Description
This Speckled Sussex chicken originated in the county of Sussex and is a very old English breed and recognized as a distinct breed in 1914. The Sussex is a very gentle and colorful bird. This variety of the Sussex breed makes for a good backyard chicken and dual purpose for meat or egg production. This bird is a very good layer and handles confinement well. Their speckled coloring makes them blend in with the background and camouflages them from predators such as coyotes and foxes. With each yearly molt more speckles appear so they become even more colorful the older they get.
We also have the Speckled Sussex Started Pullet available to order.
We also offer at limited times of the year Speckled Sussex Fertile Hatching Eggs
Dan Shelden –
Healthy, 30 plus weeks not laying yet. Smallish and aside from spangles not typey for the breed. Roughly what I expected from a hatchery.
saramiera –
I received 3 speckled Sussex in my August order of chicks. So far they have been very healthy and happy. They are definitely not on the top of the pecking order – probably closer to the bottom. The 2 female Sussex are very sweet. Not quite the lap chickens that my Easter Eggers and Orpingtons are but still like being held. The Rooster (yes- on of my girls is actually a rooster), is my favorite of all the 25 chicks that I received. He is calm, curious, cuddly, enjoys being held, is the first to greet me, and is not the head rooster. In fact he allows the Dominique hens to peck his tail feathers out. He is very alert, watchful, predator savvy, and gentlemanly towards his girls and wants no fight with the other roosters. Altogether he is a keeper! I would order this breed again from Cackle.
saramiera –
I received 3 Speckled Sussex in my order of 22 (received 25). They are going to be a month old in 2 days and so far I have been pleased with them all around !!! However I am slightly disappointed because one of the 3 female Sussex that I ordered is definitely a rooster. Although i understand that mistakes happen, I was kind of disappointed because I had ordered only 3 of this breed and was really excited to add a few cream colored eggs in our basket of green, blue, and brown. Now with one being a rooster we will only have 2 white egg layers in our flock. However the rooster is one of our friendliest and has a super cute and alert personality, so as long as he stays sweet I won’t complain. The female Speckled Sussex chicks that I received are both very docile and good foragers. They don’t seek out my attention but they love to be held and love to perch on my shoulder if I put them there. I can’t wait to see their eggs! Over all I would definitely purchase this breed again from cackle. All my experiences with Cackle has been amazing! Thank you Cackle Hatchery for your good work!
dbwarrak –
If you’re looking for tame breeds, this is it. These chickens are like puppies. They often just sit let you pick them up, they eat out of your hand, follow you around, etc etc. Not every bird will be like this, but this breed has that most commonly.
emilyassia –
I ordered 6 chicks from Cackle Hatchery (3 Golden Comets and 3 supposedly Speckled Sussex) that were born around July 11. On the day that they were supposed to arrive (in Miami, Florida) I was up early waiting to receive them at the post office. I knew immediately once I had the box in my hands that something was wrong, because there was way too little movement and a huge difference of weight in one corner of the box. To my disappointment, after opening the box I discovered that 4 out of the 8 (they gave an extra one of each breed) chickens inside were dead in one corner (they looked like they had been dead for a long while). Of the surviving 4, 2 were healthy and the other 2 were really struggling. I immediately called Cackle Hatchery, but not even a minute or two into the call (at which point I was explaining the situation) the call dropped and all my further calls would not go through. At that point I basically used my prior experience with chicks to try to revive the two sickly chicks, but was only successful with 1. While I could have continued to attempt to get in contact with the hatchery, I figured there was no point in doing so, since the last thing I want is a measly $10-$20 return. I’m writing this review to warn people who might live a ways away from the hatchery that your chicks may go through a rough ride home and some may not make it. I understood that clearly from the minute I ordered, but nothing really prepared me to see 4 (and later 5) dead chicks in one day. I am also 99% positive that so many of my golden comets were dead because they were at least 3-4 days old when they got to me. They were obviously not going to survive the trip at that age. It has now been around 7-8 weeks and my 2 “Speckled Sussex” look NOTHING like what they’re supposed to look like. I’ll know in a few more weeks their exact breed, but they’re either going to be Brown Leghorn’s or Welsummer’s. Whatever their breed I’ve grown to love them and my 1 golden comet, but I’m still entirely disappointed in what was just a huge mess of an order. I expected much better based on the overwhelming amount of positive reviews, but dead chicks and now the wrong chick breeds just tells me that these people simply S.U.C.K.
