Mike the Headless Chicken

[chicklady63]

Hi,
Has anyone ever heard of Mike, the "headless" Wyandotte cockerel? He was intended as dinner, but when a farmer in Fruita, Colorado attempted to behead him, the young rooster survived and lived for another 18 months, touring the country & making a lot of money in the process. For years now there has apparantly been an annual festival in his honor. Has anyone out there ever been or ever read the book about "Mike"? I'm intrigued in a horrified sort of way, but investigators claimed the rooster was not in pain or suffering in any way.

 

[thechickenchick]

I have heard of "Mike"! I found it accidentley while searching for something else. I read about the story and the festival. It seems like he lived a nice "long" life. The site showed pictures too. Unfortunatley I have no idea where I found it!

 

[ursusarctosana]

Yes, amazing story. Here are some photos:

http://www.chickflickthefilm.com/photos.htm

 

[ursusarctosana]

Apparently he had enough of his brain stem left and that is why he continued walking and scratching, etc. It was 1945; he was insured for $10,000.

 

[Cats Critters]

Yeah, and he was not completel headless he had something like a ear and a little bit more still on. The guy feed and watered it with a eye dropper, the roo lived like a month from what I heard.

 

[ursusarctosana]

Surprisingly, he actually lived for 18 months known as the "severed wonder of the world".

 

[andehens]

I googled him awhile back, pretty interesting rooster!

 

[kdcrws]

First time I heard of him was a few years ago on the Bob & Sherri radio show. He lived what a couple of years w/no head.

Just remembered the town they were from has a festival every year in honor of mike the headless chicken.

 

[kdcrws]

http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/index.php

here's the site

 

[ursusarctosana]

That's awesome that there's a festival in his honor.