Fox attack right out my Door!

[suki'smom]

If the preditor was nearly as large as your lab, I don't think it was a red fox. Do you have grey foxes in the area? Or maybe wild dogs? Grey foxes aren't apt to be that brazen unless they think no one is around, which might be the case. They ARE good parents and teach their young ones well. Grey foxes can be as tall as labs since they have longer legs, and can move like both cats and dogs in stealth. Also, if it is a grey fox, they can climb trees, fences, and here they scamper up the tree, jump to my second floor balcony, climb to the top roof of the second floor and work its way back down the roofs to get to the backyard fence if the dogs are in their way. The only reason they haven't gotten a chicken is because they can't get ahold of one and get up the fence and out of the dogs reach fast enough. I'm guessing the closer it comes to winter, they'll probably step up their game a bit to get food

Hate to say it but you have this backwards. Grey foxes are itty bitty, about the size of a cat if not smaller. Red foxes are the bigger ones and come in many color phased in the wild (Red, Cross, Silver and everything in between). I once had a red fox that lacked the white tip tail and had coloring exactly that of a grey fox, on of course she was much bigger.​

 

[inohio]

In our area, red and grey fox are distintly different from coyotes. foxes look more like the coat of a husky (in length, fluffiness). Coyotes tend to stay farther away than foxes here. I rarely see foxes together (unless it is a mom + pups)

We have a problem with coyotes bred w/domestic dogs. Think un-neutered domestic finds love in the wilds type. They're the equivelent of a neighbor dog, little fear of human and they top out on the 'ignorant animal' scale and usually look like lanky ratty mut dog. Yet another reason to neuter all dogs! My neighbors know if I catch any unneutered dog on my farm, it is a stray as far as I'm concerned and it'll loose it's jewels as a minimum. I can't stand feral cats or dogs.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

My first thought was fox, but there was a lot of dust flying and I was taken off guard when I realized what was happening. The tail said fox but after it had all happened I realized it was bigger then the fox that I've seen around and as you mentioned, he was always alone and always in the evening, just passing through....as I chased them they seemed to move more like a coyote and I do think the smaller one was the baby but the mom didn't seem overly concerned that they were separated.

I'll keep the chickens in tomorrow and see if they return. Hopefully my mind will be better prepared to figure out what they are.

 

[suki'smom]

It could have been a pair. Females are smaller than males (my biggest female is 9 1/2 pounds while her father is almost 20). Also she wouldn't be concerned if her and the baby were separated as the youngsters (at least the males) will be kicked out soon. My female Suki lives with her young daughter that is 5 months old and Suki want very little to do with her. Wild kits will be about 6-7 months old about now and getting close to being on their own. Pairs will keep the female kits around longer, often to help raise the next year's kits.

 

[ChickiKat]

When I thought we had a fox in the backyard my DH schooled me that it was a coyote. He pointed out that it had a little tail and foxes have bigger bushier tails..... And why do we never have the gun when we need it???

 

[suki'smom]

And why do we never have the gun when we need it???

Because that would be too easy

 

[wvfoxhunter]

I wish my roo was that brave.