A rooster that lived for 18 months. Headless rooster

The story of this rooster proved to the whole world that the absence of a head is not a reason to give up one’s life. All the events took place in the second half of the forties of the last century, and, perhaps, the reason for the indestructible, even with the help of an ax, love of life was such a long-awaited peace, when everyone, including the inhabitants of the chicken coops, believed in the possibility of a bright future.

The most persistent, and, accordingly, the most famous of the beheaded roosters turned out to be an inhabitant of a farmstead in the small town of Fruita, Colorado. By strange coincidence, residents periodically disappeared from the chicken coop, but Mike (under this name he would later gain world fame and a personal entry in the Guinness Book of Records) never attached any importance to this until the black shadow of an ax hung over him, preparing to sacrifice him to the visiting relative of the owners.

You can say that Mike was born under a lucky star, because just one culinary addiction of his future guest extended his life by eighteen months. The mother of the rooster's owner, Clara Olsen, loved the chicken neck most of all, so her son-in-law Lloyd, trying to please his mother-in-law, chopped off Mike's head so as to keep the tidbit longer; as a result, one third of the head, along with the ear, remained with its owner. Having done the job, Lloyd calmly went to bed, and the next morning he discovered that the headless rooster was alive, healthy and feeling great. The farmer saw this as a sign from above, and another inhabitant of the chicken coop went into the soup.

And for headless Mike, this was the morning he woke up famous. Despite the absence of such an important organ as a head, the bird needed to eat somehow, and the resourceful Lloyd came up with the idea of feeding it from a pipette through the throat.

To show the miracle rooster to knowledgeable people, Olsen had to travel two hundred and fifty miles, where bright minds from Salt Lake City University unraveled the secret of Mike's survivability. As it turned out, while chopping the head, the farmer did not touch the jugular vein, and the resulting blood clot saved the rooster from losing blood. Part of the trunk also remained untouched, and this was enough for the bird to remain alive.

Lloyd Olsen considered it unacceptable to hide Mike from his compatriots and went on a tour of the United States. For just twenty-five cents, anyone could see the miracle bird - Headless Mike. The rooster's travels were covered in the pages of such respected publications as Time and Life magazines, and he himself was insured for ten thousand dollars (a very significant amount for the post-war years).

Who knows how much longer Mike could have lived if not for the tragic circumstance that cut his life short. One night, in one of the motels, Mike began to make loud wheezing sounds, waking up the owner, who tried to clear the bird's throat. But, unfortunately, this did not save the legendary Mike, and he died after living without his head for eighteen months.

Two other roosters, Butch from California and an unnamed rooster from Ohio, who shared the glory of living without a head with Mike, spent just over a month in this condition. Unlike Mike, who lived in recent months in the blaze of glory, animal rights activists tried to kill these worthy birds a second time, but they failed thanks to the intervention of lawyers.

(Total 8 photos)

It all started in 1945 on September 10th. Lloyd Olsen, at the request of his wife, went to the chicken coop to prepare a chicken carcass. In Colorado, as elsewhere, you have to put up with the wishes of your beloved mother-in-law, and therefore Lloyd tried to please her as much as possible.

The fact is that the kind woman adored the bird’s neck, and during the “execution” of the chicken, Olsen tried to preserve this delicious part of the body as much as possible.

The victim that time was the cockerel Michael. At first it seemed that everything went well; Michael took on the appearance of an ordinary carcass. But after a while he regained consciousness and went about his usual chicken business.

In the morning, Lloyd was surprised to find Mike in the chicken coop on the roost. A stump was hiding under his wing. Such a desire for life deserved respect, and Mike was granted life and amnesty from the kitchen. The headless rooster tried to peck grain, drink water, clean feathers...

True, he was not very good at feeding, and Lloyd took over these functions with a pipette.
When the headless rooster continued to thrive a week later, it was time to show it to scientists. Therefore, the owners took Mike to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (250 miles from home).

Scientists conducted a full examination of the chicken and decided the following. The ax almost completely cut off the rooster's head, but did not hit the carotid artery. A blood clot blocked the wound and stopped the blood loss.

