I received the text from my brother at 1:12 PM this afternoon. I had just sat down to enjoy my lunch when the bad news came. The text said it plain and simple "black cat ate one of the white chickens....."
My father had let the chicks run loose in the yard just as they had yesterday. He then went out and returned an hour later to find one of the Golden Comets missing. He searched the entire yard with my brother until they finally spotted under the patio stairs was a small pile of feathers and a severed chicken leg. A stray black cat was seen running from the yard when they came out to investigate.
The chick never had a chance. It was very disheartening, especially when I had dreaded this day and hoped it would never come. I hadn't even gotten the chance to name her yet. There is one good thing to come of this though. I am determined now to finally finish the chicken coop I had started and construct a run for them to safely dig around without another incident. Until today I had been putting it off; telling myself that they are still small and they wouldn't need to be placed in a coop or need a run. Now I know better.
RIP Unnamed Chick
Sorry for your loss. That's the hardest part of keeping chickens -- lots of predators.
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