Chicken Casualties

So, I'm rather sad.  We've been keeping Chickens now for over 2 years.  I really enjoy them, they are funny, entertaining, and give the best eggs.  When we first started keeping chickens we had a big issue with the local foxes using us for their dinner buffet... we lost several chickens before we figured out how to fox-proof our coop and run.  However, in the past year the foxes seemed to have disappeared and we hadn't had any issues or incidents.  So, I'll admit, we had gotten quite lax about chicken security.

mmmmm... watermelon!

Unfortunately, the foxes found us again this past week.  We lost 4 of the 6 chickens we had. :( I'm so sad! We lost one of my favorites.  She was this cute little Ameraucana  that had been in our flock for over a year now, when we first got her she was this scraggly, picked on, runt of a pullet.  But over the past year she's really matured into a beautiful bird.  She found her place in the flock and wasn't getting picked on anymore.  Sadly, the foxes got her.  I'm going to miss her cute little green eggs.

We are down to two hens now, one of the Barred Rock hens that we've had for a very long time it seems (longest time we've had a chicken!), and a large plump brown/speckled hen that I haven't a clue what her breed is.

This gal and the one in the background are
the two we have left

The kids always ask every spring if we can buy some chicks to raise up.  Two years ago we got two Rhode Island Red chicks and raised them to pullets, that was a lot of fun (not so much when they discovered how to jump out of their box and run around the kitchen...), unfortunately they became fox dinner right when they were starting to lay.  So I think I'll concede this year and buy some chicks, perhaps 4 of them to bring our flock back up to 6.  I wonder what breeds the stores will have.... Hmmmmm

So fluffy!!!