Peanut, who is 21 years old, was officially declared the world’s oldest living chicken by Guinness World Records this year. She is also the main character in a children’s book called “My Girl Peanut and Me – On Love and Life From the World’s Oldest Chicken,” written and published by her owner, Darwin.
Darwin, a retired librarian, and her husband, Bill, run a 37-acre farm called “Darwin’s Eden” in Chelsea, Michigan. Their farm is home to various animals, including dogs, parrots, chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, and peafowl.
Back in May 2002, when Peanut hatched, Darwin noticed that she didn’t have an egg tooth, the part of the beak that chicks use to break out of their eggs. Despite this, Peanut seemed healthy. When Peanut’s mother rejected her, Darwin took care of her by hand. She initially kept Peanut in a cage in the living room when she was very young.
As Peanut grew, she joined the other chickens on the farm and lived in a coop for 13 years. During that time, she even had her own chicks, many of which were fathered by her favorite rooster, Lance. Although Peanut is now too old to have more chicks, she has found companionship in recent years with Benny, a one-eyed rooster who looks after her.
