The first hard lesson

I'm sure it won't be the last, although hopefully the last of its kind.

Unfortunately, our chicken housing concerns had revolved more around weather than the abundant wily predators. To make it short, there were only 3 chickens when I went to let them out today. All that was left was a handful of feathers, barely noticeable outside the coop, in a shadowy corner of the barn. Little did I know that as I took pictures of them frolicking in the yard on Saturday, that it would be one of the last times we saw the little black one, front and center in the photo.

It was a frustrating (although I suppose not surprising) reminder that it's not all fun and games - there will be hard stuff to deal with. And predators (likely a raccoon in this case) don't take breaks or give you a head start. I realize it is not very "farm-like" to get sentimental about a chicken. I think the most disheartening part is that these creatures rely on us not just for food, fresh air and clean water everyday - but also for their protection. And we failed them. Tonight, we finally finished making the coop secure against the biggest threats.