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
Wyandotte chicken named Mike. The axe removed the bulk of the head, but missed the
jugular vein, leaving one ear and most of the
brain stem intact. Despite Olsen's attempt to behead Mike, the chicken could still 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. It was determined that the axe had missed the jugular vein In addition, birds possess a secondary balance organ in the pelvic region, the
lumbosacral organ, which controls walking locomotion virtually independently from the vestibular organ involved in flight. This has been used to explain how a headless chicken can walk and balance, despite the destruction of much of the cranial
vestibular system. Once his fame had been established, Mike began a career of touring
sideshows in the company of such other anomalies as a two-headed baby. He was also photographed for dozens of magazines and papers, and was featured in
Time and
Life magazines. ==Legacy==