Black Chickens And Their Eyes: A Joke Explained

A joke about a black chicken's eyes has been doing the rounds on Reddit. The joke goes like this: A man asks his friend how many legs a black rooster has, to which the friend replies, Two. The man then asks, How many eyes does it have? and the friend says, Two. The joke ends with the man asking his friend how many whiskers a white cat has, and the friend, stumped, replies, I don't know, eight? The punchline is the man's retort: Well, I'm curious as to why you know more about a black cock than you do about a white pussy. The joke has received mixed reviews on Reddit, with some users finding it funny and others suggesting that it doesn't quite work.

The joke's structure and delivery

This joke is structured as a dialogue between two friends, with one asking questions about the physical attributes of different animals and the other responding. The joke relies on the double entendre of the words "black cock" and "white pussy," which can be interpreted either as animal names or as slang terms for male and female genitalia. The joke plays on the idea that the respondent is more familiar with the former than the latter.

The joke begins with the question, "How many legs does a black rooster have?" The response is "2," which is factually correct. This is followed by another question: "How many eyes does a black rooster have?" Again, the response is "2," also factually accurate. So far, the respondent has provided correct answers, establishing a pattern.

The joke then introduces a twist by asking about a different animal: "How many whiskers does a white cat have?" This time, the respondent is unsure and answers, "I don't know, 8?" or simply "Does anyone really know?" The exact number of whiskers is not as important as the fact that the respondent does not know, creating a contrast with their previous certainty about the black rooster.

Finally, the joke delivers its punchline: "Well, I'm curious as to why you know more about a black cock than you do a white pussy?" or "Now the big question: how is it that you know so much about a black cock but nothing about a white pussy?" The joke hinges on the double meaning of these phrases, exploiting the contrast between the respondent's knowledge of the black rooster and their ignorance about the white cat, with the sexual innuendo providing the comedic punch.

The delivery of the joke is crucial. The setup questions about the black rooster's legs and eyes are straightforward and build anticipation. The question about the white cat's whiskers introduces uncertainty, setting up the reveal. The punchline delivers the double entendre, exploiting the contrast between the respondent's knowledge and ignorance, with the sexual innuendo providing the comedic resolution.

The punchline and its impact

The joke, "How many eyes does a black chicken have?", is a play on words that relies on the double entendre of the word "cock". While "cock" is often used to refer to a rooster or male chicken, it is also a slang term for a penis, and in this joke, it is used to refer to the latter. The joke is structured as a series of questions, with the punchline being the final question: "Well, I'm curious as to why you know more about a black cock than you do a white pussy?"

The impact of the punchline lies in its unexpected twist, as it introduces an explicit sexual element to the conversation about chickens and roosters. The humour arises from the contrast between the innocent inquiries about animal anatomy and the sudden shift to suggestive language. The joke plays on the assumption that the listener is more familiar with male anatomy ("a black cock") than female anatomy ("a white pussy"), implying a level of comfort with sexual topics.

The punchline's impact is enhanced by the buildup of questions, which creates a sense of anticipation and sets the stage for the unexpected twist. Each question about the chicken's features ("How many legs?", "How many eyes?", etc.) lulls the listener into expecting a straightforward quiz about animal characteristics. However, the final question subverts this expectation, catching the listener off guard and creating a moment of surprise or shock.

The joke's effectiveness also relies on the interplay between the literal and figurative meanings of the words. By using "black cock" and "white pussy" in both their animal and sexual connotations, the joke creates a layer of ambiguity that adds to its humour. The double entendre invites the listener to consider multiple interpretations of the same phrase, creating a sense of wordplay and cleverness.

Additionally, the joke's impact can be influenced by cultural and regional variations in slang usage. While the term "cock" for rooster is commonly understood in many English-speaking regions, the slang usage may be more specific to certain communities or contexts. Similarly, the term "pussy" as a slang reference to female genitalia may carry varying levels of offensiveness or taboo across different cultural backgrounds. These variations in slang understanding can shape how the joke is received and interpreted by different audiences.

Joke variations

This joke revolves around the double meaning of the word "cock", which can refer to a male chicken or a penis. The punchline hinges on the innuendo that the respondent knows more about penises than they do about vaginas.

