The year was 2002. Those who survived Y2K were currently enjoying hit songs such as Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” and Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me.” Laughing it up with Rob Schneider in The Hot Chick. And enjoying the latest special effects of The Scorpion King with Dwayne Johnson. But none have had the lasting power of one cool chick named Peanut.
That’s because the Guinness World Records has officially crowned Peanut as the World’s Oldest Chicken at 21 years old! Peanut is a bantam chicken, specifically a Belgian d’Uccle-Nankin mix, which makes her similar to a regular chicken, but a bit smaller. And note chickens generally live for around 5 to 10 years.
Peanut hatched back in the spring of 2002, but got off to a rocky start. Peanut was abandoned by her mom and siblings, as she didn’t hatch with the rest of them. Her human Marsi found the cold egg, assumed she didn’t make it, and was about to throw it in her pond. But then she heard the egg say “cheep!”
Marsi helped the chick break free, but Peanut’s mom refused to accept her. But Marsi took on the role of mom, with Peanut living in a parrot cage in her house for two years. Peanut eventually joined Marsi’s flock and has been living it up ever since. In her old age, a kind one-eyed rooster named Benny has been looking out for her. Peanut also has a couple of feline friends.
For more aging but excellent animals, check out:
Bobi is the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time
Flossie is officially the world’s oldest cat at 27 years old