08/24/2026
A post I’ve struggled to write because the rage and sadness is still so fresh. A week ago, the mink that has ravaged our farm for the last month, wiped out our entire flock of pheasants. In a matter of hours they went from flapping happily around their pen to mercilessly slaughtered by a horrible creature who does nothing but kill for sport.
The kids and I had a good cry about it, filled with rage and frustration that despite the traps, despite their perceived safety in the barn, despite everything we’ve tried in desperation to save our birds, it was all gone in an instant.
In hindsight, one benefit of free ranging animals (which the pheasants weren’t and couldn’t ever be due to their wild game nature) is escape. When the mink came into the coop, they could run away (see the photo of chickens now roosting in the pear tree, away from the coop where the mink could strike). When it slinked its horrible body into the pheasant pen, they had nowhere to go. Cue the guilt.
Fortunately (?) the pheasants weren’t ever meant to make money. We were raising them purely for joy. Joy in hearing their wild calls, looking at their beautiful plumage (which was juuuust starting to come in 💔), and thinking of some of the happiest memories we have from times ago. But maybe that makes it worse, I’m not sure. It all feels so bad.
And it’s all gone. It’s too late to start more for the winter, so we now wait to try again next year with hearts broken, sad for the loss of the joy we tried to bring ourselves this year and the horrible and pointless loss of life . And renewed vigour in trying to trap this little bastard and end its rampage on our farm.
So next time you wonder why mink are horrible, no good, very bad animals. Remember this post. Remember the tears of little boys and grown a$$ adults having to clean up the slaughter of innocent little birds who were just trying to grow up and live life.
And please, please, universe, let us catch this little bu**er soon.
