Speckled Sussex

The Sussex bird is another general utility type fowl. In its early history it was one of the main table birds for the London meat market,and was regarded as a top class table bird. It was so prized as a utility bird that a commercial industry was founded around the areas of “Tunbridge Wells” and “East Bourne” to supply fresh eggs and meat to London on a daily basis.

Sussex are a medium lengthen soft feather bird. The legs should be set well apart and be fairly stout and white in colour. The Sussex should have a large body and a prominent breast with a nice flat long back which made them a good table bird.

They are quiet active around the yard or hen house and although quiet docile. They lay fairly well as a utility bird. Sussex must not have a short back or be narrow and the skin and legs must be white. The feathering must not be too fluffy or downy.

Bantam Sussex have been around since the early1920’s. With lights first and speckled first noted in 1926

Some people believe that the Old English Game bird was used in the original make up of the Speckled Sussex. The ground or base colour is a nice dark mahogany with a bright sheen on the cocks. The white speckles should be evenly spread over the body and there should be a small black bar showing a clear separation of the white speckle from the mahogany base colour. As the birds get older the speckles tend to become more prolific and also too much white appears in the cocks tails.

There is a belief in some U.K. fanciers that you can sex the chicks at day olds. The cocks having white wings and the pullets having light brown wings, but there is no scientific basis for this thought only personal observations.

some photos on this page by courtesy of MR Adair ,Coventry UK.