Fox!!

[ChickTree]

My 6 week babies are out in the run during the day and locked in the coop at night. We saw a fox early this morning when still dark ...

Are they night time predators??? I didn't think before leaving and let the coop door open for the day ..... Crap

 

[RonP]

Seems your coop is surrounded by 1/2 inch hardware cloth and a solid roof.

That will keep the fox out from 5 sides.

Adding an apron, or burying the wire will prevent digging in.

 

[Ms Ellen]

I am having a terrible fox problem right now. The fox is bold and takes chickens in the day. All the chickens are locked up now and secure but he took a goose yesterday. They can't really be secured because they have to run in the pasture in the day time. They are locked up at night. We cut back some branches that were overhanging the fence. How would you run electric around a small pasture?

Also on a small run like that I just turn it over and put wire under it so it is completely enclosed and be sure that nothing can get under their feed either. It will rot eventually You might want a coated wire for their feet.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Is your run secure? What is it constructed of, is the top open or covered (roof or wire), is there anything to prevent digging under from the outside?
Fox will hunt when food is available - but if your run is secure then there is no need to fret about having let your birds out into the run. The purpose of a run is to keep your birds contained and, when constructed for it, to keep predators out so that your birds are able to be outside during the day but not in danger of predation.

 

[ChickTree]

Is your run secure?  What is it constructed of, is the top open or covered (roof or wire), is there anything to prevent digging under from the outside?
Fox will hunt when food is available - but if your run is secure then there is no need to fret about having let your birds out into the run.  The purpose of a run is to keep your birds contained and, when constructed for it, to keep predators out so that your birds are able to be outside during the day but not in danger of predation.

It's not fully secure we have not had chance to put wire in bottom of it yet. Ugh. I have an awful feeling.

 

[ChickTree]

It's constructed of plastic pallets with plastic hardware cloth on top. Which may get changed to plastic pallets on top if they are alive when I get home .....

 

[WthrLady]

Lost my prize roo and one of my hens at 230pm today.(free range) Last fox i saw last fall was at 430pm.



Day and night predators.

Roo did his job and kicked @ss giving the girls time to run. Fox had no dinner. He'll be back though.

 

[linz44]

I have had trouble with Fox around my house. They will keep coming back once they know there is food available. They were coming fairly close and then the next time they came they would get a little closer. If the pen isn't secure the Fox will probably try to grab one. My father in law lost several last winter due to Fox. It was so sad. It came right in the barn and grabbed them off their roost perch. There was wing marks in the snow and feathers everywhere and it kept coming back until he was able to keep the Fox from getting in the barn. Another of my friends woke up in the middle of the night to get dogs going crazy and she let her dog out the door quick and by the time she got a flash light and for out the door herself her dog killed a Fox that was in their duck pen. It killed 4 big ducks and we think it killed one and couldn't jump back over the fence with the one it had so it dropped it and killed another and tried jumping the fence again. Fox are crafty creatures and they can get in places and kill chickens so quickly. In my experience the Fox around here are the worst predators to chickens. Unfortunately when Fox aren't in season to shoot you have to rely on protecting your flock because chances are the Fox won't give up easily. When they are hungry they will go to great lengths to steal your chickens or anything else. We put up game cameras and got a crazy amount of pictures of these Fox pacing back and forth before trying to get a chicken. It was a span of about 4 hours that the Fox stayed on the lawn before approaching the coop. They are little but can devastate your flock very quickly!

 

[WthrLady]

Don't need a season here to kill something that is going after your stock.

 

[linz44]

You are lucky! Can't shoot them where I live unless it's season. Wintertime is the worst here. They get a lot of chickens and ducks. Its sad