Fox is killing My chickens!!! What the Heck do I do!!!!!!

[bnolasco]

Thanks for your suggestion. I have not bought anymore chicken yet but will wait until I have a more secure setup. I am sure the fox will return. By the looks of what he did to the chicken wire that surrounded the unsecured coop I am afraid of his strength . My son did learn a valuable lesson. He thought they would be fine and that nothing would attack them. Now he knows that they need a lot of protection!

 

[cagilberts]

I too am having a predator problem. We've had chickens for 3 years and never needed to lock the coop up. This year so far something has eaten 15 of my new laying hens, 10 bantams and my 4 new baby mallard ducks. We have resorted to locking them in at night and now the critter has taken 2 hens during the day! I spoke to a guy that traps and he said fox are extremely smart and hard to trap. He did say they will stay away from any area where they smell human urine. I know it sounds crazy but has anyone else ever heard of this? I'm thinking that the perimeters if my chicken coop may just be my hubby's new toilet. My ladies would be so unhappy of they had to remain locked up all day. We have a nice coop and nothing has gotten into it, but I can't imagine them stuck inside all day long...

 

[JackE]

I too am having a predator problem. We've had chickens for 3 years and never needed to lock the coop up. This year so far something has eaten 15 of my new laying hens, 10 bantams and my 4 new baby mallard ducks. We have resorted to locking them in at night and now the critter has taken 2 hens during the day! I spoke to a guy that traps and he said fox are extremely smart and hard to trap. He did say they will stay away from any area where they smell human urine. I know it sounds crazy but has anyone else ever heard of this? I'm thinking that the perimeters if my chicken coop may just be my hubby's new toilet. My ladies would be so unhappy of they had to remain locked up all day. We have a nice coop and nothing has gotten into it, but I can't imagine them stuck inside all day long...

It won't work. Either be out there with them all the time, with a rifle, because some foxes will come right up and attack with you standing there. Or give them a secure area. I could not be out there all the time, and that's what led to our second attack. The answer for me, was electrified poultry net.

 

[cagilberts]

So do you let your chickens free range at all then? We have been locking them up every night. I bought a baby monitor yesterday and put that in their coop as well. I'll have to look into the electric fence. At least then they can be outside and still be safe.

 

[JackE]

Over a period of three years, I have bought 650' of Premier's electrified poultry net. My birds have a pretty big safe area to wander around in now. So no, I don't really let them freerange anymore. I got away with freeranging for almost a full year before our first daylight attack. I lost 9 out of 11. I got over 20 more chicks, and we would let them out if somebody was there to watch them. Then, not even 4 months later, the birds were out, and left alone for not even 2 hrs, and we lost 7. It was like the fox was waiting on an opportunity to attack. I did not want to keep them cooped all the time, and we could not always be there, and these @&$# foxes had developed a taste for chicken. They would not just take one, they would take several at a time. So I saw on this forum, somebody recommended Premier's fencing. I bought 300'. It worked well, the fox, and all kinds of other predators were around, but the chickens were safe. It worked so well for me(Really the birds) I bought 350' more. As I've said before, I consider getting this fence, one of the best things I have done for these birds. They get to come out everyday, and I don't have to worry about them.

 

[lesliewhozit]

be aware that relocating predators is not legal in all locals, which I just found out today from local Fish & Wildlife Dept. here in Texas. There is good reasons for that - disease transmission and the likelihood that the habitat you are moving predator to is already occupied.

I have a red fox picking off my chickens.

Leslie

 

[gotthefever]

There's a lot of shoot it, trap it advice. That will solve the immediate problem. Long run, you leave your chickens unprotected and when a new raccoon, fox, bobcat...moves into a new territory (normal behavior) you will again be shocked by a loss. The world would be a horrible place with humans, chickens and overrun with the vermin that varmints keep down.

Properly separate chickens from danger. They only sleep at night. Not cruel to let them sleep safely in the coop.
Jmho.

 

[CrazyTalk]

There's almost nowhere that relocating a predator is legal - it's also a huge moral issue - you're just making the livestock predator someone else's problem.

I agree with Gotthefever though - killing the fox is a bandaid, not a solution. Another one will move into the territory and you'll be losing birds again in 6 months or a year.

 

[Jessica89]

Oh I am so sorry! I would be heart broken.
As awful as it sounds, if you want your chickens safe you will have to kill the fox.
They are evil and will kill a whole flock if they can.

 

[RonP]

I was at war with mother nature for quite some time.

Win a battle, lose a battle.

Way too many loses on both sides.

I found my energies better spent on building a strong defence as others have suggested.

I don't even think about predators anymore.

My avitar is a reminder of my very last capture, he was just a baby.

Held him captive till I finished my reinforcements, then released him knowing he was now no longer my enemy nor threat.

He left with a full belly of my dogs food, lamb and rice, not chicken

.

He returned often, but left unsatisfied.