What should my light Sussex weigh at 16 weeks please?

Hello Mummyhen61 and welcome to the forum 
I'm not an expert myself in how much a chicken should weigh at 16 weeks but I'm sure someone will be along to help you.
In the meantime good luck with your hens 

I would also wonder about the accuracy of the scales (I assume you're using bathroom scales?)  But surprisingly I can tell you exactly what my Light Sussex weighed at that age!

One of mine was sick so I took her to the vet and he weighed her accurately at exactly 1kg.  She was a bit light, probably due to having a respiratory infection and (in hindsight) maybe worms too.

My other Light Sussex of the same age and in better health weighed 1.2kg.

I used the method of putting my pullets in a lidded box, then weighing them on the digital kitchen scales.

How much do yours weigh?

Those weights sound perfectly fine.  If they are active and alert I'm sure you have nothing to worry about.

Their lovely feathers hide a lot and it's very hard to judge whether they are too fat or too skinny just by looking at them.  One way of making a quick assessment is to feel their breast bone.  If you can feel the sharp bone poking through, they may be too skinny.  If you can't feel the bone at all they may be too fat.

I would suggest you make a habit of feeling them regularly so you know what 'normal' feels like, then you will have something to compare if you are concerned another time.

By the way, I think Light Sussex are an excellent choice.  I have found mine to be calm, confident and friendly as well as looking lovely as they wander around the back yard.

I'm not sure these LS are for eating though Danny!

Can't really help on the weight of your young Light Sussex, but there are 2 types the utility breed and the traditional breed.  One is a lot heavier than the other.

Joy and I went to Melton Mowbray Auctions once and got talking about this to a very nice man, and he was explaining it all to us.  But I can't remember which was the heaviest.  If Joy sees this, maybe she can remember.

Our Light Sussex is a big, heavy girl, but the last one I sold was a lot lighter, so I think one was one type and the other was the other type.  they weren't related.

Most of the hybrids at adult size, should weigh between 1.5 and 2kgs depending on breed.

Mmmm you are probably right, as it was only in the old days they were kept for meat too generally!

Good point, GrannieAnnie and Joyfull.  Of course there are different strains, and differences between individuals, just like there are with humans.  Just as there can be small, slight, healthy humans and big, bulky healthy humans, it's the same with chickens. * 

I'm glad I got two chickens of each breed for my back yard so I can compare each one with her same-breed sister and get a better idea of what she should weigh.

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* Here's a funny story that's somewhat off-topic. 

My family is big and tall (all the men are well over 6ft and all the women not much under).  My sister married into a family of 'heavy breeds' who are also big, tall, broad-shouldered folk.

When my sister had her baby boy, he was growing as to be expected given his genes.  She took him along for a routine check-up with a paediatrician who happened to be a small asian woman, newly graduated from paediatrician school.

The doctor weighed the baby and told my sister that he was slightly under weight for his age.  My astonished sister asked to see the weight chart.  It turns out the doctor had mis-read the chart and the six week old baby was just slightly under what the chart dictated for a six month old.

It just goes to show that, while a standard weight chart might be useful up to a point, it is no substitute for common sense and attention to the general health of the individual (chicken or child) in front of you.

Sadly, two of my beloved girls are boys...making too much of a racket to keep in  a built up urban area, so going back to the breeder this morning.  Will miss them so much.