Gray Fox!

[roosterhavoc]

Like eric2016 said. This time of year they lose their winter coat. Foxes are pretty small it's just the fur that makes them look bigger. Gray foxes aren't as susceptible to mange as reds and coyotes. Foxes will come all hours of the day when hunting chickens in your yard.

 

[two j farm]

Well didn't get the Fox this weekend, so chickens are still penned up. My neighbor up the road lost 30 chickens last Wednesday, some was taken and some was left. The people that live next to them lost about 6 chickens 2week's ago all was taken . And 3 chickens are gone from my husband's grandparents we found one with a bite in its back. We all live with in a mile from each other. We are all thinking it may be the same Fox I seen. What do y'all think? Would one Fox kill that many chickens. Other people around us have chickens but don't know if they are missing any yet.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Kit rearing and people making it so easy for them sure, they'll stockpile up on meat. Wouldn't blame every bird on one fox though. There are a lot of animals that kill chickens. Your area seems prime pickings so imagine there is a bit of everything taking the birds.

 

[eggbert420]

Well didn't get the Fox this weekend, so chickens are still penned up. My neighbor up the road lost 30 chickens last Wednesday, some was taken and some was left. The people that live next to them lost about 6 chickens 2week's ago all was taken . And 3 chickens are gone from my husband's grandparents we found one with a bite in its back. We all live with in a mile from each other. We are all thinking it may be the same Fox I seen. What do y'all think? Would one Fox kill that many chickens. Other people around us have chickens but don't know if they are missing any yet.

What about your neighbor that feeds the fox, did she loose any chickens?

 

[two j farm]

No she hasn't lost any chickens but they have them in a pen. Every one that has lost chickens let them free ranges or don't have tops on there runs. I have a top and stoped letting them out.

 

[two j farm]

I talked to my neighbor up the road today. They killed one Fox but said there is another one that they missed. The one they killed is a red Fox and someone seen some little ones playing in the road a few days ago. They said they have one coming to their rabbit cages every nite they can see the tracks every morning. Looks like we have the whole Fox family around here.

 

[Folly's place]

Keep at it! A family of chicken loving foxes can do a lot of damage, and there may be others at work here too. Right now I'm after the opossums and raccoons at my farm, and wish you all the best. Mary

 

[two j farm]

Thanks. We have a family member that traps for a living and he said he would come out and trap them. Hope you get yours too. I had trouble with opossums too last year I got them with live traps. Never had raccoons get a chicken but I did trap one around chicken pen. Good luck!

 

[jessyjaymes]

I'm having issues with a red fox. He's getting braver, and this morning he got his 8th chicken, pretty much right in front of me.. judgement call was chase fox and yell hoping the chicken might get away or he would drop it and not have time to get ahold again, looking back i should have detoured 30 ft to the barn where the shotgun is and accepted the little rooster in his mouth as a causualty, thus ending the war on chicken terror. He's not that big but he had no problem moving quickly with that 6lb cockerel. He got a buff orphington hen much the same way but he dropped her and she ran towards me, he was following her towards me acting like he didnt even see me. (i had a pistol and of course missed). I'm really tired of this fox.

 

[aart]

I'm having issues with a red fox. He's getting braver, and this morning he got his 8th chicken, pretty much right in front of me.. judgement call was chase fox and yell hoping the chicken might get away or he would drop it and not have time to get ahold again, looking back i should have detoured 30 ft to the barn where the shotgun is and accepted the little rooster in his mouth as a causualty, thus ending the war on chicken terror. He's not that big but he had no problem moving quickly with that 6lb cockerel. He got a buff orphington hen much the same way but he dropped her and she ran towards me, he was following her towards me acting like he didnt even see me. (i had a pistol and of course missed). I'm really tired of this fox.

Curious why you are still waiting after 7(now 8) chickens to keep your birds confined and safe?
What is the time span that all these birds have been taken...over months.....weeks.....days?
Lots of growing kits out there to be fed...that will soon be big enough to hunt themselves.