Now you see her...now you don't!

Our most beautiful hen, Ling Ling, the Chinese Langshan, is going through her yearly "change" a.k.a. MOULT...and it ain't pretty!
(click on the elongated box to see her photo)
Farmer Jeff called me at work in a panic the other day."Oh my God, Hon, when was the last time you saw Ling-Ling in the light?" I am on night duty which includes locking them up, but these days they girls have gone to bed by the time I get home in the evening. "Well, just the other day, WHY?" "OH MY GOD", he says, she is NAKED. She looks like she fell out of the meat case at the grocery store!"

Now THAT is a problem. Without seeing her I went ahead and arranged to take her to the vet. YES, I am one of those silly city folk masquerading as a farm girl that would consider spending money by taking a chicken to the vet instead of just wringing its neck. I am a softie.

I also tried to imagine how in the world to keep her warm and decided upon creating a cape for her out of a polar fleece jacket that we were getting rid of. I even had my mother in law trying to figure out what shape to make it. I have totally corrupted by one of my favorite websites: www.chickenssuit.com
Check it out!

Anyway, I came home to see her and discovered that she is moulting. Poor Farmer Jeff was a little embarrassed, but he still can't look at her! We only had one hen last year that moulted and when SHE moulted, I made Farmer Jeff take her to the vet. The vet just laughed and told him that she was moulting.

We ended up moving Ling-Ling out of the main coop and put her in a cage in the garage. The other girls were just brutal and kept pecking at her and actually making her bleed. Once I saw that I just grabbed Ling-Ling and took her to the garage. She is not happy there, has escaped once only to be re-captured. Poor little Ling-Ling. She will survive. (Isn't there a song like that from the late 70's?)(click on the very little box to see the picture)

I'll take another photo once she is fluffed out again!