“Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?”/“To get to the other side.”

“Why did the chicken cross the road?”/“To get to the other side” is a classic riddle from the 19th century. A jocular variation is:
 
Q: Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
A: To get to the other side.
 
That is, the chicken stopped in the middle of the road to get killed and reach the “other side” (afterlife). “Q:  Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? A:  He wanted to `cross over to the other side’” was posted on the newsgroup comp.lang.scheme on November 19, 2004. “Why did the suicidal chicken stop in the middle of the road? to get to the other side” was posted on Twitter on November 12, 2010. The joke has been printed on an image.
       
“Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?”/“She wanted to lay it on the line” is a similar joke with a different punchline.
   
   
Google Groups: comp.lang.scheme
C++ to Scheme compiler
Joe Marshall
11/19/04
(...)
Q:  Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
A:  He wanted to `cross over to the other side’.
     
Twitter
Bud Light Platinum‏
@joeyoga
why did the suicidal chicken stop in the middle of the road? to get to the other side.
2:24 PM - 12 Nov 2010
 
Twitter
leighann turner ツ‏
@AYE_leigh_ann
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? he committed suicide. wanted to get to the other side
10:55 AM - 2 Sep 2012
 
Twitter
Very Fishy News!‏
@HaddockNews
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road therefore committing suicide? ...To get to the other side! #chickenjokes
8:39 AM - 27 Apr 2014
 
Twitter
Desiree Menken‏
@DesireeMenken
@NickSwardson Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
To get to the “other side”
12:47 AM - 3 Mar 2015
 
Reddit—Jokes
Why did the depressed chicken stop in the middle of the road?
submitted August 11, 2017 by Monechetti
To get to the Other Side