RBC's official, definitive, and extremely serious ranking of the world's largest chicken breeds.
At RBC (Really Big Chicken), we take breed rankings very seriously. Our panel of certified big chicken evaluators has spent countless hours measuring, weighing, and admiring the world's largest chicken breeds. The following rankings represent the definitive word on which chickens are, in fact, really big.
Each breed has been assigned an official RBC Bigness Rating — a proprietary metric that factors in height, weight, overall mass, and what our evaluators describe as "sheer visual impact."
The Jersey Giant is, by virtually every metric, a really big chicken. Developed in the 1870s as a replacement for turkey (yes, really), the Jersey Giant said "what if a chicken, but enormous?" and then delivered. Roosters routinely exceed 13 pounds, and the breed holds the RBC record for "most likely to make you do a double-take." Standing next to a Jersey Giant, you will question everything you thought you knew about poultry.
Known as the "King of Chickens" — a title that RBC considers entirely justified — the Brahma is a towering monument to big chicken ambition. With feathered legs that look like they're wearing luxury trousers and a head held high with quiet dignity, the Brahma doesn't just enter a room. It occupies it. Some Brahmas have been recorded at over 18 pounds, at which point they arguably qualify as furniture.
The Cochin is what happens when a chicken decides to cosplay as a feathery basketball. Massively fluffy and deceptively heavy, Cochins look like they're permanently wearing a down jacket. Their profuse plumage makes them appear even larger than they are, which at RBC we consider a feature, not a bug. The Cochin sparked "hen fever" in the 1850s, proving that humanity has always been obsessed with really big chickens.
The Malay is the tallest chicken breed in the world, and at RBC, height absolutely counts. Standing up to three feet tall, the Malay looks less like a chicken and more like a small velociraptor that got lost on the way to the Cretaceous period. They are lean, mean, and deeply unsettling to encounter unexpectedly in a yard. The Malay proves that "big" isn't just about weight — it's a state of mind.
The Cornish chicken is built like a small, feathered tank. While not the tallest breed on this list, the Cornish makes up for it with sheer muscular density. These chickens look like they have a gym membership. Broad-chested and heavy-set, the Cornish is the breed that the modern meat industry was built on — but at RBC, we appreciate them for their aesthetic contribution to the big chicken canon.
The Orpington is the gentle giant of the chicken world. Round, docile, and impossibly fluffy, an Orpington looks like it was designed by a committee whose only brief was "make it huggable." Named after a town in Kent, the Buff Orpington in particular has achieved celebrity status among big chicken enthusiasts. At RBC, we consider the Orpington proof that big things come in soft packages.
The Langshan is the supermodel of big chickens — tall, elegant, and slightly aloof. With long legs and a graceful carriage, Langshans move through the chicken yard like they're on a runway. They're not the heaviest birds on this list, but their height and poise earn them a well-deserved spot in the RBC rankings. A Langshan doesn't need to be the biggest chicken in the room. It just needs to be the most dignified.
The Dong Tao, also known as the Dragon Chicken, is famous for its extraordinarily thick, scaly legs that look like they belong on a creature from a fantasy novel. These chickens are so rare and prized in Vietnam that they can sell for hundreds of dollars each. At RBC, the Dong Tao earns special recognition in the "Big in Unexpected Ways" category. You haven't lived until you've seen those legs.
The following breeds didn't quite crack the top 8, but RBC recognizes their contributions to the field of being large:
RBC (Really Big Chicken) uses a comprehensive 47-point evaluation system developed over many minutes of careful deliberation. Factors include maximum recorded weight, average height, visual impact factor, "wow that's a big chicken" quotient, and feather-to-body ratio. All rankings are final and not open to appeal, unless you bring us a bigger chicken.
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