Mike the Headless Chicken Fest

This annual clucking festival is a celebration & remembrance of the life of Mike the headless chicken and his unbelievable survival spirit. Mike was a Chicken which never gave up.

In 1945 a rooster named mike was decapitated by a farmer but strangely he had just enough brain power to continue living for another 18 months!

The farmer kept him alive by feeding him using special techniques such as an eye dropper with a milk/water mix. In the end he died by choking on a kernel of corn.

History of Mike the Headless Chicken Fest

The event that inspired this festival is almost unbelievable. In 1945, a young couple was planning to cook a young rooster for dinner. Lloyd Olsen, the husband, was sent out to slaughter the rooster.

Knowing that his mother-in-law (who liked chicken necks) would be joining them for dinner, he killed the chicken by striking low on its neck with an ax, leaving the neck as intact as possible. The chicken staggered around, but amazingly; he didn’t die. Olsen found him the next morning sleeping and attempting to peck for food.

Eventually, Olsen started feeding him with an eyedropper, and after he was brought to the University of Utah for study, it was determined that the ax had missed Mike’s jugular and most of his brainstem. He lived for another 18 months and was known as “The Headless Wonder Chicken”.

After touring the country and gaining 6 pounds(!), he died. His spirit is celebrated through the annual Mike the Headless Chicken Festival.

Festival Highlights

Fun Facts about Mike the Headless Chicken Fest

Mike the Headless chicken has now become a source of inspiration for many “Miracle Mike” and even a cult. There was even a campaign run called: “mike the headless chicken for president”.