This may be the most gloriously out-of-context line in any James Bond movie, but Blofeld’s bizarre poultry lesson in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service actually serves a sinister purpose. During his nightly broadcasts to the women at Piz Gloria, Blofeld uses hypnotic conditioning to reinforce suggestions while they sleep, turning his seemingly therapeutic treatment into something far more nefarious. In Ruby Bartlett’s case, he specifically reinforces her progress in overcoming her childhood fear and allergy to chickens, preparing her to return home as an unwitting carrier of his Virus Omega bioweapon.

Once there, Ruby and the other women are expected to introduce the infection into agricultural crops and livestock, giving Blofeld the leverage he needs to hold the world ransom. The scheme is certainly shortsighted and scientifically questionable, but I have to give Blofeld credit for choosing a wonderfully simple method of weaponizing his own patients.

There’s something deliciously absurd about a world-threatening plot hinging on hypnotized women returning home to their farms, yet it fits perfectly with the wonderfully eccentric villainy on display at Piz Gloria. Ultimately, the seemingly nonsensical chicken reference is an important piece of Blofeld’s larger plan to use the women as unwitting agents of his biological warfare campaign.