In households, chickens began to breed even long before the beginning of our era, therefore many breeds have a very long history of origin, which has nothing to do with artificial breeding.
After all, in order to get more meat and egg products, even the ancient poultry farmers tried to select only the best specimens and subsequently only propagate them. Later it was noticed that crossing of representatives of different breeds can also increase the productivity of birds, which gave impetus to the use of breeding for breeding new breeds. It was about the same way that the Sussex chickens were born, which will be discussed below.
We get acquainted with the description of the breed and all its most important characteristics.
The first mention of the breed of chickens Sussex, or Sussex, marked by ancient times, when the Roman Empire flourished.
Of course, that since those times the representatives of the breed have essentially become shredded and, perhaps, even have nothing in common with those ancient hens. At different periods of the breed's existence, the blood of the most diverse and most productive representatives of domestic birds mixed with it:
- chickens breed Dorking;
- Cornish;
- Coquingins of the famous white color;
- Orpingtons;
- Famous for their productivity chickens Brama.
Inside the breed itself, there are also many very different representatives, if we distinguish them by the most important feature — the color of the plumage. On the day of the coronation of one of the English kings, Royal Sussex was even bred, the main characteristics of which are white luxurious plumage, purple tail tail and lush mane with lilac color.
However, in the countries of the former Soviet Union, these chickens appeared a little more than half a century ago. Today they are not widely spread in our country, although those breeds that were bred on the basis of Sussexes: Adler silver and Pervomayskaya, which have a lot of external features similar to their ancestors, are popular.
What are the advantages of Sussex chickens and the reasons for loving them?
Many years ago this breed was attributed exclusively to meat type of productivity. However, due to various crosses with very egg-bearing hens, Susseca became the owners of this useful branch of productivity. Therefore, today the breed is considered to be universal, because it harmoniously combines the best meat-beating qualities, as well as pleases the eye with a beautiful body shape and unusually bright feather colors and their various variations.
But these are by no means the most important characteristics of the described breed, since its representatives can boast of more important advantages for breeding: breeding is easy both in the household and in the farmer's. This is due to the fact that all the representatives of the breed Sussex have an excellent egg-setting instinct and show extraordinary accuracy and endurance in this matter.
So, the same individual can sit through 2-3 generations of chickens in one summer. Even despite the very large size of the chicken itself, the eggs always remain intact and as a result, chickens appear from almost all eggs.
At the same time, if it is more profitable for a poultry farmer to breed chicks by artificial incubation (because in this case individuals that would be hens can gain more weight and go for meat), then this instinct can also be blunt easily; a very important breed value that helps to preserve the breed and its recognition, is the ability of the hens to transmit to the offspring the particular silverness of their plumage.
Moreover, the gene transmitted by chickens is manifested only in males. Such a color is preserved, even when crossing the described chickens with representatives of other breeds, the presence of very good immunity is characteristic of both adults and small chickens. Thanks to him, the breed boasts a very high survival rate of young stock, an indicator of which is not less than 95%.
Cons breed and some unacceptable shortcomings Sussex
Despite the fact that this breed is famous in its meat and egg productivity, in the ripening these chickens are not distinguished by their precocity. So, even the plumage in young begins to appear very late, already closer to the onset of autumn. But still, in the future, this disadvantage is more than compensated for by large indicators of bird weight and the number of eggs.
It is very important to draw your attention to the fact that when breeding this breed of chickens it is very important to pay attention to its breed characteristics (we will talk about them a little lower), because over time they may disappear. Also, very often manifested such features of chickens, because of which individuals are generally accepted to reject.
Such a procedure is usually carried out in the autumn when the most productive and attractive representatives of the breed are selected, and those who have the following limitations:
- too narrow body shape, which is a bit like a triangle or similar to the body of Orpington breeding hens, with which Sussexes were also crossed;
- uneven falling back to the tail, or the presence of a hump on it;
- too narrow and flat chest with poorly developed muscle tissue;
- tail with characteristic squirrel shape;
- tarsus, colored yellow or covered with plumage;
- light eye color;
- whitish color of the earlobes;
- yellow color beak;
- over-developed comb with uneven color.
It should also not be forgotten that, even when using such "defective" Sussexes as layers, their eggs are in no way used for further breeding. After all, such representatives are no longer purebred, and their offspring will not be considered as such.
We reveal all the secrets of the curia Sussex and acquaint them with their breed traits.
These chickens can be found both in small households, where only a few individuals are bred, and in large farmers, where chickens are both bred and are engaged in breeding new breeds. At the same time, Colombian is the most popular color among poultry farmers: almost the entire body has exclusively white plumage, only lush black feathers are present in the form of a beautiful necklace, and such feathers adorn the wings of birds.
However, this color is not universal for all members of the breed. As a result of numerous breeding works, individuals with a wide variety of palettes were born. feather color:
- pure white;
- Colombian yellow;
- motley;
- calico or porcelain;
- brown, resembling the color of wild birds;
- silver (it was inherited by Adler silver hens).
Today, experts are also trying to bring some more new varieties of color of these chickens: cinnamon, cuckoo and even lavender. Although some success in this matter already exists, however, such individuals are not yet quite common and have not yet had the opportunity to acquire them.
A significant advantage of the breed is the ability to determine the pure blood of individuals by color alone. Thus, the true chickens of the Sussex breed have a familiar pale yellow color of fluff. But their hybrids have a very dark rich yellow color in the female, and very light in the male.
