Short answer: A Light Sussex is a white dual-purpose hen with black in the tail and neck edging, and most of its faults show on the pale skin, the pale shanks and the tail before they show anywhere else. Check the pullets at the gate with your own hands, count the mites on the white feathers, and ask the seller for age and feed history before you pay. Light Sussex is not on our standard price list, so ask us whether a batch is available before you plan the budget.
Key takeaways
- The tail and the neck edging are the quickest plumage checks; grey or brassy feathers in those places point to a mixed or poorly selected line.
- Pale shanks and skin show scratches, swelling and mites clearly, so look at the feet before you look at the body.
- Feel the keel and the breast with your hand; a pullet with a sharp keel at point of lay is underweight or unwell.
- At about sixteen weeks, cockerels show larger combs, longer hackles and pointed saddle feathers; a pullet should look neat and rounded.
- Count the rejects against your feed budget before you take a batch, because every bird you cannot sell still eats.
- Ask the seller for age, feed history and any health record before you pay, and write the answers on your order.
Reading a Light Sussex pullet at the gate
A buyer with a torch and a bucket will learn more about a flock in ten minutes than in a month of phone calls. The birds are either clean and moving or they are not, and the difference shows before any paperwork is shown.
Start by watching them move in the pen. A good pullet walks with a steady gait, looks alert and comes to the front of the pen when people approach. A pullet that hunches in the corner, stands on one leg or keeps its eyes half closed needs a second look, and a whole pen like that tells you the house is wrong, not just the birds.
Then pick up three or four at random and check them one by one. Hold each bird against your chest with a hand under the breast, and look at the feathers, the feet and the face before you put it down. A pullet should feel firm and rounded in the hand, and she should struggle a little and settle quickly. A bird that goes limp in your hand is usually unwell.
- Movement: steady, alert and interested in the people at the gate.
- Hand feel: firm breast, no sharp keel, feathers that lie flat.
- Face and eyes: clear, bright and open, with no crust or discharge.
Light Sussex is not on our standard price list, so if you are looking for a batch from us, message us on +233 24 915 1503 and ask whether one is available. Our breeds page shows the range we supply, and the layer chicks page is the place to start if you want to compare them with the hybrids.
The black in the tail and the edged neck: what to look for
The Light Sussex is a white bird with black marking in two places: the tail and the edging on the neck hackle. The rest of the body is white, and a bird that has grey or brassy colour in its body is not a clean example of the type, however good its eggs.
Check the tail first. The black should be clear and strong, with the feathers neat and not frayed. A tail that is ragged from a fight or from a coop wall shows the bird has been stressed, and the wear will not grow out until the next moult. Look at the neck hackle next. The black edging should run cleanly around each feather, not smudged or broken into dots.
The picture below shows a barred hen, which is a different breed altogether. It is useful here because the barring is obvious at a glance, and it reminds the buyer that a light bird needs a closer look at the edges of its feathers, where the pattern is easy to miss.
Grey feathers in the white part of the body are the common fault. They usually appear at the base of the neck or along the wing, and they can point to a mixed line or to a bird that has been kept in a dirty house. Do not pick a bird with grey patches as a breeder just because it lays well. Pick the clean ones, and sell the rest as table birds if they are otherwise sound.
Head, comb and face: the quick check that tells you about health
The head is where a flock tells you its story. A pullet with a healthy comb and face is usually a pullet that is eating, drinking and laying on time. A pullet with a pale or shrunken comb, or a dark, crusted face, has been ill, has been bullied or is about to start laying late.
A Light Sussex comb should be single, upright and red, of medium size, with a clean edge. Look at the face for crust, swelling and scabs. Look at the eyes for clearness, and listen to the breathing. A bird that gasps or clicks while standing still needs attention before you take it.
In a pullet that is near laying, the comb often fills out and turns a deeper red a few weeks before the first egg. That is a useful sign, but it is not a guarantee. A comb that is still small at twenty weeks is not always a bad bird, but it means you should ask the seller about feed and light, and check the first eggs closely once they arrive.
Pale shanks show damage first
The shanks, which are the lower legs, are where a white-skinned bird shows its damage most clearly. Scratches, swellings, scabs and mites all look sharper on a pale leg than on a yellow or dark one, and that is an advantage for the buyer who knows where to look.
Turn each pullet over gently and look at the feet. Check the pads and the underside of the toes for swelling or a dark spot, which can mean a foot wound that is turning into an infection. Look between the scales of the shanks for the white specks of scaly leg mites, and for raised, lifting scales that suggest a problem beneath. A pullet with a swollen foot is not worth taking unless the seller agrees to fix it or you accept a lame bird for a while.
Foot infections that start as a small cut often become a lump that the bird will not stand on. Our article on bumblefoot in chickens explains what the early stage looks like and why a wound on the foot needs attention the same week.
