Fox Killed All But 1 Chicken

[Apatch]

Hi everyone,

This morning, within less than an hour of letting my chickens out at 7:30, a fox came and killed 5 of my chickens. We didn't hear anything! I looked out the window (the coop is right behind my house) and saw the fox outside of the chicken's fence and all the dead chickens inside. I ran outside and screamed at it and it ran away. I came back a little while later and I yelled at it again and it ran off. I picked up and buried all of them and then noticed one was still alive. She was laying an egg and in the coop and was left unharmed. I have shut her inside the coop. The fox must have got into the fence by squeezing between the gate and the gate post. The fence is 6' high and the gate is 4' but has a piece on top to make it 6'. I am not sure what to do now and really upset and shocked. I had a chicken die back in August and had a necropsy done and she had Coryza so I assume they all have it. I also was in the process of treating SLM and had just treated them with ivermectin and treated and cleaned the coop. I just don't know what to do with my remaining chicken and I feel like with the disease issues I shouldn't get anymore (I actually was just planing on letting everyone live out their lives and not getting anymore chickens), but she is only 3 and I know they are social animals. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry too for the ramble. I am really upset. Thank you.

 

[NatJ]

I feel like with the disease issues I shouldn't get anymore (I actually was just planing on letting everyone live out their lives and not getting anymore chickens), but she is only 3 and I know they are social animals. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry too for the ramble. I am really upset. Thank you.

Unfortunately, I don't see any good solutions here. I see several things you could do, but every one of them has major problems.

You could keep just the one hen alone (not good, because she would be alone).

You could get some more chickens to keep the one company (not good, because of the disease issues.)

You could try to rehome the surviving hen (really not good, because of spreading diseases.)

You could dispatch/euthanize this one hen (very sad for you, but "solves" the loneliness and disease issues.)

I don't know what to recommend, just listing out the options I see. Sometimes making a list will help make the "right" answer obvious, and other times it doesn't help much.

 

[Apatch]

Unfortunately, I don't see any good solutions here. I see several things you could do, but every one of them has major problems.

You could keep just the one hen alone (not good, because she would be alone).

You could get some more chickens to keep the one company (not good, because of the disease issues.)

You could try to rehome the surviving hen (really not good, because of spreading diseases.)

You could dispatch/euthanize this one hen (very sad for you, but "solves" the loneliness and disease issues.)

I don't know what to recommend, just listing out the options I see. Sometimes making a list will help make the "right" answer obvious, and other times it doesn't help much.

Thank you for your reply. Yes, these are the issues I see too.
I do have a pig. I know that sound funny, but I don't know if they could be kept together and maybe be companions?
One other idea is someone I know found a chicken a year ago and they just feed it and it roost in a tree and is on its own too. I don't know if we could take that chicken and maybe treat it for ectoparasites and try to put them together or if they would fight. Maybe that would be more humane than buying one?
I also don't know how long I should keep my remaining one locked up in the coop? She is used to roaming around a pretty big fenced in area. Thank you again for your reply.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, these are the issues I see too.

I do have a pig. I know that sound funny, but I don't know if they could be kept together and maybe be companions?

I don't know enough about pigs to say one way or the other.
I've heard of pigs killing chickens, and I've seen chickens in a large pen with several pigs and no obvious issues, so I suspect it depends on the pig and the chicken.

One other idea is someone I know found a chicken a year ago and they just feed it and it roost in a tree and is on its own too. I don't know if we could take that chicken and maybe treat it for ectoparasites and try to put them together or if they would fight. Maybe that would be more humane than buying one?

That is an interesting thought.
They will almost certainly fight a bit, if you just put the new one in the pen with your current one. They may settle things in a few minutes without major injuries, and be fine after that. Or they may hurt each other, or keep fighting, or otherwise make you worried for their safety.

Penning one in a dog kennel or similar cage is a way to let them get acquainted without being able to hurt each other badly. If you switch out which one is in the cage, they can each be familiar with the coop and run by the time you let them be together again. It might only take a few days, or it might take weeks. With just two chickens, at least you wouldn't have to worry about a large group ganging up on the newbie.

I also don't know how long I should keep my remaining one locked up in the coop? She is used to roaming around a pretty big fenced in area.

That probably depends on how safe you can make the fenced area. The fox will probably come back regularly for quite a while (weeks or months), so you would have to find a way to keep it out.

The fox must have got into the fence by squeezing between the gate and the gate post. The fence is 6' high and the gate is 4' but has a piece on top to make it 6'.

