The Sussex is a British

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for its

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

and for its

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

. Eight

colours Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...

are recognised for both standard-sized and bantam fowl. A

breed association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

, the Sussex Breed Club, was organised in 1903.

History

The Sussex originates in the historic county of

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, in south-east England. It is among the oldest of British chicken breeds: birds described as "Old Sussex or Kent Fowl" were shown at the first

poultry show A poultry show is a specific subset of a livestock show that involves the exhibition and competition of exhibition poultry, which may include chickens, domestic ducks, domestic geese, domestic guineafowl and domestic turkey. Domestic pigeon a ...

London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...

in 1845. The Sussex was not included in the first poultry standard, the ''Standard of Excellence in Exhibition Poultry'' of

William Bernhardt Tegetmeier William Bernhardt Tegetmeier FZS (4 November 1816 – 19 November 1912) was an English naturalist, a founding member of the Savage Club, a popular writer and journalist of domestic science. A correspondent and friend of Charles Darwin, Tegetmei ...

, in 1865. The

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include phenotype, physical or morphology (biology), morphological detail, genotype, g ...

for the Sussex was drawn up in 1902, with three colour varieties, the light, the red and the speckled. Of these, the speckled was the oldest. The development of the light variety was probably influenced by Oriental breeds such as the

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

and

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

, and also by the silver-grey

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...

. The red was originally black-breasted; it and the brown may have been influenced by Indian Game. The buff variety appeared in the 1920s, and was followed by the white, a

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

from the light. The most recent variety is the silver. In the early part of the twentieth century, until the advent of commercial hybrid strains at about the time of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Sussex and the

Rhode Island Red The Rhode Island Red is an American breed of domestic chicken. It is the state bird of Rhode Island. It was developed there and in Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century, by cross-breeding birds of Oriental origin such as the Malay wit ...

were the two principal meat breeds in the United Kingdom. Utility strains of the Sussex developed, with better productive capabilities but smaller and less well marked than was expected for exhibition purposes.

Characteristics

The Sussex chicken is graceful with a long, broad, flat back; a long and straight breastbone; wide shoulders; and a rectangular build. The tail is held at a 45-degree angle from the body. The eyes are red in the darker varieties but orange in the lighter ones. The

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

is single. The earlobes are red and the legs and skin white in every variety. Cocks weigh approximately and hens about Eight colour varieties are recognised by the

Poultry Club of Great Britain The Poultry Club of Great Britain is a registered charity founded in 1877. Its stated purpose is to "safeguard the interests of all pure and traditional breeds of poultry including chickens, bantams, ducks, geese and turkeys". The club main ...

: brown, buff, coronation, light, red, silver, speckled and white. The light Sussex has a white body with a black tail and black in the flight feathers and wing coverts; the neck hackles are white with black striping. The buff has the same markings, but with greenish-black on a golden-buff ground. The silver is similar to the light, but has grey thighs and a dark breast with silver lacing. The red has the same markings as the light, but the base colour is a rich dark red throughout. The speckled is a rich dark mahogany colour, each feather with a black dot and white tip. The white is pure white throughout. The coronation Sussex has the same markings as the light, but with lavender instead of the black. It was created for the coronation of Edward VIII – an event which never took place – and had disappeared by about the time of the

. It was thought to have the same red, white and blue colours as the

Union Flag The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

. A coronation bantam was re-created in the 1980s. The

American Poultry Association The American Poultry Association (APA) is the oldest poultry organization in North America. It was founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932. The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in respons ...

recognises three colours: light, red and speckled. The red and speckled were added to the

Standard of Perfection The ''American Standard of Perfection'' is the official book of breed standards of the American Poultry Association. It classifies and describes the standard physical appearance, coloring and temperament for many breeds of poultry recognized i ...

in 1914, and the light in 1929.

Use

The Sussex was traditionally reared as a table bird, for meat production. In the early part of the twentieth century, it was one of the principal breeds kept for this purpose, until it was displaced by modern industrial hybrid lines. It may be kept as a dual-purpose bird. Hens lay some 180–200 tinted eggs per year; some layer strains may give up to 250. The eggs weigh about . The Sussex is also reared for showing. File:Buff Sussex (cropped).jpg, Buff hen in winter File:Light Sussex rooster - Collingwood Children's Farm (cropped).jpg, Light cock File:Speckled Sussex Chicken (cropped).jpg, Speckled hen File:Speckled Sussex cock at two years old UK 2022.jpg, Speckled cock crowing

References

Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy Chicken breeds originating in the United Kingdom Chicken breeds Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist {{bots, deny=Citation bot