>> Queen Victoria changed all that, popularizing the raising of big and beautiful chickens, many bred with birds imported from Asia. The monarch’s interest in fancy chickens ignited what was then called “hen fever,” during which the price of a pair of chickens climbed as high as $700 (the equivalent of $24,000 in 2021) before the bubble burst in 1855.

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/fancy-fowl/