Fox or coyote?

[jenbyrd]

Since you free range it's a risk you take and you will loose a bird/birds eventually. Lessons learned the hard way. Good luck...

They are safely locked in their run today. Had a long run with no losses but back to keeping them locked up.

 

[jenbyrd]

Ah, i see. Guess he felt invited over for dinner then, lol. Seriously tho, now that the preditors know where they can find a meal, they will continue to try and do so. I advise to preditor proof as much as you can because they will be back. If you're up for it, bullets may be needed too.

We had a coyote problem 2 summers ago. He would come right up to the house. My husband got him in the middle of the day while brush hogging. Hate to do that but he was relentless. We have 4 dogs that didn't bother him at all either.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Since you free range it's a risk you take and you will loose a bird/birds eventually. Lessons learned the hard way. Good luck...

This is a bit unfair to assume. Some people have much better odds free ranging, and some find their flock is more vulnerable in a run. Preditor proof isn't always fool proof. My chickens would have much better odds running from a coyote rather than if a coyote got in a coop/run. My chickens prooved more than once they can easily outsmart a coyote in the open. I'm not so sure they would have any chance in a run. Thankfully the chickens kept him occupied and confused while the gun was being loaded though.

 

[jenbyrd]

I'm sure they know the electric wires are there around the coops and pens.

Wow - that was a lot of fox!! The only thing I've ever caught on camera are deer.

 

[All4Eggz]

Ah, i see. Guess he felt invited over for dinner then, lol. Seriously tho, now that the preditors know where they can find a meal, they will continue to try and do so. I advise to preditor proof as much as you can because they will be back. If you're up for it, bullets may be needed too.

Agreed. Once they get one, they get them all gradually if you don't do anything about it.
My aunt was a first time chicken owner, had 8 chickens. Slowly, she was left with 1, (because of hawks, foxes, etc.) and had to give it away to another chicken owner.
Long story short, make sure that they are safe.

 

[All4Eggz]

I'm sure they know the electric wires are there around the coops and pens.

Woah! A whole pack!

 

[jenbyrd]

Agreed. Once they get one, they get them all gradually if you don't do anything about it.
My aunt was a first time chicken owner, had 8 chickens. Slowly, she was left with 1, (because of hawks, foxes, etc.) and had to give it away to another chicken owner.
Long story short, make sure that they are safe.

We've had chickens for 4 years now. Mostly they free range. We have lost a handful to predators. We lock them up for a while in a run after an attack then eventually feel sorry for them & let them free range again. I've never had a predator enter the barn before or take more than 1 at a time! I feel violated if that makes any sense. I always felt like they were safer next to the barn but now I know that's not true. I wish I had gotten a better look to see if it was a fox or a coyote so I know what I'm up against.
Thanks for all the suggestions & replies.

 

[All4Eggz]

We've had chickens for 4 years now. Mostly they free range. We have lost a handful to predators. We lock them up for a while in a run after an attack then eventually feel sorry for them & let them free range again. I've never had a predator enter the barn before or take more than 1 at a time! I feel violated if that makes any sense. I always felt like they were safer next to the barn but now I know that's not true. I wish I had gotten a better look to see if it was a fox or a coyote so I know what I'm up against.
Thanks for all the suggestions & replies.

Your welcome.
Maybe get some kind of trap to trap the fox/coyote, then drive it away far across the city.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

We've had chickens for 4 years now. Mostly they free range. We have lost a handful to predators. We lock them up for a while in a run after an attack then eventually feel sorry for them & let them free range again. I've never had a predator enter the barn before or take more than 1 at a time! I feel violated if that makes any sense. I always felt like they were safer next to the barn but now I know that's not true. I wish I had gotten a better look to see if it was a fox or a coyote so I know what I'm up against.
Thanks for all the suggestions & replies.

Honesty, it really don't matter. Fox and coyotes are basically the same. Fox tend to be a little more sly, but they both can accomplish the same things. The live trap is a good idea though.

 

[cmom]

This is a bit unfair to assume. Some people have much better odds free ranging, and some find their flock is more vulnerable in a run. Preditor proof isn't always fool proof. My chickens would have much better odds running from a coyote rather than if a coyote got in a coop/run. My chickens prooved more than once they can easily outsmart a coyote in the open. I'm not so sure they would have any chance in a run. Thankfully the chickens kept him occupied and confused while the gun was being loaded though.

I'm not trying to be rude. I'm rural and my land is mostly open pasture so there is nowhere for the birds to hide. I know you probably don't want to know it but it does happen especially when free ranging. It has happened to me, lessons learned the hard way. You have been lucky. In my nearly 50 years of chicken keeping, I went for years with no problems then my birds were discovered and once they were discovered the predators kept coming and picked them off. I have heard many people say they have had similar experiences even on BYC. Yes predators can get into a coop and run if it's not well protected. I have had that happen too but with each kill I reinforced. I had a coyote jump over a 5' fence and get into a pen. Some of the birds and the coyote went back out over the fence. It was chasing birds all over my property and did manage to kill some and a couple were so severally injured they died the next day. There was no way the birds were going to outrun the coyote. They did run pretty fast but the coyote was faster. I did go in and get my gun but unfortunately I had bird shot in it. I did shoot at the coyote and pretty sure I hit it and it took off. I have several game cameras around on my property and see predators quite regularly on them mostly at night here. This was my Gladys who was out with me but I was distracted for a moment and a fox sneaked it and took her. It broke my heart. I thought, if I had only put her back into her pen while I was distracted. I do have electric wires around my pens and coops, good heavy duty netting covering all of the pens and concrete under the gates all due to losses from predators in the past. Gladys, she was 3 years old when the fox got her. She was such a love.