First fox visit

[andyoak]

We have had chickens for around two years now and have not to much as seen a fox in the distance let alone in the garden. Last night however our number was up. Around 3.30am it sounded all hell was braking loose. Tracksuit bottoms and rigger boots torch in hand I'm out. As soon as the light hit the coop I saw the eyes and knew. Running at it I got it cornered and swung my size 11's at it but missed and the thing jumped and was gone.

Some were dead others just trying to hide while others needed to be dispatched. I got done and went back in, it was raining and I was drowned. Anyway about 5.30 here we go again and the dam thing is back. I was still up so was out very quickly but till it got a duck.

I do have a quick question. After doing so long without a fox then it coming twice in one night si the fox now going to know where the dinner is and come back again tonight?

We are all a little disheartened with it and wondering if to sell whats left and call it a day.

 

[Habibs Hens]

dont sell just secure the coop


and yes it will be back


but please dont sell over one stupid fox

just get your shotgun out

fox season has just started for you and you wanna bag your self a prize

 

[jrward]

if you have a dog bigger than the fox post him up by the coop for a couple of weeks. beef up the coop as well.

 

[mama24]

You need to beef up the coop. Make it so the fox can't get in. We moved into our place last September. It had a 100+ year old barn with an attached chicken coop already ready for us, just needed to clean it out and put in roosts and nest boxes. But the first thing I did was pour a concrete floor over the dirt. It was a lot of hard work, and my house suffered while I did it (I'm the mother of 4 young children) but I'm glad I did b/c we have foxes, too, and they have tried to dig under the coop wall to get in since then. Would have been easy if I hadn't poured the concrete. Now they have gotten several of my birds, but it's b/c we had been letting the ones that want to sleep in the barn with the goats do so, thinking the goats would keep the fox away. They don't. Fox goes right in there and takes what he wants while the goats cower on high ground with their babies behind them. I have a 3 month old pup who chased the fox away for the first time this morning. Good girl! I've had a trap out there for over a week and nothing. He was in our yard this time, not sure what he was looking for. Our cat maybe. Neighbors have told us this fox has killed several pet cats in the past. She's indoors mostly, but she was outside for a while yesterday, so he could probably smell her. We've been putting our chickens into the coop at night whether they like it or not, so no more free meals in the open barn. Today, I am putting another line of hot wire along the outside bottom of all of our fencing to keep the fox from digging under the fence, which is how he got in. I already have it on top and bottom inside to keep the goats in, but it's been turned off for months now that they stay on their own and know where home is. I might just remove that and move it to the outside. And of course add it to the chicken yard side of the fencing!