Does this sound like the work of a fox?? Dead chickens and turkeys!!

[imq707s]

A few months ago I had something get into my ½ acre fenced in chicken area (3”x5” wire, 8 feet tall) and kill a few of my chickens and the four turkeys I had. Whatever it was ate some of them, and just killed the rest. There were spots in the fence were whatever it was actually pulled the chickens and one of the turkeys THROUGH the 2”x5” opening on the bottom of the fence after it got in and killed them. They were pretty big turkeys, so whatever it was was able to get a turkey through that small opening. I set out a live trap for a few weeks, but never caught anything. I ended up buying 6 more chickens, and 3 baby turkeys. Fast forward a few months……and I came home last night after work to find pretty much the same thing. Something got into my pen in the afternoon (everything was fine that morning) and killed the three turkeys, and 6 chickens. It ate/took all of the chickens, and completely ate most of one turkey….and just killed the other two. I found multiple spots in my pen where something had pulled the chickens through the fence. I found a small print that looks like a fox in the mud next to one of the spots they came though. Do foxes hunt in packs? I don’t see one fox doing all of that damage. Can a fox fit through a 3”x5” opening in a fence?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Pulling the prey through the fence is a raccoon tactic.

 

[ccw2005]

Timely post this one...

Saturday evening we were grazing our goats outside the goat / chicken pasture. The goats went deeper into a wooded area and sure enough I saw a fox run off. I was like "Well isn't that great!" Sunday morning, one dead RR in the middle of our 1/2 acre fenced pasture. I had previously seen clumps of feathers here and there and figured something had been "got". We free range our birds and I figured that I will be finding a bird here and there. Don't like it, but it happens. Sunday evening a few piles of feather bombs outside of our pasture but no body. Monday morning I found a body of one of my Americaunas and evidence of another Americauna death due to a feather explosion. Monday afternoon my son found a few RR heads in the woods, with no body. I told him to get on his ATV and go screaming up and down through the woods in an attempt to let the fox know we are around. Tuesday I found another body of a golden comet and tons of feathers outside the pasture and one place in the fenced in pasture. Tuesday evening I took my gun for a walk near the pasture. Wife was watering her garden, kids playing but I wanted to go for a look see. Sure enough as I was coming out of a wooded area into a clearing a fox came out from the other side. I noticed it walked with a limp. We looked at each other and as he limped off I took a shot in his direction, knowing I didn't hit him but hoping to scare him off.

This morning, 3 dead chickens outside the pasture gate and 3 dead inside the pasture. Only one had been eaten. The others, just killed.

Having seen the fox, I am certain it is him / her doing all this. However, living on 30 acres with the majority wooded, I now wonder if it could be a possum or a coon. My birds shack up with 9 goats and do have access to a hen house and an enclosed area for the goats. This is where they roost. I have yet to find anything near the roosting areas so I believe all this takes place at first light when the birds begin to roam and late in the evening when they begin to come home.

Traps have been set and baited.

But now, reading other threads and posts....I wonder if it is a weasel, coon, possum, coyote, fox or genetically altered bunny rabbit...

I just wanted to post to let you know that I have seen the fox very close to my pasture and no other critters. Also, whatever I have going on seems to enjoy the kill and this is not being done just for food.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

IMHO possums and coyotes won't kill multiple birds unless there are multiple predators.
A fox, weasel or coon will. A weasel rarely eats any meat though, just bites the neck and drinks the blood. Same goes for mink.

 

[thomasboyle]

Very sorry for your losses. In my experience, foxes don't usually hunt in packs, but you certainly can have a family of foxes around, and see several at a time. While an 8' fence seems like a predator stopper, many can jump it or climb it. I've lost birds to foxes and bobcats, but they kill and take the bird. Dogs and coyotes are known for killing more than they can eat, and seem to kill for sport. You would be amazed at what can fit through a fence. I had a possum go through a chain link fence trying to get away from my dogs, and I would have bet my life savings it wasn't going to make it through the 2"x2" hole, but it did.

I would recommend a motion sensor trail camera. I have two, and have them set up guarding the chicken pasture so I can see what is coming and going while I am not there. Makes it much easier to deter predators when you know what you are up against.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Fox will definitely kill more than they can eat or take with them. Once they get into a pen the birds go nuts obviously and then the fox just goes after whatever he can, which is usually a lot of them.

 

[ccw2005]

Just for info, Thursday morning I got up while still dark and went out to the pasture. I sat back a good 75 yards or so from the actual fenced in area where the birds and goats live. All looked well. Motion sensor light was on, Christmas tree lights were on and I could see birds roosting all around. By 6am I began to see some birds moving around as the sky was starting to get light. Normal. However something caught my attention from the corner of the pasture. At first I thought one of my baby goats was grazing without mom, but the more I watched I saw the "thing" remained stationary to a degree and I saw a dark lump next to the thing. I watched through the scope of my rifle and the thing became a fox. No need to go through the rest of the story, but this particular one won't be eating chicken anymore. As glad I was that I got the fox, I was sad as well since I don't like killing. Upon further investigation, I found 7 more dead birds in the pasture. My remorse was beginning to fade. Friday morning and Saturday morning. No dead birds. So, to the original post, it is a very good chance you have a fox.

This fox was missing one of its front paws. I think it was a birth defect while others think he found a trap. But the remaining part of the leg looked well healed, as if it was born with the issue. I can only speculate that he crawled under the gate to the pasture since digging and climbing would be a bit difficult.

 

[roosterhavoc]

What did you do with that fox? Looks like it has mange.

 

[ccw2005]

What did you do with that fox? Looks like it has mange.

I thought the same thing. When I had seen that fox outside the pasture it looked fine, except for a limp. I didn's see a missing foot, just a limp. His tail looked bushy. We had a good rain Thursday morning, early, so I wondered if that changed his hair appearance. He did look sickly. We collected his body and disposed of him and all the chicken bodies far away from our area. I tell you he was a very stinky thing, but I have been told that a fox in nature is rather smelly. Don't know and I hope not to ever find another one to see. This is day three since getting him and nothing has been found dead in the pasture. My problem now is to get all my girls back to laying. I think he stressed them out something considerably those few days.

 

[roosterhavoc]

That fox would have died eventually anyway. If you run across anymore that look that bad bury them.