The spinal cord was practically intact, and one ear was preserved. In birds, the spinal cord is responsible for most reflexes, which is why Mike remained practically healthy.
Mike lived the next 1.5 years quite well. He was called the “Amazing Headless Chicken,” during which time he matured, gained weight to 2.5 kg (versus 1.1 kg before beheading), and fledged.

The famous "Headless Rooster Mike" and his owner - Lloyd Olsen

In general, he looked like a normal young rooster, except for the head, of course.
It was not interesting to leave such a miracle in a simple chicken coop in a small town, and Mike and the owner went on a trip around the country.

The headless rooster turned out to be a very profitable business project; spectators gladly paid 25 cents for the pleasure of looking at it. Excellent advertising was publications in Time Magazine, Life and entry into the Guinness Book of Records. As a result, Mike was valued at $10,000 and insured for that amount.

The end of the story was tragic. During his next move, Lloyd stayed at a motel in the Arizona desert. At night the rooster began to choke. Olsen wanted to clear the unfortunate man’s throat, but did not have time to find a pipette...

In Mike's homeland of Fruita, farmers were actively trying to repeat this miracle. Many chickens died under axes, but not one ever came back to life; Mike’s anomaly turned out to be unique.

Monument to Mike

Now, in honor of Mike's uncontrollable desire to survive, a festival is held in the city with lots of entertainment.

“A headless rooster lives on after being hit with an ax.” This is exactly what the headline in LIFE magazine of October 22, 1945 was about an article about... a headless rooster, of course.
“Since September 10,” the magazine informed its readers, “Mike the Wyandotte rooster has been living without a head. Mike lost his head in the traditional way for chickens - Mrs. Olson, the wife of a farmer from Fruita, Colorado, decided to cook dinner and cut off Mike's head. Mike stood up and started walking around as if nothing had happened. Mrs. Olson had most of her skull chopped off, but one ear, the jugular vein and the lower part of the brain that controls motor functions were spared.”
Look at the photo and decide for yourself whether to believe it or not.

1. Mike the Headless Rooster, October 1945. On the day of his “execution,” Mike slept with his head under his wing. (Bob Landry-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

4. Mike on a farm in Colorado. “Miracle Mike,” as some newspapers dubbed him, lived without his head for 18 months. (Bob Landry-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

5. A suitcase with feeding supplies, including a pipette with which food is placed into the esophagus. (Bob Landry-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

6. Feeding Mike. (Bob Landry-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

7. Hope Wade is a promoter who took Mike around the country and made money from it. Colorado, 1945. (Bob Landry-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

On September 10, 1945, an American farmer with culinary needs cut off the head of a rooster named "Mike." Surprisingly, the rooster did not die and the inquisitive farmer decided to leave him alive. Mike lived for another 2 years, the farmer fed him with a pipette, although Mike tried to shovel the food down his throat himself...

A five-and-a-half-month-old young rooster scrambles in the dust outside his chicken coop in Fruita, Colorado. The unsuspecting bird looked amazing on this now famous day.

Clara Olsen was planning to cook chicken for dinner. Her husband, Lloyd Olsen, was sent to the chicken coop on a very ordinary mission - to prepare the chicken for its meeting with the frying pan. But the solution to the problem turned out to be not entirely ordinary. Lloyd knew his mother-in-law would be dining with them and that she loved chicken neck.

He aimed the ax so as to leave as much neck as possible. “It was important to please your mother-in-law both in the 1940s and today.”

The skillful strike is completed, and the chicken now looks more like a fresh poultry carcass. Then the resilient bird recovered from the shock and “life began to get better.” Mike (it is unknown when the famous rooster got his nickname) returned to what he was doing before the execution. He went looking for crumbs around the yard and preening the feathers just like the rest of his coop buddies.

When Olsen found Mike sleeping with his "head" under his wing the next morning, he decided that since Mike had survived, he should continue to live. Lloyd came up with a way to feed and water him. Mike was given grain and water using a pipette.

It became obvious that Mike was no ordinary rooster.

After a week of Mike's new life, Olsen picked him up and drove him 250 miles to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Skeptical scientists tried to answer all the questions regarding Mike's amazing ability to live without a head. It was determined that the ax blade had missed the jugular vein, and a blood clot prevented Mike from bleeding to death.

