Fox got 4 hens last night/early morning ?

[SAMnELLA]

I found one of them just dead, not eaten, and half buried. My husband said he saw a fox, so what do you put in the trap ? Am I right to want revenge ? LOL It was my fault for leaving the coop door open :-(

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Regardless of vigilance, predators are an ever present danger. It’s fine to be angry. With experience (a Fisher cat killed both my cats on the same day), I have learned to feel that predators aren’t evil, just animals exercising their instincts.

You will get good advice here about next steps. But you’ll want to add security, set your trap, etc, right away, because of the fox has found an easy source of food, it will be back. I’ve read that foxes will sometimes stash their killed prey and come back later for it.

So sorry for your loss!

 

[Acre4Me]

I found one of them just dead, not eaten, and half buried. My husband said he saw a fox, so what do you put in the trap ? Am I right to want revenge ? LOL It was my fault for leaving the coop door open :-(

Often, the bait is the dead bird. Seems to work pretty well according to others on BYC.

sorry for your loss!

 

[SAMnELLA]

So sorry you lost your cats !! That would be worse than losing some chickens. Maybe not to some people, but anyways it was my fault. We hadn't lost one to predators since we moved here in 2013 and the coop is like fort knox. IF the door is shut at night Ugg !!

 

[SAMnELLA]

If I live-trap it and take it a few miles away, will it find it's way back ? When do foxes have their babies ? I have a hard time killing things LOL

 

[Acre4Me]

If I live-trap it and take it a few miles away, will it find it's way back ? When do foxes have their babies ? I have a hard time killing things LOL

Often it is illegal to trap and release on another property. You need to have permission. If you release far enough away that the animal cannot come back, you are often sentencing it to death bc it does not have familiarity of that area, and is often another animal’s territory.

don’t trap if you don’t have plans to dispatch. Since your coop is very secure, then don’t trap. The fox may return, but if it can’t get in, it will go where there is food more readily available.

 

[chickens really]

Don't let them out for a good long time either because that fox will be waiting and watching now..
I had a fox problem too..Definitely relentless..

 

[SAMnELLA]

Thanks everybody

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry!
Trap and shoot, or don't trap at all. Your fox will return though. There are professional trappers to be found almost everywhere, so if you aren't able to do it, find someone who will.
Setting up electric fencing or electrified poultry netting will keep most land predators at bay, and I'd keep my flock inside their safe coop until it's set up and running.
@Howard E and @cmom , and Premier1supplies.com, are good resources for information, advice, and Premier, for supplies.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I lost my very special bird to a fox early this year. It was my fault for letting her out then getting distracted without putting her back in her pen, but I still caught the fox. Most of the time I see them at night on one of my game cameras but this one was coming out during the day. I set live traps and used canned dog food and some old processed chicken that found it's way to the bottom of our freezer. I let the fox take the bait for a few days then set the traps. It was mangy and stank. It won't get anymore of my birds. Years ago I had another killer fox that I permanently relocated.