Chicken Wrangler Zombie

The Chicken Wrangler Zombie (Chicken Wrangler in the 1.7 update for the iPhone and iPod Touch) is the fourteenth 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.

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 10 normal damage shots. It releases its Zombie Chickens after 3 normal damage shots and loses its arm at 5 shots before dying at 10 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 but 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 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. Also, using Plant Food on a Magnifying Grass will instantly kill them, but it will be a waste of Plant Food.

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 it is killed. Using plants like Coconut Cannon is a good choice, along with these two plants 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.

Note: Using any lobbed-shot plants (except Melon-pult and Winter Melon) is not recommeneded 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, 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 whole point of the riddle is meaningless as it is unanswerable because the egg couldn't have happened without the chicken and vice versa, making an infinite loop.
 * 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.
 * 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 chickens.
 * It is the only zombie in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time so far that has red hair.