On September 10, 1945 the couple Lloyd Olsen and Clara Olsen they killed as usual Chicken from his farm in the town of Fruita in Colorado, USA. Lloyd is responsible for decapitating the birds while Clara removes their feathers. Everything seemed like a normal working day until they saw one of the animals, whose head had been cut off, walking among the carcasses. The bird’s name was Mike. Little did the couple know, but this headless chicken would make them famous.
mike was the only one of at least 50 birds to survive the hatchet Lloyd Olson. “They got to the end and found that one was still alive and walking around,” Troy Waters, the farming couple’s great-grandson, told the BBC in 2015. In the Olsen family is the Chicken Mike story it is told to each new generation as if it were a story, but unlike fictional stories, the story is real.
The story of Mike the chicken that lived without a head for a year and a half
“It’s part of my family’s rare history,” Christa Waters, wife of Troy Waters, told the aforementioned foreign media. His own great-grandfather told him about this experience. He used to tell about him chicken micro every time he visited his grandchildren’s house.
According to Troy, his great-grandfather placed the headless bird in an apple crate after seeing that it did not die. The next day, Lloyd visited the animal. He thought it was dead by now, but to his surprise the chicken was still alive.
Lloyd Olsen and Clara Olsen were the owners of Mike the chicken who lived 18 months without a head. Photo: Composite LR/BBC
Since Fruita is a small town, the rumor of the strange case spread in a short time. So they received a suggestion from an organizer that the animal should appear on the Hope Wade Show in Utah. At the time, the Olsen were struggling financially, so they accepted the invitation.
Scientists were trying to figure out why Mike Chicken was still alive
They also visited the University of Utah, where the bird passed several tests. According to the BBC, a group of scientists even decapitated several chickens to see if any of them survived.
The tests did not go unnoticed by the American press. Life Magazine, which picked up the story, reported a “miracle”. So Lloyd and Clara went on tour with them mike in the United States. In 1947, after completing their first tour, they arrived in Arizona and settled in Phoenix. The chicken died shortly after its arrival.
Mike’s owners exhibited him in various cities across the United States. Photo: Composite LR/BBC
How did Mike Chicken survive without a head for so long?
mike received a special diet. The bird received liquid food and water. Both were inserted directly through his esophagus with a drip. They also constantly used a syringe to remove mucus from his throat.
According to Tom Smulders, a chicken specialist at Newcastle University’s Center for Behavior and Evolution, chickens can live for at least a short time after decapitation because, unlike humans, losing their heads doesn’t mean they’re completely brainless.
“You would be surprised how little brains there are on the front lines head of a chicken‘ the specialist explained to the BBC. Smulders also stated that the ax blow he received from Lloyd shattered his face, eyes, beak and one ear; however, at least 80% of the animal’s brain mass remained intact. This allowed him to hold his breath and keep his heart working. In addition, the respiratory and digestive functions remained active.