Foxes take away my joy of keeping chickens.

[bruceha2000]

Of course I know if we out down the predators more will move in eventually

I've heard that is true but in some cases taking out one that goes after your animals might have the replacement not so inclined. Thus killing an individual predator just because it is a predator species isn't necessarily a good idea if it isn't threatening your animals. The replacement might be more interested in your buffet.

How many is too many to fence in?

 

[chickendreams24]

Including our heritage breed and mixed cockerals we grow out every year for meat. About 120

We have our two room milk house coop, another medium sized coop, a small tractor coop, a run inside a building used for grow outs in good weather etc. And plan on a couple more tractors this year so some of the birds can be enclosed if needed to free range in safety.

My DH2B's family owns and farms over 300 acres around our house and they must have access to both of the field driveways which is basically a long curved extension of our driveway. Our coop is across the driveway from the yard so it would block the paths of the massive tractors. So not doable.


Our medium sized coop does have a smallish run attached and although it needs a bit of work after being moved from our uncle's by loader a mile away it is nice and relatively safe. But doesn't have a foundation.

 

[esther5]

yes, she has been treated. last year one of our chickens lost a leg. the coop was undamaged, she must have stuck it out of a crack. she was covered in poop in the morning and she survived. how she didn't die of massive infection i will never know.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The OP lives in the United Kingdom of Wales, Scotland, England, and Ireland. You will spend get less time in the pokey if you shot the Queen than you would get for simple possession of a so called "Gin" or foot hold trap in the UK. Now the British are calling for knife confiscation. In fact the murder rate in the UK is now higher than the murder rate is in the UK's former Colonies on the West side of the Pond.

 

[T-Bone64]

Sorry about your problem, I lost1 of my Isa Browns at 11am yesterday morning to a fox. My wife managed to save two but unfortunately she couldn't get to the 3rd.

 

[Trish1974]

Sorry about your problem, I lost1 of my Isa Browns at 11am yesterday morning to a fox. My wife managed to save two but unfortunately she couldn't get to the 3rd.

Sorry you had to go through that. I HATE foxes!

 

[Trish1974]

@esther5 how is your silkie?

 

[bruceha2000]

Sorry about your problem, I lost1 of my Isa Browns at 11am yesterday morning to a fox. My wife managed to save two but unfortunately she couldn't get to the 3rd.

That sucks. Shows how desperate the foxes are if they are going after chickens mid day.

 

[Howard E]

My daughter lost her first flock to a fox. She had decided to let them free range and I didn't think they would last a week, yet somehow, they did manage to last just long enough to get about 1 egg each from them. Then their fox got involved and a week later all her birds were gone. Coop was visible from the kitchen window and that same fox was seen checking out the coop for months afterward. Broad daylight and all times of the day. Their backyard became the fox's playground. Her second flock has done better. She no longer free ranges but she still lost 2 of 4 birds when coons broke in to her hoop coop. I reinforced it and we trapped out all 4 coons and all has been OK since. But danger lurks constantly. That fox is still around and is seen in the yard all the time. But to date, it hasn't gotten into the reinforced coop. So in this case, a tight coop is working to save the day (and birds).

When I got my birds, my mother assured me they wouldn't last. She grew up on farm that had hundreds of birds, and egg sales were a big part of their cash flow. They lost a few birds to varmints, hawks and owls, but all of those were routinely shot on sight by everyone in the neighborhood.....varmints, hawks and owls being bad for business. When we were little, my mother tried to start her own flock but we lived close enough to a patch of woods the coons took over. After being wiped out by the coons for the umpteenth time, she gave up and fed us store bought eggs.

And one summer we were given a hatch of muscovy ducks, which I raised. They lasted a few months until the coyotes took over and got them all. So I am well aware of what predators are capable of.

So fast forward to my own birds. Current flock has been around for 2 years now and I have yet to lose a single bird to a predator. None....as in not even one, despite living in predator central. All manner of danger resides around here including dogs, foxes, coyotes, coons, skunks and possums to name a few. So how do I do it?

At night, birds go to roost inside a Woods coop that is predator proof. It is not for lack of trying....I've seen evidence of break in attempts. But all attempts have been defeated. Only varmints that have been inside I know of are mice. Even they have been eliminated.

By day, birds are yarded inside an area protected by an insanely hot 4 wire electric fence. The birds know what happens if they touch the fence (it hurts), so they don't. They stay inside. Predators have also learned what happens if they tangle with the fence. Dogs in particular and I've seen several "get it". Last one gave out the "yelp heard round the world" and left for the horizon, leaving a rooster tail of grass clippings in its wake.

I would suggest to anyone who really wants to protect their birds to setup a similar system. Tight coop that protects the birds at night and yard area surrounded by electric fence to confine and protect them during the day.

And on the electric fence, although it almost seems unethical, you can hasten the varmint's journey to discovery by baiting the fence with a strip of bacon or raw chicken skin to the fence. Just drape it over the fence and hold it in place with a clothes pin. On the ethical dilemma of baiting a hot wire, in the predator wars, this need not be a fair fight, and nothing puts a bad taste in their mouth for chicken like 13,000 volts!!!

 

[Duckstail]

I don't know what your living situation is or your backyard but a dog is a great deterrent.

You don't need a huge dog. Big enough to scare a fox. Border Collies are the smartest breed and they can identify up to 300 individual objects by name. But keep in mind a dog is going to be more work then all your chickens combined!