I was thinking the other day about Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park in Southern California for anyone who hasn't heard of it.

Over by the petting zoo, which is probably long gone (?), there was an amusement at the side of the path, like a box with a glass window on the front. Inside there was a toy piano, a light bulb, and a real chicken.

You'd put your quarter in, the light bulb would go on, and the chicken would peck like mad at the piano. Then, some chicken feed would come out of a chute into a little cup.

Sometimes the chicken would peck at the piano keys a few times and then peer at the chute with no response. It would peck at the piano some more and then feed would come out.

I suppose that sort of thing is frowned upon these days, putting lots of chickens out of a job.

Steel Pier in Atlantic City NJ had the diving horse...A horse and rider would actually dive from a platform into a pool of water. The SPCA deemed the act cruel to horses and the act was shut down.

I was thinking the other day about Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park in Southern California for anyone who hasn't heard of it.

Over by the petting zoo, which is probably long gone (?), there was an amusement at the side of the path, like a box with a glass window on the front. Inside there was a toy piano, a light bulb, and a real chicken.

You'd put your quarter in, the light bulb would go on, and the chicken would peck like mad at the piano. Then, some chicken feed would come out of a chute into a little cup.

Sometimes the chicken would peck at the piano keys a few times and then peer at the chute with no response. It would peck at the piano some more and then feed would come out.

I suppose that sort of thing is frowned upon these days, putting lots of chickens out of a job.

I'm quite familiar with the locale, having been to it a few times (most recently ten years ago)...but I never knew about a petting zoo. :-\\

I remember a similar act to the chicken piano player.

I lived in Elko, NV. for part of my childhood, and i recall an arcade where they had a chicken in a Tic-Tac-Toe game. You made the first move, and the chicken pecked at the light where it wanted its move placed. If the chicken won, it got fed. If you won, you got some small prize.

I fugure, if the chickens got put out of work, they were shipped to Carl's Jr.
You see, they still served us, after all! :D

Educated Animals, in Arkansas. They had a chicken that would strut to Manic Monday by the bangles.

I don't suppose this lot are around anymore...

Here's a thought...

Now that Siegfried & Roy are out of magic, I suppose those white Siberian tigers are now out-of-work.