Mike the Headless Chicken

Mike
Other nameMiracle Mike
SpeciesGallus gallus domesticus
BreedWyandotte
SexMale
HatchedApril, 1945
Fruita, Colorado, U.S.
DiedMarch 17, 1947 (aged 23 months)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Cause of deathDeath by choking
OwnerLloyd Olsen
AppearanceSideshows

Mike the Headless Chicken (April, 1945 – March 17, 1947) was a male Wyandotte chicken that lived for 18 months after he was beheaded, surviving because most of his brain stem remained intact, and a blood clot prevented him from bleeding to death. After the beheading, Mike achieved national fame; he died in March 1947. In his hometown, Fruita, Colorado, U.S., an annual "Mike the Headless Chicken Day" is held in May. Mike has the record for the longest surviving chicken without a head in Guinness World Records.