Fox problem

[equustears]

Would you kill it if it attacked you??

Nope . I tried shooting for the noise but I’m not a gun person and the thought of something lying suffering til it dies or being injured for the rest of its life making it more desperate would keep me up at night. That’s why I have dogs , geese, and s stripe of gray hair that resembles morticia from the Adams family

 

[Steve Sawicki]

I just lost 7 chickens to either a weasel or a mink. Darn thing just ripped out their throats and apparently drank the blood and then left the bodies. And then, to make matters worse, a fox got another one in the middle of the afternoon. It's been a bad week. Anyone got advice for getting rid of the weasels? The fox I can manage. Thanks

 

[centrarchid]

How ironic this post came in my email yesterday. This morning I think I lost my first chicken to a fox. I've had chickens 9 years and live where my property borders Shawnee National Forest. I was in the fenced-in chicken yard this morning taking care of them. My 4 month old rooster's hormones are kicking in and he chased a gal over the fence. I saw them both make a lot of noise and fly over the coop (yep, I needed to trim their wings again). I went out of the yard and corralled the hen into the yard. I turned around to do the rooster and he was gone. Not a sign of him. The only thing I can think of was a fox was nearby and heard the ruckus they made as he chased her and when I worked on getting the hen in the yard he zoomed in and took the rooster. I wasn't more than 100 feet away from him. Sigh. A few weeks ago I heard terrible noises in the woods and followed it to a big pile of tree tops from where the neighbor had the trees cut for timber 2 years ago. I think that is their den and they had babies. I've seen 2 red foxes out here before in my yard but 200' from the chicken yard. I have the yard surrounded with electric fence and razor wire so they're save in the yard. Guess chasing gals can be bad for your health. I often let the chickens roam in the yard when I'm home but will not be able to do that now. I hope the fox don't jump over the fence to get more later.

As a student at SIU, I used go out sample for Bighead Carp in the Big Muddy River south of town. It was there I got my first up and close interaction Bobcats. Two half-grown kittens were swimming in river playing with sticks. As we got closer with boat the chickens got out of water to shake off and look at us from at best 15 feet away. Their mother was an additional 30 feet away standing a log with less approval. She was just a few feet away from shiny new swing-set in someones back yard.

Fox will likely get over fence to get at your chickens.

 

[222danette]

My feeling is that motion detector lights will not work - foxes are sneaky, crafty and smart. They will figure them out fast. Better to seal up the coop as best you can. I've never caught fox in a live trap, but I have caught raccoons, possum, and a weasel. Be aware that if you have the trap set and you let your chickens out, you will probably catch a chicken!

My coop is also on the wood line, which makes it easy for most predators, but if I moved it in to the open, I would worry about hawks more. For multiple reasons, I love to let my chickens free-range, but I'm sick of losing chickens. I don't know what the answer is : ( The next thing I'd like to try is to place the coop in a paddock with a llama, alpaca or donkey. I hear they can be protective.

 

[willowscreek]

I lost a bunch of Guinea fowl and chickens to grey foxes on our farm last fall. I ordered Wolf urine from Amazon and spray a 'pee'rimeter around my property and it has kept the fox away since last August. I ordered the little closed containers the first time that is supposed to keep the urine concentrated and protected from the rain for 30 days, but they did not work. I found it more effective to walk through the woods and spray a squirt on tree trunks every 12 to 15 feet wherever I know my chickens roam. It must be resprayed after heavy rains, but it works great. It smells horrible, but definitely does the job!

 

[Al Capon]

I just lost 7 chickens to either a weasel or a mink. Darn thing just ripped out their throats and apparently drank the blood and then left the bodies. And then, to make matters worse, a fox got another one in the middle of the afternoon. It's been a bad week. Anyone got advice for getting rid of the weasels? The fox I can manage. Thanks

I haven't done it, but they say these weasel traps made from rat traps work great, baited with some fresh bloody meat..

 

[222danette]

I just lost 7 chickens to either a weasel or a mink. Darn thing just ripped out their throats and apparently drank the blood and then left the bodies. And then, to make matters worse, a fox got another one in the middle of the afternoon. It's been a bad week. Anyone got advice for getting rid of the weasels? The fox I can manage. Thanks

A weasel was the latest predator to plague me. They turn to liquid and can squeeze in through very small spaces. My coop run is a chain link dog run, so it was wide open to weasel trespassing. He took 3 chickens before I caught him in a live trap. I caught him in the coop one night and I moved my girls into the barn with the horses and set the trap. It looked exactly like my brother's pet ferrets. I sent him away on a long ride away from my farm. My husband wrapped up my run like a Christmas gift with chicken wire, but there are still gaps around the door that I don't know what to do about.

 

[ellend]

Fox can leap. Make sure the fence is high and/or you have a cover (net mesh works) on your coop.
Trapping: as previous responder mentioned; trap one predator and another will come; they HAVE to fill any open niches in an area in order to survive. Most relocated wildlife dies; you are dropping them into another one's territory, and the new one doesn't know water sources, hazards, etc., and will be chased from territory to territory by the residing predator of the same species.

 

[Clifton sanders]

Every year around this time I have a few chicken come up missing to a fox. Just a few hours ago I lost my first chicken of the year to a fox. I did lock all the chickens up and will keep them locked up for now. I haven't had a fox in the coop yet and don't want it to happen. Do motion sensored lights help keep them away a night? I have to work tonight and thought about getting a few to put up in the morning if it will help. I do have 3 chicken friendly dogs that do a good job at keeping them out of the yard, but my coop is right next to the wood line. Any help would be great.[/QU

 

[Clifton sanders]

Last summer a fox or two came into my yard and took 3 of my favorite chickens. Very upsetting. He proceeded to come every day for the next three months As I had video cameras in the yard. At that point I learned I also have raccoons, possums, and of course, hawks. I put wire over the top of my coops. I dug about a 2 foot trench around the perimeter of my coupe and buried chicken wire. I covered the wire with dirt and large rocks. I further enforced to chicken wife with hardware cloth. It’s pricier but its a simple fix. I haven’t lost any animal since. That fix came back and left empty handed since last August. I let my birds free range only when I’m outside. And I put them up when I’m finished. no losses. Good luck.