Fox problem

[DIMBY]

You could always try trapping it too. I use the live trap method and make a little den next to the coop making it look like it’s an opening. I dip the trap in trap wax beforehand to remove scent and place bloody chicken meat inside to entice the fox. Cover with brush and branches. Not guaranteed to catch that specific animal but will get something. Removing a predator from the area opens up the area for another one to move in.

If you have foxes, you have skunks too. Skunks provide hours of fun and enjoyment when they are trapped. (Laughing as I type this).

 

[DIMBY]

Depending on your coop layout, a neighbor went extreme and lined areas around hers with broken glass. It worked, but as I said, that's extreme.

 

[SilversRule]

Thanks everyone. I do have live traps, but never had any luck with getting a fox to go in. I can't move the coop because anywhere I would move it to would have a wood line next to it. Where I live is in the backwoods of Louisiana and I have a swamp behind the house. I think I will check on getting a electronic fence. My mama has a electronic fence and she's not having any problems, so that may be the best way to go.

Electric fence positioned well will stop almost all unwelcome vistiors. Another thing that works very well is to use hardware cloth for fencing material, at least for places that the predator can get to at night. A note on trapping and moving. The survival rate of relocation is almost 0. The animals are either killed because we place them in somebody elses territory (we have no way of knowing where boundry lines are) or they die in an attempt to get home. The only reason to live trap is because it makes us humans feel less guilty. In the end the animal still dies just more slowly than other much quicker methods.

 

[Mathews2015]

Every year around this time I have a few chicken come up missing to a fox. Just a few hours ago I lost my first chicken of the year to a fox. I did lock all the chickens up and will keep them locked up for now. I haven't had a fox in the coop yet and don't want it to happen. Do motion sensored lights help keep them away a night? I have to work tonight and thought about getting a few to put up in the morning if it will help. I do have 3 chicken friendly dogs that do a good job at keeping them out of the yard, but my coop is right next to the wood line. Any help would be great.

I have a chicken wire top and motion lights that seem to have helped, before I got the top finished, I lost about 4 chickens and one goose in one night! I finished to top and put the motion lights up, so far, I haven't had another problem.

 

[Sharich]

I have a radio playing on a talk channel when we are not around, the foxes hear the voices and think there are people. Worth a try

 

[two j farm]

I have a chicken wire top and motion lights that seem to have helped, before I got the top finished, I lost about 4 chickens and one goose in one night! I finished to top and put the motion lights up, so far, I haven't had another problem.

I have the lights up and so far I have had any pic of it around the pen. I should have hot wire up in about 2 weeks.

 

[RoosterThigh]

I have had several foxes and bobcat around. I use electric netting from Premier 1 Supplies and it has worked great. It comes with step in posts and you can move it around as needed, simple enough for 1 person. Just an idea.

 

[GesWutChikenBut]

 

[GesWutChikenBut]

View attachment 1695648

Maybe you don't have the right kind if dogs...

 

[AllynTal]

I didn't read all the posts, so forgive me if I missed something.

We had a neighbor clear-cut about 5 acres of woods on the other side of the pasture that abuts our property. He displaced a lot of wildlife, including some foxes, least one of which decided that he liked my chickens. We lost two. My husband collected his urine in a spray bottle and sprayed the perimeter of our property. Not heavily, he just walked along the fenceline and every other step, he spritzed the property line. He did it the first day and then repeated it after it rained. After a week, he stopped spraying and we waited to see if we'd lose any more. We didn't. The displaced foxes found somewhere else to hunt.