Fox entry attempt/fail— pale comb

[sourland]

Hotwire or electric fencing will educate the fox.

 

[cmom]

It will educate many different predators.

 

[LauraKchickentender]

CAN you get ahold of some electric poultry netting? Or electric horse wire works to. Set it up, get it hot. Bait it withe peanut butter around the wire, or bacon. When the predator goes to lick or sniff the wire, they will get a surprise.

I’m afraid that wouldn’t be safe with kids around.

 

[DobieLover]

I’m afraid that wouldn’t be safe with kids around.

They educate the kids as quickly as the predators. YOU also need to let the kids know not to touch the fence. It will not do any permanent damage. But it will give them a jolt they won't soon forget. I've been shocked by my fence and it does hurt but the new chargers pulse so one can't "get stuck" on them if one were to grab hold of the fence.

 

[cmom]

I agree with @DobieLover. As I previously posted, I have electric wires around my coops and pens too. I have accidentally touched my wires and it did hurt. I put a cutoff switch below my fence charger or I unplug it when I'm down working around the coops. You could put it on a timer. Here most of the predators roam at night and I did have mine on a timer until a fox dug under a gate during the day and killed several birds. Since I have put concrete under the gates and the timer died and I didn't replace it.

 

[LauraKchickentender]

They educate the kids as quickly as the predators. YOU also need to let the kids know not to touch the fence. It will not do any permanent damage. But it will give them a jolt they won't soon forget. I've been shocked by my fence and it does hurt but the new chargers pulse so one can't "get stuck" on them if one were to grab hold of the fence.

Could it just be on/live at night, or while we are not home? We have neighbor kids everywhere, too. I would absolutely educate them, but don’t think it would go over well.

 

[DobieLover]

Could it just be on/live at night, or while we are not home? We have neighbor kids everywhere, too. I would absolutely educate them, but don’t think it would go over well.

Sure. But when did the fox show up the first time? Do you have an open air coop and that is why the flock was startled by the fox?
If the fox is coming after dusk then I would just plug the charger in when you do your nightly lock up and head count then unplug it at morning feeding. You can buy non-conductive signs that hang on the wires/netting to warn literate humans not to touch the wires. If you are in a more suburban locale, I highly recommend you purchase multiple signs to hang on the fence just as a precaution even though you'd not have it charged during the day.

 

[cmom]

Since I put my electric wires up, all of the predators avoid them I think the adult predators teach their young that a chicken isn't worth getting zapped for. I don't close my pop doors on the coops. Nothing has gotten past the electric wires.
Here are some coyotes near my outer coops.

Here is a bobcat recently at my chick/grow-out coop. It probably knows the electric wires are there.