Musings of a Teen Scribe
Crazy Chicken Lady
By Tiffany Beumer 

Those who go out catching night crawlers, are usually into fishing; my family is into chickens. You read that right, my mom is becoming known as "the crazy chicken lady." I showed chickens for eight years, in that time I thought I had a lot of knowledge on the subject. Recently I have found that you can never know everything there is to know. My mom has been doing some reading on chickens and has given me some very interesting facts that I would like to share. 

First off if you didn't already know a hen does not need a rooster to lay an egg, unless you want chicks of course. A hen lays an egg every twenty four to twenty six hours. When it comes to gardening, eggs are great! When starting seedlings you can use a half of an egg shell to start them in. Egg shells can also be broken up and spread on your garden to help grow your plants. 

Did you know that when you get eggs from a grocery store they are already around six weeks old? Eggs can last up to three months being refrigerated. If you are concerned if your eggs are still safe to eat there are ways to check them before throwing them away. Fill a glass with water and place one egg in it at a time, if the egg floats it is bad, but if it sinks it is safe to eat; even if it is lifted just a little off of the bottom. 

When feeding chickens, most people will just go to a store and just buy grain feed. Chickens will eat almost anything, and most of these things are great for a chicken’s health. Several herbs can be used to make a chicken’s life a little safer for them. Mint can be used as an insecticide and rodent repellent. Marigolds are good for making the egg yolk orange, as well as being an insect repellent. Lavender can be used to relieve stress. Chickens also love bread, fruit, veggies, weeds from a garden, dried meal worms, and night crawlers.

My mom is the most caring person I know, not only to humans but also our pets. Every morning when she goes out to feed her chickens she sings to them, and that is no joke. I've joked with her that she feeds her chickens better than she feeds my dad and me. She will cut up all kinds of fruits and vegetables to make them easier for her chickens to eat. All of the facts mentioned above, she does for her chickens! She is proud to be known as the "crazy chicken lady" and she will tell you that with a smile on her face, followed by her infamous laugh. Now on any rainy night you can find us with a flashlight and a bucket, out catching some night crawlers. For those of you wondering, my dad, also known as the "saugeye slayer," still does use those night crawlers to get a big catch! 

Want to say “hi” to Tiffany, or ask her a question? She can be reached here.

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