Could a chicken survive without a head?

Answer 1

Pilgrim's Pride is the major source for KFC's chicken, especially in the Southeast. The story about so called chickens kept alive with tubes in the body and no heads or feet is so outlandish that it's funny. First, that type of chicken would cost so much that KFC would have to go out of the chicken business. It's just too much work for one chicken. I have seen some of the farms in Georgia that are contracted to Pilgrim's Pride, and the owners proudly tell you that their birds are going to Kentucky Fried Chicken. The birds are commercial broilers kept in long houses and carefully watched over by the farmer and maybe two other people, but generally the farmer can handle it on his own. Chickens always have access to food and water, and air is circulated and cooled or heated so that the chicks are not stressed during their rapid growing period. Just don't listen to these fanciful urban legends.

Answer 2

Yes, a chicken can survive for a short period of time without its head due to the brainstem controlling essential functions such as breathing and heart rate. However, the chicken will eventually die from blood loss or infection if not treated.

Answer 3

A chicken can survive. Also discussed on the factual quiz programme QI, a Guinness World Record and a whole industry has been built around a chicken nicknamed 'Mike' that survived nearly 2 years without a head. See link below.

Answer 4

No, without a brain, there would be no control over muscle stimulation, breathing, heart rate or digestion.