Fox killing chickens

[Chicken Farmer 22]

I went on an 11 day vacation and didn't have anyone check up on my chickens I came back and to my surprise they were all still alive except 2. The grass had grown tall since then and a couple says after I came back I looked out the window and say a rooster who was limping around. I ran outside because I knew something was wrong I noticed his neck was broken he was a brahma and was pretty heavy I would say around 7-9 pounds. He was alone when this happened which was weird to me since they are all usually together so I killed him and tried to use him as bait something got him before we could use him. We thought it was a coyote and he was just fighting back so he left it. I would say a week after that my dad saw a fox under a playset where the chickens dust bathe my dad threw a rock at it. He woke me up and told me to go check on my chickens i make it probably 10 feet away from the house and the fox was sitting there in the yard went back inside and told my dad if he wanted to kill the fox it was just sitting there so he went and got the gun and we went outside and it was gone. so i went over and put all my chickens in the run and they have been like that for the last couple days. also before we saw the fox 2 more chickens died. We mowed the grass all over the yard and weedeated all by the chickens any other way we can keep coyotes, foxes, or chicken hawks away???

 

[DobieLover]

I went on an 11 day vacation and didn't have anyone check up on my chickens I came back and to my surprise they were all still alive except 2. The grass had grown tall since then and a couple says after I came back I looked out the window and say a rooster who was limping around. I ran outside because I knew something was wrong I noticed his neck was broken he was a brahma and was pretty heavy I would say around 7-9 pounds. He was alone when this happened which was weird to me since they are all usually together so I killed him and tried to use him as bait something got him before we could use him. We thought it was a coyote and he was just fighting back so he left it. I would say a week after that my dad saw a fox under a playset where the chickens dust bathe my dad threw a rock at it. He woke me up and told me to go check on my chickens i make it probably 10 feet away from the house and the fox was sitting there in the yard went back inside and told my dad if he wanted to kill the fox it was just sitting there so he went and got the gun and we went outside and it was gone. so i went over and put all my chickens in the run and they have been like that for the last couple days. also before we saw the fox 2 more chickens died. We mowed the grass all over the yard and weedeated all by the chickens any other way we can keep coyotes, foxes, or chicken hawks away???

You can't really keep anything away. All you can do is provide predator proof containment for your flock.

I keep my flock behind poultry netting powered with a 10,000 volt charger. We have lots of fox, coyote, fishers, racoons, roving dogs and several black bears.

The black bear has been on our property more times than I can count, right up within 7' of the house. She's never giving my flock any trouble. I'm sure she's met my electric fence and learned very quickly that easier, less painful meals can be found elsewhere.

Aerial threats are managed with good cover. A covered run the chickens can run under, thick shrubbery, etc.

 

[RoosterML]

In my opinion there is only 1 way of protecting a free range flock. A guardian dog that will watch over the flock is the best protection system you can get.

Only other way is to keep them fenced in with electric fence. That still leaves you susceptible to birds of prey.
Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Learn to trap them.

 

[cmom]

The fox knows the birds are there and will lurk looking for an opportunity when you least expect it. Lessons learned the hard way. I have eliminated a couple of fox that killed some of my birds and eventually another shows up but as long as they leave my birds alone I will leave them alone. I do have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. Again, lessons learned the hard way. Nothing has gotten past the electric wires yet. I have seen some fox tracks around by the coops and on my game cameras. I love my cameras. I don't free range anymore either due to losses from predators in the past. It's a risk I'm no longer willing to take and predators will lurk looking for an opportunity and you may never see them. I went for several years before I had a loss but then it seemed once my birds were discovered I would loose a bird/birds now and then. A bobcat dug under a fence and killed 14 birds. Here the predators mostly lay low during the day and hunt at night. Good luck...
http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/tips-for-protecting-poultry-from-predators

 

[roosterhavoc]

For some people the added expense of electric fencing and the maintenance that comes with it is too costly and time consuming. Same goes for a dog. The cost of owning a dog for the sole purpose of protecting some chickens seems to be a little much especially when most are just raising laying hens.

 

[Chicken Farmer 22]

In my opinion there is only 1 way of protecting a free range flock. A guardian dog that will watch over the flock is the best protection system you can get.

Only other way is to keep them fenced in with electric fence. That still leaves you susceptible to birds of prey.
Good luck and happy hunting.

Do you think adding guineas to my flock would help alert the chickens?

 

[RoosterML]

Do you think adding guineas to my flock would help alert the chickens?

No doubt about it also geese would help.
Personally I did geese

 

[Chicken Farmer 22]

The fox knows the birds are there and will lurk looking for an opportunity when you least expect it. Lessons learned the hard way. I have eliminated a couple of fox that killed some of my birds and eventually another shows up but as long as they leave my birds alone I will leave them alone. I do have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. Again, lessons learned the hard way. Nothing has gotten past the electric wires yet. I have seen some fox tracks around by the coops and on my game cameras. I love my cameras. I don't free range anymore either due to losses from predators in the past. It's a risk I'm no longer willing to take and predators will lurk looking for an opportunity and you may never see them. I went for several years before I had a loss but then it seemed once my birds were discovered I would loose a bird/birds now and then. A bobcat dug under a fence and killed 14 birds. Here the predators mostly lay low during the day and hunt at night. Good luck...
http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/tips-for-protecting-poultry-from-predators

We are going to move anytime soon so I don't want to do to much to my coop now but thanks for advice for my next coop.

 

[Chicken Farmer 22]

No doubt about it also geese would help.
Personally I did geese

Good to know I'm going to be moving soon and we are going thinking about building a pond on our property and if we don't build it I am going to get turkeys because turkeys are always so cool.