Fox in the hen house

[Ajjersey]

Good evening! We recently purchased 4 Cayuga ducklings, and 3 royal purple Guinea hens We put them outside for the first time Sunday. ( they have a hutch, and 8x8 run entirely enclosed that connects to their hutch ) this morning when I went out to feed and water - 2 of the Guineas were dead; heads chewed off along 2 sides of their pen. Initially I thought raccoon or skunk BUT my husband saw a red fox tonight while eating dinner at 5:30 pm stalking the babies ! He fired a warning shot and scared it off, it has been back 4 times since to get the rest of our flock. We have a trap setup with cooked chicken. Is there anything else we can do!? Are they safe in a cedar hutch? I don't want to wake up to more casualties. All keets and ducklings are locked inside the hutch with sliding bolts and latches. Tyi

 

[N F C]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm sorry you lost 2 of your guinea hens. Unfortunately, once a fox knows you have poultry, he'll keep coming back. They are smart and they are determined. Read up about them in the Learning Center, you may be able to get some ideas of what to do to keep your birds safe:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/red-fox-chicken-predators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-foxes

If you post photos of your coop and run, we may be able to offer specific recommendations to your set up.

Good luck to you, hope everyone else will be fine. Nice to have you join us!

 

[Ajjersey]

Thank you! I'm just glad our girls ( 3&4) didn't see the damage. I keep spot lighting the area, caught him 4 more times snooping around, and climbing on the shed. I used cedar planks 1x3 to frame up the 8x8 area, enclosed entirely in poultry fence - top bottom sides everything. That's where the deaths happened, it somehow managed to rip their heads off while he was outside the cage, and they were in. Tonight I locked up all remaining birds in the cedar hutch 4x4 with 2 nesting boxes. One side has 2, the other 3. I double slide bolted both doors, did a clasp on the roof with a latch, and 2 more latches with rock climbing clasps that screw shut. Only way in is if it can slide out the bottom tray for the straw ( which I'll be latching closed as well ) I'm so paranoid tho, seeing him climbing around I can't help but to imagine him getting the rest of our babies now

 

[Cynthia12]

You've been given some good advice and a site to go to...so sorry!

 

[drumstick diva]

Poultry wire only keeps chickens IN, it does nothing to keep predators OUT. 1/2" Hardware cloth is the best for keeping predators at bay. It needs to be securely attached to framework - not with plastic zip ties. Please check out predator threads for more advice. Fox can dig under, climb up, and jump pretty high to clear fences - they are very determined. Raccoons like to bite off any body parts they can reach through fencing.

You mentioned a cedar hutch - cedar fumes are toxic to chickens.

 

[Ajjersey]

You guys rock! I'm planning on buying a shed of T111, or OEM Hoping that would be secure enough to keep any predators out. I feel like I need a cage, around my cage to ensure safety. I suppose this means no free range in the future, unless we irradiate the fox(s) ? I was really hoping to let the Guineas have at it when they reach adulthood, our ticks are ridiculous.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!