Believe it or not: Headless chicken in US lives for 18 months (watch pics)

New Delhi: September 10th, 1945 was the day when Lloyd Olsen from Fruita, Colorado caught a a five-and-a-half-month-old chicken to be cooked as dinner for his mother in law.The chicken was named mike by Lloyd Olsen.Lloyd knew his mother-in-law would be dining with them and would savor the neck. He positioned his ax precisely, estimating just the right tolerances, to leave a generous neck bone. After buthchering Mike's neck Olsen sat down to wait for the bird to die, but when he made no signs of doing so, Olsen decided to have something different for dinner that night.When Olsen found Mike the next morning, sleeping with his “head” under his wing, he decided that if Mike had that much will to live, he would figure out a way to feed and water him. With an eyedropper Mike was given grain and water.A week after observing mike Olsen packed him up and took him to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in order to find the reason behind Mike's amazing ability to survive with no head. Scientists there determined that ax blade had missed the jugular vein and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was in a jar, most of his brain stem and one ear was left on his body. Since most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem Mike was able to remain quite healthy.Mike was initially able to walk but somewhat unsteadily. He soon got used to the situation and his new center of gravity. He could no longer crow, but instead made a gurgling noise.Mike was on display to the public for an admission cost of twenty five cents. Mike was making his owners $4,500 per month (about $56,000 today).Mike's popularity lead to a string of people trying to behead their birds in just the same way. One of the copycat beheaded chickens lived for eleven days, but the rest died quickly.Mike was the only headless chicken, who lived for 18 months.One problem Mike often experienced was that he would choke on his own mucus. The Olsens kept syringes on hand for when this happened, to suck the mucus out. But, one night Mike was roosting with the Olsens in a Phoenix motel room between sideshow exhibits. The Olsen's heard him choking in the middle of the night but couldn't find a syringe to save him at last Mike choked to death .