Fox is wiping out my main Flock!!!

[SternRose]

Last week w had all 13 Chickens and 3 Ducks,
Then wendsday we lost 7 Hens 1 Roo, we had left 3 Hens 2 Roos
Saturday we lost Our 2 Roos! Now we only Have 3 Layer Hens, and THEY DONT LAY!!!

I need this Fox GONE!! And FAST!

Im getting 1 duckling and 1-10 chicks in about a week, we still have our banie Flock but I fear that we won't for long if this Fox's isn't taken Care of! He's wiping out my Nebiors Flocks too!!

!!¡!!!!!!!HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!
We have a live trap set but I think Dad dit it wrong

 

[HEChicken]

Foxes are quite wily and difficult to trap - I feel for you. I had a fox do similar damage to my flock 3 years ago (see link in signature for full story). In my case I was able to lay in wait for it and got a clear shot at it. I can't tell you the relief to know it was eliminated and would not be back. A year later another fox was back and picked off a few of my ducks when they wanted to sleep on my pond. That time I was only losing a duck every 2-3 days but a neighbor was also losing chickens and had a trap set. I never knew for sure what happened to that fox but it hasn't been seen in over a year so I am guessing my neighbor either did successfully trap it or someone else shot it. Good luck!

 

[JackE]

Been there, done that, didn't like it one bit. As already posted, you could shoot, or trap and get rid of the fox. But another one will show up, and carry on. Fox are very opportunistic hunters, unless you keep your flock in the coop, the fox will go after them in the open. Sometimes, even if you are standing there.
The answer for me was electrified poultry net. The fox won't come within 20' of it. I started with 300' of it. It worked out so well, I bought another 350', and expanded the range a bit. It ain't cheap, but you can have a much larger run, for faaaaar less than what it would cost for a wood framed, hardware clothed run, a fraction of the size.

 

[HEChicken]

I don't know why I didn't think to mention this in my earlier post. Dogs. What changed for me between the fox attack 3 years ago and present day - and the reason I haven't had other foxes move in to replace the one I shot - is my dogs. I have two mutt dogs, 40 lb each, whom I adopted from rescues after ensuring (via a trial period) that they are poultry safe. They are outside dogs but have a comfy bed in the garage along with their food and water and were completely obvious to my fox attack because at the time they were sleeping on the cool cement floor of the garage (it was July). The day after the attack, I installed a dog house in the chicken yard and in the three years since, the dogs have slept in the chicken yard at night. I.e., the gate is open by day and both birds and dogs have the run of the whole property but at night the birds are locked into the coop while the dogs are locked into the chicken yard. Despite the fact the dogs are NOT there during the day, their scent remains and my losses to predators in the chicken yard in the three years since then have been zero. The only reason the second fox was able to get a few ducks the following year was because those ducks, instead of returning to the coop to sleep at night, thought it would be fun to sleep on my pond out in the middle of the pasture. The dogs don't have access to the pasture at night so were unable to do anything about it.

Foxes are solitary animals so a single fox will not take on even smallish 40 lb dogs.

 

[Chickenshoe]

Sorry for your loses, if you don't take measures to protect your flock (fence, all way around and top), don't blame predators.. its the owners fault for not protecting them.. don't mean to sound harsh, it is what it is...

 

[SternRose]

It flocks are in fenced in areas, we have dogs, but there getting old and lazy.
I'm going to see if we can set up more traps. If my brother stays home he might be able to stay up to wait for him.
My ducklings coming him today, he's about 3-4 weeks, not quite ready do be introduced to the flock yet

Our Bantums have a top on there cage, same with our nebiors hen yard.
When I get home I'm going to check the traps again