The chicken is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl. They are the most common and widespread domestic animal, with a total population of more than 19 billion. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food however they were originally raised for cockfighting or for special ceremonies (Chickens were not kept for food until the 4th century BC).
There is currently eight colour variations of the sussex chicken. The Light Sussex Chicken has a white body with a black tail and was probably developed due to the influence of Oriental breeds such as the Brahma.
There was another colour of light sussex created called the coronation Sussex which had the same markings as the light sussex but with lavender markings instead of the black, making it red white and blue like the union jack. It was created for the coronation of Edward VIII – an event which never took place – and it had disappeared by the time of the Second World War.
Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist Status 2022-23
The Light Sussex is considered to be a priority breed by the RBST.
