The circle of life?

We have been letting our 6 week old chicks out a little every day to get used to free-ranging.  They've been doing really well!  They all stayed together, all 15 of them.  The adult hens were even beginning to accept them into the herd.

Saturday evening, John and I attended a surprise party for a couple to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.  We were about an hour after dark when we got home.  We headed straight out to the coop to lock up all of our birds and were met with a sad situation.  Something, probably a coon, killed all of our chicks except two of them.  One of our adult hens was also injured.  I was devastated!  All of these beautiful, sweet birds were just bit in the head and left on the ground.  Thirteen birds....gone.....just like that.

After a few choice words, John was digging out the traps..............one lucky predator met his maker this morning.  Hopefully, another one tomorrow.   It's a lot of work to hatch your own birds and care for them until the time to turn them "out".  To lose them like this is sickening. 

Ok, I've vented....I guess it's just the circle of life, eh? 

Peace