When the first Lear Jet was in its certification stage, it had a problem with the high (400 knott plus) cruise speed. Lear rigged up a machine that shot chickens at the windshield at that speed for cert/testing purposes and every time it broke the windshield. So, they put an angled strip along the windshield to split the chicken in half and that way, it distributed the impact load and withstood the strike. So, today, if you hear a mechanic or pilot refer to that angled metal on the windshield as a "chicken splitter", well, now you know why. And if your parents ever wondered why the stores had a shortage of 5 pound chickens back in the 50's, well, they now know too.