A farmer and his featherless chicken.

Nicholas Ochiko, a farmer in Kakamega county, the pains of having to cover his hen with a blanket every brooding season is becoming too much to bear. He has had to keep the hen under a tight watch since others in the spacious compound keep pecking her - probably on the thought of a large piece of meat moving around. The hen - hatched in March 2015 with five others- bothers him not only with the brooding challenge, but also with the ridicule of his witty neighbors who keep taunting them about the strange bird. It also leaves the house at around 8am and returns as early as 4pm, meaning that someone has to be home early to ensure the hen gets to its nest to avoid the cold weather. Ochiko, a resident of Mwibwi village, Matawa sub-location, Mumias is appealing to government to help him understand why the hen has remained featherless since it was hatched. "The other five chicks it was hatched with were normal. They had full feathers. But this one had little feathers around its neck, head and wings. Those on the neck and part of the wings have withered off," Ochiko said. It started laying eggs in September 2015. We keenly observed to see the type of chicks it would hatch. They came out normal with feathers despite the condition of their mother," he explains. The hen has hatched twice and is in the third phase of laying eggs. Lilian Andeso, Ochiko's wife said that the hen normally lays eight eggs, which it tends well - failing to hatch one or two every season it broods. She says the family was shocked at first when the chick was hatched without feathers. "We observed it grow without knowing whether it was a hen or a cock; until it started laying eggs. That is when we established that it was a hen," said Andeso. "I think it feels cold and waits until there is sunshine before it can leave the house. The hen also fears being touched on the skin," she adds and prefers wandering alone.The family wants the hen acquired by the livestock department for use in demonstrations at agricultural forums. Mumias sub-county livestock development officer Antony Mwangi said it was normal to have such a hen. "The coding for feathers was suppressed genetically, leading to hormonal deficiency," the vet said. culled from the-star.co.ke