"The Fitzgerald chicken topiary is an under-construction topiary in Fitzgerald, Georgia, United States. Construction began in 2019 and as of 2021, the chicken-shaped skeletal frame is complete. Standing at approximately 62 feet (19 m) tall, it is the largest structure of a chicken in the world and, when complete, will be the world's tallest topiary.

"By May 2021, work was completed on the steel skeletal structure of the topiary, with a total of weight of about 19.5 short tons (17.7 t) and a height of about 62 feet (19 m) tall. In addition, the bottom of the structure would contain a room that tourists could rent out as a honeymoon suite or a bed and breakfast. With the completion of the skeleton, local television station WMAZ-TV called it "the world's largest chicken", while NPR stated that the finished project would be "the largest topiary in the world".

"Construction of the topiary was paid for by a special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) that had been directed towards tourism.[6] While the initial cost for the project was expected to be $150,000, the cost eventually rose to over twice this amount.[6] While Mayor Puckett defended the spending as an investment in tourism that would deliver a strong return on investment (noting that the chicken project had been covered on the front page of The Wall Street Journal twice since it was announced), others in the city were opposed to the spending, and, according to NPR, the mayoral elections in November 2021 served as a "giant chicken referendum".

Puckett lost reelection, with about 91 percent of voters voting against him, and following this, the city council put a freeze on new spending for the project until the newly elected mayor took office in January 2022." (Wikipedia)

"The city of Fitzgerald, Georgia, planned to construct a giant, chicken-shaped topiary that would be one of the largest in the world. But in a recent election, voters let their displeasure be known," the NPR says.

"There's a giant chicken that looms over a small city in South Georgia. The shape of a giant beak rises above the trees. Fitzgerald, Ga. - population 9,053 - set out to construct a chicken that would be the largest topiary in the world.

"The topiary chicken has been Jim Puckett's passion project. As mayor, he steered at least $300,000, raised via special local sales tax, into the topiary. That's not just chicken feed. I'm sorry, but you just can't expect us to get through this story without a fowl pun or two, nor a reference to BJ Leiderman, who writes our theme music. It seems that wild chickens were released near Fitzgerald decades ago. But you know what can happen to chickens on farms, don't you? So they flocked to the city."

"Jim Puckett put all his eggs in one basket when he started building what he hopes will be the tallest topiary in the world. But his dream tourist attraction cost him his job as mayor — and now the steel framework of a giant chicken looms over the town of Fitzgerald, Ga," the CBC says.

"Earlier this month, Puckett experienced a crushing defeat at the ballot box when he ran for a re-election, with 95 per cent of people voting against him. The topiary chicken, which has so far cost his office $291,000 US, had been a well-known campaign issue. 

"The already long, drawn-out construction of the 19-metre tall topiary chicken is on hold until mayor-elect Jason Holt begins his term. Puckett, who hopes to still see the project completed, is holding office until January. Here is part of his conversation with As It Happens host Carol Off."

"The framed outline of the giant chicken — standing 62 feet tall — now towers above nearby homes in the city of Fitzgerald. The finished product will be a gargantuan topiary, meaning the chicken will be sculpted from living plants growing on its frame like a huge garden lattice," the Fox 5 Atlanta says.

"Leaders Fitzgerald announced plans for the chicken sculpture in 2019 as a feature to bring tourists to the city of 9,000 people. Mayor Jim Puckett said the coronavirus pandemic caused some construction delays, and the Tennessee-based artist known as Topiary Joe needed some down time to recover from surgery.

"The Fitzgerald chicken will be taller than the famous Big Chicken in Marietta, which measures 56 feet (17 meters) tall. It will also edge the tallest known dinosaur, Sauroposeidon, which stood about 59 feet (18 meters)."

"The city council in Fitzgerald, Georgia voted on Monday to axe further work on the topiary, which residents have dubbed "the Big Chicken," The Washington Post reported. The colossal bird was meant to attract tourists in Fitzgerald, a city of 9,000 where wild Burmese chickens are a common sight," the Insider says.

"Construction of the Fitzgerald chicken began in 2019, with initial funding of $150,000. The idea was to install a bed-and-breakfast space within the topiary, where tourists could stay the night among the greenery. But by 2021, the topiary was still unfinished, and had cost the city $300,000, The Post reported. The frame, however, had been mostly completed, yielding a towering metal bird along one of the city's main roads.

"The city council voted on Monday to keep the steel chicken frame, but not as a topiary. They plan to build a fence around the giant chicken frame, add park benches and picnic tables nearby, and plant grass around the bird so it looks like it's sitting in a nest, per The Post."

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