Mink

Mink are identified in the account of the Rantz family farm’s worsening fortunes in Sequim during the fall of the financial crash. Their repeated incursions into the henhouse killed dozens of chickens and reduced the farm’s egg income, adding a second blow to a household already losing money from its dairy operation.

Repeated Incursions

Two weeks after wild dogs began chasing the Rantz family’s cows around the farm, minks entered the henhouse and killed dozens of chickens. A few nights later, they returned and did it again. The account describes repeated losses over a short span, rather than a single intrusion.

Consequences for the Farm

The chickens’ eggs provided income for the household; after the attacks, that money dwindled. The losses followed the disruption of the dairy operation, where exhausted cows had stopped producing milk. In this sequence, the minks’ presence marks another pressure on the farm’s already fragile livelihood, as successive losses to its principal sources of income accumulated.