BONUS: One of the craziest inventions of all time was patented in 1903. To protect the eyes of a certain animal from being damaged during feeding, eyeglasses were created for what animals?

It may sound like a joke, but poultry-related violence was a serious problem for farmers in the early 20th century. In crowded conditions, chickens can become aggressive and cannibalistic. A common and gruesome manifestation of this behavior is eye-pecking, where birds will attack and injure each other, especially during the frenzy of feeding time. This not only leads to injury and blindness but can also result in the death of the birds and a significant financial loss for the farmer.

To solve this peculiar problem, Andrew Jackson Jr. of Tennessee patented "Eye-Protectors for Chickens" in 1903. These were not meant to improve a chicken's vision but rather to obscure it. The small, goggle-like devices fitted over the chicken's beak and were designed to prevent them from seeing directly forward. By blocking their straight-ahead view, the spectacles made it nearly impossible for a chicken to accurately aim a peck at the vulnerable eyes of another bird, thus protecting the flock from itself.

This invention was part of a larger trend of "chicken spectacles" or "pick guards" that were sold for decades. Later versions even featured rose-colored lenses. The theory behind the red tint was that it would mask the sight of blood on other chickens, which is thought to trigger and escalate aggressive pecking behavior. While these devices have largely been replaced by modern farming practices like beak trimming and environmental management, they remain a bizarre but clever footnote in the history of agricultural invention.