Although most of his head was missing, most of his brain stem and one ear remained. Since most of a chicken's reflexes are controlled by the brain stem, Mike was able to remain quite healthy.

IN 18 MONTHS Mike's life as the "Amazing Headless Chicken" saw him gain weight from a mere 2.5 pounds to almost 8 pounds. In an interview, Olsen said Mike was "a perfect specimen of a healthy chicken except for the missing head."

Some Fruit residents also remember Mike - "he was a big fat chicken who didn't know he had no head" - "he seemed as happy as any other chicken."

The Miracle Rooster was meant to be seen by everyone, and Olsen did a national tour. Curious people in New York, Atlantic City, Los Angeles and San Diego paid 25 cents to see Mike. The Amazing Chicken was valued at $10,000 and insured for the same amount. His fame and fortune further improved after publications in Life and Time Magazine. This goes without saying, Everything was registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Returning from one of these road trips, Olsen stopped at a motel in the Arizona desert. In the middle of the night, Mike began to choke. Lloyd couldn't quickly find an eyedropper to clear Mike's throat. And Mike left this mortal coil...

Now the town of Fruita hosts an annual festival to celebrate Mike's impressive will to live. The program includes concerts, a car show, a running competition (it's called "Run Like a Headless Chicken") and other joys of life.

Video

On September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen from Fruita, Colorado, USA, went to the yard (at the request of his wife) to choose a chicken for dinner. Olsen chose a 5.5-month-old rooster named Mike. After the decapitation, Mike did not move for some time, but then got up and walked as if nothing had happened. Mike's head was almost completely severed, but Mike spent the first night after the decapitation sleeping on a perch with his neck hidden under his wing.

Mike was able to balance on the perch and walk awkwardly; he even tried to preen his feathers and crow, although he was unable to do either. After the bird did not die, a surprised Olsen decided to continue caring for Mike, constantly feeding him a mixture of milk and water using a dropper and feeding him small kernels of corn. The entrance to Mike's esophagus sometimes became clogged with mucus, and Olsen used a special syringe to clear it.

Despite his new unusual center of gravity, Mike could easily stay on the high perch without falling. His scream, however, was less impressive and consisted only of a gurgling sound in his throat. Mike also tried to clean himself and peck food. In addition, Mike's weight continued to increase: Olsen said that at the time of decapitation, Mike weighed about 2.5 pounds, while at the time of his death he weighed almost 8 pounds.

Once word got out, Mike began a "career" as a touring attraction in the company of other similar creatures, such as the two-headed calf. He was also photographed by reporters from dozens of magazines and newspapers, including Time and Life magazines.

Mike was exhibited to the public for a fee of twenty-five cents. At the peak of its popularity, the chicken brought in $4,500 a month ($48,000 in 2010 prices) and was valued at $10,000. A pickled chicken head was often displayed next to Mike, pretending to be his head, but in reality his head was eaten by a cat. Olsen's success led to a wave of chicken beheadings in hopes of repeating the same, but no other beheaded chickens survived more than a day or two.

In March 1947, at a motel in Phoenix in the middle of the night during a stop on the way home, Mike began to choke. Because the Olsens had inadvertently left food and syringes for cleaning out the esophagus at the show's location the day before, they were unable to save Mike. Lloyd Olsen claimed that he sold the bird, and as a result stories about Mike continued to circulate throughout the country until late 1949. Other sources claim that due to the rupture of the trachea, the chicken could not receive enough air to be able to breathe, and suffocated.

A pathological examination revealed that the ax did not hit the carotid artery, so Mike did not die from bleeding. Although part of his head was severed, most of his brain stem and one ear remained on his body. Since basic functions (breathing, pulse, etc.), as well as most reflex actions, are controlled by the brain stem, Mike remained alive. This case is a good example of how many functions of the nervous system can be performed without the cerebral cortex.

Mike the Headless Chicken is somewhat of a "symbol" of Fruita, Colorado, and there has been an annual "Headless Chicken Mike Day" on the third weekend of May since 1999.