In adulthood, there are also a number of characteristics that not only determine the breed, but also distinguish the chicken from the rooster. In order to make sure of this, separately we will study the features of each and begin with representatives male:
- Externally, the roosters create the impression of massiveness and solidity;
- in comparison with the whole body, the head is very small in size, but wide;
- the beak is characterized by a curved shape, different pinkish or light horny color, smoothly moving to the top in a darker;
- the shape of the ridge is the simplest, upright; it is very small in size, has a series of 4-5 small, very proportional teeth, the height of which corresponds to half the height of the ridge;
- the skin of the comb is very delicate to the touch, however, it has on the surface a lot of small "grains", which, when touched, feel like roughness; at the base it is very dense and strong;
- eyes of Sussex are distinguished by red or orange color of color with characteristic for this breed with small patches;
- the lobes of the representatives of the breed are poorly developed, very tight to the surface of the head, have a color of red;
- earrings also have a red tint, different round shape and very smooth and delicate surface;
- the neck is not long, but very massive at the base with a sharp transition to a small head, it is decorated with a very lush and beautiful plumage;
- the shape of the body in representatives of the described breed is rectangular and horizontally set, with proportionally developed parts of the body;
- although the back is rather wide, but to the bottom it logically narrows, rather abundantly covered with lush plumage in the lumbar region;
- even the tail of the roosters is small, but wide at the base, slightly raised to the top; tail consists of fluff top feathers and short coxswing, which can be completely invisible due to the beautiful braids;
- the chest is distinguished by its particular massiveness, since a huge number of muscles accumulate on it; the chest line from the throat departs almost vertically, and then a very smooth arc passes into the horizontal line of the main body;
- the stomach is very clearly visible because it is very voluminous; it feels quite soft to the touch;
- the landing of the wings at Sussex is quite high, which immediately catches the eye of experienced poultry farmers; they are not long, fit snugly to the body;
- tibiae medium in length, rather muscular, covered with soft and pleasant to the touch plumage without pads;
- the plus color has a white tint, with the possible presence of light brown stripes; dyne they are average, have four fingers;
- In general, the plumage of these birds can be described as soft, even, tight to the body.
- a very small head that is even smaller than a rooster’s head;
- small comb, also with four teeth;
- rectangular, but stocky body shape, which has a horizontal set;
- the length of the neck is even shorter than that of the roosters;
- very strong, stocky legs;
- the tail is small, consists of cover and tail feathers, with the former closing more than half the latter;
- the plumage is also very soft and dense, on the stomach there is a lot of buch colored white.
Productivity of unique Sussex breed birds
These birds are really unique, as they delight their owners with unusually excellent productivity, the description of which will begin from the weight:
- roosters of the Sussex breed can reach large and very large sizes, so their weight can vary from 2.8 to 4 kilograms;
- Chickens are naturally a little lighter, their average weight is 2.4-2.8 kilograms.
Besides the fact that from one carcass you can get a large amount of meat, so it is also marked by very good properties and characteristics. Most importantly, it tastes great - very delicate, which complements the exceptional juiciness of the meat. It is also worth noting that it is mostly white, and therefore unusually rich in proteins.
Representatives of the Sussex breed grow very quickly and gain weight, which, with good fattening, allows you to very quickly get individuals suitable for slaughter. By the age of 70 days the youngsters reach a weight of 1.5 kilograms without any problems.
This breed has also matured in relation to egg-laying. If the young chickens are properly cared for, provide them with plenty of space for walking and give a sufficient amount of feed, then they will start laying eggs at the age of five months. In the year one hen can bring from 160 to 190 eggs. This indicator significantly depends on the conditions of detention.
Also, egg-laying is significantly reduced during the period of cold weather and very low temperatures. The characteristics of the Sussex chicken eggs are as follows: the shell can be light or dark brown, sometimes even greenish, and they weigh from 56 to 58 grams.
Also, due to a fairly abundant plumage, these chickens are of great value as a rich source of fluff. Moreover, this down is famous for its softness and tenderness, therefore it is quite widely used in the production of pillows and featherbeds.
We derive and breed the Sussex breed in our own compound: secrets of successful poultry farming
You can start breeding these beautiful chickens in two ways: either acquire the young Sussex in the market, or their eggs, and bring the chickens yourself. In the future, for breeding offspring, hens are used from their own farmstead, as well as eggs, which they have taken down. Fortunately, but eggs and hens among a small number of individuals will be quite enough for you to get good young.
Usually, chickens are planted on eggs closer to the summer, so that the born chickens can more easily be mastered in new conditions. Keep in mind that the incubation period for chicken eggs usually lasts 20-21 days. Under one hen is worth underlay from 13 to 15 eggs. At the same time, you should not be afraid that massive Sussexes will damage eggs or crush them - in this case they are very careful and tidy.
In the early days, small chicks should be kept in a room that is lit around the clock. Such conditions are provided for approximately two weeks, gradually reducing the period of illumination in such a way that it corresponds to an ordinary light day. They feed this breed mainly with special foods that must meet a certain age category.
However, if it is not possible to constantly buy food, you can use the usual ones: grain, boiled root vegetables, food waste, green food. Do not forget about clean water, which must always be in the house and near it.
Very useful if the chickens will be able to constantly walk. Thanks to this, they will strengthen their immunity, develop better. There should be a place with sand or ashes near the walking place that will serve the birds as a “bathtub”. Thanks to such bathing, they can not only clean feathers, but also get rid of various parasites.
