Most backyard chicken enthusiasts are understandably familiar with the solid color breeds like Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, and White Leghorns.
You may not be as familiar with the speckled chicken breeds, but once you see them, it will be hard to find more naturally beautiful chickens.
There are several different chicken breeds that sport stunning speckled plumage. Here are 11 speckled chicken breeds that you need to know about.
Table of Contents
Speckled Sussex
Speckled Sussex chickens have gorgeous reddish-brown feathers that have white tips. These white-tipped feathers create a mesmerizing, speckled appearance.
The breed originated in England and the chickens are normally friendly, and their owners raise them for egg or meat production. They produce a large number of large brown eggs annually and are normally rather broody.
Speckled Sussex are a medium to large size chicken breed, weighing up to nine pounds as adults. They do well in cold or warm climates and are easy keepers.
Silver Spangled Hamburg
The Silver Spangled Hamburg may be a small chicken, but its plumage is still stunning to see in person.
These chickens have white feathers that feature black spangles on the ends, giving them their speckled appearance.
This heritage chicken breed originated in Holland. These chickens are rather small, growing to only about 4 to 5 pounds at adulthood.
Silver Spangled Hamburg chickens are excellent egg layers and lay medium-sided white eggs almost daily. They do great in warm weather, but due to their small size, they do not tolerate colder climates well.
Mille Fleur d’Uccle
Mille Fleur d’Uccle have golden orange and black feathers that have white tips contributing to their speckled appearance. The feathers on their heads and necks appear whiter than the rest of their bodies.
Their tri-colored feathers create a gorgeous, combined speckling of white, golden orange, and black. These are very small bantam chickens that only weigh between 1 and 3 pounds.
Chickens in this breed all have feathered legs that just add to their appealing appearance.
Mille Fleur d’Uccle chickens lay small cream-colored eggs and are notoriously good layers.
Golden Neck d’Uccle
Golden Neck d’Uccle chickens have golden feathers with cream-colored tips that cause a speckling appearance.
Roosters of this variety have reddish-brown feathers on various areas of their plumage that hens do not have.
Their tails are primarily white, and they have gorgeous, feathered feet that also have some speckling on them.
Golden Neck d’Uccle chickens are normally very docile and do well in coops or as free-range birds.
Black Mottled d’Uccle
Black Mottled d’Uccle chickens are another stunning speckled chicken breed that features mainly black feathers with small white tips.
This allows for a gorgeous white speckled-like appearance on a primarily black feathered chicken.
These chickens are typically extremely friendly, but like other bantam breeds, they do not do well in cold climates. They also lay small cream-colored eggs and have adorable feathers on their feet.
English Black Mottled Orpington
English Black Mottled Orpington chickens have gorgeous black feathers with white tips, a combination that produces a lovely, speckled effect. This is a large chicken breed that weighs up to nine pounds when fully grown.
They are good layers and produce medium-sized brown eggs. These chickens have a great temperament and are extremely hardy birds.
Jubilee Orpington
Jubilee Orpington chickens have stunning mostly solid deep red feathers, while some have white tips. This creates a sporadic speckling effect that resembles paint droplets.
Like the English Black Mottled Orpington, Jubilee Orpingtons are also large birds that can weigh up to around nine pounds as adults. They also produce a large number of brown eggs each year.
Russian Orloff
Originating from Persia, not Russia, the Russian Orloff is a beautiful chicken breed that is both hardy and friendly. These are medium-sized chickens that weigh around 6 to 8 pounds when fully grown.
The roosters of this breed have various colored feathers with white spangled tips.
The hens of this breed have stunning reddish brown feathers with white spangled tips.
Russian Orloffs lay light brown eggs and are typically average layers. They are typically friendly birds that do well in warm and cold climates.
Olandsk Dwarf
Olandsk Dwarf chickens have black, reddish brown, and copper-colored feathers that have white tips that cause a speckled pattern in their plumage. They are very small chickens, weighing between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds as adults.
These chickens lay very small brown eggs and are extremely great layers. Most owners of Olandsk Dwarf chickens report that they are very friendly and a delight to raise.
Olandsk Dwarf chickens are very rare, but the good news is that they are increasing in numbers every day.
Mottled Cochin
Mottled Cochin chickens are a bantam breed that have stunning plumages of black feathers with white ends. This creates a lovely, mottled effect that, along with their feathered feet, is almost too beautiful for words.
Originating in China, these tiny chickens are often referred to as Pekin bantams and they reach only about two pounds when grown.
They are average egg layers, producing an adequate amount of small brown eggs.
Mottled Cochins are very broody and are normally extremely friendly.
They do OK in hot and cold climates. But they are small, so it is still important to keep an eye on their welfare in extreme temperatures.
Ancona
The Ancona chicken breed originates from Italy. Anconas are some of the most beautiful chickens you will ever see.
They have slick black feathers with white tips that result in an overall spectacular speckled appearance.
They are great egg producers and lay solid white eggs almost every day of the year. They are not very broody, but they are very friendly and are hardy birds that do well in various climates.
Final Thoughts
You cannot deny that speckled chickens are simply beautiful and add a little flair to any backyard chicken coop.
If you are considering adding some speckled chicken breeds to your flock, you cannot go wrong with any of the breeds discussed here. For the most part, they are all docile birds that are great egg producers, so they will do well on any farm or yard.
Resources:
I used my own experience raising chickens and the following resources to help write this article.
- https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/speckled_sussex.html
- https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/silver_spangled_hamburgs.html
- https://thechickhatchery.com/home/silver-spangled-hamburg/
- http://www.belgianduccle.org/belgian-duccles.html
- https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/bantam_mille_fleur.html
- https://www.welphatchery.com/bantams/duccle-bantam-golden-neck-straight-run/
- https://www.welphatchery.com/bantams/duccle-bantam-black-mottled-straight-run/
- https://www.welphatchery.com/layer-type-chicks/russian-orloff-female/
- https://www.paradisepoultryhi.com/shop/olandsk-dwarf-chick
- https://www.domesticforest.com/olandsk-dwarf-bantam/
- https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/bantam_mottled_cochin.html
- https://hoovershatchery.com/englishorpingtonvarietypack.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orloff_chicken