Washtenaw County chicken named oldest living chicken
CHELSEA, Mich. (CBS DETROIT ) - The city of Chelsea has a population of about 5,400 people. And its most famous resident isn't even a human.
Peanut, the oldest living chicken on earth, is a Chelsea resident.
"I never even knew chickens could live that long," said Peanut's mother, Marsi Darwin.
Peanut the hen is officially documented as the oldest living chicken. Guinness World Records sent Darwin the official paperwork after she was urged by a friend to submit. Darwin says her mother passed away in 2022 and submitting all of the files Guinness requires served as a much needed distraction.
'It did keep me pretty busy. They do make you jump through some hoops," Darwin said.
During that time of submittal, Darwin reflected back 20 years when Peanut was almost never born. She says when Peanut's mom laid her nest, all of the eggs, except Peanut's hatched. Not thinking much of it, Darwin went to dispose of the egg since leaving it in the nest may have attracted predators.
"I walked down to the pond and I was going to throw the egg in the pond. And I went like this to throw it, and I heard it cheep. I couldn't believe it, so I held it up to my ear and it cheeped again," Darwin said.
She looked closely and saw a crack. Peanut just wasn't able to crack the shell to get out.
Darwin cared for Peanut in her home for two years and then joined the other chickens in an outdoor coop until she started getting older. Now she spends the more recent winters inside.
"I'm writing a little book, a little picture book, and I'm thinking that I might call it "A Survival Guide by Peanut" because she has been through a lot. And just that, if you're in trouble, say something. You know, holler," Darwin said.
