Red fox crisis ... Please help!

Hi. I am a very happy chicken farmer but fairly new (one year) and I am afraid I may have to give it up. I am heartbroken!

We have a fox who has carried off five of my seven hens. My husband says maybe it's time to get rid of the remainder and move forward but I am just sick over it!!! Some pertinent facts:
- my flock free ranges and I don't want to change that. I will probably abandon chicken keeping before penning them up. I can't explain how happy it makes me to have them clucking round the garden and they are not happy cooped up.
- we have a rooster, Chip, who is a good rooster but no match for a fox.
- I've read the red fox forum but it mostly seemed to say they are voracious eaters and "good luck!"
- I read something there about guardian dogs, particularly Maremmo sheepdogs and I am pleading with my husband to relent and let us get a puppy.
- we have a rough collie, Sundar, who is also apparently no match for a fox!

Please respond with any sort of encouragement you can provide me ... I just learned about the murder of "Sophie" my beloved cuckoo Maran and am feeling quite raw. I'm just devastated. Thanks so much in advance,
Lisa

The last couple of years we've had a fox problem also. I bought electric poultry netting and surrounded a large area so they can get out of their pen and go peck around the yard. It's not the same as when they were able to range over several acres but it keeps them safe. A dog is not an option for us.

New fox moved in seen this am. The "Big House" has hardware cloth everywhere. Nothing can penetrate at night. Also have a baby monitor to hear any issues. Nursery coop for 3 month old chicks only protected by chicken wire and our three dogs. (one is too 'efficient' at chasing chickens). Four 20-week old Red sexlinks are under our bedroom window in a rabbit cage. Will surround with wire and cow bell to deter fox. Will place wire under the other cage with the 15 birds in it. Red sex links easy to handle and very sweet. They are stupid about predators, however. Not good free range birds because breeder cut their beaks and they have trouble eating and foraging. I plan to try to fix the beaks back to close to standard. Slow process.

Is shooting it an option?


I'm in Southern CT as well, and about to start my coop build. I already know that we have a fox, I've seen him several times walking across the back yard in the after noon. I will not hesitate to take out the .22 and take him down if he comes near my coop. I also have 2 small children and I don't like that this fox comes around in the afternoon when they are in the yard playing.

From the CT D.E.E.P
Trapping and Hunting
Foxes are classified as furbearer species, and thus Connecticut has established regulated hunting and trapping seasons. Hunting and trapping can be used to regulate fox populations while providing recreational opportunities for sportsmen and women. Nationally, millions of dollars are generated every year from fox pelt harvests. The silky, dense fur of the red fox is more valued than the fur of the gray fox, which is coarse and thin. Live-trapping and relocating foxes is not recommended because the state's fox population and fox "problems" are widespread, and relocated foxes can cause problems in new locations. Removing problem foxes through trapping or hunting is only recommended during designated seasons or in situations where individual foxes show a pattern of preying on livestock.

The problem with killing a predator is that another predator is going to take over the territory. It's a cycle that really has no end. That is why I like my electric netting. A normal fox will sniff netting to check it out before jumping it or digging under. Fox gets zapped. Fox avoids that area. If I kill fox then other fox moves in, maybe a wiser fox who might figure out he could jump that netting.

As long as you free range you stand the chance of losing some birds. If not a fox, then coyote, hawk, raccoon, fisher, mink, weasel, stray dog, and so on. I have lost birds to everything on that list. You can remove the offender but another will move in.

As for a livestock guardian dog, they are NOT for everyone. A lot of research should go into them before that route is considered.

Electrified poultry netting is great stuff. I am convinced that it is the best stuff when it comes to predators.

On the other hand, poultry survived many years without it. SO it comes down to you and how many losses you can stand.

Shooting predators is very fun (at least for me) and I do it every chance I get. Predator Funnels are real, but it maintains the fun, and chicken issues.

Free Range, gotta take the good with the bad. It's like everything else in life, Balance. There is no perfect solution, just gotta find what works for you.

Free range= free food for predators.. period... accept the fact that losses are part of chickening.....if you let em loose. we have 13 girls on 3 acres. let em out daily around 2, have had 1 fox show it's face month ago, I promptly fired a 12 guage shotgun at it's face, was about 40 yrds away, likely hit it.. it's not been back.. son heard a fisher cat last night.. barking...that's why I keep a .22 semi rifle and a 20 guage high brass #2 shot (designed for geese) within quick reach... our coop is very well made, 10x20 run enclosed with 1/2 in hardware cloth


so far, we have not lost a bird, they were born in March, eggs coming soon

wamtazlady said:

The last couple of years we've had a fox problem also. I bought electric poultry netting and surrounded a large area so they can get out of their pen and go peck around the yard. It's not the same as when they were able to range over several acres but it keeps them safe. A dog is not an option for us.

Click to expand...

X2. I lost a bunch of birds to the fox. Premier's electrified poultry net has been the answer for me too. Started with 350' of it. Liked it so much, I bought 300' more. The chickens get out every day, and have a big safe area to roam around in, and I don't have to worry about them. The netting is probably one of the best things I've done for my birds.

Belletower said:

Hi. I am a very happy chicken farmer but fairly new (one year) and I am afraid I may have to give it up. I am heartbroken!

We have a fox who has carried off five of my seven hens. My husband says maybe it's time to get rid of the remainder and move forward but I am just sick over it!!! Some pertinent facts:
- my flock free ranges and I don't want to change that. I will probably abandon chicken keeping before penning them up. I can't explain how happy it makes me to have them clucking round the garden and they are not happy cooped up.
- we have a rooster, Chip, who is a good rooster but no match for a fox.
- I've read the red fox forum but it mostly seemed to say they are voracious eaters and "good luck!"
- I read something there about guardian dogs, particularly Maremmo sheepdogs and I am pleading with my husband to relent and let us get a puppy.
- we have a rough collie, Sundar, who is also apparently no match for a fox!

Please respond with any sort of encouragement you can provide me ... I just learned about the murder of "Sophie" my beloved cuckoo Maran and am feeling quite raw. I'm just devastated. Thanks so much in advance,
Lisa

Click to expand...

Be advised that a livestock guardian dog is of little use unless it is raised with the poultry it is intended to protect, and if it is able to promote the realistic fear in your fox of receiving as violent a death from the jaws of the dog, as the fox dishes out to your hens. Farming is the taming and subjugation of nature to the will of humans. There is no middle ground in this respect. Until you can embrace that truth, perhaps you should consider gathering your eggs at Kroger. Be it predatory foxes or coop mites, the cages and buildings that laying hens are housed in are intended to protect and shelter laying hens from the cruel ravages of nature. But you know that now that you have now witnessed some of those ravages. Fortunately you still have several options.

1. Either go ahead and pen your birds or provide them with some other safe housing alternative. They will be much happier inside of a pen than they are inside of a fox.
2. Fire your lazy dog and get a replacement dog who has a real hankering for freshly mangled fox flesh.
3. Or kill this fox and every other fox, its heirs and successors that dares to show its face in your neighborhood.
4. Perform some combination of the preceding 3 options.

Option 4 is the best way to go because it provides a layered defense without you needing to put all of your eggs into one basket.