Welcome
to Just Sussex Poultry based in Alton Hampshire. We are a small family concern with a passion for chickens especially
the Sussex.
We hatch all our own birds from our own hatching eggs. This allows us total knowledge of the birds
from egg to chick to hen. All are reared completely free range with access to grass within 24-48 hours of hatching. We believe
this makes for healthy and stronger birds.
We have seven colours in large fowl and bantam, but it will be some
time until the Brown and Red Bantams are available for sale.
We
hope you enjoy our site; we have tried to make it interesting in as much that some history into the breed has been included
and we have given what we believe to be an accurate account of what each variety should look like, standards that we hope
to maintain.
The Sussex was bred to be a dual purpose bird and is one of the most productive breeds
of poultry. They lay large eggs that are cream to light brown in colour. You can expect hens to lay approximately 240 - 260
eggs a year. The hens will carry on laying for a number of years but egg numbers will drop the older the hens get.
The Sussex chicken is an alert, docile breed that can adapt to any surrounding, they are comfortable in both free
range or confined spaces. They are good foragers
Sussex make an excellent choice for anyone just starting out with hens. They are easy
to look after are not flighty and are very hardy birds coping with all weathers.
We are avid believers of free range so all our hens and chicks
have permanent access to grass. Our breeding birds are selected to conform to the breed standards as closely as possible,
and with this in mind we are continuously adding to our stock to improve our bloodline
EVOLUTION
-- SUSSEX FOWL HISTORY Established as a farmyard fowl for hundreds of years as Kent or Sussex fowl. In July
1903 a Sussex Club was formed and the breed became standardized
Initial
Breeds (Pre-1903) Speckled
Red -
an overall, deep red colour with a striped hackle.
Light- Light Brahmas were
used to create the colour.
New Varieties 1908-9:
Brown - this is the normal Black Red type and may contain Old English Game Blood.
1918: Buff - created
by crossing the Buff Orpington with Light Sussex. The Buff Orpington had been produced by crosses which included Dorkings.
1925:
White - a bird which was regarded as an excellent egg layer but did not really catch on possibly because it was not a typical
Sussex colour in the hackle.
1960’s: Silver - Modern creation which has not become
well established although very attractive.
The
dates are an indication of the approximate time of introduction as a variety, but should not be regarded as being rigid
.
