fox grabbed my rooster and ran while I was standing there

[Miss Eliza]

This has been a particularly bad year for free ranging. Several months ago my neighbor's dog came into my yard and killed one chicken and seriously wounded another. I had just gotten the wounded hen healed and back with her flock. I have been letting my flock out when I am off work and around the yard only. The other day I went in the house to get something and came back out to a bunch of feathers on the ground. No one appeared to be missing but when I took attendance that night there was one not there. The feathers were white and she was brown so I was pretty stumped. I kept searching for my brown Americauna hoping that she was still out there. Meanwhile I noticed my white hen with what looked like some feather loss. I picked her up and found a gaping bite wound hidden under her wing. She was rushed to chicken hospital where I began treatment. Then yesterday ironically while I went into the barn to do wound care on my hen I heard my flock squawking and running. I went out and saw a fox dive under my electric horse fence and grab my rooster and ran across the pasture in between my horses. I ran after him or her and got my rooster back unharmed. I hate to deprive my flock of free ranging and stretching their wings but I have to keep them safe. The only thing I can think of to do is to free range just before bed and sit out there in a lawn chair with a weapon until dark when they come in or look for some suggestions on fencing for horse and chicken combinations. I currently have wood posts with electrobraid. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You could try electric poultry netting. That way they could be out but somewhat protected and the pen could be moved every so often...it may not stop it but it would make it more difficult for the predator-until they decide to jump over. Maybe if they got a good shock first it would scare them away?

 

[WthrLady]

In the past I have used leg traps but since more and more people are moving into our area, now I'm only using live traps. Recently I caught 2 cats, a turkey vulture and a fox in a live trap.
View attachment 1812100

What brand is that trap? I want a larger one, and the two I was looking at have mixed reviews.

 

[cmom]

I don't know. The larger trap I got it from a guy who used it to catch hogs. You may not have noticed but I have two traps in the picture. One is large for coyotes and a smaller one. I also caught a fox in the smaller Have-A-Heart live trap.

 

[Chickassan]

22 unless you know for a fact cats are the problem.
Simple reason in case you don't know and I do not want you or anyone else to find out the hard way.
Foxes and coons especially have a nasty habit of charging towards you if you just bink them, best to not do it.

I agree! Human presence and buckshot will scare off a persistent predator pretty quickly! If your not comfortable dispatching the Fox I'd consider hitting it with a few BB'S.