# "A Chicken and a Half..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 19, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604 "2004-11-19T03:13:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/1 "2004-11-19T03:13:24Z")
Here’s an old one which was a new one to me since I only heard it yesterday: “If a chicken and a half can lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long would it take a grasshopper with a wooden leg to kick out all the seeds from a dill pickle?” Not to worry. There is no wrong answer.\* is there a right answer? ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/2 "2004-11-19T03:44:20Z")
Moo ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/3 "2004-11-19T03:48:33Z")
There obviously is no way to get an answer to that. However, rephrasing the OP: “If a chicken and a half can lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long would it take **one** chicken to lay **one** egg?” Even Marilyn Vos Savant got this one wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/4 "2004-11-19T03:58:36Z")
a day and a half ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/5 "2004-11-19T03:59:41Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Here’s an old one which was a new one to me since I only heard it yesterday: > > “If a chicken and a half can lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long would it take a grasshopper with a wooden leg to kick out all the seeds from a dill pickle?” > > Not to worry. There is no wrong answer.\* > > is there a right answer? Perhaps… But I have to wonder: If you are driving down the road on a motorcycle and a monkey in a wheelchair breaks in while you are rubbing on your cat’s legs, and he starts violently beating the rubber chicken with the barbecued dog’s tail, what would you do? ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/6 "2004-11-19T04:08:12Z")
How can half of a chicken do anything, and how does one lay half an egg? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/7 "2004-11-19T04:23:13Z")
**Roadwalker** - CORRECT !!! As I said, Marilyn Vos Savant got that wrong and I and a great many other people wrote to her (12 years ago) to let her know of her mistake. When she’s right (like that Door 1, 2 and 3 problem) she highlights it week after week and brags how other smart types (professors, mathematicians, scientists) got the “Door problem” wrong. Her apology when she was in error? A few sentences at the _bottom_ of one of her next column which ended “Nice catch guys”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/8 "2004-11-19T05:13:17Z")
My answer: It would take the grasshopper just as long as it would take the woodchuck to chuck wood if a woodchuck could chuck wood. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/9 "2004-11-19T05:28:29Z")
Uh, **vivalostwages** , check [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_083a.html) ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-chicken-and-a-half/275604/10 "2004-11-19T21:05:13Z")
Okay, but Cecil still needs to answer the grasshopper question.