Yesterday afternoon we noticed that we were one chick short, and quickly realized that Patty – our favourite! – was missing. After a short search we found a pile of her feathers on the other side of the fence near the top of the yard and worked out that she was killed by the neighbours’ dog. We are absolutely gutted. Patty was the friendliest and most trusting of the whole bunch, and followed us around the yard when we were out working. She even followed me down to the plum trees at the bottom of the yard to keep me company while I picked plums, while the rest of the chickens stayed up in the bushes as a group. If I found a spider inside I could carry her in and she would happily peck it up for me.

This loss has made it clear that our chicken coop needs to be top priority, and we will be buying the fencing and posts today to create a safe enclosure for them. Our neighbour has been very kind about the whole ordeal, and we do not blame the dog or hold any anger towards them. It was an awful accident, but we have learned to be more careful from now on. RIP Patty.