-size single combs and wattles, reddish bay eyes, red earlobes, and white shanks and feet.
How big do Sussex chickens get?
Roosters: 9 lbs
Hens: 7 lbs
Bantam roosters: 36 oz
Bantam hens: 32 oz
What do Sussex chicks look like?
Different varieties of Sussex chicks will have different down colors. See the video below for the Speckled Sussex variety.
The two videos below show the Red Sussex variety at 2 weeks old and 1 month old, respectively. (The 1 month old in the second video is taking a dust bath.)
Sussex chicken growth
Below is a video montage that shows the growth of Light Sussex chicks from 1 day old to 6 months old.
Are you getting Sussex chicks?
Share your photos, week by week!
Sussex chickens and egg laying
Egg color: Brown
Egg size: Large
Age of lay: 5 months
Eggs/week: 4-5
Eggs/year: 200-260
Sussex chickens lay very well for being such a large breed (although, if you let them get overweight, their laying will decrease). Unlike many other chicken breeds, Sussex hens start to lay early and they tend to lay fairly regularly during the winter months.
Below, you can see a Speckled Sussex hen laying an egg:
Broodiness: Do Sussex hens want to hatch their eggs?
Sussex hens are a broody breed, meaning they do like to sit on their eggs and hatch their chicks, if given the chance.
Sussex hens are excellent mothers.
Meat production of Sussex chickens
The Livestock Conservancy describes the Sussex chicken as a “good all-around table bird, famous for flavor.” The Sussex is a pinkish-white skinned bird (in contrast to the more popular yellow-skinned birds in America), and has tender and juicy meat. The bird has a market weight of 6-7.5 lbs.
Some strains of Sussex chickens will be better meat birds than others. Many strains of Sussex have been bred for better egg laying capabilities, and have lost some of their size in the process.
Sussex chickens: A hardy breed
Sussex chickens: How do they do in the heat and the cold
Sussex chickens aren’t particularly heat-hardy birds. They will not do well in climates with extreme heat. If you have warm summers, be sure to provide your Sussex with plenty of shade, cold and fresh water, and dust-bathing opportunities.
Most Sussex hens do very well in cold climates. However, Sussex roosters fare poorly. Their combs are simply too large for very cold climates—they are prone to frostbite.
If you do have Sussex roosters in a cold climate, make sure to hang Sweeter Heaters over their roosting bars to help prevent frostbite. I use them in all my coops.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here.
Sussex chickens and space: Predators, foraging, and confinement
Sussex chickens fare better against predators than many other breeds. They are fairly vigilant birds.
One chicken keeper said of her Sussex hen, “Definitely one of my smarter birds! She’s always watching for the dog and runs for cover when shadows pass overhead.”
Many varieties of Sussex camouflage well in most areas, such as the Speckled and Buff Sussexes. In the photo below, you can see a beautifully camouflaged Speckled Sussex in a wooded area. She blends in much better than her Easter Egger friend.
The lighter strains of Sussex, bred for superior egg production, are light enough they can fly a little. This, of course, aids in escape. However, the heavier strains of Sussex, bred for superior meat production, aren’t able to fly.
Sussex chickens are very good at foraging if given the chance to do so. One chicken keeper said of her Sussex chickens, “They seem to forage on nearly everything. Ethel seems to be fond of moss, which is something I’ve not seen the other breeds eat.”
Sussex chickens are happy to forage all day and are especially good at scratching in and turning compost piles.
Sussex chickens make excellent free rangers, but they do well in confined runs as well. Of course, like most chickens, they will appreciate all the space you can give them, so the bigger you can make your run, the better.
If you have one of the lighter strains of Sussex, you will need to have your run covered to keep them contained. One chicken keeper said of her Sussex hen, “…our Bear has flown over the coop that stands over 5’ tall, and I’ve seen her fly at my eye level… a distance of over 10’, just because she wanted to get around the garden fence to be by us.”
Another chicken keeper said of her Sussex flock, “My only complaint is they always fly out of the chicken lot when we are wanting them to stay in… usually because we are gardening or planting grass seed.”
Notice how these Sussex chickens are motivated to fly when they see their keepers. They always want to be by your side!
Sussex chicken temperament: Just what kind of birds are they?
Sussex chickens are one of the friendliest breeds out there. They are easy to tame and handle. Some keepers have even said they don’t handle their birds at all, but when they do need to pick up a Sussex, they have no trouble.
Many Sussex chickens thoroughly enjoy being held. One chicken keeper said of hers, “Mine sometimes fall asleep in my arms.”
Sussex chickens also tend to become very attached to their keepers. One said her hen is like a dog who follows her around. “…she’ll follow me into the house if I don’t close the door fast enough!”
