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Forbes Daily Briefing

How Chicken Scion Jim Perdue Broke The Third Generation Curse

Forbes Daily Briefing

Forbes

Tech News, News, Business

4.418 Ratings

🗓️ 31 May 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ina sheltered bit of the Chesapeake Bay in front of Jim Perdue’s home in Berlin, Maryland, the scion of America’s most famous chicken family raises clams. Each year he sells about a thousand to local crab shacks. The rest are eaten by the Perdue clan. The clam farm is the last remainder of his dream of striking out on his own and farming seafood, which inspired him, in 1974 at 25, to walk away from his family’s successful poultry business. “You don't know if you're getting a pat on the back because you did a good job, or because your name is on the door,” says the 77-year-old Perdue, from a barn on the property. The structure is adorned with memorabilia from the company’s history, including the famous ads featuring his father, Frank, with his signature slogan: “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.” Frank was the legendary poultry magnate who grew his own father’s hatchery (founded in 1920) into a $1 billion (sales) business by the time he turned over the reins to Jim in 1991. Jim had come back to the family coup a few years earlier—and only after Frank threatened to sell the company unless he returned.  “My dad didn't trust a lot of people,” Perdue says, “but he trusted me.” By Chloe Sorvino, Forbes Staff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:34.4

Today on Forbes, a chicken cyan Jim Perdue broke the third generation curse.

0:39.6

In a sheltered bit of the Chesapeake Bay in front of Jim Purdue's home in Berlin, Maryland, the sion of America's most famous chicken family raises clams. Each year he

0:46.4

sells about a thousand to local crab shacks. The rest are eaten by the Purdue clan. The clam

0:52.6

farm is the last remainder of his dream of striking out on his

0:55.8

own and farming seafood, which inspired him, in 1974, 25 years old, to walk away from his family's

1:03.1

successful poultry business. From a barn on the property, the 77-year-old Purdue says,

1:09.1

quote, you don't know if you're getting a pat on the back

1:11.8

because you did a good job or because your name is on the door. The barn structure is adorned

1:18.6

with memorabilia from the company's history, including the famous ads featuring his father,

1:23.5

Frank, with his signature slogan, quote, it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.

1:29.7

Frank was the legendary poultry magnate, who grew his own father's hatchery, founded in 1920,

1:36.4

into a $1 billion in sales business by the time he turned over the reins to Jim in 1991.

1:43.5

Jim had come back to the family coop a few years earlier,

...

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