Thank you for reading this, and have a good day.
madscott28 –
I got the small town special in Aug 2021 and received an extra Speckled Sussex chick. (Twix is actually in one of the photos above! Loved to see it!!) One of them had a broken leg but with a little extra attention she survived and now forages happily with her sisters at 6months. She is a little smaller than her twin and you can see she favors one leg when she runs, but other than that she bounced back brilliantly. Her sister is the biggest of the bunch (two Sussex and two EE) but both are very friendly and don’t mind being pet or handled as much (especially the babied chick) as the others; obviously they are a hardy breed and haven’t had too many issues in our Southern climate so far. The larger just started doing the squat so we’re waiting on eggs any day now… Thanks for awesome hens!
audra oldham –
Sussex are fun chickens. They are silly and obstinate. Them and the Faverolles are the characters of the barnyard. They really do not do their best in confinement. The Sussex seem to always try to evade the coop. Live free or die is thier motto. So make sure you have a big yard and be ready to Easter egg hunt to find thier preferred nesting site. They do vary in size – it’s the small medium large effect. So some hens will be smaller and lay more while others will be big fluffy ladies that lay less. The roosters are aggressive. Never owned a single Sussex roo that I didn’t have to right up his attitude at least once but these guys will fight a bear for thier hens so I dig them.
Strawman –
This is my first time with chickens, and I’ve read all the horror stories about live chicks arriving dead and sickly. That’s why I was so relieved when I opened the box and found that all 15 Speckled Sussex, plus an extra, were alive and healthy. They showed no signs whatsoever of trauma from shipping and even began eating and drinking without me having to show them. Hardiness seems to be a breed trait, but I’m also really satisfied with the service I received. The birds are now in their fourth week and are growing fast. They are active, vigorous, and display a strong foraging instinct. Very proud to have 100% alive and healthy. I’d initially intended to just keep and maintain one breed for my small homestead, but chickens have been such a good experience that I just don’t think I can resist ordering some more. Curious about adding some brahmas, cochins, RIW, jersey giants, or even Saipans to my flock. Regardless, Cackle has my lifelong business for their excellent service, low prices, and wide selection
RC –
Friendliest of them all
We love our Speckled girls! In my shipment I got 26 birds (3 more then ordered) of Jubilee, sussex and Bared Rock chickens. And every single one lived with only one “guaranteed” hen, out of 12 being a rooster. It was one of the Speckled sessex, but he is my favorite so I don’t mind. I have 1 year old twins and they let them pet them and follow us around like puppies. Will definitely be looking to order from Cackle again for any of my birds. These are some of the healthiest, tamest birds I have ever had the enjoyment of having.
Cherie –
Friendly and calm
We are new to raising chickens. We’ve only had 4 different breeds: Plymouth Rock, Cream Legbar, Ameraucana, and Speckled Sussex. I liked all the breeds so far, but I got to say this is my favorite. They’re so calm and tame. Even when they are free ranging they come up for a visit and sometimes sit on our laps.
frank lloyd wright –
nice growing birds
Have had 19 ordered from cackle hathery. have had them for a week . they have tripled their size at two weeks old all are very healthy and all have survived so for.feed them plenty of chicken feed and keep their water at 98 degrees to keep them from getting sick.
Jryman –
Great chicks
I have ordered chicks from different hatchery’s over the pass 30 years and these were the healthiest, best looking that I have ever seen.
Chicken Person –
Very Friendly
A few years ago we decided to buy some chicks and ended up with four healthy speckled Sussex chickens to live along with some other animals. This was our first time with chicks and we absolutely adored having them around. We experimented with Barred rocks as well since they are reviewed as “Friendly and sweet” but we found that these hens hated being held or being approached where as our three (One had died from illness) Sussex’s where much sweeter and loved to be held.