Take a note of anything you see. If a seller cannot explain the marks on the shanks, ask for the birds to be inspected by a vet before you pay.
Hand-checking the keel and the frame
The keel is the breastbone, and in a pullet it tells you a lot about condition. Run your fingers down the middle of the chest from the neck to the vent. A pullet that is in good flesh has a keel that is covered and feels straight, with firm muscle on each side. A pullet with a sharp, exposed keel is thin, and a thin pullet at point of lay will struggle with the first eggs.
Now check the frame. Hold the bird with one hand under the breast and the other on the back, and feel how wide the body is. A medium-heavy dual-purpose frame should feel solid without being fat. A pullet that feels light for its size may have worms, a feed problem or an infection that is holding back its growth.
- Feel the keel from the neck to the vent, and note whether it is covered or sharp.
- Feel the breast on each side, and check that the muscle is even.
- Spread your fingers to feel the width of the body behind the wings.
- Put the bird down gently and watch whether it stands square on both legs.
Do this with every bird you are considering, not only the ones that look good in the pen. A bird that looks big in the pen can feel thin in the hand, and the hand is the more honest test.
Feather cover and the mite check on a white bird
A white bird makes mites easy to see, and that is one of the few advantages a Light Sussex brings to the buyer. Look under the wings, around the vent and along the inside of the thighs for small dark specks that move, and for white eggs or dust stuck to the feather shafts. A bird that is heavily infested will rub its vent on the perch and will look restless at night.
Feather cover tells you about the house and the diet. A bird with bald patches on the back or breast may be moulting, or it may be pecking at itself or being pecked. A bird with broken primaries has probably been caught on wire or fought with its pen mates. The difference between moult and damage matters, because moult is normal and damage is a management problem you will have to fix.
Do not accept a batch with visible mites on several birds without asking the seller how the house is treated. Mites can spread from a single bird to the whole pen within a few weeks, and a buyer who moves a dirty flock into a clean house has bought a problem.
Pullet or cockerel at sixteen weeks: the signs that change
By sixteen weeks a cockerel and a pullet should look different, and the difference is worth learning before you pay. If you are buying birds to lay, a cockerel in the batch costs you feed and noise. If you are buying for meat, a pullet is the wrong bird for the job.
A cockerel's comb is bigger, redder and more upright than a pullet's, and its wattles are longer. Its hackle feathers are longer and more pointed, and its saddle feathers, on the back above the tail, are pointed rather than rounded. A cockerel also stands taller and walks with more purpose, often with a head held high. A pullet is neater and rounder, with a smaller comb and softer feathers around the neck.
- Comb: pullets are smaller and softer, cockerels are larger and redder.
- Hackle: pullets have short, rounded feathers, cockerels have long, pointed ones.
- Saddle: pullets have rounded feathers, cockerels have pointed ones.
| Sign at sixteen weeks | Pullet | Cockerel | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Small, soft, lighter red | Large, upright, deep red | Compare two birds side by side |
| Hackle feathers | Short and rounded | Long and pointed | Look at the neck from behind |
| Saddle feathers | Rounded at the tips | Pointed | Look at the back above the tail |
| Carriage | Neat and low | Tall and upright | Watch the batch walk across the pen |
These signs are not perfect. Some pullets develop large combs early, and some cockerels stay small for longer. If you are unsure, watch the birds for a week and listen to the crowing, which starts in cockerels and not pullets.
What to ask the seller before you pay
A seller who knows their birds will answer these questions straight away. A seller who cannot answer them is telling you something you need to know before the money changes hands.
- How old are the birds, in weeks, and when did they hatch?
- What feed have they been on, and when did they change feed?
- Have they been vaccinated, and is there a record you can see?
- Have any birds died in the last month, and what did the seller think caused it?
- Are they sexed, and how sure is the seller of the sexing?
- Can you collect a few birds for a vet check before you commit to the batch?
Write the answers on your order or your receipt. If the seller later says the birds are older or younger than they said, you have a record to show. A batch record works the same way, and our own batch record for chicks lists the vaccinations given at the hatchery so you can match them to your own schedule.
Need chicks for your next batch?
Send breed, number and town. We reply with price, hatch date and delivery cost in writing.
A worked rejection example for a batch of twenty
Suppose you are offered twenty pullets at sixteen weeks and you can see that eight of them have a problem. Some have grey in the hackle, some have sharp keels and two have swollen shanks. You take twelve. The other eight are rejects, and you do not get your money back on them.
Here is what the rejects cost in feed, using assumptions you should replace with your own figures. Assume each reject eats about 120 grams of feed a day and you keep them for two more months, which is about sixty days. That is 0.12 kilograms times eight birds times sixty days, or 57.6 kilograms of feed. The feed is wasted if the rejects are not sold or eaten. A buyer who takes the rejects as table birds may recover some of that, but a bird you cannot sell is pure cost.
