Peanut, the world’s oldest chicken, has passed away at the age of 21.
Peanut’s story began in 2002 when her owner, Marsi Darwin, carefully peeled her out of her egg, and an immediate bond formed between them.
“I realize she had a phenomenally long life for a chicken. I’m heartbroken nonetheless,” Darwin wrote in a blog post revealing Peanut’s demise on December 25.
Last year, Peanut was bestowed with the Guinness World Record title of the World’s Oldest Living Chicken at the age of 20.
The blog post continued to share the narrative of Peanut’s life. Tragically, Peanut’s daughter, Millie, passed away on Halloween night at the age of 15. Darwin mentioned she could tell it took a toll on Peanut.
On Dec. 7, Peanut’s longtime companion, Benny, also passed away at an age estimated to be between 12 and 15.
Darwin expressed her belief that Peanut was grieving the loss of her friends as old age caught up with her.
On Dec. 23, Darwin shared that she spent the night holding Peanut, and on Christmas Eve, she took Peanut to bed with her, as she had done for two decades.
“I could feel her little head resting on my shoulder as she had done for years, and around 5 a.m., her neck relaxed into mine, and I knew she had died peacefully in her sleep, her final gift to me,” Darwin said. “I know brighter days will come in time. But she will be forever missed.”
