World Records
World Records for Chickens - Believed to be most current....
World's Largest Chicken - "Big Boy" 2012
World Class
Chicken
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Believed to be the
new World Record Largest Chicken
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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
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