This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Luke Smith is a wikiHow Staff Writer. He's worked for literary agents, publishing houses, and with many authors, and his writing has been featured in a number of literary magazines. Now, Luke writes for the content team at wikiHow and hopes to help readers expand both their skillsets and the bounds of their curiosity. Luke earned his MFA from the University of Montana.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 2,572 times.
Learn more...
You might have seen this riddle all over TikTok or other social media: “There are 30 cows and 28 chickens in a field. How many didn’t?” It’s a head-scratcher, and at first glance, it doesn’t even seem to make sense. But believe us, it does, and we’ll show you how! We’ll also share plenty of other clever and groan-inducing number riddles to try for yourself, and to try on your friends.
Explaining the Cows & Chickens Riddle
“There are 30 cows and 28 chickens in a field. How many didn’t?” The answer is 10! It's a play on words, as “28” actually means “twenty ate,” so of the 30 cows, 20 ate chickens, which means that 10 cows didn’t eat chickens.