Shelley Botts spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival in October.She lives in Columbia and raises chickens in her backyard and calls herself “The Hen Wife.” She shared some stories of her unusual brood, and the strong personalities that come out in the aptly named “Betty trio.”

Shelley Botts: “Crooked Betty – the biggest character I've ever had in my flock.”

Missouri on Mic is an oral history and journalism project from KBIA staff and students documenting stories of Missourians in the state's 200th year. Catch new episodes on KBIA 91.3 FM and KBIA.org every Monday at 8:45 AM during Morning Edition or at 4:45 PM during All Things Considered.Special thanks to the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) and True False Film Fest for partnering with KBIA on this series, and to Missouri Humanities and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) for their support for the series. Big thanks to the Burney Sisters for providing music for the project. You can follow the Burney Sisters on https://www.facebook.com/TheBurneySisters or learn more at https://theburneysisters.comTo learn more about the story behind this collaborative project and how to produce something similar in your community, check out our Tool Box website here.

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Shelley Botts: “Crooked Betty – the biggest character I've ever had in my flock.”

Shelley Botts: “Crooked Betty – the biggest character I've ever had in my flock.”