My flock got attacked by a fox today !!!
It started 3 month ago, 1 Barred Rock was missing. After looking around our property (10 acres) I found a pile of feathers by a tree line. No blood, nothing. Just feathers and hen was gone. Over the last 3 month I lost all in all 4 Barred Rocks, one made it back to the coop but was so badly injured that I humanely euthanized her. I thought it must be a hawk or owl since every time I just found feathers and the hens missing. Last attack was 3 days ago. Today was the BIG hit. In the afternoon I looked outside the window and saw feathers and a hen just crouching in the grass, not moving. I got outside and the hen had some wounds around the neck area and underneath the wings, not really bad but she seemed to be in a kind of shock. Just sitting there, head resting on the ground. I picked her up and was just sitting there looking over the wounds and trying to comfort her when I heard another hen scream not to far away from me and a fox had her around the neck trying to carry her, fighting for her life, away. I screamed and scared the fox away, picking up the other injured hen. Pretty bad wounds and slashes in the same areas as the other one, around neck and under wings. She seemed otherwise to be fine, lively and not shocked like the other one. When I got back to the coop I did a head count. 6 Chickens missing and another one with wounds. Feathers, almost in piles, all over the backyard and between coop and barn.
I hope that the missing ones are just scared off and will show up tomorrow morning. 4 of them are big girls that are 1 year old and the other 2 are 16 weeks old, one of them a roo.
Can a fox do that much damage in one afternoon ?
The 3 injured hens are in the coop but are in a separate area. What can I do for them? Pretty deep puncture wounds and "slashes" that almost look like they need to be stitched.......
My husband got outside with the gun and saw the fox but couldn't get a clear shot. The chickens will be locked up for a couple of days, we have a covered attached run and space underneath the coop.
What can we do to get that #$@^& Fox ???
Now I am left with 4 healthy laying hens, one of them broody. Hopefully my 16 week chicks will start laying soon (16 hens).
It started 3 month ago, 1 Barred Rock was missing. After looking around our property (10 acres) I found a pile of feathers by a tree line. No blood, nothing. Just feathers and hen was gone. Over the last 3 month I lost all in all 4 Barred Rocks, one made it back to the coop but was so badly injured that I humanely euthanized her. I thought it must be a hawk or owl since every time I just found feathers and the hens missing. Last attack was 3 days ago. Today was the BIG hit. In the afternoon I looked outside the window and saw feathers and a hen just crouching in the grass, not moving. I got outside and the hen had some wounds around the neck area and underneath the wings, not really bad but she seemed to be in a kind of shock. Just sitting there, head resting on the ground. I picked her up and was just sitting there looking over the wounds and trying to comfort her when I heard another hen scream not to far away from me and a fox had her around the neck trying to carry her, fighting for her life, away. I screamed and scared the fox away, picking up the other injured hen. Pretty bad wounds and slashes in the same areas as the other one, around neck and under wings. She seemed otherwise to be fine, lively and not shocked like the other one. When I got back to the coop I did a head count. 6 Chickens missing and another one with wounds. Feathers, almost in piles, all over the backyard and between coop and barn.
I hope that the missing ones are just scared off and will show up tomorrow morning. 4 of them are big girls that are 1 year old and the other 2 are 16 weeks old, one of them a roo.
Can a fox do that much damage in one afternoon ?
The 3 injured hens are in the coop but are in a separate area. What can I do for them? Pretty deep puncture wounds and "slashes" that almost look like they need to be stitched.......
My husband got outside with the gun and saw the fox but couldn't get a clear shot. The chickens will be locked up for a couple of days, we have a covered attached run and space underneath the coop.
What can we do to get that #$@^& Fox ???
Now I am left with 4 healthy laying hens, one of them broody. Hopefully my 16 week chicks will start laying soon (16 hens).
