Fox…Edit: Wile E Coyote

[Disheygirl]

We have a fox Who appears to be very comfy in our yard. Our coop cam catches him (or her) nightly just sauntering around our back yard and right next to the house. Not slinking…just chilling in the yard and against the house. The chickens are secure in a concrete-slab coop (which is a wood-built - not junk wood) shed we turned into a coop. Windows are hw cloth, door is a human door with a knob, chicken door is Omlet and attached to a secure run, no gaps and I haven’t seen any signs of digging or chewing on the wood.

We have two big dogs that kill small animals. Not that a fox is small, but if they were able to reach it, it would be dead. I’m surprised it still comes around…anywhere from 9pm to 5am…and the dogs go out up until midnight most nights.

Is this just a reality of owning chickens, or should I try to get rid of it (coyote pee? Human pee? Sounds gross to put pee everywhere but I don't know…I’m not going to kill it)? I make sure they’re secure and life goes on? I almost want to feed it away from the house but I know that’s bad…I don’t want to attract more. I also don’t want it hungry so it tries to get my chickens. We also have rabbits that live in hutches with Omlet runs when it’s spring and fall (hot summer and super cold winter they are in our temp-controlled garage). The hutches are secure but I don’t want them terrorized…and the Omlet doors are closed at night so they can’t get eaten through the tunnel or in a run.

The blue bldg is the coop - the other one is the original that I use for their heated water and food and dust bath…they aren’t in there at night. There is a HW cloth tunnel that connects the blue coop to the chicken yard and 2nd coop.

 

[sourland]

That's a coyote - not a fox.

 

[McChooky]

Yep.Coyote.

 

[Disheygirl]

Oh great. We have both, then, because this is one I took during the day from the same room where the camera is (my office). Should I put the hot wire up around the coop? My husband wants to shoot it…we live on an acre and a half with a neighbor fairly close to the back yard. Maybe I can get the state to trap and release…I hate to kill wild animals but if that thing goes after my birds, I’ll make an exception.

 

[cmom]

I have hot wires around my coops and pens and lots of predators. Here they mostly roam at night. They know the hot wires are there.

 

[McChooky]

Oh great. We have both, then, because this is one I took during the day from the same room where the camera is (my office). Should I put the hot wire up around the coop? My husband wants to shoot it…we live on an acre and a half with a neighbor fairly close to the back yard. Maybe I can get the state to trap and release…I hate to kill wild animals but if that thing goes after my birds, I’ll make an exception.

I don't anyone to shoot predators if they have neighbors close by. An electric fence is much safer and will prevent them from coming in your yard.

 

[Battlepants]

I can't speak on experience with wild animals, but a we have an electric fence that goes around our chicken yard to stop our dogs from harassing the chickens. They learn pretty quick where not to go and that lesson sure seems to stick.

Another theory I heard is motion sensor lighting - a lot of your night predators really like the ambush style of hunting and a sudden blast of light gives away their position and can scare them off.

 

[Disheygirl]

I don't anyone to shoot predators if they have neighbors close by. An electric fence is much safer and will prevent them from coming in your yard.

Agreed. They aren’t close enough for a stray bullet but the noise isn’t something a neighbor would want to hear at 2am.

Haven’t seen the dude on camera for a few days and there isn’t any coop disturbance - no claw or teeth marks…maybe he was just passing through. Either way, when it gets warm enough (soil thaws) to put the grounding rod in, the fence is going up.

 

[McChooky]

A fox has to eat a lot of small meals to keep its belly full. (it has a small stomach) Predators have to hunt where they've successfully hunted and killed prey before in order to survive. If your chickens are protected they're forced to move along sooner or later & hunt elsewhere.

 

[Denisea3465]

Oh great. We have both, then, because this is one I took during the day from the same room where the camera is (my office). Should I put the hot wire up around the coop? My husband wants to shoot it…we live on an acre and a half with a neighbor fairly close to the back yard. Maybe I can get the state to trap and release…I hate to kill wild animals but if that thing goes after my birds, I’ll make an exception.

Oh goodness, this is/was a conundrum. I am sorry but that fox is just beautiful. I can't help it, I love foxes so much. We have a fox family that lives right behind our property, as well.

I am amazed that with a coyote and a fox hanging around, that your chickens are all safe and that they don't seem bothered by your dogs! You have a wildlife park in your yard! Did they move along? Did you ever see them again?