Have you ever considered what the world’s largest chicken will look like and what breed owns this “world largest chicken” title?
Gigante Indio also known as Índio Gigante is the world’s biggest and tallest breed of chicken and is also perfect for producing enough eggs and meat with a docile and friendly personality.
This article will introduce you to these rare and unique Gigante Indio chicken breeds and answer all your questions about them.
Let’s get started.
Quick Overview
|
Origin |
Brazil |
|
Standard |
ABRACIG (in Portuguese) |
|
Type |
Standard Large Fowl |
|
Real Name |
Índio Gigante |
|
Other Name |
Indian Giant |
|
Uniqueness |
World’s Tallest Chicken |
|
Rarity |
Extremely Rare |
|
Size |
X-Large |
|
Male Weight |
Around 12 lbs |
|
Female Weight |
Around 6 lbs |
|
Eggs Per Year |
Up To 250 |
|
Eggs Per Week |
4 to 5 |
|
Eggs Size |
Large |
|
Eggs Color |
White, Beige, Red, Blue, Green, Cream, Tan |
|
Skin Color |
Yellow |
|
Comb Type |
Pea (high or low) or Ball |
|
Hardiness |
Tolerate Heat and Cold Well |
|
Temperament |
Docile and Human Friendly |
|
Broodiness |
Not Often |
What is the History of Indio Gigante?
Indio Gigante or Índio Gigante or Indian Giant is a domestic chicken breed that originated in Brazil in the late 1980s or early 1990s, specifically in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás.
They are considered a purebred chicken in Brazil and are recognized by the Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Índio Gigante (ABRACIG). The word Índio refers to native Brazilians and their culture.
Breeders selected the largest birds over time, to develop Indio Gigante chickens, which are developed by crossing large gamecocks, like Shamo and Malay breeds. There’s also a possibility that Plymouth Rocks were involved in their development.
Although Indio Gigante is not globally recognized, the Brazilian Association of Giant Chicken Breeders is actively working to standardize the Índio Gigante breed and aims to be officially recognized as the first pure breed of chicken from Brazil by the 2020s.
Gigante Indio Chicken Characteristics
The Indio Gigante chicken is famous for being the largest and tallest. The tallest roosters have been recorded standing up to 4 feet tall (48 inches or 122 centimeters).
Indian Giant hens are 90 cm or 35.5 inches tall and weigh at least 6 lbs, while roosters have to start at around 1 meter or 40 inches tall and weigh around 10 lbs.
Their size can be measured from the tip of their middle toenail to the tip of their beak while gently holding them stretched out, usually sideways, because they’re usually calmer and easier to measure that way.
They have medium or large heads that sit on extremely long necks. Their chests and thighs are wide and well-defined, and they have short, tough feathers that stick close to their bodies. Their skin is yellow or orange, and their legs are clean from feathers.
This big chicken plumage comes in colors like white, black, golden red, and gray-blue. They have sturdy wings folded tightly against their bodies.
These tall chickens have small or sometimes non-existent red wattle and a single small red pea comb. They have brown eyes, and their beaks could be either black or a light yellow color, depending on the color of their feathers.
Gigante Indio Chicken Temperament
Indio Gigante chickens are hardy birds that can handle almost any climate and environment. They’re good foragers and good at finding food, which helped them live well in the wild.
Hens can be quite picky about their nest boxes, even if you give them multiple nesting boxes they usually choose one or two they prefer. Sometimes, you might even find a bunch of hens all squished together in just one box!
Even though these chickens are pretty large, they’re also usually pretty chill and friendly. You will not face any issues with the roosters or your children.
Most people raise them because they’re great for the backyard and great pets. They usually keep quiet unless something’s bothering them.
Gigante Indio are not aggressive but they can live with aggressive birds because of their quite large size and most predatory birds like hawks and owls usually can’t mess with them.
But, like all roosters of other breeds, Indio Gigante roosters can sometimes get a bit noisy and aggressive as they are the protector of the flock and their friends.
Indio Gigante chickens are often considered good mothers, however, they aren’t great at brooding, and sometimes can accidentally crack eggshells.
If you want to hatch Indio Gigante chicks, you can put the eggs under a different kind of hen for them to sit on.
So yeah, if you get Gigante Indio chickens, they’ll keep things interesting for sure!
Gigante Indio Chicken Egg Production
Indio Gigante chickens are bred for both meat and eggs, producing plenty of colorful eggs and large amounts of meat.
Hens usually produce up to 250 large colorful eggs per year or 4 to 5 per week, and keep laying pretty good eggs every year.
