Weird party tricks.

I know how to hypnotize a chicken.

It actually doesn’t come in handy at most parties, because there usually aren’t any chickens.

At least live chickens.

Dad taught me how to hypnotize a chicken when I was about 13 years old. We were in the chicken house at the Ellendale farm.

It’s pretty simple, and apparently it isn’t top secret information anymore because I just went to YouTube and there are videos.

If you are at a party and they have a chicken, here’s how to do it:

Put the chicken on its side with its head flat on the ground. Put your finger in the dirt in front of the chickens beak. Then, draw a straight line in the dirt away from the chicken. The chicken will lay there until you make a noise, or say something like “get up chicken.”

Dad didn’t know why it worked and I don’t either.

I know another party trick that requires a little more effort, but you don’t need a chicken, so it might be more practical if you don’t live in Sussex County.

It’s called One Ahead and here’s how it works:

You have everybody write down a question on a separate piece of paper. It has to be a question that you would know the answer to, such as “Who is the president of the United States?” As you are explaining the rules, make sure to say “and please nobody ask boxers or briefs.”

Have everybody put their piece of paper in a hat and stir them up and then pull the first one out. Open it, put it up to your forehead like the Amazing Karnack, read it to yourself, laugh and say “Ok thanks wise guy…it’s boxers. There’s one in every crowd.”

What the crowd doesn’t know is…the paper you read didn’t say “Boxers or briefs?” It was a legit question, perhaps “What date is Independence Day?”

Everybody laughs when you answered boxers, so you pull the second paper from the hat and read it. BUT, instead of answering the real question on the second piece of paper, you answer the first one and say “July 4th. That’s the date of Independence Day. Who wrote that question?!” Someone will raise their hand and everyone is amazed.

You continue this process as long as you want, but always answering the question from the paper that was one ahead…hence the name of the trick.

If that was too confusing, you can just always be prepared by having a live chicken in your car when you go to parties.