Does the fenced area have a top? If not, the fox might have gone over the fence rather than through.

I have seen a fox go over a 6 foot wood fence (boards running straight up and down, with a few running crosswise to hold it all together.) I can't be sure whether the fox jumped or climbed to get over, because it was going so fast. I do not know how many other kinds of fences can also be climbed by a fox.

I found a youtube video that shows a fox going up a brick wall.
Based on the height of the door beside it, I think that wall must be about 5 feet high, and the fox just goes right up. (About the 0:50 mark in the video)
I see a number of other videos showing similar things, too.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

One other idea is someone I know found a chicken a year ago and they just feed it and it roost in a tree and is on its own too. I don't know if we could take that chicken and maybe treat it for ectoparasites and try to put them together or if they would fight. Maybe that would be more humane than buying one?

The chicken that's lived in a tree for a year is safe and healthy. I would personally leave it alone rather than needlessly endanger another life

 

[Apatch]

The chicken that's lived in a tree for a year is safe and healthy. I would personally leave it alone rather than needlessly endanger another life

I personally wouldn't say it is safe nor do I know that it is healthy. That's the thing. My bird looks healthy, but I assume she is a carrier of Coryza because the bird I had the necropsy on had. She didn't die of Coryza though, just happened to be found. I don't know if she got it from wild birds or how she got it.

 

[Apatch]

I don't know enough about pigs to say one way or the other.
I've heard of pigs killing chickens, and I've seen chickens in a large pen with several pigs and no obvious issues, so I suspect it depends on the pig and the chicken.


That is an interesting thought.
They will almost certainly fight a bit, if you just put the new one in the pen with your current one. They may settle things in a few minutes without major injuries, and be fine after that. Or they may hurt each other, or keep fighting, or otherwise make you worried for their safety.

Penning one in a dog kennel or similar cage is a way to let them get acquainted without being able to hurt each other badly. If you switch out which one is in the cage, they can each be familiar with the coop and run by the time you let them be together again. It might only take a few days, or it might take weeks. With just two chickens, at least you wouldn't have to worry about a large group ganging up on the newbie.


That probably depends on how safe you can make the fenced area. The fox will probably come back regularly for quite a while (weeks or months), so you would have to find a way to keep it out.


Does the fenced area have a top? If not, the fox might have gone over the fence rather than through.

I have seen a fox go over a 6 foot wood fence (boards running straight up and down, with a few running crosswise to hold it all together.) I can't be sure whether the fox jumped or climbed to get over, because it was going so fast. I do not know how many other kinds of fences can also be climbed by a fox.

I found a youtube video that shows a fox going up a brick wall.
Based on the height of the door beside it, I think that wall must be about 5 feet high, and the fox just goes right up. (About the 0:50 mark in the video)
I see a number of other videos showing similar things, too.

Thanks for the info. It has been helpful.
I think I was just in shock thinking of those ideas. I was really surprised to see her alive when I checked the coop.
I have a "big" cool and a "little" coop too (a tractor supply coop). I have done the look but don't touch method before when I introduced new birds by putting the new birds in the little coop and letting the established birds out in the fenced area around the little coop. That is now contingent on when the fence/fox problem gets solved.

 

[lagrange chicks]

Gray fox are great climbers.

 

[McChooky]

Considering you were treating your flock for disease before Mr Fox came along (and did what he did!) I'd get more chicks and rehome the one you've got providing you have a safer spot.

 

[McChooky]

Hi everyone,

This morning, within less than an hour of letting my chickens out at 7:30, a fox came and killed 5 of my chickens. We didn't hear anything! I looked out the window (the coop is right behind my house) and saw the fox outside of the chicken's fence and all the dead chickens inside. I ran outside and screamed at it and it ran away. I came back a little while later and I yelled at it again and it ran off. I picked up and buried all of them and then noticed one was still alive. She was laying an egg and in the coop and was left unharmed. I have shut her inside the coop. The fox must have got into the fence by squeezing between the gate and the gate post. The fence is 6' high and the gate is 4' but has a piece on top to make it 6'. I am not sure what to do now and really upset and shocked. I had a chicken die back in August and had a necropsy done and she had Coryza so I assume they all have it. I also was in the process of treating SLM and had just treated them with ivermectin and treated and cleaned the coop. I just don't know what to do with my remaining chicken and I feel like with the disease issues I shouldn't get anymore (I actually was just planing on letting everyone live out their lives and not getting anymore chickens), but she is only 3 and I know they are social animals. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry too for the ramble. I am really upset. Thank you.

I'm sorry for your loss!