Kentucky Specks Rooster – Photo by elmfarm87
The Kentucky Specks chicken is an American rare breed of chicken that is shrouded in much lore and mystery. These small white and black mottled chickens – splashed with red hackle feathers and blue, green and red saddle and tail feathers are unusual and handsome birds. Today on the Urban Chicken Podcast, we are joined by guest Denis Dooley who is an breeder and advocate of the Kentucky Specks chicken. Denis helps separate the facts from fiction surrounding this diminutive speckled fowl.
Kentucky Specks – photo by Denis Dooley
According to stories about the Kentucky Specks chicken, this mottle bantam may date back to the 1800s from farm stock cross-breeding efforts. Jeff Lay, a Buckeye chicken breeder, has noted that he found mention of a “Spangled Bantam” breed in an 1886 book. According to the author, Spangled Bantams were created by crossing Silver Spangled Hamburgs to white bantams and were nearly extinct at the time that book was published.
Kentucky Specks Chicks photo by Denis Dooley
In recent history, it is believed that Roy Stacy (an accomplished breeder and competitive showman of Old English Game Bantams) got the modern day Kentucky Specks birds from his father’s farm in Kentucky. He liked this small speckled chicken and discovered that it was a new breed of bird not recognized by either the A.P.A. (American Poultry Association) or A.B.A. (American Bantam Association). Mr. Stacy named the breed the Kentucky Specks in honor of their home state and their speckled feathers in 2006, when he first showed the breed. He has also worked with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (A.L.B.C.) to protect this rare bird. It is estimated that there are as few as 10 breeders of the Kentucky Specks chicken in the world, making this possibly the rarest American bantam breed today.
Young Kentucky Specks Chicken – photo by Daniel Graybeal
Mr. Stacy has worked with the Kentucky Specks breed for many years now and has drafted a potential breed standard. Stacy’s breed standard allows for this black and white mottled chicken to have either a straight or rose comb, but requires yellow legs, which are standard in almost all American breeds of chickens. The gene that creates the speckled effect in the feathers also causes the skin of this chicken’s legs to be speckled. Kentucky Specks hens are reasonably broody and are good layers of white or tinted eggs. Overall, the breed is said to be sweet-natured and more than one rooster can peacefully live together in family groups. Advocates of the breed believe that the Kentucky Specks’ nature, size and egg-laying abilities make it a potentially good choice for backyard chicken-keepers.
Kentucky Specks Family – photo by Denis Dooley
Denis Dooley is a key figure in promoting and preserving the Kentucky Specks breed. Denis founded the Yahoo Group for the Kentucky Specks breed to give breeders and enthusiasts one central location to find each other and share information and chickens. Additionally, Denis and a handful of other enthusiasts are busily promoting Kentucky Specks and working towards getting this breed recognized by the A.B.A. officially.
There is some debate whether the Kentucky Specks is a long lost breed that was rediscovered or Mr. Stacy simply created the breed through his own efforts. In truth, it doesn’t really matter. They are a lovely American bantam chicken that breeds true and deserves attention and preservation.
Kentucky Specks Hen & Chicks – photo by Daniel Graybeal
MAIN SEGMENT:
- Yahoo Group – Kentucky Specks Chickens Group LINK
- American Livestock Breeds Conservancy – group helping Kentucky Specks LINK
- BYC Forum – Discussions about Kentucky Specks Breed HERE, HERE & HERE
- Wikipedia – Red Jungle Fowl Info LINK
- Hidden Creek Farm – Kentucky Specks Breeder LINK
- MachineRooster – Kentucky Specks Enthusiast’s Blog about his Chickens LINK
SALLY’S SIDENOTES:
- Backyard Poultry Magazine
- Backyard Poultry Magazine Blog – I will be writing for them soon! BLOG LINK
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS