One of life's lessons

Monday morning I learned that the chicken tractor was not predator proof. Sunday I saw a strange cat in the neighbor's yard, eyeing my little pullets while they pecked around their pen unconcerned. I spent the next two hours reinforcing said pen. They were so cute-coming over to see what I was doing and hoping I might have something for them. They had finally begun eating out of my hand. They were bigger than in this pic-not even two weeks and they were starting to look like miniature chickens instead of chicks.
I got up Monday morning and peeked out the window, as was becoming my habit, to see them pecking around in the grass-but there was no movement. I saw my favorite one lying in the middle of the pen-taking an early dust bath? No-too long-I ran outside. Two in the pen-one carried off to who knows where.
Apparently, the roof connectors were not sufficient to hold the weight of a stalking predator. Several gave way. I'm not over it. I'm actually hoping it was a racoon and not some fat, bored cat.