A tabloid magazine at a supermarket checkout
exclaims, “Scientists Breed 4-Foot Tall
Chicken.” A photo shows a giant chicken
that supposedly weighs 74 pounds and will
solve the world’s hunger problem. What do
you think about this headline? Assuming
an average chicken stands 14 inches tall
and weighs 7 pounds, would a 4-foot
chicken weigh 74 pounds? Is it possible
for a chicken to be 4 feet tall? Explain your
reasoning.

Question

A tabloid magazine at a supermarket checkout
exclaims, “Scientists Breed 4-Foot Tall
Chicken.” A photo shows a giant chicken
that supposedly weighs 74 pounds and will
solve the world’s hunger problem. What do
you think about this headline? Assuming 
an average chicken stands 14 inches tall
and weighs 7 pounds, would a 4-foot
chicken weigh 74 pounds? Is it possible
for a chicken to be 4 feet tall? Explain your
reasoning.

carlsmith · Answer

Well, this new breed of chicken is considerably less than four times the height of the average chicken, whilst being more than ten times the average weight.

And no, I very much doubt the plasticity of the chicken's genome would allow for it to grow to four feet.