Variation 1

A man asks his friend: "How many legs does a black rooster have?"

His friend replies: "Two."

The man then asks: "How many eyes does a black rooster have?"

His friend says: "Two."

The man continues: "How many whiskers does a white cat have?"

His friend responds: "I don't know, eight?"

The man concludes: "Well, I'm curious why you know more about a black cock than you do a white pussy."

Variation 2

A man asks his friend: "How many legs does a black rooster have?"

His friend replies: "Two."

The man then asks: "How many eyes does a black rooster have?"

His friend says: "Two."

The man continues: "Exactly how many hairs does a white cat have?"

His friend responds: "Does anyone really know?"

The man concludes: "Now the big question: how is it that you know so much about a black cock but nothing about a white pussy?"

Variation 3

A man asks his friend: "How many legs does a black chicken have?"

His friend replies: "Two."

The man then asks: "How many eyes does a black chicken have?"

His friend says: "Two."

The man continues: "How many whiskers does a white cat have?"

His friend responds: "I don't know."

The man concludes: "Well, I'm curious. You seem to know a lot about a black cock, but not much about a white pussy."

Variation 4

A man asks his friend: "How many legs does a black rooster have?"

His friend replies: "Two."

The man then asks: "And how many eyes does it have?"

His friend says: "Two."

The man continues: "Now, tell me, how many whiskers does a white cat have?"

His friend responds: "I have no idea."

The man concludes: "Interesting. So, you know a lot about a black cock, but very little about a white pussy?"

Chicken eye colour

Chickens have fascinating eye characteristics. They have a third eyelid, called a nictitating eyelid, that moves horizontally from front to back across the eye. This eyelid is transparent, so they can see through it while keeping dust out of their eyes. Chickens are also able to use each eye independently to look at and process different things at once.

There are five eye colours that are commonly found in chickens: gold, red, brown, black, and pink (albino). However, chickens can also have yellow, orange, pearl (white), light grey to light greyish blue, and green eyes. Their eye colour is largely determined by genetics, but age, diet, and disease can also affect eye colour. For example, chickens infected with Ocular Marek's tend to have steely grey eyes that can turn into shades of grey-green as the disease progresses.

Chickens see in a wider range of colours than humans. They have four cones that allow them to see ultraviolet light and a fifth "double cone" that helps them sense motion. This motion sight helps them detect the smallest movements of insects and the presence of predators lurking in the grass.

Chicken eyesight

Chickens have very different eyesight from humans. Firstly, their eyes are about 10% of the entire mass of their head, and they have a much wider range of vision—they can see about 300 degrees around them because their eyes are on the sides of their heads. This means it's very hard to sneak up on a chicken during the day!

Chickens have tetra-chromatic vision, which means they have four types of cones that let them see red, blue, and green light, as well as ultraviolet light. This gives them access to a fourth dimension of colour that humans can't see, and they can see many more colours and shades than we can. They also have a double-cone structure that helps them to track movement, and they can see tiny light fluctuations that are imperceptible to humans.

Chickens have three eyelids. The third eyelid is called the nictitating membrane, and it moves horizontally from front to back across the eye. This eyelid is transparent, so chickens can see through it, and it helps to protect their eyes from dust and debris. Chickens have very sensitive eyes, and fluorescent lighting can be irritating to them, appearing like strobe lighting.

Chicken eyes are usually gold, red, brown, black, or pink (in albino chickens), and their eye colour is largely determined by genetics. However, age, diet, and disease can also affect eye colour. For example, cancer can turn the eye colour to a grey-green, and Marek's disease will turn the eyes to a cloudy grey with a dilated pupil.

Chickens can use each eye independently to look at and process different things at once, but their eyes have a very limited range of motion. Their eyes cannot move quickly enough to process the image in front of them when their body is moving, so they will often bob their heads to gain better eyesight of something. Chickens also have a pineal gland in their brains, just under the skull, which is sometimes referred to as 'the third eye'. This allows them to sense light, even without seeing, so even a blind chicken can detect lighting or seasonal changes.

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