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Brussbars
By C E Marshall
(Paper read at Autosexing Breeds Association Summer Conference - believed 1949)
Last season I made arrangements to purchase a dozen day old Light Sussex pullets from a pedigree breeder. He also does business with commercial grade stock, and therefore has to employ a sexer.
During the evening when the chicks were due to arrive the breeder telephoned that he was very sorry but his sexer had not turned up. What was he to do, should he send me twenty-four chicks unsexed at the same price?
I agreed to this, and the chicks turned out to be twelve of each sex, so the breeder lost twelve sturdy cockerel chicks, being Sussex I take it the value of these would be at least 10/-, this seems bad business, for had they been Brussbars he could have sexed them himself.
The question maybe asked, but how does the Brussbars compare with the Light Sussex? At present I must admit that for size and type we shall have to give the Light Sussex first place, Brussbars are still rather on the small side and variable as regards type. There is also variation and faults in plumage colour, which must be eliminated, to give the Brussbar an even appearance, which will be expected of a pure breed.
On the credit side, I find my 1947 Brussbar pullets exceptionally fast layers, far ahead of the Sussex and keeping pace with my Barred Rocks. This will come as a surprise to many.
There seems a general belief that auto-sexing breeds are only novelties and do not lay eggs. There is again some variation in both size and colour of eggs. I have had very little broodiness, and next season I shall be able to mate up pens of non-broody hens, to cockerels bred from dams that have not been broody.
Fertility and hatchability has been good, while the Brussbar chicks grow and feather fast, and rear easily. I think the Brussbar will be particularly suitable for the general farmer.
To improve type in the Brussbar I have mated Brussbar cock to Light Sussex hens. This gives females with almost Light Sussex plumage but showing some grey markings on back; while if a gold cock instead of a silver is used the females will have a buff plumage with similar markings.
This, of course, also gives sex-linkage and silver males and gold females at hatching time.
To breed Brussbars from this cross it is easiest to mate these females back to a good Brussbar male, this will give approximately 50 per cent Brussbars, some of each sex.
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