Fox attack

[amynw]

Hello all. I had my very first fox attack tonight. I am beating myself up over it. Ive worked long hard hours lately and fell asleep on the couch and didn’t get the chickens locked up right at dusk as usual. I woke up around 10 pm to an awful awful screech/bark sound. My first thought was a bobcat. I ran back inside to get my husband who had already been asleep way before me from his work shift, because I am a baby and didn’t want to walk all the way to the coop alone after hearing that so close by. I walked down to the coop with him, nothing looked messed up. So we shut the coop up and continued to try to call in whatever it was making this awful noise so we knew what we were dealing with. After about a half hour, a young gray fox came within 50 feet of us. After we found out what it was, it continued its barking for another 20 minutes and we just sat outside listening to it. After, I go back in the coop, count all of my girls and realize, oh no, 1,2,3, only 3 white chickens. No it can’t be. Count again. 3 white chickens. My heart sank. I looked everywhere for her hoping I was wrong as the coop was virtually untouched. We found some of her feathers and her crop contents in the woods but did not find her. My sweet Betty, pure white with the biggest fanned tail. So beautiful. And shes now gone. What do I do now? I cannot believe it, we keep a radio in the coop at night to deter anything like this. I am absolutely heartbroken. Do fox attack during the day as well? Other than locking them up ASAP at end of day, how do I prevent this?

 

[Dusty Chicken]

I am so sorry for your loss. I had a series of days, a number of years ago where a fox kept returning and killed three of my flock and seriously injured a fourth hen. We had an electric fence and a automatic door by that time but the attacks were happening during the day.
The problem was that the fox was slipping under the electric poultry fence and then the hens were trapped in their run with the fox. My solution was very simple, I used landscape staples to hold the bottom of the electric poultry fence to the ground.

I now have a VERY strong electric fencer. The bottom wire is always stapled to the ground. My automatic door battery is on a trickle charger and so hopefully never (or rarely) fails. The wildlife in the forest that surrounds my chicken yard is now an educated bunch and leave my girls alone (so far).

Each property is different, each fox (or any predator) has different experiences. You now have a fox that has been successful! You need to be extra viligent in the coming days. Spend some serious time trying to figure out your run's weaknesses and ask yourself how they can be eliminated. My electric fence and automatic door are still my best defenses but they did not stop my attacks from happening. Your daily vigilance and scouting is what will keep your hens safe. Hopefully they can stay safe long enough to train this fox or the next that your property is not the easy meal they were looking for.

 

[vpatt]

All of our Fox attacks were in the daytime. Most, I think were when the foxes had babies to feed (June). And after our dog died. I have 2 dogs now that are good barkers, lol. But I am not free ranging at this time because of the foxes.

 

[mowin]

Radios don't help. Predators get used to it, and soon realize it's not a threat. Your best bet would be to remove the fox.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your loss!
You do need to upgrade your coop and run to protect your birds, and do it today!!! This fox will return, for sure, and at least gray foxes can climb or jump fences very easily. They will also dig under fences, and couldn't care less about radios, lights, or whatever.
If you do try to trap or shoot this fox, remember that there are always more predators out there! And don't live trap unless you will shoot!
Our one fox attack was during the day, and he killed ten nice hens in a short time while they were free ranging.
Electric fencing, properly set up, will work very well. @Howard E and @cmom , and Premier1supplies.com, are good resources, and Premier has excellent products.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I had a fox take birds during the day. One day my most special bird was taken. I let her out and got distracted. I still beat myself up for not putting her back in her pen. I looked but never did find her but did find some feathers. Another time a fox dug under a pen gate and killed some birds and dragged the bodies out of the pen back under the gate. Lessons learned the hard way. I did trap and eliminate the foxes that killed my birds but since I have seen more prowling around on my property. I do not free range anymore due to losses in the past but do have electric wires around my coops and nice large pens, good heavy duty netting covering my pens and concrete under all of the gates all due to losses from predators in the past as well as several game cameras to see what is roaming around on my property especially at night. Nothing has gotten past the hot wires and once they learn they're there I think the adult predators teach their young that a chicken isn't worth getting zapped for. Free ranging is nice but you will eventually loose a bird/birds, it's a risk you take. Good luck with the rest of your birds.

It may not be too pretty but works.

 

[vpatt]

With electrified fences does it hurt the chickens? I looked at premier and I thought it was really expensive.
Lol, I'm guessing it does not hurt them or it would not be used.

 

[Folly's place]

Good products do cost more, especially the electrified poultry netting. They give excellent advice by phone too. Electric wire or rope (and their rope is really nice!) works fine, as long as it's set up correctly, and there's a very potent charger on the line.
Replacing chickens because they are being fed to predators isn't best...
Free ranging will have losses, sometime major losses. Having a very safe coop and run protects the flock, and is really important.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I have had birds out when the wires were on. Feathers are good insulators.

 

[cmom]

I have a very powerful fence charger. If I touch the wires I will know it and it will hurt. I want any predators that touch the hot wires to know they're there.