Another said of her Sussex flock, “As soon as I walk out the door, they come running and follow me everywhere. Cleaning the coop is a bit challenging because they are always at my feet and want to see what I’m doing.”
And another keeper described her Sussex hen as a “chicken child.” She said her hen is “wanting to be everywhere I am, and [doing] what I’m doing at all times. She’s clingy. She’s on me so much she’s a fashion accessory at this point.”
And another chicken keeper said her Sussex hen likes to perch on her shoulder while she does her outside chores. “She loves to sit on my shoulders and chat away while I tend to the flower beds… She’s the nicest little bugger!”
How are Sussex chickens around children?
If you want a breed that your children will enjoy playing with, you’ll definitely want to consider the Sussex. These chickens love attention and will even tolerate overeager young children.
One chicken keeper said of her Sussex hen, “She is by far my 21-month old son’s favorite hen… [She] lets my little guy pet her, comes running any time we enter the coop… She’ll even let my son pick her up—which I have to be careful of since he doesn’t really pick her up the safest way. [She] doesn’t squawk or peck. She lets him carry her around.”
Another keeper said of her Sussex flock, “They let our two young boys hold them and even chase the boys around the yard in the afternoon.”
In the video below, you can see a young child carrying a Speckled Sussex chicken around. She tolerates this very well.
How well do Sussex chickens get along with other chickens?
Sussex chickens are peaceful chickens. They get along very well other chickens and do well in a mixed-breed flock.
The only thing you need to be careful about is that Sussex hens can be picked on by other breeds. They are so sweet, they don’t stand up for themselves. Because of this, the happiest and healthiest Sussex chickens will be those who are housed with other Sussex or with other sweet and docile breeds.
Are Sussex roosters aggressive to people?
Sussex roosters tend to be docile and sweet like the hens. However, you can always end up with an aggressive rooster, no matter what the breed. But this breed is not prone to aggression.
Sussex chickens: Are they noisy?
Sussex chickens do tend to be a bit noisier than many other breeds. This is mostly because they are very social and, therefore, chatty.
One chicken keeper said of her Sussex flock, “…[They] have a passion for singing loudly in the mornings.”
Another said of her hen, “She’s sometimes vocal when I come out and she wants treats or grass clippings.”
Sussex keepers have also noted that their birds like to chat to their keepers as well. One keeper said of her hen, “She will give you all the coop gossip and more, all the while following you around the garden while you do things.”
Sussex roosters, like all roosters, do like to crow. If you want to know what a Sussex rooster’s crow sounds like, check out the video below.
Sussex chicken health problems and life expectancy
Sussex chickens are generally robust and healthy. The only thing you need to watch out for is obesity, particularly in the heavier strains. This is one reason why a Sussex does best in a decent-sized run or yard. They need and enjoy the exercise.
You can expect your Sussex chicken to live an average chicken lifespan of 5-8 years.
Breeds you may want instead of Sussex
Sussex crosses: Amazing hybrid breeds made for backyards
A popular Sussex cross is between the Light Sussex hen and Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire rooster. This cross is popular because it results in a sex-linked bird, meaning the male chicks have different coloring than the female chicks (to a very high accuracy).
Sex-links are extremely popular (I’m a huge fan of them myself) because when you order hens from your hatchery or breeder, you know you’re getting hens. It can be heartbreaking for an urban chicken keeper to end up with roosters she’s not allowed to keep (most cities don’t allow roosters).
Roosters are notoriously difficult to re-home and you usually will need to kill them. I am lucky to live in the country and so I can keep all my roosters, but if I lived in the city, I’d only ever buy sex-links.
In the United States, the Light Sussex-Rhode Island Red (or New Hampshire) cross is called a Red Sex-Link. However, “Red Sex-Link” is a term used to describe many different combinations of breeds, so always read the fine print. (However, you can’t really go wrong with any Red Sex-Link. They’re all good chickens.)
Other sweet dual-purpose backyard breeds
Another chicken you may be interested in that’s very similar to the Sussex is the Dorking. This breed is closely related to the Sussex, coming form the same original stock. Other excellent backyard breeds to consider are Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, and Wyandottes.
For more information on these breeds, check out these articles:
Dorking chickens: The perfect dual-purpose breed for your homestead
Orpington chickens: Giant backyard layers the whole family will love
Considering Wyandotte chickens? The 13 things you must know first
Like this post? Pin it!
Sussex sources
Bassom, Frances. Mini Encyclopedia: Chicken Breeds and Care. Dorking: Interpet Publishing, 2011.
Damerow, Gail. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2017.
Damerow, Gail. The Chicken Health Handbook. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2015.
Ekarius, Carol. Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2007.
Verhoef, Esther and Rijs, Aad. The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. Lisse: Rebo Publishers, 2005.