The Roosevelt family owned a menagerie of pets during their lifetimes, and they weren’t afraid to branch out from the ordinary. They had dogs, cats, guinea pigs, a hyena, bears – you name it. They also had animals that were useful to the family yet also considered pets, such as their horses and chickens. One hen in particular was named Baron Spreckle.
Baron Spreckle apparently enjoyed a friendship with White House parrots Eli Yale and Loretta. They spent so much time together that Roosevelt remarked that Baron was starting to act like a parrot herself.
Spreckle wasn’t the only notable chicken on the White House grounds – the Roosevelts also owned a one-legged rooster who could be seen hopping gamely about. There is no mention of Baron Spreckle’s fate – one hopes that she managed to live with the Roosevelts a good, long time.
