Chicken shit isn’t worthless at one Austin bar, where patrons play a game that lets them turn it into cold, hard cash: Chicken Shit Bingo.

Terry Gaona and her husband, David, run the Little Longhorn Saloon, which prides itself as the home of Chicken Shit Bingo. Founded over 20 years ago, the now famous game consists of patrons placing a small donation of $2 on a square and hoping the unsuspecting chicken does his or her business on their square to win up to $114.  

“Chicken shit bingo is the luck of the draw,” Terry Gaona said. “Once you experience it, you just want to come back every Sunday.”

The game has a distinctly Austin pedigree. Back when Texas music legend Dale Watson used to play at the Little Longhorn, he and former owner Don Kalmbach, suggested to Don’s wife Ginny that they should give the game a try. David Gaona said Watson got the idea after spending time in Bakersfield, California, where he saw people playing cow bingo. Eventually, the cow was swapped for the chicken in order to downscale the game while retaining the enjoyment.

“It’s fun to watch people’s expressions, watching them have so much fun watching a chicken poop,” David Gaona said. “It is the craziest thing I ever heard of.”

The game’s uniqueness has brought the Little Longhorn worldwide fame, and attracted a variety of local and famous musicians like Fingerpistol, Jim Stringer, and Justin Trevino. The bar is an epicenter of the Austin honky-tonk music scene.
“The bands really get into chicken shit,” David Gaona said. “They all bring their own eclectic style.”

Christie Trapp, who hails from Ennis, Montana was one of the winners at this past Sunday’s bingo. Despite living over 1,650 miles away, this isn’t her first go-round and win at Little Longhorn. 25 years ago, she played chicken shit bingo at the little bar and liked it so much she came back decades later.

“It is so basic, and everybody can do it,” Trapp said. “This is something that is family friendly, (and) is a great opportunity to come out, sit outdoors, drink a few beers, visit with friends, and see all types of people.”
The Little Longhorn strives to be a local bar that is welcoming to all ages.

“We definitely cater to the younguns,” David Gaona said. “If they win, we’ll get them on stage (and) announce who the winners are. The adults are the same way, they act just like little kids when they win.”

Although the bar is known for its sense of community, great music and authentic country atmosphere, the true stars of the show are the chickens themselves. David and Terry Gaona alternate between two chickens during the bingo: Little Ginny and Loretta Lynn.

“They’re spoiled rotten,” Terry Gaona said. “They get to have anything and everything they want. But they know that their job starts on Sundays.”

What has now become a staple of the Little Longhorn is a staple of Austin as well. Chicken shit bingo is just another one of those local quirks that makes Austin such a unique city.

“It keeps Austin weird,” Terry Gaona said. “People love that it is a tradition here. It will always be a tradition here and it will probably be here for another hundred years.”