This is a weird story about a weird rooster called ‘Weirdo’ who was specifically bred by a farmer, Grant Sullens, as a hybrid to be better able to withstand cold weather but turned out to be very large and heavy – the heaviest chicken as per Guinnness Records – and who according to reports killed two cats and poked out the eye of a dog and who injured the farmer who bred him such that he needed eight stitches.
Weirdo was the world’s biggest chicken back in the 1970s and retains the record to today. He might have been the world’s most aggressive chicken too! And the fastest. But he was certainly famous for it. My thanks to The Sun newspaper although this story is well covered in other news outlets which is why this page will never be read!
Weirdo, the rooster born in 1970, emerged from an extraordinarily large egg that exhausted his mother to the extent she had no more chicks. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Weirdo was recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s heaviest chicken and remains the largest rooster on record. His rapid growth was matched by an increase in his aggressive behavior, making him a formidable presence.
An unfortunate fan lost a fingertip to the lethal chicken. The enormous size of Weirdo was the result of a deliberate, decade-long strategy by Grant. In a startling narrative, prior to Weirdo, Grant had sought to develop a method to extend the lifespan of his chickens, which kept perishing in the cold.
Using a microscope, tin-can incubators, and guidance from his school teacher, Grant began crossbreeding various chicken breeds, from Rhode Island Reds to Austrian Cross Whites.
He kept the final hybrid mix that produced the enormous Weirdo a secret to prevent other breeders from replicating it.
Grant perfected the mega breed and named it ‘White Sully’ after himself.
The robust hybrid chickens Grant engineered reportedly grew quickly and large, with high-quality meat, strong bone structure, and no susceptibility to cancers.
As Grant desired, they thrived in extremely cold conditions.
When asked about Weirdo’s name, Grant is said to have remarked, “What else could you call something like that?”
He also claimed Weirdo was nearly invincible, saying, “I’ve kicked this rooster, hit him with a feed bucket, and slugged him when he got me down, but I haven’t hurt him one bit.”
Weirdo and Grant started making headlines and attracting significant fan attention.
The chicken nearly reached Hollywood fame, with filmmaker Errol Morris drafting a 1980 movie script titled “Weirdo,” chronicling the life of Grant Sullens and his creation of the super-chicken.
However, the film was never produced, and eventually, both the breeder and his chicken disappeared from the media spotlight.
In the 90s, the Guinness Book of Records acknowledged a new mega-chicken named “Big Snow” as the world’s heaviest chicken, dethroning Weirdo.
My grandfather must have got one of Weirdo’s chicks cuz he had a huge rooster that would attack everyone and everything. you had to carry a big stick and beat him off to feed the chickens. And God help you if he got out of the pen. 55 years later I still have the scars he put on my legs with his beak and talons. Grandpa finally put him in a pot and made soup and everyone agreed it was the best soup ever 🙂
That’s a great story. As good as this one.