Fox attack... Only 4 chooks out of 13 left :(

[Chicky2013]

Hi all. I hate foxes with a passion and i need some advice on how to manage an injured chook after a fox attack as this is the first attack i've ever had in 3 years of having chooks
I am deeply upset yet extremely angry that a fox has killed 9 of my friendly and adorable chooks. They were my first bunch (bantam x) and the adults about 3 years old and i had five 5 month old chooks who were really friendly. From the moment we got them i put a lot of time into caring and taming them and they'd follow you everywhere around the yard, my rooster would call them over when he saw me with or without the food bucket. They really were an awesome bunch and i never realised how cool chooks are until you have them.
Well that fox ruined it. It happened yesterday morning. My chooks are free range and i lock them up occasionally because we have never had an issue with foxes for the last 3 years, Well mistaken i was to think just coz nothing has happened, doesn't mean it will ever happen. My dad was on his way back from picking up the morning paper, noticed a fox infront of the garage door. He checked the pen then came in to tell me what i never thought i would ever hear. It was really upsetting and shocking. One headless chook and a dead one in the chook yard, and a scene of what can be described as a massive pillow fight. It really was terrible. Extremely upsetting to think how much time and effort you put in to the bunch can be ruined by just one fox. The survivors: my rooster, the top hen, one of the five 5 month olds and my spring chicken from last years october hatchings. I found her 3 hours later after walking around the yard finding more feathers, she was under dads ute, laid an egg there and has a bad gash on her breast and on her back. I've separated her from the other 3 (the rooster and the top hen were picking on her). She eats, drinks, loves her treats, sort of walks with a bit of difficulties and pecks at the ground, but besides that she will puff her feathers up and stand with her eyes closed for a while. I'm yet to bring her into the laundry and examin her closer and clean her wounds (spent the day updating the chook pen as i have noticed the fox tried digging underneath the fence last night). I think it stopped bleeding. It looks nasty. Any advice would be heaps appreciated

 

[sourland]

Sorry that this happened. My harshest advice - shoot the fox. It will not give up now that it has found a food source.

 

[erinchelsea]

So sorry that has happened. We lost 29/30 of our chicks a month ago to a family of fox. I accidentally left the back door to the coop cracked and they had to climb over 2 fences to get in. It was horrible.

Keep your girl separated from the others if they are picking on her, you can try putting some blu-kote on there which might help with the infection and the picking. You'll probably know pretty quick if she's going to get better or not, it's amazing to me what chickens can live through but I've found if they aren't perking up by the 2nd day or so they probably never will. Sounds like yours is doing great though.

I agree with shooting the fox if you can (we didn't see ours again), we bought electric poultry netting and put it all the way around the coop and that has kept anything away so far.

 

[Chicky2013]

Thanks for the advice. I did treat her wounds and keep her comfortable. She seemed like she got better until recently. I noticed her appetite decline and saw worms in her poop so i took her to the vet. The news went from ok to upsetting. The wound on her back wasn't too bad, but the one around her breast was worse than what I thought. The vet said the bite looked as if it had pearced her stomach and around it and it was a miracle she's alive. She said the wound is beyond repairing, it wouldn't heal itself and she's in pain and her health will deteriorate so the best option is to put her to sleep. It was so upsetting when i thought she was on the path to healing. But I did what I could and I didn't want her to be alive and suffering so I said yes. So sad, she was my best laying chook too and a friendly one. Stupid fox has robbed me of my happy flock. It's almost a week and I'm more than angry and upset about it. This lesson has opened my eyes up about chook preditors. Just sucks I had to find out the hard way.
Oh my gosh, i'm sorry you lost 29 of your chooks! That would be heartbreaking those foxes are dam pests. I really would love to get a gun and hunt my stupid fox down, but I need to get a gun license which could take a while. I'll look into the electric fences too. In the meantime, I have fixed up the fence with wire netting to stop the fox from digging under the fences and i'm going to do the same for the chicken coup as well for extra safety. My focus now is keeping my remainding chooks safe and happy until i get more chooks.

 

[MarkF]

As a long time hunterone thing I can attest to, fox pelts can be made into a pretty blanket...

 

[cozwurth]

I lost my SLW to a fox on Thursday. I've got a game camera on the trail in the woods where it carried her, and I'm getting some foot-hold traps soon. She was the third over the last couple of months. I'm kinda liking the idea of a fox fur blanket... Sorry to hear about having to have her put down. I had a couple of my birds get pretty mangled by dogs and pull through. Can't say as much for the dogs, though... Blu-Kote is pretty amazing stuff.