The oldest chicken in the world continues to survive everything that life gives it

Life has not always been easy for Pearl, the oldest living chicken in the world.

Once she broke her leg fleeing a raccoon attack. Her chicken colleagues tried to kill her. She has undergone episodes of chickenpox and pneumonia. And these days, her arthritis tilted her body on one side, and her best friend is a mop.

“She has lived a lot,” said the owner of Pearl, Sonya Hull of Little Elm, Texas, In this case The guest animator Aarti Pole.

And yet, the 14 -year -old fiery crowd survived everything to become the oldest chicken in the world, according to Guinness World Records. Or at least, admits Hull, the oldest chicken whose owner took the trouble to fill the paper.

Fame, said Hull, did not go to the head of Pearl.

“She does not seem at all disconcerted by her.”

Young

Hull broke out of Pearl herself in an incubator, and says that she has always been a bit of a runt.

“Chickens have a hierarchical order and it was the lowest since its birth,” she said.

In fact, Hull says that his other hens have her for Pearl. So when she started slowing down in her old age, the family decided to get her out of the chicken coop and let her live her golden years inside the house.

Today, Pearl resides mainly in the laundry room of Hull, where she likes to snuggle up with the aforementioned mop. But she often makes her way in the living room to enjoy a few television and neck stripes.

Aside from mobility problems, Hull says that Pear seems quite contained.

Every morning, she makes a little dance when she has tomatoes and fresh cherry grapes, her favorite. And she likes to spend her days in the courtyard – supervised, of course – dig up slugs.

“I think she just has a love for life,” said Hull. “She always tries to live as she would do if she was younger, and she seems to enjoy it.”

The average The lifespan of a laying hen is six to eight yearsAccording to the breeding program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But living inside and being adopted seems to be the key to the longevity of the chicken.

Pearl’s predecessor in records, Peanut, also lived the pampered life of a pet at home in Michigan until her death at the age of 21 on Christmas day 2023.

“She has always had her way and was a kind of spoiled little chicken,” said Peanut owner, Marsi Parker Darwin, said In this case in August 2023.

“I will let peanuts sit on my knees while I watch television or read, and she just likes to be caressed, and she will talk to us, will do happy little noises. And it’s a bit like her life.”

Pearl is also loved among his people.

“She is part of the family,” said Hull. “The grandchildren come … and they caressed her. They are not afraid of her. She does not try to peck anyone. She likes to have her neck scratched.”

She is also surprisingly productive for an old girl.

“In fact, it may be the news to be so famous last week, she laid an egg,” said Hull. “First time in three years.”