5:30 am wake up call - and subsequent mini panic attack :-)

[zavierchick]

So, it's hot here and we have the windows wide open to let in as much air as possible over night - this morning I'm sleeping as sound as can be, nice chill in the room when cacacacaCUCK accompanied by beating wings - the girls are just about screaming outside and flapping around like crazy. DH and I hop up to run out and see what is up and Mr. Fox is sitting about one foot outside of the front door of the coop, just eyeballing the girls while they flip out inside.

On the bright side, our coop appears to be fairly predator proof - that is both fox and coon that have not gotten in but we know have been in the yard. On the bummer side, I reallllly am not a morning person and that ranks incredibly low on my ways to be woken up. We are enclosing more of the coop for winter, so that will help (right now two sides are wire for lots of ventilation for summer so they could seem him way too easily) but I am seriously hoping he doesn't come visiting too much before we get a chance to close it in!

And on a side note - is there anything that will naturally encourage fox to stay away? Something they hate the smell of? Don't like? Are offended by?

 

[redhen]

Wow! your brave! I lock my girls in their coop at night. I'm afraid of something getting in their run at night. As for getting foxes to stay away..i heard coyote urine will keep them away. I think you can buy it at feed stores and stuff. Good luck.

 

[G Wiz Ranch]

Quote:
Lead, burning gun powder.

Couldn't resist, sorry.

Seriously, I pee on the trees arround my coops, I am not kidding, luckilly I live on some acreage so its not a big deal, and the coops are not that close to the house. I didn't pee arround the my duck run until recently, I lost a rooster I put in there overnight to keep him away from the girls. I found his body almost pulled through a gap in the fence, his head was gone. Now I pee arround the duck run. No issues since.

 

[zavierchick]

redhen- they are in a coop, but not all solid walls - we bought it from some folks on craigslist and have already figured out a whole pile of things we will be changing before too much longer - including the fact that two walls are hardware fabric and not much else LOL!

g wiz- now there's a thought! Although on our half acre in the city, might need to get out there in the middle of the night to do it

Still, if it works, I have tried crazier things in my life. Lead sounds just fine to me, too - but I'm guessing that will entail incurring the wrath of neighbors and the law, dern it. Silly city rules

 

[FrenchHen]

Quote:
Is this an explanation of your username?

 

[Peaguy]

Urine and lots of it... Collect it in a jar, bucket whatever in the house if it is not feasible for the boys in the house to handle this outside for you. In Lakewood depending on where you are this could be an issue with your neighbors and or the police dept. Let's not go there!!! Use the old fashioned chamber pot method if need be but you gotta get human scent out there and that will be the most efficient/ effective method to "reclaim your territory" Or go to any sporting goods section of a Wal-Mart or other sporting/hunting type store and buy bottles of coyote urine scent stuffages just be prepared with a double layer of rubber/latex gloves (in case the first pair gets punctured or ripped) that stuff stinks and like a bad egg the odor lingers!!
Heck call all the boys in the neighborhood and invite them for a "territorial reclaimation party", supply the pizza, cookies, beer( for the older "boys" of course) iced tea whatever.Put targets around the areas to be "marked" so there is no problem as to "safe zones"? Might be cheaper? You'd be the hit of the neighborhood or so weird you run the neighbors off?

Edited so as not to offend anyone.

 

[mmwb]

"is there anything that will naturally encourage fox to stay away?"

Coyotes, but not their urine (Ie., a bigger predator). Many trappers catch foxes in coyote sets with coyote urine. There are indications that they don't respond to human urine negatively either. Your dealing with animals that are acclimatized people. They are used to the smells that go along with people. Unless your fox had a traumatic experience with human pee as a pup, it will probably not have a significant, long term effect. lol

Seriously, make your coop and yard as predator proof as you can. Coons are probably the most difficult to keep out. They are tenacious and strong. I'm surprised that no one has built a second fence around the coop and yard and used it as a dog run...

An aggressive dog will keep most of the predators, short of lions, away. Just make sure the dog can't get to the birds either.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Is this an explanation of your username?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Could you describe to us what sort of materials you've used to construct your run?

Do you let the chickens go in and out of their coop at their leisure or do you shut the pop-hole door at night?

If you could answer these questions, maybe we could help you to come up with a plan that would make your chickens safer from predators like that fox.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I have read on here that a .22 is quiet enough most will not realize it is a gun going off.