On the evening of September 10th 1945 a young rooster was pecking away at food scattered about a yard in Fruita, Colorado little knowing the fate that was about to befall him. Meanwhile Lloyd Olsen, a farmer, was sent out to the yard to find a suitable chicken to use in a meal his wife Clara was planning on making for her mother.
Mike the Headless Chicken was a unique chicken that became famous for living for 18 months after having his head cut off. His incredible survival story has fascinated people for decades. So how exactly did a chicken with no head manage to eat and stay alive for so long?
The Surprising Origin of Mike the Headless Chicken
Mike’s unusual story began on a farm in Fruita, Colorado in 1945 A farmer named Lloyd Olsen chose Mike, a 5.5 month old Wyandotte chicken, for slaughter Olsen decapitated Mike with an axe but amazingly did not completely sever his brain stem or jugular vein.
Though Olsen had tried to behead him, Mike was still able to balance on his feet and walk clumsily around the yard. He could even attempt to preen himself and make gurgling sounds from his exposed throat.
Olsen was stunned to see Mike alive the next day, He decided to continue caring for Mike rather than re-kill him, This odd headless chicken would end up living for another 18 months
How Mike Managed to Eat Without a Head
Of course, the first thing most people think is, “How could a chicken eat without a head?”
Mike was able to continue functioning without a head because his brain stem was largely intact. The brain stem controls basic bodily functions like breathing, heart rate, digestion, and reflexes.
Mike couldn’t eat or drink normally because he didn’t have a mouth or a neck. He was fed by Olsen, who used an eyedropper to drip corn and liquid directly into Mike’s open esophagus. Olsen had to use a syringe to clear Mike’s throat of mucus so he wouldn’t choke.
Mike could not swallow on his own so Olsen would gently stroke his neck while feeding him to help the food move down his esophagus. Though cumbersome, this process allowed Mike to be fed several times a day and get the nutrition he needed.
How Mike Survived and Functioned Without His Head
Amazingly, chickens can survive without their heads because their brain stems remain functional and they have a specialized organ called the lumbosacral organ that helps control locomotion independently from the brain.
Some key factors in Mike’s unbelievable survival include:
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His brain stem regulated breathing, heart function, and body temperature regulation.
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A blood clot prevented him from bleeding out after decapitation.
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His inner ears and some vision remained, allowing limited balance and sight.
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His lumbosacral organ allowed him to somewhat coordinate steps and walk clumsily.
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Reflexive actions like holding up his head remained intact.
Though Mike could not do normal chicken behaviors like crowing, pecking, or chewing, he managed to live a surprisingly active life. He toured carnivals and fairs as an attraction. His owner earned up to $4,500 a month showcasing him!
Mike had such a strong will to live that he overcame choking spells and pneumonia while he was headless. Even though he was limited, his determination showed how amazing the body is at adapting.
The Shocking End of Mike the Headless Chicken
Mike’s fame continued for 18 months before he died unexpectedly in an Arizona motel. Mike began choking in the night. Without his emergency syringe, his owners could not clear his airway in time to save him.
Mike’s time travel and being handled by crowds probably played a role in his death by accident. Even so, what really shocks people is that Mike lived without a head for more than a year!
Mike’s Lasting Legacy
Though Mike the Headless Chicken passed away in 1947, his fascinating story remains legendary. Mike is celebrated annually in Fruita, Colorado through a festival called “Mike the Headless Chicken Day”.
Mike’s case leaves a lasting impression of the resilience of life. His ability to overcome the loss of his head through sheer willpower and some biological luck is astonishing. Mike continues to amaze and inspire people decades after his plucky headless life.
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Lloyd chose the five-and-a-half month old cockerel named Mike as the unlucky bird to be consigned to the cooking pot. Lloyd knew that his wife’s mother liked roast chicken neck, so he brought his sharp axe as close to Mike’s head as he could to save most of the neck. As proverbial headless chickens are wont to do Mike continued to stagger around the yard.
Mike’s life was not ended by the blow, though, and he tried to preen, peck for food, and crow like his other barnyard friends. The next morning Mike was still not dead and was in fact found sleeping with his ‘head’ tucked under his wing. Lloyd decided that a bird of such willpower should be allowed to live and he would continue to care for the bird using an eyedropper filled with milk and water and the occasional small grains of corn deposited directly into Mike’s oesophagus.
As news of Mike’s predicament spread Lloyd decided to take him on the road touring sideshows in the company of other odd creatures such as a two-headed calf. Mike became a national celebrity with Lloyd charging 25 c for a chance to see him. At the height of his fame ‘Mike The Headless Wonder Chicken’ was reportedly earning $4,500 a month and was valued at $10,000.
He was featured in Timeand Life magazinesand would appear alongside a dried chicken’s head in a jar purporting to be his own. In fact the Olsen’s cat had made off with the original not long after the unfortunate incident. Mike grew fat on his fame putting on 6 pounds in the two years after losing his head.
But one night in Phoenix, Arizona tragedy struck and Mike began to choke. The Olsens had left their feeding and cleaning syringes at a sideshow the day before and were unable to save Mike.
After Mike’s death his remains were taken to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. There, scientists confirmed that the axe had missed the jugular vein and blood clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death.
So how can a chicken survive without its head? Part of the reason, according to Dr. Wayne J. Kuenzel a poultry physiologist and neurobiologist at the University of Arkansas is due to its skeletal anatomy.
The skull of a chicken contains two large openings for the eyes so the brain is pushed upwards into the skull at an angle of 45 degrees. This means that even if part of the brain is cut out, the cerebellum and brain stem are likely to stay in place so the person can breathe and do basic motor tasks.
Mike’s success resulted in a number of copycat beheadings although none of the victims survived for more than a couple of days.
The legacy of Mike lives on. An annual festival has been held in Fruita every May since 1999 dedicated to Mike the Headless Chicken where the townspeople enjoy music, food, games, poultry shows and wing eating contests.
Miracles are Real | Story of Mike the Headless Chicken | Fruita, Colorado | The Dr. Binocs Show
FAQ
How did Mike survive without a head?
…that lived for 18 months after being beheaded because a blood clot kept most of his brain stem together and kept it from bleeding to death.
How long did Mike the chicken survive without a head?
Mike is a chicken who lived for 18 months without a head after escaping the fate of becoming dinner. It all started with the Olsen family, who were farmers living in Fruita, Colorado in September of 1945. During the 40’s many farmers supplemented their rations with selling eggs, milk, chicken, and preserving food.
How does a chicken run around headless?
When you chop off a chicken’s head, the pressure of the axe triggers all the nerve endings in the neck, causing that little burst of electricity to run down all the nerves leading back to the muscles, to tell them to move. The chicken appears to flap its wings and to run around – even though it’s already dead.
Can a headless chicken lay an egg?
The Headless Chicken Solution
The naked headless, gutless chicken will crank out eggs till its ovaries burn out.