Fox Attacks

[SoupytheChicken]

We have had lots of chickens taken by foxes. My chickens free rangeand I want them to keep free ranging, but don't want them to get killed. What are some good ways to prevent Fox attacks. I live in a house surrounded by woods but near city

 

[ivan3]

No `free range' time unless it is armed, supervised free range (if one is attentive this is nearly 100% effective - and one can often retire the fox from the target pool).

Preemptive removal of vermin (lot of good information on traps/`sets'/snares for fox on web). This is not 100% effective but, over time, will decrease the overall frequency of predation by foxes.

Well (very well) trained dogs will slow them down.

However, particularly during the breeding season for foxes in your area, it is best to keep the chooks behind 6 ft. fencing/electric poultry netting, as a pair of Reds can make a flock of 13 pullets `disappear' (hardly a feather left to mark the event) in no more than 15 minutes (happened to one of our neighbors).

 

[duluthralphie]

I would suggest trapping and shooting. You have half the battle won as the fox is no longer afraid of human odors. That makes him easier to trap or snare or call in with a predator call.



I would keep the birds n a fence for awhile, placing leg hold and a live trap around the edge of the fence. A dead chicken in a live trap will be too much for the fox to resist. The fox will most likely walk around the fence looking for a way in. A snare or trap would be a beautiful thing for your chickens.

 

[SoupytheChicken]

There is one problem... we have seen multiple Fox families crossing our road, and they only come every few months.

 

[enola]

Foxes wiped out all of the flocks in my neighborhood last summer. Mine were cooped up and I had minimal losses. My neighbors free ranged theirs. They lost all of their chickens.......

 

[SoupytheChicken]

But our chickens control ticks which is really bad c in Maine, and we love watching them run

 

[duluthralphie]

You have to decide, Declare war of foxes or stop raising chickens.....

 

[SoupytheChicken]

 

[Howlet]

OR just keep them in a large run 247, or just use alive trap. ( not that retarded inhumane leg snare though, they do damage..... ) and relocate or go to a nature preserve and ask what u can do with him.

 

[duluthralphie]

OR just keep them in a large run 247, or just use alive trap. ( not that retarded inhumane leg snare though, they do damage..... ) and relocate or go to a nature preserve and ask what u can do with him.

Obviously you do not understand trapping. There is no such thing as a "leg snare" that I know of A snare is made to go around the neck and kill in very short time. A leg hold trap is a tried and true method of trapping predators. I am willing to concede the induce some pain he animal, but the predator will induce pain into the chickens if they are not stopped.

Relocating an animal that has a taste for farm animals. like chickens, is simply moving the problem to someone else. You have not solved the problem. I would never "relocate" a predator, I prefer to take care of my own problems and dirty work and not have to p to someone else and their flock.

Free range is a great way to raise chickens. Predators re terrorist and should not be allowed to continue their terror.

Now, I would try dogs and locking birds up at night, but a fox that wants to eat chicken will, bringing their own demise down on them.

The only reason to use a live trap is to hold the animal, until can kill it.