fox attack

[laurita1510]

Hi guys. My beautiful girl cayuga was mauled and badly mutilatedby a fox today and had to be put to ssleep. My poor girl was Iona tterrible state andI can't stop feelingI let hher down somehow and can'tget ttheIimageout my hhead

I'm utterly hheartbroken.

She was in the run and it still got the poor tthing. Poor love was only 3 months old.

Any advice on how to deal withthis and how to remove the fox issue andpprotect the others

I guess I'm after support from anybody who has been there aandknows how Iit feels too love a beloved pet so hhorrifically. ( he removed her beak and ripped her chest open)

 

[dekel18042]

Hi guys. My beautiful girl cayuga was mauled and badly mutilatedby a fox today and had to be put to ssleep. My poor girl was Iona tterrible state andI can't stop feelingI let hher down somehow and can'tget ttheIimageout my hhead

I'm utterly hheartbroken.

She was in the run and it still got the poor tthing. Poor love was only 3 months old.

Any advice on how to deal withthis and how to remove the fox issue andpprotect the others

I guess I'm after support from anybody who has been there aandknows how Iit feels too love a beloved pet so hhorrifically. ( he removed her beak and ripped her chest open)

I feel for you. Foxes are our worst predator and unfortunately they're smart. The only things you can do are make your coops and runs fox proof, dig down and burying the fencing for a bit. Cover the run or can you get electrified poultry netting or run a hot wire top and bottom?
A dog on duty can offer some protection.
Foxes are even pretty trap savvy. Usually they avoid box or have a heart type traps although sometimes a snare trap will work.
It's a constant war to keep foxes away from the birds. Good luck.

 

[wamtazlady]

Had that happen to mine a few years ago. Bought electric poultry netting. Haven't had a fox get inside that netting in 2 years. Yes, it's kind of expensive but better than having the fox kill all your birds. If you do a search on the forums you'll find a lot of people use the netting.

So sorry about your loss.

 

[purslanegarden]

I don't think you can get rid of foxes in your area, so the next best thing might be like above with electric fencing, or else, treat them like most pet chickens and make sure they are holed up in a locked shelter at night, not just sitting/sleeping out in the run.

I also had seen one of my chickens without a beak. It was ripped off by a possum. There was also a big hole in his back, as if a tooth or nail had been dug into the back to try to keep him from moving away from the edge of the pen.

Not a pretty sight overall. He lived for a few more hours before succumbing. From then, i do my best to keep the chickens and ducks safe at night. You still can't protect them in daytime all the time, especially if they do free-range, but at least when they are shut in to a small space, you can do your best to protect them. Just like your house, they should feel like their house, the place where they sleep, is safe, too.

 

[DuckGirl77]

So sorry!

I had a fox climb into my chicken fence and kill 8 chickens earlier this year. Basically, like others have said, you have to make your fence fox-proof by covering it up (if you have a gray fox) and burying some wire underneath the ground so they can't dig through. You could also try some electric fence around your regular fence.

 

[Amiga]

Fencing top, bottom and sides, adding electric fence can help.

How big is your flock? Can you move them temporarily to a safe place and fix the security?.

I have coated chain link across the bottom of the day pen, and coated woven wire across the top in addition to the woven wire sides.

Electric fence was easy to learn how to set up. Here, foxes will sometimes come by during the daytime....

 

[chickens really]

I have a fox problem...My husband shot the Male fox last fall...We still have the female around...She took my Chicken only 50 feet from where I was standing...Just ran up and grabbed her as I was watering my plants...My Dogs were out and they are so smart, one lured my dog to the barn so the other could grab my hen.....We have tried live trapping, shooting again...Without getting harsh with killing her or someones pet? We are stuck with it...My birds are in safe runs...I still free range when I sit with them...Your never safe though...If they want them...They take them....

Cheers!

 

[laurita1510]

Thank you all. We are going to try and by some electric fence today. We have rifles so we have a plan to bait it so we can lure it into view and shoot the git. Where do yoh put the fence? Around the run? They sleep in a cage in my house at night and in the morning hey go in the run. It's a run designed to keep dogs in so is strong galvanised bar which we reinforced with a second layer to make the holes smaller. It's then bolted onto a solid wooden shed base so nothing can burrow under. We don't get possums or bears or anything here so it's only the fox the a threat. I feel so broken and i feel I let her down. My flock is now only 3.

 

[laurita1510]

oh and he looks little ones don't want to go out. They are cowering in he back in the cage and just want to cuddle up to us. Unlike we avatar better security they will remain house ducks.

 

[chickens really]

My Ducks also live in a 10x10 dog run..They sleep in an extra large dog house at night that has a door that I close at bed time...The fox can not get into my run...I only let my Ducks out of the run when I sit with them...

Sorry for the loss....