World’s Oldest Chicken Dead
Peanut, a hen in Michigan in the United States of America (USA) has passed away at the age of 21 years.
The World’s Oldest chicken died on December 25, 2023, according to her owner, a retired Librarian by the name Marsi Darwin.
“I could feel her little head resting on my shoulder as she had done for years, and around 5 a.m. her neck relaxed into mine, and I knew she had died peacefully in her sleep, her final gift to me,” Marsi wrote in a write-up quoted by Guinness World Records (GWR).
She described Peanut as a close family member and knows missing her is imminent.
“Peanut was a close family member, and I’m grieving her loss,” she wrote adding, “We bonded 21 and a half years ago when I peeled her out of an egg, and although I realize she had a phenomenally long life for a chicken, I’m heartbroken nonetheless.”
Born in 2002 as a bantam breed of chicken of a Belgian d’Uccle/Nankin mix, the hen was certified by GWR in May 2023 when it was 20 years old.
According to GWR, chicken lifespans vary widely, with the average being around 5-10 years.
Its records show that the oldest chicken ever, Muffy (USA, 1989–2012), was a Red Quill Muffed American Game who lived to the age of 23 years, 152 days.
