9/10 chickens...

[Kitsune]

Didn't escape the fox

8 silkies and my little Japanese bantam are now gone, I'm left with one black/dark blue silkie who I'm pretty sure is male.

Including food, that's over £100 meal the fox got last night.

And I'm left with a single lonely chicken - not sure what to do about getting more, I know it's not fair to keep one on it's own, and if it's male it'll have to go at some point anyway so maybe it'd be better to do it now, wouldn't be much of a meal but .. well I'm just not sure which way would be best - fresh start or introduce others to this one.

 

[justusnak]

Aww, Kitsune, I am so sorry for your loss. I would not get any more untill you can stop the fox. How did it get in? Dig under? I say....reinforce, and get more!!

 

[dlhunicorn]

there will always be another fox or hawk or whatever... I say bring your birdie in for a while while you beef up the security on your coop and run (silkies make a sparse meal I should think) perhaps pave it and sink in the wire into the cement and roof a secure section right outside the coop? Then get some more and try try try again...:aww

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm so sorry Kitsune...do you think it's the same one who got your babies the last time?

 

[PurpleChicken]

Wow, sorry to hear that. You folks have a serious fox problem
over there. You would think there would be none left after all
the fox hunts that used to go on.

Get more birds. Introductions should be easy since you only have the
one chicken, not a flock.

I'd give ya a few of my 7 day olds if I could get them to you.

 

[rooster-red]

Sorry to hear it.

Time to get more chics and a few fox hounds too!

 

[countryboy]

can you get a live trap from local enforcement and let them dispose of the fox?

 

[Kitsune]

Hi - thanks for the messages.

The security on this coop is actually really good - it's stood on paving slabs and is far too heavy for the fox to get under - a misunderstanding over who had closed the coop up and sheer bad luck that the fox chose that day to come poking around was the cause.

Not sure when to get more chickens, will probably wait till after christmas and get some broodys or at least laying hens, then once one of them goes broody I can stick some chicks under her.

Last time chickens went it was a cat, before that it was a fox but I was in a different area so it's definitely not the same one.

I don't think we will be trapping this fox, though we have talked about it - we just need to be more careful about making doubly sure they are locked up at night!