Critter tracks on the chicken tractor :( It's a FOX!

I went to move the chicken tractor this morning, and there were muddy critter tracts all over it. All the birds are ok, but I figure whatever it is, it will be back. I have red heat lamps on to keep them warm at night, so I was hoping that would scare off any critters. It has that white pastic corrigated roofing stuff on 1/2 of the tractor, and "old" chicken wire on the sides and the other half of the top and then one end is closed in with a towel across most of the opening to the closed half to block wind and draft. What else can I do to keep critters away?

 

Well it's old chicken wire as opposed to the new stuff that is garbage. Anything can get through that. The towel just a draft protection. The fact that nothing got into them is a good sign that it's not totally unsafe. However, I do need to come up with something to beef up their protection and still maintain the whole chicken tractor idea, light weight and easy to move.

 

Well, we lined the edges with tomato cages to deter the little booger but there was definate signs of him trying to dig under. Good thing we have horribly compacted soil here

The girls woke me up really early this morning making all kinds of racket. My bedroom window is open because it's so hot so I got the full effect of their noice. I went out to the coop and they were all standing on the roosts perfectly spaced like a choir, just bawking their little lungs out. So, I let everybody out about an hour and a half earlier than normal, and went back to bed.

A few minutes later, it sounds like massacre in the coops, so I get up again, to see what the heck is going on. I come face to face with the red fox. Now I really like the red fox but not around my girls. Then I noticed the digging around the meat chickens coop and now I've got to take action. I guess I'll call animal control and see if they have a live trap I can borrow.