3 letter word spelled "F-O-X" - suggestions please!!!

[WitksChicks]

For the last two mornings at around 6:15 a.m. there has been a fox circling my coop/run. He comes in from the back side of our yard (1/2 acre), circles the coop/run two times before I'm out there with my airedale terrier chasing him away. The first morning the chickens were already out in their run, and they definitely made enough noise to catch my attention. The second morning they were still in their coop as I delayed letting them out to see if the fox would come back. Sure enough he did, right on schedule.

I'm 99% confident in the security of my coop and run. I have welded wire around the whole run (roof too) and under the coop (it's 2 - 3 feet off the ground. The wire is also buried 2 feet deep and 1 1/2" outward from the whole perimeter of the coop and run. (See my page for visual of the coop/run).

I haven't let the girls free-range for the past two days because I'm worried he may come back during the day. My neighbors have told me that they have seen him walking down the middle of our street in broad daylight.

Fox stew is definitely not an option. Neither is trapping and relocating? I have to have a humane way of detering it from coming back. I've let our male Airedale Terrier mark the territory around the coop/run.

So I'm looking for a way to scare him off. Do those Nite Guard lights work (I know they are for nighttime)? Anyone have any suggestions for what I can do to deter him during the day (other than building a chicken tractor)?

 

[True Grit]

After I saw a fox one evening we put a hot wire around our yard 6 inches high and we want to put another one 18 inches up from that. I took a chicken seminar and the farm manager had the night guard lights ( if those are the red blinking eye lights) but he didn't think they worked.

 

[WitksChicks]

Quote:
They are safe when they are in their coop/run. But the hot wire is an option. My main concern is when they are out free-ranging, they are an easy target at that point. Is there anything, or do I need to sit out there all the time as their bodyguard.

 

[True Grit]

With the fox around I wouldn't let them free range unsupervised. I have a fenced yard mine can free range in. It is just a 3 rail fence lined with chicken wire and the hot wire outside of that. Otherwise you could get some movable electrified poultry netting from Premier 1 Poultry and create a movable free range area for them.
ETA - nice coop and run!

 

[augustwest]

I'm a newbie, but just lost 3 to a fox in broad day light. Bold fox, like yours. She got a free range pullet and then broke into my run (not fort Knox....... Yet) and killed 2 more.

Concerned about the boldness, I spoke to my vet and a wildlife buddy. Both said it's kitten season for foxes and they are desperate to feed babies.

I guess it's "fox season" like late fall is migratory "hawk season"?

. I'm on high alert for a few weeks, too.

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

If you cant kill, trap or otherwise do away with the fox, your only option is 100% being right with them when they are free ranging, and with a suburban fox, it still may attempt a snatch and grab. We had one that we could hand feed in the middle of an industrial complex. It thrived on rats and cats and what ever people tossed its way. They are VERY adaptable!

 

[epeloquin]

If people are seeing the fox in broad daylight and his behavior is that brazen you might want to call local animal control. Foxes are generally nocturnal animals. Bold daylight behavior cold be a sign of rabies. My father-in-law had a rabid fox kill soe of his chickens in broad daylight. He saw it across the street later and it was staring at him and there was some fluid literally pouring out of it's mouth. He called the town and they sent someone who killed it and it was rabid.

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Foxes and Yotes will actively hunt during the day when they have young ones to feed. They will also hunt virtually 24 hours a day when it gets cold out, they are just really good at staying out of your view! On one farm I hunt, it is not uncommon to see foxes every hour of the day. Its flat over run with foxes and competition for food is tough.

 

[aprophet]

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[debm]

We've lost 4 of our 8 hens in the last 10 days---2 of them tonight. I thought it was some kind of hawk because they were just disappearing until we found one dead in the coop tonight and another just disappeared. My neighbors say they see a fox walking in their backyard in the daytime. Their yard is right next to our barn and chicken coop. My hens have free ranged for 2 years without problems and we have 3 dogs but I guess Mr. Fox is hungry. There is a pond on part of the land so he can only get through about a 10 foot area to reach our yard unless he wants to go for a swim. I'm wondering if we should put up an electric fence there! Anyone else had luck with that? What about my small (but full grown) cats? Mr. Fox won't hurt them normally, will he? Guess this is an excuse to get some more chicks but I sure want to make sure we can protect them. I know that things will happen but this is definitely a problem. By the end of the week they will all be gone so they will be kept in the coop for awhile.