The lesson is simple. Judge the batch before you pay, not after you have brought it home. A rejected bird is cheaper to walk away from at the gate than to feed for two months.
What the first week in the new house should look like
Light Sussex pullets settle best when the house they arrive in is the house they will stay in for the next few months. Moving birds between houses in the first week adds stress, and stress shows in the feed record and the eggs that come later.
Give them water they can find straight away, and feed in the same place as they were used to. Keep the light at a steady level, and avoid any loud noise or sudden change in routine. A new bird that is frightened will huddle, and a huddling pullet is easy prey for the bully in the pen.
The picture below shows young birds huddled together. Some huddling is normal in a cool morning, but a group that stays tight all day, or birds that stop moving when they are approached, need checking.
- Water and feed within sight of the place they settle, checked three times a day.
- A quiet house with no dogs, no sudden noise and no visitors in the first week.
- A daily count of birds, with any missing bird checked straight away.
Our article on brooder ring setup has more on the first days, and most of its advice carries over to pullets that are arriving at a later age.
Mistakes buyers make with Light Sussex pullets
The mistakes below are the ones buyers come back to us with once the birds are in the house. Most of them are avoidable at the gate.
- Buying on comb size alone and ignoring the feet, the keel and the tail.
- Taking a batch with mixed ages without asking, so the older birds bully the younger ones.
- Assuming a grey or brassy bird will lay as well as a clean one, without asking the seller why it is grey.
- Skipping the mite check because the birds look clean in the sunlight.
- Paying in full before the birds have been checked by hand.
- Keeping a cockerel in a pullet pen and then wondering why the hens look bare on the back.
A white bird is forgiving on the surface and less forgiving underneath. Look past the colour to the feet, the keel and the tail, and the rest of the decisions get easier.
Checklist for the day you collect or receive the birds
Use this on the day the birds arrive or the day you collect them from the seller. Tick each item before you leave the gate.
- You have held every bird you intend to keep, and felt the keel and the breast.
- The tails are clean and the black edging is clear on the neck and the tail.
- The shanks and feet have no swelling, wounds or lifting scales.
- The combs are red and the faces are clean, with bright eyes and no discharge.
- You have checked for mites under the wings and around the vent.
- The seller has answered the questions about age, feed and vaccination in writing.
- You have counted the rejects and worked out what they cost in feed.
- A transport box is ready, with ventilation and a dry floor.
If you want to see how we set up a batch for delivery, our delivery page explains how we pack birds and what happens if a box arrives short. For prices of the chicks we currently supply, see our price list, and for everything else our FAQ page is the quickest answer. Message us on +233 24 915 1503 before you place an order, and use the order form when you are ready.
Questions farmers ask
How can I tell a Light Sussex pullet from a cockerel?
By about sixteen weeks the signs are clear. Cockerels have larger, redder combs, longer and more pointed hackle feathers, and pointed saddle feathers. Pullets are smaller and softer, with rounded feathers around the neck. Watch the birds for a week and listen for crowing if you are still unsure.
What should I check on a Light Sussex's legs before buying?
Look at the shanks and feet for swelling, wounds, scabs and lifting scales. Check the pads and the underside of the toes for a dark spot, which can mean an infection beginning. Look between the scales for scaly leg mites. A bird with a swollen foot is best left at the gate, or checked by a vet before you commit.
Are Light Sussex hens white all over?
Mostly, yes. The body is white, with black in the tail and edging on the neck hackle. Grey or brassy feathers in the white part of the body are a fault and often point to a mixed line or a dirty house. Choose clean birds for breeding, and sell the others as table birds if they are otherwise sound.
How can I check for mites on white birds?
Look under the wings, around the vent and along the inside of the thighs for small dark specks that move, and for white eggs stuck to feather shafts. A bird that rubs its vent on the perch or looks restless at night may be infested. Ask the seller how the house is treated before you take a batch.
Should I ask the seller for a vet check?
Yes, when you are buying a whole batch and the birds show any marks on the feet, the face or the feathers. A vet can look at the birds in an hour and tell you whether a problem is minor or serious. Ask the seller to allow the check before you pay, and keep the receipt for the visit.
Does a big comb mean a better pullet?
Not by itself. A comb that is large and bright at sixteen weeks can mean a pullet is near laying or that a cockerel is in the batch. A small comb can mean a late starter or a bird that has been ill. Use the comb as one sign among several, alongside the keel, the feet and the tail.
What is the best way to avoid paying for rejects?
Check every bird in the batch by hand before you pay, and agree with the seller in writing on what a reject is. Count the rejects, work out their feed cost, and factor that into the price you offer. A batch you can inspect fully at the gate is worth more than a cheaper batch you cannot.
