Fox? Feeling defeated

[centrarchid]

Sorry for your loss. If the chicken area is close by get a baby monitor and put it in the coop. You will definitely hear if something is going wrong. Also sit metal buckets like on a edge of the area where the chickens are so the preditator will knock it over thus alerting you to get your butt out there.

I like and being equally corny tried it. The problem is being awake or waking up when alarm goes off.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hi,

We lost our whole flock of pullets. We had two Easter Egger (got our very first egg yesterday), a Delaware, Swedish Flower, and a Welsummer. We are first time chicken owners and finally we got an egg then BAM. My 3 year old is so sad. 3 were mangled and 2 vanished. I want to take a couple days to reinforce the top of the run. It's surround by hardware cloth within a chain link fence over a concrete slab but the top of the run was plain chicken wire. I want to recover with corrugated plastic. Any birds for sale or tips would be great

What could get over a 6ft fence enclosure?

I feel defeated and don't think I have it in me to start from scratch.

Use hot wires. Predators hate being electrocuted! Dogs hate it. Humans hate it. It is a psychological barrier. 8000 volts will make any predator run, duck and cover. And best of all. Make them Search for a meal not surrounded by 8000 volts dc. Somewhere else.

 

[centrarchid]

I just went though 2 two raccoon bouts myself. Ultimately, properly placed hotwire was the key although four dispatched with a combination of traps and dogs. At least number 5 was repelled by fixing fence. The fence setup is easy to setup and effective against more than just raccoons.

 

[bobbieschicks]

We've had chickens since 2011 with only hawks and snakes as the main predators u til we got a puppy last July. My lab/ACD puppy was attacking my chicken run and kept getting my older chickens. I'd consider a raccoon about equal to my puppy in ability to take down an entire flock - at least over time. Although the raccoon can climb better and is more likely to get them at night while we are asleep.

He started at 9 months old by digging under the fencing and then when we extended buried wire down/out and reworked it so he couldn't dig under his next option was ripping the bird netting I had above since only the lower half was 2x4 welded wire. He had torn several holes in the netting and it looked like he would soon be going over the fencing. He's a smart one.

By the time he was a year old and 54lbs I set up a quick one line hot wire around the perimeter at about 15" off the ground and turned it on. That day I let him outside and he rushed right to the run to try and chew it and I've never heard so much yelping. He wouldn't go near it for months. I guess he forgot how much it hurt and tried again - same result. I don't even turn it on anymore. All I have to do if he gets even within ten feet of it is yelp and he rushes away.

It cost me about $60 in supplies and I have plenty of wire left to do more. And since I don't run it all the time I'm not using much electricity. I plan to start turning it on at night once I finish "snake proofing" the fence with deer netting at the bottom. It's just another layer of protection.

 

[Shawn's_momma]

I'm worried about the hotline with a 3 year old. Curiosity often gets the best of him. I upgraded and redid the run with hardware cloth, and then double secured it with strapping. Fingers crossed...I sadly can't find and Easter Eggers, Welsummers, or Swedish Flowers around here.

 

[centrarchid]

I do the hotwire with small kids that have survived till at least five years of age. Also grew to about 10 X as old. Issues associated with hotwire are over blown largely by parties not experienced in their proper use. A lower output charger that will not cause as much trauma for a toddler could still repel a raccoon.

We try to supervise the kids around the fence while they were smaller. Both had fence figured out before they were 3 years of age.

Initially I used only a lower output solar charger that was activated only at night. That kept raccoons away. If something like a fox came in during the day, then fence was kept charged while we were at work and kids were in preschool.