When Matilda turned 11, a veterinarian coaxed the Bartons to contact Guinness World Records because Matilda had lived three years longer than the average life expectancy of a chicken.
Matilda was officially named the world’s oldest living chicken on April 27, 2004. At the time she was 14.
“I think Matilda lived so long because she lived inside of a controlled environment away from things that may have wanted to eat her," Barton said.
“She was also even-tempered, never laid any eggs, which makes most chickens moody, and she also thrived on the attention she got from audiences," he said.
Soon after obtaining a world record, Matilda and her owners were invited to “The Tonight Show" as guests of Jay Leno in September 2004.
After appearing on the show and doing an impersonation of the NBC peacock, Matilda retired due to health problems, Barton said.
Her last show was on Oct. 17, at the Kirkwood by the River retirement home in Birmingham.
Besides her Guinness World Record, Matilda has received the Oliva Bearden Award for her service to man and animal, and she’ll be inducted into the Alabama Animal Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Barton said Matilda’s body is being preserved in a deep freezer until he decides whether she’ll be put on display at the Smithsonian Institution or buried at Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York.
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