Happy speckled Sussex momma –
Wonderful and beautiful chickens
I have enjoyed my speakled Sussex chickens don’t much , they are the most sweet, social chickens ever. They come to your lap or just stay around you when you sit in the yard . I highly recommend them .
Jessica C –
Thanks
We are first-time chicken keepers and ordered 15 chicks from Cackle. Eighteen healthy chicks arrived, though one died a month later from malnutrition from a beak deformity. We loved that we were able to order five different breeds, all of which are as described– cold hardy, friendly, and very healthy. They are now five months old and were very chipper when we released them into the yard this morning while it was 18 degrees out. Our friendliest birds are the Speckled Sussex, followed by Buff Orpington, Cinnamon Queen, Easter Egger and Black Laced Red Wyandotte.
E –
Speckled Sussex
Mine are nearly three months old, and I adore them. Mine were the first of my eight breeds to wait for me to pick them up. They are the easiest to pick up because as I mentioned, they wait to be held and even let e hold them for a while. Their speckles are beautiful, and their disposition is sweet, so I highly recommend this breed.
Benti and Nesbit Hens –
Hearty healthy and Happy Hens!
I’ve now had my two backyard chickens for 5 yrs today and let me say they are some strong, well producing hens. Love them very much. In fact, one of them was attacked by a stray dog 3 yrs ago and ripped open from belly to tail and I stitched her up with 27 stitches using dental floss and a sewing needle. She is doing well and one of the top producers of eggs!
I highly recommend this breed as they are so friendly and very inquisitive. They love to roam the front yard when I’m working outside and follow me all over the place.
bubba the rooster –
very satisfied
Received chicks 2 weeks ago and all were healthy and very active. After 2 weeks all are growing and doing well. Very happy with the chicks and Cackle Hatchery for supplying these healthy chicks
Bucky –
chicken
I got ten hen and a rooster they are great looking chickens. they like to come to you and see what you are doing. the are almost 8 months old now they are laying a few eggs it is a few days till Christmas and cold they are doing really well thanks.
DGail –
Very Pleased Customer
I received my order of 15 (plus one) Speckled Sussex pullets just as promised. I’m so happy with these chicks. All are healthy, active chicks. I’d order again from Cackle Hatchery and recommend to anyone.
Debbie –
The Most Curious and Friendly Hens
My Speckled Sussex hens are a delight! They are always the first to come running when I approach and have to check everything out. They are so fun to watch as they race around the property. The rooster tends to be a bit aggressive at times but he is very protective of the hens as they roam. Love your company and am going to buy more birds from you this spring.
Kat –
Beautifl, tame, interesting breed
I ordered chicks this year and got five (one extra sent, so six) Speckled Sussex pullets (and one cockerel), and four Silver-Laced Wyandottes. The Speckled Sussex are the friendliest chickens that I’ve raised so far. I didn’t expect them to tame down so much, but they are always on your lap or following nearby (or trying to find you through the windows of your house when they can hear you, haha). They are pretty noisy. These chickens greatly enjoy being outside, so they get the least amount of coop time I’m able to allow. They are very beautiful in the yard and are just delightful and oh so curious. I have enjoyed this breed more than any that I have raised over the years. The rooster does get a little “territorial” sometimes, but has not been overly aggressive, thus far. I look forward to keeping these great chickens for a while. As usual, this hatchery was great. All chicks arrived healthy and active. One did get sick, and I thought was going to die, but pulled through and she is now one of the more active, vibrant hens in the bunch.
