Are Foxes Nocturnal ?

[Lost Pine]

I'm new to Backyard Chickens. I would really like to let my Hens free range, but I do live in the country and have never seen a fox in my area in the daytime.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sourland]

I live North of you in Hunterdon Co. and see fox hunting during the day quite a bit - especially in the spring when they are feeding kits, and now when they are teaching the kits how to hunt. Just last Thursday at 3 PM I saw two sitting on the lane of a club that I belong to. They are opportunists and will hunt when and if food is available.

 

[bobbi-j]

Welcome! While fox, raccoons, coyotes, and many other predators are primarily nocturnal, but they are not strictly so. I've had a hen killed in the middle of the day by a raccoon and I've had several chickens taken at once in the middle of the day by a coyote. Especially in spring and summer when they have young ones to feed. I free range, but it comes with a price. Before the coyote attack, I went for 3 years of free ranging without any trouble. Another thing to consider is that just because you've never seen a fox during the day, it doesn't mean they're not there. Most wild animals prefer to avoid human contact. It's surprising what you will see once you have chickens.

 

[Lost Pine]

Welcome! While fox, raccoons, coyotes, and many other predators are primarily nocturnal, but they are not strictly so. I've had a hen killed in the middle of the day by a raccoon and I've had several chickens taken at once in the middle of the day by a coyote. Especially in spring and summer when they have young ones to feed. I free range, but it comes with a price. Before the coyote attack, I went for 3 years of free ranging without any trouble. Another thing to consider is that just because you've never seen a fox during the day, it doesn't mean they're not there. Most wild animals prefer to avoid human contact. It's surprising what you will see once you have chickens.

I guess that's the price you pay for free ranging. I live in Southern NJ, so coyotes are not a problem. I watched many Youtube videos about BYC's and one lady said, "you'd be surprised, how many predictors want to eat your chickens. I only have 6 chickens that are free ranging on 2 acres. I'll give it a try and hope for the best.

 

[JackE]

Good luck with that. The fox is a 24/7 threat. I lost multiple birds in two broad daylight attacks. 9 in one, and 7 in the next. Don't think they'll just take one, and leave.

 

[Lost Pine]

I mounted a trail camera to the coop. For those of you that don't know what that is, it is a IR(infrared camera) weatherproof for night vision snapshots and short video clips that is motion activated. Hunters use them to see mostly deer patterns during hunting season. You can buy them for under $100 used on eBay. I found a fox coming around the same time every night within a 30 min period. I waited up one evening for him and simply eliminated the threat.
For around $100, if you have a large flock, this small investment is well worth it's money in my opinion.

If anyone needs more info on the cameras, please let me know.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

I live North of you in Hunterdon Co. and see fox hunting during the day quite a bit - especially in the spring when they are feeding kits, and now when they are teaching the kits how to hunt. Just last Thursday at 3 PM I saw two sitting on the lane of a club that I belong to. They are opportunists and will hunt when and if food is available.

I agree.

 

[EthansChickens3]

No I dont think that foxes are nocternal.

 

[EthansChickens3]

Oh and,