Since RBC's founding, we've been asked one question almost as frequently as "What does RBC stand for?" (answer: Really Big Chicken). That question is: "How do you decide if a chicken is really big?"
It's a fair question. For too long, the field of chicken bigness assessment has been governed by vibes. "That's a big chicken," someone says, and everyone just... agrees? No measurement? No framework? No rigor? This is how civilizations decline.
Today, we're proud to unveil the RBC 47-Point Chicken Evaluation System — the most comprehensive, scientifically adjacent framework ever developed for determining whether a chicken is, in fact, really big.
Why 47 Points?
We get this question a lot. Why not 50? Why not 100? Why not a nice round number?
The answer is that bigness doesn't conform to human preferences for round numbers. During the development process, we started with 50 evaluation criteria. Three of them turned out to be redundant (points 23, 31, and 44 were all essentially measuring the same thing: "does this chicken look big from far away?"). We consolidated them into a single criterion called Visual Impact Factor, and 47 is what we were left with.
We considered adding three filler criteria to get back to 50, but that felt dishonest. At RBC, integrity comes first. Even in chicken measurement.
The Seven Categories
The 47 points are organized into seven categories, each measuring a different dimension of chicken bigness. While we can't reveal the specific criteria (proprietary information), we can share the categories and their point allocations.
Category 1: Absolute Mass 10 points
The most straightforward category. How much does the chicken weigh? Points are awarded on a curve adjusted for breed, age, and sex. A 14-lb Cochin and a 14-lb Jersey Giant will score differently here because expectations differ. We're measuring how big the chicken is relative to how big it should be.
- Raw weight measurement
- Breed-adjusted weight percentile
- Weight trajectory (is this chicken still getting bigger?)
- Density estimation
Category 2: Vertical Presence 8 points
Height matters. A tall chicken commands respect in ways that a merely heavy chicken cannot. This category evaluates the chicken's standing height, head carriage, and what our evaluators call "verticality of intent" — the degree to which a chicken seems to be trying to be tall.
- Standing height (ground to comb)
- Leg-to-body ratio
- Posture assessment
- Verticality of intent
Category 3: Visual Impact 8 points
This is where art meets science. Visual Impact measures the overall impression of bigness that a chicken creates, including the Feather-to-Body Ratio, coloring, and the all-important Double-Take Threshold. A chicken that makes people stop and stare scores higher than one that's quietly big.
- Feather-to-Body Ratio (FBR)
- Double-Take Threshold assessment
- Photograph scale confusion factor
- General "wow" quotient
Category 4: Structural Bigness 7 points
Beyond weight and height, how is the chicken built? Chest width, back length, foot size, and overall frame are all assessed. Think of this as the chicken's "architecture." Some chickens are big like a barn. Others are big like a skyscraper. Both are valid forms of bigness.
Category 5: Bigness Aura 6 points
The most controversial category, and the one we're most proud of. Bigness Aura measures the intangible field of perceived largeness that surrounds certain chickens. Some chickens are big and they know it. They carry themselves with an energy that amplifies their physical size. This is measured in Clucks (our proprietary unit) and assessed by a minimum of two RBC-certified evaluators.
Category 6: Comparative Bigness 5 points
How does this chicken compare to other chickens in its immediate environment? A big chicken among small chickens scores differently than a big chicken among other big chickens. Context matters. A Jersey Giant at a Bantam show is scoring very well in this category.
Category 7: Historical Significance 3 points
Has this chicken contributed to the advancement of big chicken awareness? Did its existence inspire someone to search "What does RBC stand for?" Is it the biggest chicken ever documented in its region? Historical significance is a small but meaningful component of the overall score.
The RBC Bigness Scale
Once all 47 points are tallied, the chicken receives a rating on the official RBC Bigness Scale:
Becoming an RBC-Certified Evaluator
The 47-Point System is only as good as the people who administer it. That's why RBC is launching a certification program for big chicken evaluators. Candidates must demonstrate a deep understanding of chicken bigness, pass a written exam (the "Big Test"), and complete 40 hours of supervised chicken evaluation in the field.
We expect the first class of RBC-Certified Evaluators to graduate in mid-2026. Until then, all evaluations are conducted by the founding RBC team, who developed the system and are therefore, by definition, the world's foremost experts in using it.
What This Means for Your Chicken
If you have a chicken that you believe is really big, the 47-Point System is your path to official recognition. Submit your chicken to RBC, and our team will evaluate it against the most rigorous big chicken assessment framework in existence.
Because at RBC (Really Big Chicken), we don't just say a chicken is big. We prove it. With 47 points of evidence.
— The RBC Research Division