Hen Chronicles: For Nala, the molt comes to an end

For a while, there, I wasn’t sure I’d live to see it: Nala, our Barred Rock hen, fully feathered once again.

When Nala went into her molt several weeks ago, I wasn’t exactly shocked. I’d read up on this annual denuding of chickens, which occurs when they lose their feathers, usually in the fall. But I was appalled nonetheless, partly because I’d never seen a chicken molt before and partly because our other hens - Snow and Stella - were not going through this indignity . . . yet.

First, Nala’s fanny feathers fell out - all of them - leaving her with a bare tush. Then, just as tiny new butt feathers began to emerge, her neck went bare. As feathers fell from a wing or her breast, new ones popped out on her head or her back.

She looked like a stuffed toy that had been partially destroyed by a roughhousing terrier, and she obviously was uncomfortable, shying away from the other hens and peering up at her humans as if she expected us to set things right.

But now, as the truly cold weather begins to set in, Nala is her old self once again. Or, I should say, her old self clad in brand new togs, to keep her warm during the months ahead. She’s fluffy and beautiful, with no bare spots and a renewed sense of self-confidence.