Gigante Indio chicken eggs come in different colors like White, Beige, Red, Blue, Green, Cream, and Tan, colored your egg basket every week, Indio gigante egg size is large and their eggs get bigger as the hen gets older.
Providing a comfortable environment, balanced diet, and veterinary care will boost their egg-laying and meat production capability.
Índio Gigante Lifespan
The life expectancy of chickens varies depending on several factors such as breed, environment, and care.
Índio Gigante chickens grow up pretty quickly, hitting full maturity at around 20 months old, which is when they’re prime for showing off.
The life span of Índio Gigante chickens is pretty long, with proper care and a safe environment they can live for 15 years (it can be less or more).
Varieties of Gigante Indio Chickens
The Gigante Indio chicken breed has some other different types of chicken breeds that developed alongside the main one.
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Índio Gigante Urubu
These birds, also known as Giant Indian Vultures, might look different from the usual ones because they have black feathers, faces, legs, comb, skin, and wattles.
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Polaca Gigante
Another name for these chickens is Giant Polish, and they stand out from the regular breed because they have bare necks.
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Raçudo Gigante
These chickens differ from the standard due to their short beaks, which makes their heads look more rounded.
Care for Gigante Indio chicken
Gigante Indio chickens are the tallest chicken breed that’s why they require some special care. Here are some important things you should know to properly care for your Gigante Indio:
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Managing Coop for Gigante Indio
Make sure to provide a comfortable, well-built, ventilated, and safe from-predators chicken coop to live safely and comfortably.
Make sure each chicken has enough space in the coop to move around comfortably based on their size. Outside, they need space to roam and forage for food.
Try to clean and dry the coop at least twice or thrice a week and make sure to dry the coop after wetting them.
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Veterinary Care for Gigante Indio
Regularly checking for signs of illness and injuries and seeking advice from a veterinarian will help maintain their health and well-being.
Provide needed vaccination and deworming as recommended by the veterinarian and keep their surroundings and their coop clean to prevent microorganisms and infections.
Make sure to give your Gigante Indio a chicken friend so they don’t feel lonely and to prevent any mental issues.
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Nutrition for Gigante Indio Chicken
Provide a balanced diet, including commercial feed, to your Gigante Indio chickens to meet all their nutritional requirements.
A balanced diet rich in protein and access to clean water is needed to support their growth and vitality. Adding fruits, vegetables, and occasional treats to their diet, to keep them happy and active.
Make sure to avoid any harmful food like chocolate, avocado skin or pit, coffee or tea, apple seeds, raw potatoes, green potatoes, onions, garlic, or raw eggs.
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Daily Management for Gigante Indio
Regular maintenance is essential to keeping your Gigante Indio chickens healthy, happy, and gorgeous.
Trim any stray and unnecessary feathers and nails to prevent them from becoming overgrown, which could cause mobility and vision problems.
Make sure to provide clean and dry soil in their surroundings for dust baths. Dust baths help regulate oil production and keep their feathers healthy.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Gigante Indio chickens are popular for their largest size and they also own the world’s largest chicken title.
These chickens have calm, friendly, and docile personalities as well as the ability to produce enough colorful eggs each year.
Whether you’re raising them for meat, eggs, or as pets in your backyard or home, these unique chickens will bring you a lot of joy and won’t disappoint you.
As they are a rare chicken breed you can get them from a few hatcheries such as greenfirefarms, featherloverfarms, etc.
Have you ever seen and raised Gigante Indio chicken? Feel free to share your thoughts with us. We love to hear from you.
FAQs
What is the world’s tallest chicken?
Indio Gigante Chicken owns the world’s tallest chicken title; the tallest roosters have been recorded standing up to 4 feet tall (48 inches or 122 centimeters).
How many eggs do Indio Gigantes lay?
These chickens can lay up to 250 large colorful eggs per year which is 4 to 5 per week.
How big are indio gigante eggs?
Indio gigante hens lay jumbo/large eggs and their eggs get bigger as the hen gets older.
How tall is indio gigante Chicken?
The tallest roosters have been recorded standing up to 4 feet tall (48 inches or 122 centimeters).
Indian Giant hens are 90 cm or 35.5 inches tall and weigh at least 6 lbs, while roosters have to start at around 1 meter or 40 inches tall and weigh around 10 lbs.
Are indio gigante chickens aggressive?
No Indio gigantes are calm, docile, and friendly chickens and love to be around humans plus they are not aggressive birds.
Is indio gigante cold hardy?
Yes, these chickens are hardy enough in both cold and heat and will thrive in any climate and environment.
How much do indio gigantes cost?
As they are a unique and rare breed they can cost much, for exact price and cost go to the above hatcheries that we mention.