Losses

Life of a homesteader/farmer/gardener - whatever you may be, is not accurate without some losses. Unfortunately some are hit worse than others. My turn came around last week. I was doing my morning chores, and when I got to the Banty house, I found my poor little May and June massacred in the worst way. A skunk had been hanging around the place for the last couple weeks, and that was the varmint that did the dastardly deed. He had dug under the cage, took what he wanted and left. So I buried my little chickens, feeling horribly responsible for their death. Some improvements were made around the place after the loss, the rabbit cages were given a bottom, and lifted off the ground. And now I carry them grass instead of them being able to graze. But better that way than to have dead rabbits too. Also I close both chicken doors at night now, so it stays a bit stuffy but nothing could get inside. Its a sad loss, but it could have been a lot worse. I heard about a lady that had 25 pheasants ready for slaughter the next day, and that night a fox got in and killed every last one of them! I will leave a live trap set for the rest of the summer, hoping for no more preventable losses around here.