It was September 10, 1945 when, in a farm of used, in Colorado, a chicken named Mike changed the history of animal curiosities forever. Its owner, Lloyd Olsen, had decided to break him down with a blow of a dark, but something went wrong.
The animal, which should have collapsed in a few seconds, remained standing, alive and apparently unaware of his destiny. The scene left the peasants speechless: Mike not only resisted, but continued to move even hours after the fatal blow. At that point, the decision was made: it was worth trying to keep it alive.
A miracle of biology
The secret of survival was in an anatomical detail. The blow had not cut the fundamental parts of the nervous system: about 80% of the brain and the brain trunk had remained intact, allowing Mike to breathe and move. Furthermore, the jugular vein had not been transcribed, thus avoiding death by bleeding.
To feed it, the Olsen spouses invented an ingenious method: a pipette with water and liquid food, as well as a constant cleaning of the esophagus via syringe. A routine that allowed Mike to survive 18 months, an incredible time for an animal in his condition.
The birth of an American star
The news of this “miraculous chicken” spread rapidly. A promoter glimpses the opportunity and proposed to the owners to bring Mike into tour in the United States. From California to Florida, the headless chicken became a slum phenomenon, attracting curious crowds and even the attention of national newspapers. As a simple courtyard animal, Mike was transformed into a real celebrity, a symbol of a America who, as soon as he left the war, also needed bizarre and surreal stories in spite of the cruelty and suffering of this poor chicken.
Mike’s fairy tale ended in 1947, when during a stage in Phoenix the chicken was accidentally suffocated: the syringe was missing to free the respiratory tract. Despite this, the “Mike The Headless Chicken Festival”, an event that recalls the extraordinary destiny of this chicken that survived the impossible, still celebrates the town of Fruita.
Meet Mike The Headless Chicken Who Lived for 18 Months Without A Head (April 1945 – March 1947).
In The 1940s Us, Mike a Male Wyandotte Chicken, Had Almost Been Completely Beheaded with an axe, but Crucialy the Jugular Vein and Most of the Brasinstem Were Left Intact. pic.twitter.com/fkqw7s9gns
– Michaelson Hon (@honmichaelson) April 16, 2024
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