'Miracle' Headless Chicken Lived For 18 Months Despite Being Struck With Axe In Slaughter Attempt

The saying 'running around like a headless chicken' usually describes utter chaos.

Yet, there was one chicken who lived up to this phrase quite literally for an unexpectedly long time.

Mike, who was initially just an ordinary chicken, became famous as "Mike the Headless Chicken" after a dramatic event.

That would probably remind you of a scene straight out of the movie "Chicken Run." 

X / @VisionaryVoid

However, unlike the character Edwina from that movie, who met a tragic end, RIP Edwina, Mike somehow managed to survive his encounter with the chopping block.

It all started on September 10, 1945, when farmer Lloyd Olsen from Colorado was tasked with fetching a chicken for the evening meal. 

Olsen picked Mike, a Wyandotte chicken who was just over five months old.

But the outcome was astonishing when Mike continued to live even after his head had been chopped off with an axe.

Typically, a headless chicken might move for a few seconds or minutes due to nerve-induced muscle contractions, but Mike was not your typical chicken.

X / @VisionaryVoid

Dubbed "Miracle Mike," he lived far beyond what anyone could expect.

Observing that Mike wasn't ready to pass on to chicken heaven, Olsen began feeding him with a mix of milk and water through an eyedropper, and gave him small bits of corn and worms.

Mike, despite his severe handicap, behaved in many ways like any other chicken. 

He attempted to preen his feathers, scratch around for food, and he even tried to crow, which came out as a bizarre gurgling noise.

Mike the Headless Chicken soon turned into a popular sideshow spectacle.

Mike poses with his head. X / @Morbidful

He toured with other 'anomalies' and was featured in magazine photoshoots.

At the peak of his popularity, Mike's novelty earned his owner a staggering $4,500 a month, which is equivalent to more than $72,000 a month in today's terms.

That's quite impressive for a chicken without a head!

Unfortunately, Mike's career ended tragically in 1947 when he choked on a corn kernel, although his owners later claimed they had sold him.

So, what was the secret to Mike's surprising longevity?

It appears that Olsen's axe missed Mike's jugular vein, which prevented Mike from bleeding to death immediately.

But how did he continue behaving like a chicken? 

Despite losing most of his head, Mike's brainstem and one ear were left intact at the back of his head, preserving vital functions necessary for his basic activities.

These remnants of his brain controlled his homeostasis, and with the help of balance organs in other parts of his body, Mike could still manage to walk and balance himself.

Olsen fed Mike milk and water with an eyedropper. X / @Morbidful

Even today, Colorado celebrates 'Mike the Headless Chicken Day,' honoring the unbelievable survival story of this extraordinary bird.