Mike the Headless Chicken episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 26, 2025 · 12 MIN

Mike the Headless Chicken

from History Dispatches · host Matt and McKinley Breen

In 1945 an ordinary chicken in Fruita, Colorado, was about to have an extraordinary day. His head was chopped off, but instead of dying, like most things do when decapitated, he survived for an astounding 18 months. He would go on a tour of the United States - generating thousands of dollars for his owners. This is the story of Mike the Headless Chicken. Sources https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34198390 https://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/heres-chicken-can-live-without-head/ https://www.life.com/animals/life-with-mike-the-headless-chicken-photos-of-a-famously-tough-fowl/ Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicken_without_a_head.png History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 26, 2025

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Mike the Headless Chicken

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