Mike the headles chicken.(pix)

Mike the Headless Chicken
Mike
Mike the Headless Chicken struts
Other appellation(s)Mike the Headless Chicken, Miracle Mike
Species Gallus gallus domesticus
Breed Wyandotte
SexMale
BornApril 1945
Fruita, Colorado, U.S.
DiedMarch 1947
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
OwnerLloyd Olsen
Mike the Headless Chicken(April 1945 – March 1947), also known asMiracle Mike, [ 1 ]was a Wyandotte chickenthat lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off. Although the story was thought by many to be a hoax, the bird's owner took him to the University of Utahin Salt Lake Cityto establish the facts of the story. [ 1 ]
Beheading
On September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, United States, was planning to eat supper with his mother-in-law and was sent out to the yard by his wife to bring back a chicken. Olsen chose a five-and-a-half-month-old cockerel named Mike. The axe missed the jugular vein, leaving one ear and most of the brain stemintact. [ 2 ] [ 3 ]
Despite Olsen's failed attempt to behead Mike, Mike was still able to balance on a perch and walk clumsily. He attempted to preen, peck for food, and crow, though with limited success; his "crowing" consisted of a gurgling sound made in his throat. [ 2 ]
When Mike did not die, Mr. Olsen decided to continue to care permanently for the bird. He fed it a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper, and gave it small grains of corn. [ 2 ]
Fame
Once his fame had been established, Mike began a career of touring sideshowsin the company of such other creatures as a two-headed calf. He was also photographed for dozens of magazines and papers, featuring in Timeand Lifemagazines. [ 2 ]
Mike was on display to the public for an admission cost of twenty five cents. At the height of his popularity, the chicken earned US$4,500 per month ($47,500 today) [ 4 ]and was valued at $10,000. [ 2 ]
Death
In March 1947, at a motelin Phoenixon a stopover while traveling back from tour, Mike started choking in the middle of the night. The Olsens had inadvertently left their feeding and cleaning syringes at the sideshow the day before, and so were unable to save Mike. Olsen claimed that he had sold the bird off, resulting in stories of Mike still touring the country as late as 1949. Other sources say that the chicken's severed trachea could not properly take in enough air to be able to breathe, and it therefore choked to death in the motel.[ citation needed]
Post mortem
It was determined that the axe had missed the jugular vein [ 5 ]and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was severed, most of his brain stem and one ear were left on his body. Since basic functions (breathing, heart-rate, etc.) as well as most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem, Mike was able to remain quite healthy. This is a good example of central motor generators enabling basic homeostatic functions to be carried out in the absence of the cerebral cortex. [ 5 ]
Legacy
Mike the Headless Chicken is now an institution in Fruita, Colorado, with an annual "Mike the Headless Chicken Day", the third weekend of May, starting in 1999. Events held include the "5K Run Like a Headless Chicken Race", egg toss, "Pin the Head on the Chicken", the "Chicken Cluck-Off", and "Chicken Bingo", in which chicken droppings on a numbered grid choose the numbers. [ 6 ]
Mike the Headless Chicken was an inspiration for the poultry-themed comedy punk band The Radioactive Chicken Heads, serving as the subject of their 2008 song "Headless Mike", for which a music video was filmed. The band also features a Headless Mike puppet which is frequently used in their live shows.
References
1.^ a b "Mike's Story". Mike the Headless Chicken. 2007. Retrieved2012-05-28