Fox-proofing

[kinlockchicks]

Hi all,

We are in our first year of chicken ownership and just experienced our first predator break-in to the run early this morning. Pretty sure it was a fox as neighbors said they have seen a fox in our neighborhood recently. Two of our 6 were killed, beheaded and dragged off (we found them away from the coop) and one was injured but the vet thinks she will be okay. Any tips on chicken-proofing the coop? We went out and bought hardware cloth to replace our regular old chicken wire and we are in the process of digging it 12" into the ground all the way around. We already had the top of the run enclosed. Currently, we have the ladies cooped up while we are constructing a safer place since we and the survivors in the flock are pretty rattled from the carnage. Any other things we can do to keep our girls safe? Any ideas are welcome.

 

[chickyfuzz]

I have a cement floored chicken coop with tin for the roof and walls and some wire locks for our gate.We have a fox family around so I wire my gate shut no chooks have been killed so far.

 

[chfite]

The first approach is to make the coop like Fort Knox and the run nearly so. Keeping the predators out is the first line of defense. Chicken wire is of little use except for keeping chickens fenced.

Chris

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: That's not really going to help, and is lots of wasted energy

Just lay it flat on the ground and cover it with a thin layer of soil.

Stop them AT the surface instead of letting them dig holes

Electric fencing is great around coops too

 

[Folly's place]

Plan to lock the birds in a very secure coop every night. Your run can be made predator proof but only hardware cloth, well attached, will do. Predators are happy to dig, chew, and climb to reach the chicken dinner they crave! Hot wire helps a lot but takes more management. Many of us have a really good coop, and a run the won,t do for those nighttime racoons, etc. Mary

 

[shmccarthy]

I would make a "skirt" of hardware cloth around the perimeter. Fox are really, really good at digging (they are burrow animals) and 12" down is no problem for them. If they hit the skirt instead, they will not be able to dig down any further and should give up.