Fox help!

[chicken+quail=luv]

my chickens keep getting eaten by foxes. I have tried some things to prevent it, but the fox recently had kits!

Please help me try to get rid of it without hurting or killing it!

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Foxes are VERY smart. My son used to trap them and it was not easy to trick them into a snare. A tender trap might be your only hope if you don't want to kill the fox but what about the kits? Are they up and running with the mom? And you would propably loose a lot more of your flock before the fox decided to fall into the tender trap cage.
I've even thought aboout locking Skipper (my shepherd dog) in the coop with the girls at night for protection.

 

[chicken+quail=luv]

we don't want to trap it, because the kits are there, and we are about to finish our large coop. that is what i am worried about. we only have a hutch right now, and it has been fine, but i am worried about the coop. thank you for the suggestions!

 

[farmergal]

I too have a family of foxes. A couple months ago, they took 23 chicks in one night.

I knew that one fox couldn't eat that many birds, and sure enough, a few nights later I saw a couple of kits following their mama by the moonlight.

I haven't found a solution... except now all of my chickens sleep in places that are ABOVE fox-height, so they're less likely to be interested in them. (I have one bi-level chicken coop, and I taught them to sleep in the upper level... and one coop that I just built to foil the foxes, that's a big 10 x 10 coop built up on posts with only high windows so the foxes can't see the chickens at all.)

Also, everything has a floor, and the chicken yard now has a poultry wire skirt. (Well... not quite finished... the skirt is still under construction.)

I haven't lost anymore *yet*. But I'm still worried. I'll keep checking this post to see if you've found any better solutions! What do your current "fox defenses" look like?

 

[ChickenTender63]

*chicken+quail=luv* :

my chickens keep getting eaten by foxes. I have tried some things to prevent it, but the fox recently had kits!

Please help me try to get rid of it without hurting or killing it!

What? It is killing your chickens and it will continue, and you don't want to hurt it?

As long as you have chickens around, the fox will continue to try and get them. The only real solution is to either trap or shoot the fox, or remove the chickens.

I know thats not what you want to hear, but it's nature and they don't play by any rules.​

 

[chicken+quail=luv]

Quote:
we don't really have much "fox defenses" except for putting them in the hutch at night, but the fox has stolen my chickens in the daytime too. Thanks for the help! (i'll try to do that when i work on the coop i 1/2 made!)

 

[wilds of pa]

Fox are known to climb as well, dig under, chew through, with all them young-ens, moms gonna teach them right where to get there easy meals, so its best to remove them now before they get to wise...remove them with what ever method works, guns or leg traps or CR'S is what i would recommend(box/haveaheart traps not included for fox).

 

[Capt. Crusoe]

I use 3 strands of electric fence around my coop and run. Before purchasing it, I had lost eight birds – two on the first attack and 6 on the next. I was nearly sick over the loss of these birds and very upset too. I was tempted to setup a blind and shoot whatever came near my birds. It was not a practical idea but most likely would have calmed me down a little, especially after spending a few nights out in the cold. I went to the local farm supply looking for a solution and asked the clerk if she had any ideas – an older gentleman overheard the conversation and said “Electric Fence, that is what I use and have had no attacks since.” I had no knowledge of what to purchase more or less how to install one that would keep out Raccoon, opossum, wild mink, weasel, fox, coyote and what ever else lurked in the shadows at night looking for an easy meal. The clerk called for assistance and not only the store attendant but also the older gentlemen educated me on what I needed and how to install it. The farm supply had everything from small systems (like what I needed) to some that covered miles of fence. They even had some that ran on battery power using a solar cell to recharge the battery on sunny days.
I was instructed to run 3 strands around the run and coop starting at 6” from the ground and every 6” for the other two strands. I’ve had this system in place for nearly 6 months now – with no additional losses. I also keep five baited live traps outside the run and coop. I have now eliminated several coon, 3 mink, 2 weasels and 1 fox using these traps. I had no idea – we had all these predators slinking around at night. I cannot fault these predators for trying, as I am the one who built in their neck of the woods and put turkey and chicken on their new menu. The fence we have does not protect the birds while they are out free ranging but the only time I allow them to do that is if I am working within the vicinity. Though several hawks watch us, none so far have been a problem but I am sure there are many more sets of eyes waiting for an opportunity when I least expect it. I guess that is why they are called predators. Good luck with the predator problem and as was said before – if you have poultry – you’re going to have predators.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Electric fencing is the only solution I know of for fox or coyote either one if you don't want to harm them. Better make sure you have lots of strands close together and make sure it is the weed burner kind or else when the grass touches it you will lose effectiveness. Start the first strand very low to the ground and place the other strands about 3 inches apart for the first foot, then you can go to 6 inches for the next four strands. I know that's alot of wire, but for a fox with hungry babies, you won't have any choice.

 

[Mahonri]

Get a guard dog that won't mess with your chickens.