Poor Black Beauty...

I have sad news today, but before I can share it - I have to give a little background and tell you that we got some little chicks last spring. (I was such a lousy blogger for SO long, I just never got around to sharing that info...) Here are some pictures that I kept meaning to post.

Katrina with her chick, Goldie

Another shot of Goldie - resting IN the food...
Caleb holding his little black chick, Hopper

Caleb staring intently at all 5 chicks - 2 red (little Ann and Big Red), 2 black(hopper and Black Beauty), and one yellow (Goldie)

Anyway, they have been fun and entertaining. They are now 6 months old and we are getting plenty of eggs (have given away several dozen too, when we can't fit more in the fridge) Goldie lays the white eggs and the rest lay brown.


When they first started laying, they didn't seem to like the nesting box and we got to go on a lot of "Easter egg hunts." One afternoon, I saw Little Ann up in my Bluebeard's Blue Mist Spirea bush.

Here is a photo of the nest we found.

They have actually been really quite tame, - not loving all the attention they get, but tolerating it for the most part.

Here is Bryan holding his chicken. She has changed names LOTS of times. Big Red, Red, Billy Bob Joe, and her current name is "Robert."

And here is Caleb holding Black Beauty. (We put little colored bands on their legs so we could tell them apart)

So, background in place, here is the SAD NEWS. They didn't get shut into their pen last night (My fault, I was being lazy and they've been left out before and nothing happened...) An animal of some kind got Black Beauty. (she was my chick) At first I thought it was Jasmine, but I really don't think it was. It was too neatly done, and the Hen was really well buried. It was sad.

I know it's "just a chicken..."

but for us... it is sad.