Fox!!

[bobbi-j]

The problem with a leg hold trap is the possibility of catching an unintended target. I'd suggest putting a few strands of electric wire around your run. One or two zaps should discourage him.

 

[Southern Ann]

Had some dogs try to get in the coop today. Have a electric fence, so each one got hit by it and high tailed it out of there.

has worked every time for me. Just don't put the fence up to high or far from the coop so they can't go underneath the fence.

 

[mychi3136]

Does my coop look secure enough??

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!

 

[RonP]

Fox love to dig.

Do you have an apron around your run?

Does my coop look secure enough??

 

[mychi3136]

No, they only go in during the day.. They are 95% feathered but we live in Vermont and it gets cold still at night.. The plan is burying a screen and also put the coop down in the ground a little.. Is that good?

 

[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.

 

[scooter147]

S.S.S.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

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.

Electrified poultry net should cure your problem.

It's portable and extremely effective, fox can't get by it.

If I had that kind of fox, it would get lead.

 

[Ms Ellen]

Thanks slingshot. No lead here though I would not be opposed to it. Trouble is there are so many foxes to begin with.