The sculpture "Mike the headless cockerel" is a dedication to a unique bird that has gone through a difficult journey (12 photos + 1 video)

It's easy to walk past this unusual piece of art and not realize that it's a tribute to the strange life of a real chicken, one he lived against his will.





Chicken Mikey was a few months old when his head was chopped off. But he died at the age of almost two.



Poor Mike

One evening in September 1945, Chicken Mike was supposed to be dinner for farmer Lloyd Olsen and his family in Fruita, Colorado. But after his head was chopped off, he not only survived, he couldn't sit still. He walked around trying to pluck, peck, and crow, all of which resulted in a frightening gurgling sound.





To try to figure out what went wrong, the headless chicken was taken to the University of Utah for experiments. The university's attempts to repeat Mike's fate were unsuccessful. Almost all the chickens died immediately after their heads were cut off. But Mike lived on. Apparently, his neck was cut in a special, correct place.



One modern bird expert suggests that almost all Mike lost when the axe hit him was the outside of his head. The blade missed his jugular vein, so along with a timely blood clot, he didn't bleed out and die. The reason he kept moving is because most of a bird's brain is in the very back of his head, where basic and motor functions are controlled. Mike had 80% of his brain left, and his neurons were active and receiving oxygen.



Miracle Mike, the headless chicken as he became known, toured the country for 18 months after that fateful night. People paid 25 cents to see the headless wonder. He was fed a mixture of milk and water with an eyedropper, and small kernels of corn were shoved down his throat.



He also had to have his throat cleared frequently to prevent mucus from building up. One night, Mike choked to death on a kernel of corn. His owners had left the syringe they used to clear his throat at a show Mike had been in the day before and were unable to help him.



A statue of Mike stands at the corner of Aspen and Mulberry Streets in Fruita, and the annual Mike the Headless Chicken Festival is held in his honor, usually in May or June. Visitors can participate in events such as the Headless Chicken Run and Put the Head on the Chicken.





Mike on the Move



For the chicken coop mates, it looked strange



Special diet