Lindsay –
Happy Customer
I chose to order my chicks from Cackle Hatchery because the website really impressed me and I was confident I would receive happy healthy chicks. I was not disappointed! I received my chicks on 3/23/17 so I have had them for 5 days now. All 15 I ordered arrived happy and healthy and to my surprise I had 2 extra chicks! This is something I have been looking forward to for a very long time, my first time raising chicks of my own! I love that I was able to order a variety of different breeds for a diverse flock. I am over the top happy with my chicks and Cackle Hatchery. I have even ordered a shirt, can cozies, a sign “I love my Cackle Hatchery chicks” and chicken socks: ) !!! I want to show my appreciation for such a fun new chapter in my life! Being a momma hen!!
September 2017 –
Hi
We wanted to write to you and tell you how thrilled we have been with the chickens we ordered from you in July. We had always talked about having back yard chickens and finallydecided to go for it this summer. We researched all early summer, began building our custom coop and finally decided on the breed we really wanted. Next on the list was to check out the hatcheries. We also did our research in this department. We found ourselves falling in love with your hatchery. We watched the videos, read reviews and made our decision.
On our way home from vacation in July we made an off the beat detour to come visit your hatchery and grab a bite from your restaurant across the street (best food ever). We took a peek at the chicks available, bought a few things from your store and placed our order for 5 speckled Sussex pullets. We were giddy all the way home knowing our girls would arrive later that week. When the girls arrived we were pleasantly surprised to find not 5, but 6 very active chicks. They were so sweet, even the postal ladies were sad to see them go.
We headed home for a brand new adventure and the fun has yet to stop. We have been amazed at how fun and fast growing the girls are. We learn new things daily and we were even sad when it was time to move them outside. Like parents whose child is moving away from home for the first time. Everyday they are relaxing and entertaining to watch and taking over more of our hearts. They are all healthy and happy so we thought we would share a few pictures we just took of them at 6 1/2 weeks. Tossed in a couple of younger ones and the coop as well. We hope you enjoy them.
KnoxT –
Speckled Sussex
Bought chicks in past locally for 5 years. My sis got me an order for my bday from Cackle. I am extremely pleased with my order. I received a mixed order but of all 17 the 3 Speckled have stood out. At 6 weeks old they are the most friendly, curious and happy girls. They greet me first and will sit upon my shoulder or lap. I will definitely order from Cackle again.
Barbara –
Nice Docile Chicken
I love the speckled Sussex chickens I got from Cackle. A very tame & beautiful chicken. My son actually wanted them. We ordered 6 & got 6 healthy chicks & all are growing everyday into lovely hens.
Rebecca –
A Lot Of Good, Tiny Bit Of Bad, Thank You!
I recommend you to everyone! Instead of a 100 this year I’ll give you a 95 rating. Pros: Great customer service, almost all of the chicks I ordered last year and this year arrived healthy, vigorous, and beautiful. Cons: First order placed in Dec. marked extras that I didn’t get( no biggie just being honest) and one Easter Egger developed a crooked leg and we had to dispatch her. 1 of the Speckled Sussex pullets grew into a cockerel. But that is okay because they are all friendly, gorgeous, and healthy! I highly recommend them! Second order Feb. I’ve had two delays and changes to my last order of Black Ameracauna, Buff Brahma, Jumbo Cornish X, and Red Broilers. Order changed to May 3. But that is okay! Later means warmer and I don’t have to worry about snowstorms so much for the chicks. The Cx last year were excellent and healthy! Not like the feed store birds. And the Black Ameracauna last year are outstanding birds. Overall you have done a great job and again, I recommend you to everyone! I just LOVE the Speckled Sussex! I’ll only buy from Cackle.
Erica J. –
Great experience
Purchased 15 chicks–speckled sussex, easter egger, cinnamon queen, buff orpington and dark brahmas. I was sent two extra–buff orpington and easter egger. All chicks arrived super healthy and on time. It was a great experience with Cackle Hatchery from start to finish, and I’m so pleased since this was my very first experience purchasing chicks.
Davy –
Wonderful chickens!
The speckled Sussex. In my opinion, the prettiest chicken around. they are also very tame! THANK YOU!
Hillside Homesteader –
25/25 Happy, healthy cutie pies!
