I’ve been having to travel quite a bit recently for work, and my sweet, wonderful husband has been taking care of the girls full-time. So one phone call, he says, I’m worried about one of your Barred Rocks. I don’t know if the other chickens are pecking her or if she’s sick, but she looks terrible.
Luckily, I had noticed that one of the girls was shedding a lot of feathers the weekend before. So I felt relatively confident when I told him not to worry about it. I was pretty sure one of them had started her molt. As long as she wasn’t acting sick or bleeding, “Don’t sweat it, sugar lips.” Sure enough, I arrived home to this sweet little victim of nature.
Luna.
Totally makes sense. Jenny, Hermione and Minerva are full-feathered, laying and content. Luna goes into a winter molt. Poor dear-she’s weathering it well, though.
Always antisocial, now she seems a little more so. She’s stopped laying-who can blame her. This process looks exhausting.
She was, not surprisingly, a little camera-shy. Especially of her caboose. Again, completely understandable when one has an uncharacteristic bald spot. She really is a hot mess.
I can’t help but wonder when the others will succumb to this annual ritual of renewal. They’re all the same age (almost a year old) so I would think, very soon. They’ve been such rock star chickens! Their egg production didn’t even really slow across the shortest days of winter. Superstars! And although they are a little freaky and stinky, they’re always interesting and sweet. Molting, not revolting…
Such the Like... 
Hi Amy, hahaha This is so funny!!! You are brilliant, and so is Luna – bald spot!!! hahaha 🙂 Marsha 🙂
poor dear dropping feathers in winter. No doubt she’s feeling a bit piqued about that…
*anna
Lordy, I feel a bit like her in my spirit. Maybe I can remember that this is a normal part of being alive.
Do you eat them? I love the flavor of the meat and the eggs, 🙂