Peter Smith pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty after tossing a beloved chicken named Betty White to alligators at Oakvale Farm and Fauna World in Australia.

That prize went to Rainbow, a white silkie chicken cared for by 4-year-old Justice Barnes-Medina. He also helped color the feathers around Rainbow's legs to give her a true rainbow look.

Studies have not indicated, as of yet, that white striping poses a health threat. But it does seem to be a deterrent to shoppers, who may avoid the most obviously striped chicken. It also may affect ...

This has normally tended to favor chicken, as it is the less expensive of the meats commonly consumed. But chicken, it seems, is not always recession-proof.