Light Sussex
The light Sussex has a white body with a black tail and black wing tips. Its neck is white, striped with black and has a very striking appearance. The feathers around the neck are called hackle feathers and each one is black with a fine white lace around the edge.
These hens can sometimes be noisy so we wouldn't recommend them if you live in a built up area.
The Sussex chicken is an alert, calm breed that can adapt to any surroundings and be quite tame and friendly. They are comfortable in both free range or confined spaces and in the presence of humans, although they will mate and breed better in larger spaces. The breed frequently goes broody in the warmer months. They are good foragers and are generally vigorous and hardy as a garden fowl. They are a pretty bird, and are capable of laying 290 light to mid brown eggs per year, per bird.
They are intensely curious so may follow you around , 'helping you in the garden' or waiting for treats.
They are all round hardy, especially in the cold. Summer heat is tolerated as long as they have places to shade in and access to cool water.
They should not be put with aggressive or pushy breeds as they will become at the bottom of the pecking order and may suffer from bullying.
As gentle and friendly birds they make a fantastic bird for beginners as they are low maintenance hens and they are pretty fast to mature; with the exception of the speckled variety which matures slowly.
Light Sussex hens usually continue laying during winter - the only time they may shut down is when they're molting!
They really don’t have any notable health issues except a propensity towards obesity.
The Sussex is a fine breed for the backyard poultry keeper. As we have already noted they are great foragers so they keep your feed bill to a minimum.