Huckleberries Online

DFO’s Animals: Headless Chicken

Posted by DFO

May 13, 2009 2:28 p.m. • 19 comments

In this photograph taken between March 1945 and October 1946 and supplied by Troy Waters, Mike the Headless Chicken of Fruita, Colo., is shown with an unidentified person. Residents of Fruita, a western Colorado town of 11,000, are holding their 12th annual festival this weekend for the chicken named Mike, who lived for 18 months after a farmer lopped off his head with an ax but left his brain stem, a jugular vein and one ear intact. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Troy Waters)

Question: Have you ever chopped a chicken’s head off?

19 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Bent on May 13 at 2:36 p.m.
I’ve decapitated a lot of grouse, pheasant, ducks and geese, but oddly enough I don’t recall ever dressing out a chicken…
Cabbage Boy on May 13 at 2:41 p.m.
Sure have.

How did the chicken eat? Other than that, I don’t see it being much different that a chicken with a head. I don’t think they have much more than a brainstem. It might have walked a bit funny without its counterbalance.
MikeK on May 13 at 2:45 p.m.
The tabloids in New York City (New York Post, Daily News, etc) are known for loud, obnoxious, and titillating headlines to draw in readers and tweak the powerful. One of the best-known of all time referenced a true crime incident (which itself wasn’t funny, of course). This photo reminded me of that front-page masterpiece:

“Headless Body Found in Topless Bar”
marmitetoasty on May 13 at 2:46 p.m.
NOT SHOWING ME CHICKENS THIS PICTURE… NOPE NOPE NOPE…

now having to go to bed with that vision in me head…. so, fanks a lot Davieboy, if I have nightmares, remember, I knows where you live …

x
JeanC on May 13 at 2:49 p.m.
Not yet.
JeanieSpokane on May 13 at 2:54 p.m.
Well, just great. Now chicken is off my menu. Ick. Since we are on the topic of headless wonders, my brother just sent me an email about: The tiny phorid fly. These tiny little flies divebomb INTO fire ants and then lay eggs inside them that hatch into little maggots that travel up to their tiny little fire ant brains and eat ant brains until the ants, who now are brainless, walk around for a couple weeks until their heads fall off and out pops a new little phorid fly that immediately starts the process all over. Now if we can just harness that and maybe aim it at other pests, like politicians… .
Sisyphus on May 13 at 2:58 p.m.
My thoughts exactly Mike.
danofthecommunity on May 13 at 2:59 p.m.
Have you ever chopped a chicken’s head off?

No but I did stay in Holiday Inn Express once…
JeanieSpokane on May 13 at 3:00 p.m.
Hey! We have latest comments back! Woo Hoo Ryan!
Cabbage Boy on May 13 at 3:09 p.m.
Dave, I wouldn’t open any “presents” or packages from England if I were you.
DFO on May 13 at 3:09 p.m.
Don’t look now, but “Recent Comments” are back, and — knock on wood — the main comments thread is flying. You’re right, JeanieS — Blogmeister Ryan deserves a monster H/T.
DFO on May 13 at 3:10 p.m.
>Dave, I wouldn’t open any “presents” or packages from England if I were you — Cabbage Boy.<

Gulp, I forgot about Marmie. (Ah, no chickens were hurt or killed in the making of this post.)
JohnA on May 13 at 3:18 p.m.
A chicken? I thought Ichabod was a Crane.
JohnA on May 13 at 3:23 p.m.
I understand the rest of the chicken didn’t make it very long, deciding to quit while it was a head.
mike_s on May 13 at 5:09 p.m.
That photograph was taken during the Dr. Walter Freeman era. Strange times indeed.
Stickman on May 13 at 7:44 p.m.
Any animal that loses his or her head in the name of a good meal is disgusting to me. But of course, it’s just me. As for the question, I have never killed an animal for food or for fun. In Vietnam, when I was a very young man, once in awhile an animal would penetrate our perimeter and all hell would break out. Rock apes, stray cattle and wild pigs would happen upon us. Then, like I said, all hell would break loose and we would find pieces and blood in the morning. I always felt sad for them, but never the enemy.
Escapee on May 13 at 11:22 p.m.
At first, I thot it was a Hanford chicken. Thanks for setting me straight.
marmitetoasty on May 14 at 12:19 a.m.
To late Davieboy…….. your cards are mark lol

x
marmitetoasty on May 14 at 12:21 a.m.
‘marked ‘even… gawds sake.

x

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.