In 2013, Greenfire Farms bolstered the Sussex gene pool in America by importing a new line of European light Sussex; the classic black and white Sussex variety most often associated with the breed. Our breeding stock are the offspring of light Sussex that took top honors in a national poultry show in Europe, and you can see from the conformation and coloring of their progeny how the parents won these awards.Breed HistoryThe light Sussex is a large dual-purpose bird that is grown for meat and kept for the extra large cream-colored eggs that the hens lay. Our import of these light Sussex is but another chapter in a Sussex-driven story that began years ago. Greenfire Farms imported chickens for the first time in 2007, and the first birds we imported were Sussex from Australia. The Sussex chicken is what launched Greenfire Farms. Included in this inaugural shipment of Sussex were two varieties previously unseen in America: coronations and silvers. Not only were these varieties new to America, but the Australian birds were unusually large and beautiful examples of the breed. The newly imported birds caused a stir in the poultry world at the time, and their effect continues unabated today.Of course, the story of the Sussex begins many years before we first imported these birds. In fact, to study this breed is to understand that these birds are engaged in a slow march around the globe that began thousands of years ago. Descendants of the ancient fowl brought to England by Roman invaders, the Sussex chicken could be identified as a distinct breed in Sussex County, England, almost two hundred years ago. The breed became standardized in 1903.These are the many positive attributes of a breed that have helped ensure its survival for hundreds of years and, with your help, are likely to keep it going for at least a few hundred more. With both beauty and practicality Sussex bridges the past and present like few other chicken breeds, and they deserve a special place in America’s chicken coops.Appearance and BehaviorThe light Sussex is often described as a large fowl with a rectangular build. The roosters typically weigh between 10 to 11 pounds at maturity and the hens will weigh about 7 to 8 pounds. The sport a straight comb that should stand tall as well as red earlobes, and clean legs. The light variety displays a beautiful Columbian feather pattern, with white base feathers and black in the hackles and tail. The roosters will also have black feathers in the flight and covert feathers. Sussex hens lay upwards of 250 large, cream-colored eggs per year on average. This breed is typically not very broody so if you plan to hatch chicks from your flock we recommend that you invest in a good-quality incubator. With their pearlescent legs, these huge birds have a striking and regal appearance in the barnyard. Their behavior, too, is remarkable. More than most chicken breeds, Sussex exudes quiet confidence and an open curiosity about humans. This breed is a great choice for those who have young kids. Hello i’m here BreedingThe birds are moderately active in terms of mating and foraging. It seems that sometimes the roosters do get a bit lazy, especially during the heat of summer. So to help increase the success during mating, we like to trim up the fluff around their vent. We do this by using some sharp scissors and with cautious snips of the scissors we trim away the feathers. Don’t trim too much, just snipping around the vent. A rooster-to-hen ratio of 1:8 has done well with our flocks.To read more about the Sussex, check out what the Poultry Club and the Livestock Conservancy has to say.Hatching EggsWe incubate at 99.5F and 55% humidity. We typically see close to a 90% hatch from the eggs we place into our hatcher. The majority of the chicks tend to hatch on day 22, so plan to leave your eggs in your hatcher an extra day or 2 so the chicks have plenty of time to hatch. Thoroughly inspect every chick’s leg to make sure the chicks are clean-legged. They normally hatch at a male-to-female ratio of 50:50.NotesThe American Poultry Association has established a flock certification program for those chicken breeds that are included in the APA Standard of Perfection. In order for a flock to be certified as compliant with the APA standard the flock must be inspected by an APA judge and at least 98% of the flock has to conform to all major breed traits identified by the Standard. This sets a very high bar for breed conformity which is why you will rarely if ever find a large hatchery that produces chicks from APA certified flocks. However, in 2015 Greenfire Farms applied to have its Light Sussex flocks inspected under the APA flock certification program, and our farm was visited by a former APA president and APA judge. Based on this inspection, in 2016 our flocks were awarded APA certification. Because of this certification, you can be assured you are receiving chicks produced by a flock meeting the highest APA standards.
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