“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: She wanted to lay it on the line.
 
The chicken joke has been cited in print since at least 1962.
 
“Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?”/“To get to the other side” is a similar joke with a different punchline.
 
   
1 November 1962, Ada (OK) Weekly News, “Strayed From The Herd” by Connie Nelson, pg. 4, col. 7:
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? So she could lay it on the line.
 
5 June 1964, Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, “A Look at TV” by Alan Gill, pg. 17, col. 7:
‘Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? Because it wanted to lay it on the line.’
   
10 December 1972, The Sunday Star and Daily News (Washington, DC), “Mini Jokes,” Mini Page, pg. 3, col. 1:
Q: Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
A: He wanted to lay it on the line.
Jimmy Painter
Rockville, Md.
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
Chicken puns
DAN TALBOT
4/20/96
(...)
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
..she wanted to lay it on the line.
   
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
Request: Egg Jokes and Puns
Jim
5/18/98
(...)
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
She wanted to lay it on the line.
(Groan).
       
Google Groups: alt.religion.christian.baptist
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? was Why did the chicken cross the road?
Don
11/5/99
(...)
Answer:    He wanted to lay it on the line.
 
28 December 1999, Newsday (Long Island, NY), “Kidsday,” pg. B31:
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? She wanted to lay it on the line.—Jodie Brenner, Plainview
       
Google Books
Best Ever Classroom Jokes:
Because some of us never grow up
By Mike Haskins
New York, NY: Pavilion Books
2015
Pg. ?:
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
She wanted it to lay it right on the line.
 
YouTube
Jokes - Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road? It wanted to lay it on the line.
jokesus
Published on Oct 2, 2015
Joke :
Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?
It wanted to lay it on the line.
 
Twitter
CrackMeUp‏
@crackmeupbot
Q: Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?  A: It wanted to lay it on the line. #crackmeup
5:57 PM - 4 Jun 2017