fox has killed 5 chicks this morning will my other two be ok

[jool88]

Hi all we had a fox in the garden this morning it has killed 5 of my 7 chicks had them from day old I found two in the conservatory hiding they are stressed , ive given them lots of cuddles scince putting them back in the pen they are calling for their mates , will they settle down im so upset not sure what to do ,should I get a couple more of similar age or baby chicks , we've spent the last month preparing a hen house with a 20ft run I live in the uk it was their second night out of the house , so I put the heat lamp on during the night , please help im heart broke.

 

[petrel]

So sorry for your loss. I am certain that they will eventually settle down. In the meantime you need to devise a plan to prevent a similar attack from occurring before adding back to your flock.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!'

Oh, I am so sorry for your loss. I can imagine you are heart broken.

They will calm down over time, but predator attacks are very traumatizing to chicks and chickens. So you need to work on getting this area fox proof. He will come back tonight and if he can get in, he will get these 2 as well. If you want more birds, then now is probably the time to add them to the flock before these grow any larger. But just make sure you can keep the foxes out. Once they learn where they can get a meal, the will forever return.

I hope your heavy heart can heal soon.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

I am so sorry to hear about your losses. I have a hard enough time when I lose one, I can only imagine losing 5 in a morning. The others will calm down, but definitely make sure they are securely penned, even if it means keeping them in the coop for a few days. The fox will be back. Sending good thoughts your way.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! So sorry for the loss of the chicks X4, they will calm down eventually. If you plan on having more chickens, you usually want to add them when they are about the same size, so if you can find some about the same age that would probably go fastest (you would still need to introduce them slowly through wire for a week or two, but with young birds it usually goes pretty well) . You might try the predator forum for ideas on dealing with foxes. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

 

[drumstick diva]

Were the chickens free ranging or did the fox break into their run. In either case he succeeded s he will definitely be back..DO NOT let the survivors out of the ccp until you know how the fox got in and prevent it from happening again. Otherwise you will be replacing birds all the time.

 

[gander007]

 

[Michael OShay]

Were the chickens free ranging or did the fox break into their run. In either case he succeeded s he will definitely be back..DO NOT let the survivors out of the ccp until you know how the fox got in and prevent it from happening again. Otherwise you will be replacing birds all the time.