The chicken that lived for 18 months without a head
Seventy years ago, in a quaint town of Fruita, Colorado, an unusual and remarkable incident unfolded, captivating the nation and making headlines around the world. On September 10, 1945, Lloyd Olsen and his wife, Clara, were going about their routine task of slaughtering chickens on their farm. However, one particular chicken displayed an extraordinary resilience that set it apart from the others.
As Lloyd decapitated the birds, one of them, later affectionately named Mike, inexplicably survived the ordeal. Astonishingly, the headless chicken continued to kick and move around, defying the natural laws of life and death. Perplexed and curious, the Olsens decided to keep the bird overnight, placing it in an old apple box on the farm’s screened porch.
To their astonishment, when Lloyd Olsen checked on the chicken the next morning, it was still very much alive, despite the lack of a head. This extraordinary event soon became part of the Olsen family’s intriguing history, passed down through generations.
The story of Miracle Mike the Headless Chicken spread like wildfire in Fruita, and soon the local newspaper dispatched a reporter to cover the baffling tale. Subsequently, a sideshow promoter named Hope Wade, all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah, approached the Olsens with a proposition to take Mike on a tour across the country, promising a chance to make some money.
With financial struggles and a small farm to tend, the Olsens eventually agreed to take Mike on the sideshow circuit. They embarked on a journey that took them to different cities and states, where people marveled at the spectacle of a headless chicken living and moving as if nothing had happened.
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The Olsens’ adventure with Mike led them to places like California, Arizona, and the south-eastern United States. Throughout their travels, they collected numerous letters from people fascinated by the headless chicken’s inexplicable survival.
To ensure Mike’s well-being, the Olsens carefully fed him liquid food and water directly into his esophagus. They also assisted with clearing mucus from his throat using a dropper and a syringe.
However, tragedy struck during their tour when, in the spring of 1947, Mike passed away in Phoenix, Arizona. The Olsens were woken in their motel room to the distressing sound of the bird choking. Regrettably, they had left the necessary equipment at the sideshow, and before they could find a replacement, Mike suffocated.
In retrospect, Lloyd Olsen remained somewhat elusive about what happened to Mike after his death. It was speculated that he might have discreetly disposed of the body somewhere in the desert, avoiding the gaze of the public eye.
Researchers and experts have since delved into the science behind Mike’s seemingly miraculous survival. For a chicken, the brain is primarily concentrated at the back of the skull, controlling essential bodily functions like heart rate, breathing, hunger, and digestion. Since Mike’s beak, face, eyes, and ear were removed with the hatchet blow, the critical brain stem responsible for vital functions remained mostly intact, allowing him to continue living without a head.
Despite the Olsens’ modest financial gains from Mike’s fame, they remained down-to-earth, using the proceeds to improve their farm equipment. Lloyd Olsen appreciated the opportunity to travel and modernize their farming practices, but he continued to be a dedicated farmer, eking out a living from the land.
Over the years, the legend of Mike the Headless Chicken has endured, becoming a cherished part of Fruita’s history. A statue of Mike stands proudly in the town, and every year, Fruita hosts the Headless Chicken festival, a tribute to the extraordinary bird that defied death and captured the world’s imagination.