I went up to the barn at dusk like I usually do to shut my birds in only to find a raccoon leaving the coop area in my barn. Two chicks missing and when I went to find Peaches (she was a granddaughter of a hat trick) she had just been killed. I can't believe this. My daughter was going to show her this year for the first time. We had her four years. I know I can't replace her as the breedline she was the hatching eggs are just too expensive. And no one in my area that is close breeds them any more. I had bought her from someone in Taneytown, MD but I hear she does not breed silkies any more.
She was our LAST silkie. We had a gorgeous black one that dropped dead (was not ill just died) and the pretty white one we had was also taken out by a predator because I got home 30 minutes past dark and it was too late (lost two hens that night). I just have to re examine how I can prevent this. I've had enough of the bird losses due to predators.