On a farm, you’re used to seeing the life and death of animals. 

So once spring, when a hen’s egg hadn’t hatched, Michigan resident Marsi Darwin wasn’t surprised. After all, it had happened before.

So, knowing that a rotten egg could bring more dangerous animals hunting at her no-kill farm, she took it down to a pond on her property to give it to the turtles to eat.

But then, a miracle – a tiny chirp came from the cold egg. 

Marci Darwin holds Peanut, her 21-year-old chicken. Photo by Marci Darwin

“I heard a second chirp, and I realized that the chick was alive and didn’t seem to have an egg tooth to get out of its shell,” she said. So Marsi began to help the tiny chick make its way out of the egg.

I gently peeled her out of the egg, and there was this wet little mess, sitting in my hand,” she said.

The tiny, but very alive, chick had found itself in good hands. Marsi, along with her husband Bill, live on a no-kill farm. The place is full of dogs, cats, a multitude of birds and plenty of space.

When the mother hen wouldn’t accept the new chick, Marsi knew she would have to help it survive. But little did she know that when she put the chick, now named Peanut, under a heating lamp, that more than 21 years later, the chicken would be named ‘World’s Oldest Living Chicken’ by the Guinness World Records organization.

“The average chicken lives five to eight years, so it’s quite the achievement,” Marsi said.

“Peanut is a sassy little chicken — if she doesn’t get her blueberry yogurt in the morning, I definitely hear about it. She’s healthy and she’s spoiled,” she said.

The road to the record had a few hurdles to jump, though.

“(A friend) kept prodding me into applying for the [living chicken] record, so I finally did,” Marsi said. “Honestly, how do you prove how old a chicken is?”

Six months later, after sending in videos of witnesses, pictures and a statement from their vet, Peanut’s age was verified and she was given her world record.

Peanut with her world record certificate. Photo by Marci Darwin

“I had some dated photos of friends and nieces and nephews who had posed for pictures with her years ago, so that was our best proof,” she said.

Peanut, who went on to have many chicks of her own, spent the first portion of her life outside in the coop.

“Pretty soon she’d found a ragtag crew to hang out with,” Marsi said.

Then, she said, one snowy day six years ago, Peanut sauntered her way into the screened-in porch attached to Marsi’s house. And she never went back.

“We had an old parrot cage stored there, so I put some straw and food and water in it, and that was it. She had picked her home for the winter,” Marsi said.

She said she attempted to put Peanut back outside, but it didn’t stick. She came back, and she brought some friends with her, too.

“This time, she had a little line behind her — four other chickens also wanted in,” Darwin said. “Chickens don’t get a lot of credit — they are really smart. They knew it was warmer there.”

Now, since Peanut is at such an advanced age, she, along with her spry 15-year-old daughter, Millie, live in the family’s living room. Their coop is in front of a big window, so they can see outside. When the weather is nice, Peanut and Millie can walk on the yard outside.

Peanut, left, and her 15-year-old daughter, Millie. Photo by Marsi Darwin

But, the chicken seems most at peace with her family inside.

Peanut loves to sit in my lap and watch TV,” Marsi said. “I think she just likes the warmth of snuggling up.”

With a book in the works about Peanut, Marsi hopes that others can find hope through the chick’s story.

“I hope to share Peanut’s message that even if you’re rejected or might feel like a misfit, you can still find someone to bond with and have a long, productive life,” she said.

As for Peanut’s future, Marsi just wants her to have a happy life.

“I’m pretty fond of the old girl and I hope she sees several more birthdays,” she said.

Watch below for Marsi and Peanut’s inspiring story!

Sources: Washington Post | Spartan News Room