Fox attack?? (Warning- content could be considered graphic)

[Seramaroo]

Posting tonight with a heavy heart—just lost my entire flock (all seven sweet hens) to what I can only imagine was a fox??

My husband went out to put our girls in the coop for the night. They free-range and roost on top the coop at dusk. He discovered something had killed all of them by eating the heads but leaving their bodies completely intact. Could this predator be a fox? No skunk odor in the air.

Thanks.

I’m so sorry you lost your lovelies! We had a fox run right up in the yard and grab a young rooster just a few feet away from my daughter. But he did run away with the roo. Not sure what got your hens, but we had a possum kill our silky flock and left them.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Hi, I’m so sorry about your flock of 7. Last year I had a fox take out 12 in one night, mine got in under the wire on the roof. I was devastated, I know it was a fox as we don’t have wild dogs or American wildlife in Australia. I can recommend double wiring your coop as a few years ago I had another fox attack where it tore the wire on my coop. We use steel mesh and if you haven’t already I recommend placing a wire skirt on your coop or laying wire on the floor of the coop to prevent digging. I hope this helps

 

[cmom]

I had a problem with a fox a couple of times. Both times I caught the fox and eliminated it. Once they kill they will keep coming back for more. Yes another fox will eventually show up but may not kill your birds. I have seen fox on my game cameras that never went anywhere near my birds. I do have electric wire around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and heavy duty netting covering the pens and in some places I dug a trench along the bottom of the fencing and buried welded wire which I attached to the bottom of the fence. One fox I caught that was coming out during the day and killed some birds. I set up live traps and baited them and for a few days let the fox take the bait then set the trap and caught the mangy stinky critter. I have game cameras set up in several places around my property.

We also have had a lot of coyotes. Here most of the predators roam at night.