Sussex

Excellent BreedI am extremely happy with this breed. She has had such a great fun personality since she was a chick. She is very pretty, cool speckles. She has been laying about 5 medium/large eggs per week currently this winter in New England. She handles cold very well and is full of energy. I've got to say shes my favorite hen out of my mixed flock. She follows us around the yard making noise chasing after my son and I. She's like a chicken dog. I highly recommend adding one or more to any mixed flock!

Weak, Unhealthy ChicksI'm very disappointed in our shipment of Sussex. I'm pretty sure I had good luck with Murray McMurray and this breed as a kid, several decades ago. But two of my friends and I ordered some Sussex (along with several other breeds) back in late May. We placed an order for 6 Sussex pullets, and we received 7. They were all alive upon arrival, and we split them up between the 3 of us. I kept one, another friend kept one, and my other friend kept 5. These chicks have been well below-average since day 1. Many have developed a limp, and seem really weak with slow growth rates. Others haven't survived, but struggled a long time to not make it. For example, I just lost my Sussex today. The remaining Sussex still aren't thriving. We also ordered Bielefelders and Black Stars and they all seem way ahead of the remaining Sussex chicks. We have other chicks that are a month younger than the Sussex that have far surpassed them in size. Of course, Murray McMurray only guarantees the first 48 hours or whatever after arrival, so I doubt they'll do anything about it. But buyer beware. The genetics of Murray McMurray's breeding stock does not seem very good. These chicks were raised in 3 separate environments, and struggled in all 3 while every single other breed has thrived under the same conditions in all 3 environments. It feels like a huge waste of money on the Sussex, as I'm going to be extremely surprised if a single pullet makes it to adulthood.