Foxes hunting during day?

[aprophet]

I lost 3 to foxes this week. My trail cam shows them visiting around the clock.
I thought my birds were safe this time, but the youngsters (10 weeks old) got scared, and flew up and out of their electrified enclosure. Then a latch got left open on another run yesterday and I lost two of my favorites. (2 others, who were missing, came back home with some wounds and missing feathers, but they will live...)
If anyone has a solution for foxes, I'm all ears....

I trap hard during trapping season I knock down the total number her and there are not as many to have to defend against I have getting rid of a few chicken killers this week for other folks a coupla fox at the beginning of the week and a coon yesterday. I use a number 1 1/2 victor coil spring and a good comercail lure like is made by John ghram or russ carmen and a "dirt hole set"

 

[JackE]

I lost ten to a fox a few days ago. It was evening, but the sun was still fairly high in the sky. They're definitely not afraid to come out in the day, and kill enough for dinner for few weeks.

I'm looking to buy an electric netting setup, with the chickens locked up every evening. Does anybody have experience with this type system consistently working? Will / can foxes jump over or somehow climb under?

I have the electrified poultry netting from Premier. I bought it because like you, I have problems with the area foxes. The netting works. I can let my birds out all day with no problem. I've seen and heard the foxes, they are still around, but the chickens are safe. When a fox, or other animal approaches the fence, they always lead with their nose to check things out. A shock, in excess of 7000V to the nose, sends an instant message to get far away. They don't even think about climbing it or coming near it again.
Jack

 

[tellynpeep]

I have the electrified poultry netting from Premier. I bought it because like you, I have problems with the area foxes. The netting works. I can let my birds out all day with no problem. I've seen and heard the foxes, they are still around, but the chickens are safe. When a fox, or other animal approaches the fence, they always lead with their nose to check things out. A shock, in excess of 7000V to the nose, sends an instant message to get far away. They don't even think about climbing it or coming near it again.
Jack

I have the netting around one of my coops (physical 6 foot fence around the other) and, while it is mostly great, there are a couple of problems with it. First is that some birds just want to fly over it. I could clip wings, but that would leave them completely defenseless. Second problem is that it occasionally goes down. Last night I could not figure out why the line was shorting out, but I had no power to the fence. Thirdly, it doesn't work in the winter with snow cover.

But.... I did witness a Coyote last year, with a hen in its mouth, bump up against the fence. Dropped the bird (who survived!) and fled!

 

[JackE]

I had one bird that went over. I clipped one of her wings and problem solved. I have found, as far as chickens go, They are defenseless against a fox whether they have one wing or two. I get what you say about the fence as far as snow goes. But I have found that my birds don't really want to come out, if there is any measurable amount of snow on the ground. But even with the limitations and possible problems, buying that fence, for my birds, was probably the best thing I ever did for them.
Jack

 

[centrarchid]

I had one bird that went over. I clipped one of her wings and problem solved. I have found, as far as chickens go, They are defenseless against a fox whether they have one wing or two. I get what you say about the fence as far as snow goes. But I have found that my birds don't really want to come out, if there is any measurable amount of snow on the ground. But even with the limitations and possible problems, buying that fence, for my birds, was probably the best thing I ever did for them.
Jack

In my setting as with many others, if suitable refuges present (trees or buildings) and the chickens can fly to such when challenged by fox then such birds are benefitted by power of flight. Silkies and most heavier production breeds may not have needed flight potential or smarts needed to use refugia but this not accurate for all chickens.

 

[JackE]

In my setting as with many others, if suitable refuges present (trees or buildings) and the chickens can fly to such when challenged by fox then such birds are benefitted by power of flight. Silkies and most heavier production breeds may not have needed flight potential or smarts needed to use refugia but this not accurate for all chickens.

I guess I should have said MY chickens. I am surrounded by trees, and have a few buildings and structures around the property. None of it seemed to help my birds. I do have some of the heavy production breeds you mentioned. I guess they couldn't move fast enough.
Jack

 

[ruffin]

I had a fox attack one of my embden geese this afternoon around 4.15 dusk here in the UK is around 7pm at the moment luckily I heard the noise and was able to get the fox off her using a stick got the geese into there shelter but the fox came back 4 times after that each time I managed to scare it off is this usual for them to hunt so early its really scared me as we are due to get 12 hens in a few weeks

 

[aimeemarie01]

I originally had 4 chickens and lost three to foxes. I used to be able to leave the chickens in my yard during the day whenever I left the house and one day when I was home I heard my chickens making all kinds of loud noises and I went outside to find a fox running off with one. The next day I put my chickens in their coop when I left around 4pm and when I got home the cage door must not have been shut all the way and two chickens were gone. Now I only have one chicken but I'm going to pick up two more on Friday but I haven't let this chicken go far today and every time I had to leave I had to put bluer in the coop. I feel very bad because chickens get very depressed when they are alone and every time I put her in the coop she makes lots of cries and tries to push the door open. I have a dog but he stays inside the house when we leave so he isn't much help with the fox but the fox comes at all hours as long as he thinks no one is home

 

[tubytuby]

I'm getting hit by land and by air. Last week, for the first time, I left the coop door open a couple inches because a few young chicks had not come home to roost at dusk. The next morning i'd lost 10 of my oldest and favorite chickens to include two huge aggressive roosters. Yesterday I looked out the window and saw that one of my hens had gotten out of her pen. By the time I got my shoes on and grabbed a hat she was gone... nothing left but a pile of feathers. I heard the roosters give a warning and looked up to see a hawk flying overhead. Then I heard a commotion on the other side of the barn and when i went to check it out one of my younger hens was laying near some bushes dead. Some plants were laid over like there'd been a struggle but not a mark on the hen. This was under a huge old oak tree so i don't think a hawk killed the younger hen... it was small enough to be carried away, but then a fox could have carried it away too so i'm not sure what killed the young hen. Later that same day a momma hen was snatched away from her chicks while in her pen. So i'm thinking that had to be the hawk. I re-enforced the pens and put netting over them last night.
I was quite surprised that a fox could catch all those chickens in the coop. Most of the chickens were on roosts that are 5 feet off the ground... a few roost on top of their egg boxes that are even higher. My geese are in a pen right out in the open all night (they don't like to go indoors) and the killer doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[Joe.G]

If I were you I would put up a game Cam and see whats going on. Your coop also needs to be more secure, Raccoons can get into tight spaces and are pretty smart about figuring things out.