After a month of tremendous loss at Golden Hills Farm, I’m reminded that little surprises can bring hope at any time! Yesterday a hen and five chicks emerged from somewhere — a welcome sign that life goes on.

For the past month we’ve been one step behind several predators. Remember those adorable new Spring Chickens? ALL of them are gone — thanks to some low-life member of the food chain. We know there have been hawks, but we also suspect a weasel has made a horrible impact on the flock. We’ve found at least three carcasses, and are missing about seven other chickens, including the adorable Spring Chicks and their mother.

Needless to say, we’ve gone from getting between 6-9 eggs a day down to 2. Something has been eating the eggs, also, because I find eggshells near the coop. We found a small hole that went from inside the pen to just outside the fence, which made us suspect a weasel. Any thoughts, chicken friends?

Truett, our Golden Retriever/White Shepherd now has some new babies to obsess over. He’s as worried as the Mother Hen when it comes to his little chicks — and so are we. That’s why last night I dropped a towel over the mom and babies and put them all in a safe, secure “nursery” inside our workshop where no hawks, weasels or other unwelcome creatures can get them.

However, it would be a bummer if these were five little roosters, because they will for sure have a short life before they are key ingredients to chicken soup.