Bizarre Missouri Ghost Story: Chickens and Their Bells

Since I grew up in Missouri and have spent the majority of my life there, I thought I had heard every ghost story there was that involved the Show Me State, but I've just learned I was very wrong. There's a new one about putting bells on chickens and it might just be the most bizarre of them all.

I just came across this curious video short on YouTube that I thought was just completely made up out of nothing, but have learned there is a real history in Missouri involving putting bells on chickens. Behold for yourself.

Is there any truth to this tall tale about putting bells on chickens in Missouri?

I had heard that some Missouri farmers will put bells on chickens, but it's not for supernatural reasons. Bells can be a training tool or be used to ward off predators that get spooked when they would get near chicken coops, the birds get flustered by the predator and start running around and then the bells do their thing. That's not what this story teller is trying to say, though.

I suspect this is a twist on the old (and false) witch bell thing that you can still find on Amazon. Some of those who delve into the dark arts think these bells will ward off evil spirits. The key word is "think". Don't even get me started on what it really takes to battle the darkness. That's a story for a different day. However, it appears that there are some who do put bells on chickens in Missouri to protect themselves from "evil". If that is what makes you happy, good luck catching the chickens to do bell installation.