Historic Oddity Headline: June 29, 1907 - Produces Chicken That Talks

The Superior Times

June 29, 1907

“Produces Chicken That Talks.”

Californian Crosses Parrot and Guinea Hen with Strange Result.

San Jose, Cal. - After ten years of experimenting, Clinton H. Willis, a rancher on the Monterey road, has produced a chicken that can talk.

The fowl is the sixth generation of a cross between a parrot and guinea hen, but in every characteristic except the lower half of its bill and the arrangement of its toes, the bird is a chicken.

The upper half of the bill is straight like that of the guinea, while the lower part is clearly a parrot beak. Its toes are arranged two and two, instead of three and one as in the barnyard fowl.

At present the chicken’s vocabulary is limited to “Mornin’ Clint,” “Chawterbaker, Clint,” and a three syllabled swear word.

The existence of the strange bird was learned this afternoon by the visit to San Jose of J.H. Middleton, a dime museum proprietor of Cincinnati, who offered $200 for the fowl. Willis refused the offer, as he will try to improve the breed and wishes to be known as the Burbank of the bird tribe.

“Historic Oddity Headlines” showcases actual articles written about truly odd occurrences that took place and were published within United States newspapers back in the 1800s-1900s. The articles posted here are written exactly as they appeared during their original publishing date.

-The Pine Barrens Institute

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