World Records

World Records for Chickens - Believed to be most current....

World's Largest Chicken - "Big Boy" 2012

World Class Chicken

Believed to be the new World Record Largest Chicken

 

Sue and Don Ritter of Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, authenticated their Cornish Rock Cross chicken shown in the above photograph with a world record breaking live weight of 24.18 pounds

Believed to be the new World Record Largest Chicken

What was the past established record?

The generally accepted published record which was last established via the Guinness World Records organization was a chicken named “Big Snow.” He weighed 23 pounds and 3 ounces.  “Big Snow” was of a breed of chicken known as a “White Sully” developed by Grant Sullens of West Point, California, USA. The record chicken was owned by Ronald Alldridge of Deuchar, Queensland, Australia in 1992.

What can you tell us about the chicken you raised named “Big Boy”?

He was hatched on April 3, 2012, at Moyer’s Chicks of Quakertown, PA. Moyer’s Chicks provides day old chicks to all various kinds of chicken operations including small family based farms. Big Boy, a cross between the Plymouth Rock and Cornish breeds of chicken, represents a specific type of chicken selectively bred over many decades to naturally produce what has become the classic standard “meat bird” commonly used today throughout the United States and Canada.  His official live weight of 24.18 pounds was established by “Precision Solutions” Scale Company of Quakertown who provided the staff and special certified scale. Standing approximately 15” at the shoulder, Big Boy’s upward reach was well over 20” and his body girth was around 28 inches.

How did this chicken get so big?

Many people might think that something “unnatural” was involved such as genetic modification, growth hormones, or “forced feeding.” However, chickens produced on the family farm of Sue Ritter are raised more naturally than most meat birds. As members of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, they adhere to a daily regimen of moving birds to a new section of green pasture, fresh air and sunshine. Chickens feed freely on grass, other natural plants, bugs, worms and any other edibles that they would naturally encounter. Daily intake is supplemented with an all-grain,

non-medicated chicken feed. Chickens between seven to eight weeks of age will attain an average dressed weight of over four pounds even though they start out at a hatch weight of about one half of an ounce.  Chickens raised this way do not require a daily diet of antibiotics or other chemicals to keep them healthy, happy, and growing. Their full potential for development is maximized in an environment that is as stress free and healthy for chickens as possible.

NOTE: Proof of weight was determined by Precision Solutions, Quakertown, PA on September 19th, 2012. In addition, Moyers Chicks, Quakertown, PA has a duplicate copy of all associated documentation. Corroborating video, photos, witness statements, calibration certificate, and related reports are available for verification.

Photos and text
© Suzanne and Don Ritter, 2012