Best Chicken defense gun

[Cold-Blood]

I woke up at 2 am to clucking and screaming chickens to find a stupid fox trying to get in my hen house. I grabbed my pistol nad went outside to defend the hens but their are other houses nearby soni thought it would be foolish to fire. I want this nasty fox dead! Maybe should I use a shotgun? So the pellets won't penetrate the coop and hurt my hens??
I have a 20ga.
Or should I set up traps for it?

There are some hefty Air RIFLE models that could kill it without much noise.

 

[sdm111]

A couple of years ago I had a problem with a predator sneaking in and ripping the heads off of my sitting hens. Of course it always happened after midnight and before dawn when I was sleeping. I set out a trap for it with no luck.With the help of my dogs I finally caught it in the act. A possum. I couldn’t shoot it with a gun because each line of sight involved a neighbors house to some degree. So I futilely attempted to shoot it with a crossbow, then tried to smack it with the deck broom, before finally hosing it down with the water hose out of sheer desperation. The water stream was fairly powerful pressure wise and it was quite chilly that night but I doubt I really did anything but scare it. Either way the possum never came back after months of treating my chicken yard like a drive-thru. I bought a baseball bat in case something comes in, in the future that doesn’t heed the water hose warning. Like all chicken owners I am sure, predators are responsible for the most devastating experiences I have had with my flock and I try to have a plan for anything I encounter. This spring I had a hawk swoop in mid afternoon and rip the head off of one of my hens. I saw it through my kitchen window. I had to put up decoy owls after that. It seems to have worked. Good luck.

That's what I use. A crossbow with a red light. The red light doesn't startle them.

 

[Craigs girls]

I woke up at 2 am to clucking and screaming chickens to find a stupid fox trying to get in my hen house. I grabbed my pistol nad went outside to defend the hens but their are other houses nearby soni thought it would be foolish to fire. I want this nasty fox dead! Maybe should I use a shotgun? So the pellets won't penetrate the coop and hurt my hens??
I have a 20ga.
Or should I set up traps for it?

Try a electric fence with 2 car batteries that will stop them oh boy it worked for me and my fence is their defence

 

[Chicks in VA]

I have a 20ga.
Or should I set up traps for it?

any guns that kill foxes will go through a coop
but we use shotguns or for bears we have hunting rifles

 

[sdm111]

If I were usinga 20ga. I'd use #4 buckshot. I've flipped a few with that load too

 

[Toothpick]

If you are shooting anything with a small caliber keep in mind that placement matters. Miss with that .22 and all you’ve done is wound it. Shotguns are close range, I doubt you will get close enough to a fox to dispatch it with a shotgun unless it’s hemmed up somewhere. And a wounded animal is more dangerous.

After you get rid of this fox you should consider your options for beefing up security around your coop. You need deterrents. Things that will prevent the fox from getting the chickens in the first place, and/or scare it off. Otherwise you’ll get rid of this one and have another one to deal with, or something else. Sometimes even just a bright light is enough.

 

[Chicks in VA]

If you are shooting anything with a small caliber keep in mind that placement matters. Miss with that .22 and all you’ve done is wound it. Shotguns are close range, I doubt you will get close enough to a fox to dispatch it with a shotgun unless it’s hemmed up somewhere. And a wounded animal is more dangerous.

After you get rid of this fox you should consider your options for beefing up security around your coop. You need deterrents. Things that will prevent the fox from getting the chickens in the first place, and/or scare it off. Otherwise you’ll get rid of this one and have another one to deal with, or something else. Sometimes even just a bright light is enough.

agreed

 

[sdm111]

Since I put electric fencing up I haven't had any problems. There's no way I could have chickens without it

 

[HeidiChickenMomma]

I woke up at 2 am to clucking and screaming chickens to find a stupid fox trying to get in my hen house. I grabbed my pistol nad went outside to defend the hens but their are other houses nearby soni thought it would be foolish to fire. I want this nasty fox dead! Maybe should I use a shotgun? So the pellets won't penetrate the coop and hurt my hens??
I have a 20ga.
Or should I set up traps for it?

I'm not sure where you live - we use coyote urine and other predator urine and it deters the fox from coming around our coop

 

[saracarver3]

Adult air rifle?