Cover image via CBC / Sonya Hull
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
While most domestic chickens live for three to 10 years, a 14-year-old hen named Pearl from Texas in the US has defied the odds to clinch a Guinness World Record
In May this year, Pearl was officially recognised as the world's oldest living chicken at the age of 14 years and 69 days old.
Her owner, Sonya Hull, said she hatched the hen in an incubator at her home on 13 March 2011, adding that Pearl was the smallest of the brood.
"Hens have a pecking order and she was the lowest one ever since she was born," Hull said.
Throughout her long life, Pearl has overcome a broken leg, a raccoon attack, arthritis, and even a bout of chicken pox
When she started to show her age, the family moved her out of the coop and into the house to live out the rest of her days in comfort.
"She's been through a lot in her long lifetime," Hull said, adding that the fame has not gone to Pearl's head.
"She doesn't seem to be fazed by it at all."
These days, Pearl spends most of her time in the laundry room, where she snuggles with a mop that has become her best friend
She gets along with the family's other pets, an ageing cat and a new kitten, who sometimes sits with her.
Despite her advanced age and arthritic legs, Pearl still enjoys venturing outside to fluff her feathers in the sun.
"She's defied all odds because most Easter Egger hens live an average of five to eight years," Hull explained.
