Chicken Wrangler Zombie

Chicken Wrangler Zombie (Chicken Wrangler in the 1.7 update for the iPhone and iPod Touch) is the 14th zombie that appears in the Wild West. When damaged enough, it releases a flock of Zombie Chickens into the row it is on and ones adjacent to it. Otherwise, it is like a Basic Zombie.

Description
The Chicken Wrangler Zombie has a red-colored chicken-like hairstyle that extends up to its nape. For its outfit, the Chicken Wrangler Zombie has a tattered orange handkerchief tied on to its neck. Next, it wears gloves on both hands with the left one being torn, exposing the index finger. It straps on a bailing wire around its body filled with Zombie Chickens. For its attire, it wears a green colored tattered shirt and a blue colored jumpers with muds and stains on its left and right legs and on its groin. The jumper is also tattered, exposing the bone on its right portion of it. Finally, it wears a brown-colored boots.

The Chicken Wrangler Zombie in Food Fight Parties wears a turkey helmet and contains Zombie Turkeys instead strapped on to its bailing wires.

Almanac Entry
TOUGHNESS: Average

SPEED: Basic

Releases a flock of chickens once his baling wire is broken.

Special: summons zombie chickens when damaged

After publishing the fourth study on Ornithology, and four years of research at the Hadron Collider, Chicken Wrangler Zombie has finally solved the riddle of what came first.

Overview
Chicken Wrangler Zombie takes 9.5 normal damage shots. It releases its Zombie Chickens after 3 normal damage shots and loses its arm at 5 shots before dying at 9.5 normal damage shots.

Appearances
Player's House: Piñata Party

Wild West: Days 10, 14, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, and Big Bad Butte

Dark Ages: Piñata Party

Strategies
Although it is not a very tough zombie, it is dangerous once it absorbs three normal shots. This will cause it to release Zombie Chickens on its lane and the lanes adjacent to it. When it releases its Zombie Chickens, use a column of Lightning Reeds to zap every Zombie Chicken. Threepeaters are also a good idea, since their peas can destroy Zombie Chickens in three lanes. To avoid letting it release Zombie Chickens, use a Cherry Bomb below the lane to kill it instantly. Using a Coconut Cannon can also help, although there is a chance it will still release its chickens.

Another good choice is to let any zombie (exception of the Pianist Zombie) eat a Chili Bean, so that it can faint and pass gas to stun the Chicken Wrangler Zombie. As the Chicken Wrangler Zombie releases the chickens in the lanes adjacent to it, do not forget to guard those lanes, in case the Chicken Wrangler comes early in a level. You could also use Spikeweeds and Spikerocks to instantly kill the Zombie Chickens. Bonk Choys are also good against chickens due to its rapid attack. Also, using Plant Food on a Magnifying Grass will instantly kill them, but it will be a waste of Plant Food.

Laser Beans and Fume-shrooms can kill all Zombie Chickens within range with every shot, making them useful when placed behind defensive plants. Planting a Guacodile at the end of a lane with incoming Zombie Chickens is a good idea as well as the rushing attack of the Guacodile will kill all Zombie Chickens in the lane.

A very smart choice is to use an Iceberg Lettuce or Kernel-pult's Plant Food upgrade to stun it. Once it is stunned, it cannot release its Zombie Chickens, even if it is killed. Using plants like the Coconut Cannon is a good choice, along with these two plants to become a massive combo.

In Big Bad Butte, if there are any Chicken Wrangler Zombies, try to plant at least two Lightning Reeds before you plant any other offensive plants, one on the second and one on the fourth row. They deal with Chicken Zombies in three lanes.

Chompers are also inevitably a good counter against this zombie, as they can swallow the zombie without the zombie releasing Zombie Chickens. However, this strategy can only be used when there are no other plants attacking the zombie as when this happens, the Chicken Wrangler Zombie will release Zombie Chickens once it absorbs three normal shots. It shall be noted that even though Chompers can kill the Zombie Chickens without having to swallow it, they need a long time to kill another Zombie Chicken, usually ended up being eaten by the Zombie Chickens before all of them in front of the Chompers are eliminated.

Note: Using any lobbed-shot plants (except Melon-pult and Winter Melon) is not recommended against the Chicken Wrangler Zombie after it releases its flock because their attack speed is slow and the Zombie Chickens are fast. Another thing is, in Big Bad Butte, sometimes it is covered by a Wild West Gargantuar, therefore, making it a much harder time passing levels. When a Chicken Wrangler appears in Big Bad Butte, bring a Lightning Reed in case this happens, as Chicken Wranglers can be just as dangerous as Gargantuars in certain situations.

Trivia

 * The Chicken Wrangler Zombie holds its hands like chicken wings and flaps them while jumping (although it stops jumping and instead walks after releasing its Zombie Chickens), walking and when it dies.
 * While eating, Chicken Wrangler Zombie eats just as its namesake and kicks the plants it eats at the same time.
 * If a Chicken Wrangler Zombie manages to reach your house with its bailing wire intact, its bailing wire and Zombie Chickens will disappear.
 * Chicken Wrangler Zombie is one of the few zombies to have a known education. It studied Ornithology, or the field of birds and their life cycle.
 * The only other zombies with a known education are the Backup Dancer, Dr. Zomboss, Buckethead Mummy, and the Jester Zombie.
 * If it is frozen by an Iceberg Lettuce or a Kernel-pult's butter, and killed while it is still stunned, it will not release its Zombie Chickens.
 * However, instant-kill plants that do fire damage like Cherry Bomb and Jalapeno will still let it release its Zombie Chickens because it undoes the freezing effect.
 * In its description, it says it finally found out what came first. It is referring to the riddle "What came first, the chicken or the egg?".
 * The Chicken Wrangler Zombie, Cowboy Zombie, and its three variants are the only zombies in the game to wear gloves. Of them, Chicken Wrangler Zombie is the only zombie to wear a glove on both hands.
 * It will immediately release its chickens if it encounters any plant.
 * In the 1.7 update for the iPhone and iPod Touch, it is simply called "Chicken Wrangler", but in the Almanac Entry, it is still referred to as "Chicken Wrangler Zombie".
 * It is the only humanoid zombie which appears in the Wild West that does not wear a hat.
 * Lightning Reed can kill it in just ten shots.
 * If a Chicken Wrangler Zombie with its bailing wire still intact encounters Infi-nut's Force Field, the bailing wire will disappear without releasing Zombie Chickens. Once the Force Field disappears, the bailing wire along with its Zombie Chickens will reappear.
 * When it loses its left arm, its bone is not shown like the other zombies. Poncho Zombie is the same.
 * If Chicken Wrangler Zombie is hypnotized after the bailing wire is broken, it will release hypnotized Zombie Chickens.
 * It is the only zombie in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time so far that has red hair.
 * In Food Fight Parties, the Chicken Wrangler Zombie has a Turkey Wrangler costume and releases Zombie Turkeys instead of Zombie Chickens.
 * Even if it is going backwards under the effects of Sweet Potato, it still releases its chickens in forward direction.
 * If killed by a Lawn Mower, it will still release its chickens.
 * After releasing chickens, it can release them once again once eaten the Hypno-shroom.