Fox grabbed one of my hens today.

[70monte]

I had just let my chickens out to free range about 6:30pm and went back into the house. My fiance was outside burning trash when I heard her yell something about the chickens. I ran outside toward where she went and saw the rest of my chickens running back toward me. I saw the fox out in the pasture and could see it had a chicken in it's mouth. I ran toward it and hopped the fence and the fox dropped the chicken and took off. The hen was still alive but had a pretty bad wound on it's back. We put some triple antibiotic cream on it and will see what happens. I don't know if she will make it or not. She still walks around.

Something killed one of my roosters the other day when we were out of town and I assume it was the fox since it dug under the pen he was in. It couldn't get him out of the pen though.

Now I'm going to have to find a way to kill it. I wish I would have had my gun with me but they are pretty fast so I don't know if I could hit it or not. I may try getting a trap and see if I can catch it that way. The first two years of having chickens and no problems and now this third year has been bad.

Any ideas on the best way to get a Fox?

Wayne

 

[Mahonri]

I'd try and get one of those traps so you don't have to kill it. Call the game folks and let them take it somewhere.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

A fox is pretty hard to trap. I would keep the gun handy and hope to get a shot. I expect he will be back because free range chickens are a easy quick meal. Be ready. Shotgun with double 00 or BB loads

 

[centrarchid]

I do not usually strive to get fox, rather I keep away from flock with dog. Consider having dog free range with chickens. Release dog only while birds free-ranged and keep it confined near / arouind flock when they are confined.

 

[Stevo]

The Fox has young to feed. If you don't either kill it or pen your birds up it will get another, then another.

 

[70monte]

Well, this morning my fiance saw three foxes out by the barn and I got a shot at one of them as he ran across the pasture. We went into the barn and found their den. It looks to be pretty extensive. There are two entry ways on either end of the barn.

We do have dogs but they are kenneled and they are not chicken or cat friendly so they have to be kept up. They are penned up next to the chicken house which has kept the foxes out of the back yard but they are getting bolder. The chickens are penned up right now and will not be let out for the unseeable future.

We are going to go get a trap but since there are more than one, I don't know if a trap will work. Any ideas on how to get them to leave a den and not come back?

Wayne

 

[centrarchid]

Solution is simple, make dogs chicken friendly. It can be done with any dog, even one that is hyper or has killed multiple chickens. Will also prevent losses to your dogs down road.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Dogs locked up, Chickens locked up, and foxes living in the barn and guarding the henhouse. I would come out shootin. I doubt those foxes are living in the barn. The holes you found are probably groundhog holes. Like I said before foxes are really hard to trap. If your seeing them that often they are not likely to leave on their own. But if your sure that the foxes made those holes I would fill the holes up with chicken poop. Let the girls get some revenge

 

[70monte]

I'm pretty sure the holes in the barn are from the foxes because their footprints are all over the place as well as their poop. The hen the fox attacked yesterday died this afternoon. I figured she would because her wounds were pretty bad even though she acted fairly normal. No luck with the trap yet.

Wayne

 

[centrarchid]

If actual fox den, then let dogs in there. Dogs might kill a kit or but more likely to provide powerful incentive to move somewhere else.