Three of our baby chicks have died. One was stolen out of the coop by a mysterious predator. One flew over the divider that separated it from the older chicks and either died of a heart attack or was killed by the older chickens. And now, the small little bantam barred rock was killed by the other chicks.
Nature is cruel.
Austin just gave the chicks some treats (watermelon and cantaloupe rinds) and gave the chicks an evil eye. Who would've thought they would've done that to their own?
I am choosing to believe that in their little huddle of feathers, where they basically jump on top of each other to sleep as close to each other as possible, the little bantam got suffocated. Then in the morning they pecked her (chickens are cannibals when given the chance, unfortunately). The other option is that they intentionally killed her. That would be totally merciless, picking on the little guy just because they could.
All three of the chicks we have lost were barred rocks, which were Austin's favorite kind. He's in mourning for his favorites. Did I mention nature is cruel?
