Fox eating my hens

[Red Banks]

If the fox is getting your chickens while they free range, quit free ranging, for Pete's sake!
Build your chickens a run attached to their coop. Common sense. You must have seen the thing if you know it's a fox. If you have a gun and know how to use it, keep it handy so the next time you see the fox you can eliminate it. If not, maybe there is a trapper in your area who can help you out.

For Pete's sake...... you could just come right out and call me a moron, oh you pretty much did. I have not seen a fox, my neighbor on his 20 acres told me he has seen a fox. I was in the process of building a new coop when all of this started, at first I didn't even know I was missing a hen or two. I wasn't doing a head count every night. I have been told they are very hard to trap, as for shooting him, I don't have time to sit all day and wait for him to show up. The reason I asked for help from this thread was everyone here says it is pretty impossible to get rid of him so I came to the experts like you for advice. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I will try to find some common sense somewhere.

 

[bobbi-j]

Sorry for coming across so abruptly. From reading your first post, I gathered that you had seen this fox helping himself to your chickens - I figured that's how you knew what it was. It also seemed that it has been going on for quite some time. (I guess I've read too many "something has been eating several of my chickens the past x number of days" posts and read too much into yours.)

My husband used to trap, and fox can be tricky. As I mentioned earlier, a run attached to your coop can be a helpful thing. I have read on here (I have not witnessed it myself, however), that fox can climb, so you may want to run a few strands of electric wire around that run and/or cover it with something sturdy like welded wire instead of tarp or netting. If you have enough room to keep them locked up 24/7 for a few weeks, your fox may get discouraged and move out on its own. Do you know anyone with experience trapping fox? You may need to talk to your state wildlife agency about trapping out of season, though..

I realize a person doesn't have time to sit around and wait for predators to show up. Again, I was surmising you'd seen this animal, and you could be prepared when you were out with your birds to eliminate it if you came upon it.

Good luck - I hope you can either eliminate the problem or encourage it to move on to somewhere else.

 

[Red Banks]

Sorry for coming across so abruptly. From reading your first post, I gathered that you had seen this fox helping himself to your chickens - I figured that's how you knew what it was. It also seemed that it has been going on for quite some time. (I guess I've read too many "something has been eating several of my chickens the past x number of days" posts and read too much into yours.)

My husband used to trap, and fox can be tricky. As I mentioned earlier, a run attached to your coop can be a helpful thing. I have read on here (I have not witnessed it myself, however), that fox can climb, so you may want to run a few strands of electric wire around that run and/or cover it with something sturdy like welded wire instead of tarp or netting. If you have enough room to keep them locked up 24/7 for a few weeks, your fox may get discouraged and move out on its own. Do you know anyone with experience trapping fox? You may need to talk to your state wildlife agency about trapping out of season, though..

I realize a person doesn't have time to sit around and wait for predators to show up. Again, I was surmising you'd seen this animal, and you could be prepared when you were out with your birds to eliminate it if you came upon it.

Good luck - I hope you can either eliminate the problem or encourage it to move on to somewhere else.

I finished the coop and have been locking the chickens up. That was part of the problem. I had about 45 two-month-olds that had outgrown the grow out pen. As long as everyone was just roosting in the coops it wasn't a problem but then the fox came along and life got hard. I am locking them all up but I hate how this predator has made my life so difficult. My coops are basically runs with roofs. I live in the south. Today it was 97 degrees with 100% humidity. Just too hot for a walled coop. They are welded wire and hardware cloth everywhere that a possum or raccoon might reach in. I have already experienced a possum beheading 4 hens in a matter of minutes just by reaching thru welded wire. I think I have the coops good and secure.

My neighbor says he is willing to help me try to trap it and I am going to set that up tomorrow. I read somewhere that it works best if the fox thinks the trap is part of the coop. I will also put out leg traps. I can't use poison. I worry about my cats.

Thanks.....

 

[bobbi-j]

It's rough when a predator finds its way into your flock. Coyotes took half my flock in one hit a few years ago. The rest were locked up immediately. They stayed locked up from that August until late fall after the cornfield around the out buildings was harvested. DH saw at least three coyotes run out of the field when he was harvesting.

It's great that you have a good neighbor who is willing to help you. I agree with not using poison - too much chance for unintended targets. I'd be cautious with the leg holds for that same reason. I hope you can get rid of it one way or another.

 

[Weehopper]

Don't free range until you solve the problem. My sympathies for your losses. I would think either catch him or kill him...probably both. Do you have a dog?

 

[dekel18042]

I finished the coop and have been locking the chickens up. That was part of the problem. I had about 45 two-month-olds that had outgrown the grow out pen. As long as everyone was just roosting in the coops it wasn't a problem but then the fox came along and life got hard. I am locking them all up but I hate how this predator has made my life so difficult. My coops are basically runs with roofs. I live in the south. Today it was 97 degrees with 100% humidity. Just too hot for a walled coop. They are welded wire and hardware cloth everywhere that a possum or raccoon might reach in. I have already experienced a possum beheading 4 hens in a matter of minutes just by reaching thru welded wire. I think I have the coops good and secure.

My neighbor says he is willing to help me try to trap it and I am going to set that up tomorrow. I read somewhere that it works best if the fox thinks the trap is part of the coop. I will also put out leg traps. I can't use poison. I worry about my cats.

Thanks.....

My sympathies are with you, Here, foxes are the worst, perhaps because they are the smartest of the predators. They show us where the weak links are. We have coops and large covered runs but sometimes the chickens want to forage. So I leave a dog out. The foxes are smart enough that if the dog comes in for fifteen minutes a chicken is gone. We've used leg and box and snare traps and have caught opossums and raccoons which aren't a problem, but no foxes. We've occasionally caught a glimpse of a fox and it is gone. My husband carries his gun. No fox. He puts the gun down. Guess what?
Now we have a fence around an acre. Some chickens can fly over. Some can't. Hopefully the ones who can will elect to stay with the ones who can't. (SO far so good.)
You might try a wounded rabbit call while you have a gun. That might bring the fox out. I would love to get a successful method. The wounded rabbit call helps...for a second.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: Thank you..... this pretty much happened to me. I was building my coop from 900 to 2100. I went in at about 1600 to get some water and in minutes the fox (?) took a hen close to the woods edge and was gone. We are talking about a 5 minute break. He is taking all my laying hens because they are the ones that like to scratch in the cool of the woods edge.

I will work on it. With the suggestions I have read here I will work on it. Glad you have been successful.

I am looking for a dog. I know just having one around helps.

 

[Weehopper]

When trying to trap the various varments that killed our chickens over the years, my husband would mostly bait the trap with the dead chicken (if you have a corpse). Canned cat food is a nice bait, since it's so stinky. But of course, you will need to keep your cats inside for a bit. Lol we caught our own cat several times in the have-a-heart trap when baited with cat food. Slow learners, we were. Eventually we learned to keep the cat inside.

 

[Red Banks]

When trying to trap the various varments that killed our chickens over the years, my husband would mostly bait the trap with the dead chicken (if you have a corpse). Canned cat food is a nice bait, since it's so stinky. But of course, you will need to keep your cats inside for a bit. Lol we caught our own cat several times in the have-a-heart trap when baited with cat food. Slow learners, we were. Eventually we learned to keep the cat inside.

LOL