Thanks so much for a healthy flock! The chicks arrived happy, healthy and all alive! I’ve raised many breeds of chickens, but these are possibly the most easy going birds I’ve raised yet! I’m a very happy customer and look forward to doing more business with Cackle Hatchery!
Miss 76 –
A wonderful experience. All survived and are thriving. Have everything in place before they arrive.
We ordered three speckled Sussex and received four chicks. One had a bit of pasty butt probably through the stress of transport but I rinsed her bottom off with warm water and Hibiclens and she cleared right up. All four are now 11.5 weeks. They are very tame, healthy hens. We couldn’t be happier with the four we received. Looking forward to having their eggs.
Rachel Missouri January 2010 –
Order
You carried all of the chicks that I wanted and you minimum is 15 and the shipping charges are not as bad. Plus I live in Missouri also and it is good to support our area. Thanks for making me a happy customer.
Nannette, Wyoming March 2012 –
Our order
Your baby chicks arrived on time and in great shape. They are settling in nicely. Thank you for doing a great job at the hatching and sending part. And we really appreciated the very helpful descriptions regarding bird/breed characteristics. GOOD JOB!…WELL DONE!
Joan, Iowa March 2012 –
Received my order today
I received my order of pullets from you today and I just wanted to THANK-YOU. All of them are nice and healthy. This is all new to me, I have never ordered baby chicks, but you guys made it a wonderful experience!! I am very happy customer and will tell all my friends about your services. Thanks again,
Barbara, Missouri March 2013 –
Chick Order
Just got our order of chicks and they look wonderful! Thank you for the extra two chicks. I can hardly wait to see what I have. They are drinking and eating and chirping happily in the brooder. Thank you for the great care you give in supplying these nice chicks.
Wanda, Texas April 2013 –
Chicks
Now on the other chicks (Splash Cochins and Sussex) I think you may have crossed them with Michael Jordan. They have the biggest feet I’ve ever seen on an almost month old chick. My husband said he was so glad chickens didn’t wear tennis shoes.:>))) One of the Sussex is named Trouble and that’s enough said on her. Such a personality on that girl! The Cochins and Sussex are beautiful and the Spitzhauben are GORGEOUS! chicks. I wish I had room to build another chicken house and pen for a 100 of them. Wonderful looking chicks!!! I’m tickled to have them. Thanks so much,
Mike California Sept 2014 –
GREAT JOB
You hear a lot of complaints all the time. (I have read your message to the customers). What I want to tell you TODAY, however is THAT I THINK YOU DO A GREAT JOB, AND I AM 100% SATISFIED A++++WITH YOUR SERVICE, THE QUALITY OF THE BIRDS SENT, YOUR CATALOG, THE INTERNET AND ALL OF CACKLE HATCHERY–I LOVE IT. I have been ordering almost yearly from Cackle for about 10 years now I believe and I am never disappointed. There is nothing but good that comes from Cackle!
Big R, Illinois April 2014 –
Thanks!
I just wanted to send out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone at Cackle Hatchery. Our chicks have been nothing short of SPLENDID from you, always arriving warm, dry and healthy. Our customers have been very pleased with their chicks, some even bring me photos of last year’s chickens, boasting about their egg production and health of their flock. We have enjoyed many repeat customers based on the over-all happiness of the chicks, that although come from our store YOU are the ones that deserve the accolades. Our store is the smallest in our chain but we have never been treated as if we were not as important as other stores with larger orders by your staff. Just this last Monday I called needing to put in an “Emergency” order as we quickly ran out of chicks that had just arrived 3 days earlier. I had to have new chicks in the store no later than Friday. I was wonderfully taken care of and sent via the phone to someone that could help me out in your “over-hatch”. One hundred more chicks were not only ordered but shipped that day to my store. They arrived this morning right on time and in excellent health. i have had chickens all my life, dealt with many hatcheries but I can say without a doubt I have been most impressed by your customer service and quality of chicks.
Robert Maine May 2011 –
Cackle Hatchery
Thank you so much for the wonderful chicks. They are all so kind. Some of them even will jump into my lap when I make a clicking noise. It is looking good for our chickens. Thank you.