Can a fox climb a fence? Trying to figure out my predator in NE GA.

[DawnMarie74]

I live in NE Georgia and something took off with my buff silky. I'm not sure what it was. I have a fenced in yard, the fence is wood and about 5' tall. My yard backs up to the woods. Within my fence I have a coop and run. I believe it happened at sunrise when my birds wondered out of their coop for the morning. I did not lock up my coop last night and this predator could have easily killed my broody silkie and 5 bantam cochin pullets who have been sleeping on the coop floor. When I went to feed my girls late this morning, I noticed a pile of feathers just outside of my coop with no body. The feathers go up my wood fence and are stuck down the other side, as if something carried it over. I followed the feather trail deep into the woods, and then the trail stops. I was hoping to find the body for some more clues, but could not find it. I'm thinking fox, but wasn't sure if a fox could climb a fence? Any guesses on what this predator could be?

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, yes and YES. They do it all the time here. My fence is more to keep my birds in and roaming dogs from easily running across the property than from foxes or coyotes getting in, but a fox can easily scale a fence.

Guess what? I know exactly where Hoschton is (and how to pronounce it, LOL). I lived in Gwinnett County nearby for years, both in Lilburn and Dacula.

 

[DawnMarie74]

Yes, yes and YES. They do it all the time here. My fence is more to keep my birds in and roaming dogs from easily running across the property than from foxes or coyotes getting in, but a fox can easily scale a fence.

Guess what? I know exactly where Hoschton is (and how to pronounce it, LOL). I lived in Gwinnett County nearby for years, both in Lilburn and Dacula.

Well, then my guess is a fox. Not sure what to do about it though. I have traps but read they're hard to catch that way. I'll set the bigger trap tonight and see if I catch anything.

We lived in Dacula too, before moving 15 minutes away to Hoschton. We sure went far, lol. I would much rather be living in the N. GA mountains like you. I took my kids tubing in Helen yesterday and I just love the N. GA mountains.

 

[speckledhen]

We moved from Lilburn to Dacula off Hwy 316 and Harbins Rd. and it was really country for the 5 years we were there. We've been up here for 10 years now. I won't go back there for any amount of $$! Of course, having been in the Air Force in Utah and Colorado, we rather liked the mountains, though the Blue Ridge range is much older than the western ranges and much different in character.

Not sure how you'd actually keep a fox out. I have pens inside my perimeter fence and they only free range while we are home, but the coops are locked tight before dark and they don't get outside until after daylight. My roosters are great alarms, too. We had a fox den on our property about 200 ft from the coop a few years ago and we never lost one to the fox, though I found Barred Rock feathers at one of the den entrances (I had 2 BR hens and a BR rooster in the flock), so someone lost a BR, but wasn't me.

 

[firestrike09]

Id go with a coon to be the first suspect. Foxes normaly kill them all, its almost fun for them.

 

[speckledhen]

Coons are even harder to keep out than a fox and contrary to what most folks think, they do occasionally hunt in daylight on the fringes of wooded areas.

I'm not sure if it was a fox or coon that killed the bird, but was just answering the question about a fox and their climbing abilities. They will hunt day or night, especially if they have kits to feed.

 

[AmaraE]

Hi DawnMarie:

Would you mind letting me know whether there is any lot size restrictions for BYC ownership in Hoschton? We are looking to purchase our own home and are committed to owning a few BYCs. We hope we can find a BYC friendly community in Jackson County. Both my husband and I work at UGA and hope to remain within an hour of our jobs.

I'd appreciate the opportunity to learn from your BYC ownership experience in the area. Thoughts about other BYC friendly cities around you would be appreciated too. We are early in the home shopping process. I will bless my heart to live in an excellent school district and a BYC friendly community.

Thanks!

Amara

 

[GAGE]

Do not rule out an opossum as well. I had one get in to my pen which is 6 feet high not to long ago.

 

[shmccarthy]

Pile of feathers with no body says fox to me. Grey fox are the best climbers of the fox family and are known to sleep in trees. Red fox can also just as easily climb a 5" fence like its nothing. Possums and raccoons can climb as well but they more often leave the body behind and eat it on the spot. Fox will take as much as it possibly can, making multiple trips and bury it's food to eat later. They are some of the most opportunistic hunters and because they do not know when they will get their next meal, they take all they can get when they can get it.

 

[shmccarthy]

I just realized that this was an old thread, no matter though.