Foxes- what we can do to prevent them!!!!

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

So this is a thread where you can put your experiences and your sad tales, we are not to judge anyone on the way they handled this. Here are some questions you can answer to help those who may be dealing with a fox at the moment:

• What did you do to prevent this from happening?
• Have you shared a similar experience?
• Can you offer reassurance?
• Do you have any questions about what they can do to your flock?
• Are you weighing wether or not to get another flock cause your last flock got wiped out?

Here are some people I’m tagging:
@bamboochicken @OldEnglishGameBantam33 @Nats Chickens @PollyGirl21 @Ducklover2 @sassysarah123

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

WARNING: A lot of these stories may contain sad things

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

• What did you do to prevent this from happening?

Completely changed my set up & started using a fully enclosed run. Run is locked & secure. Birds are also locked in coops on a night. Any free ranging is done supervised as we have them come out during the day.
We also shoot as many as possible in the area.

• Have you shared a similar experience?

Yes I lost all my birds to a fox due to my own failures.

• Can you offer reassurance?

Yes as I’ve not had another attack since I made the changes.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

• What did you do to prevent this from happening?

Completely changed my set up & started using a fully enclosed run. Run is locked & secure. Birds are also locked in coops on a night. Any free ranging is driving ne supervised as we have them come out during the day.
We also shoot as many as possible in the area.

• Have you shared a similar experience?

Yes I lost all my birds to a fox due to my own failures.

• Can you offer reassurance?

Yes as I’ve not had another attack since I made the changes.

I’m so sorry to hear that. I have double wired my coop as it ripped the wire off the cage to get in

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Thanks. Yes it was very sad especially as it was all my own fault. They sure are determined once they know food is there. The one that killed all my birds came back for 3 consecutive nights until it was caught.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Thanks. Yes it was very sad especially as it was all my own fault. They sure are determined once they know food is there. The one that killed all my birds came back for 3 consecutive nights until it was caught.

We lost 3 when it ripped the wire off the cage. Sadly most of which were my favourites

 

[Shadrach]

It would be interesting to know the proportion of chickens killed by foxes in runs and coops compared to free range chickens.
Building a run and assuming the chickens are safer in the run than free range is a mistake imo.
What is important is how the runs and coops are built and despite all the advice and all the heartbreaking stories from people who have lost chickens in runs and coops people are still building runs with bits of chicken wire tacked on to pieces of scrap wood.

 

[Deblett]

I saw this post as I was posting mine in Emergencies, my chickens were attacked yesterday afternoon, broad day light. I was gardening at other end onf property and thought I heard something and when I reached their enclosed run discovered the massacre. I have lost my chickens 4 times over the past few years, swore i wouldn't have anymore but then moved to Portugal (from UK) and understood, foxes were rarely a problem here in the North, how wrong was I?? One survived and I just posted asking for help as to what might be wrong with survivor but I won't repeat here. At night they are in a concrete shed, with metal doors and glass windows with mesh, this is completely fox proof but their run has an 8ft rigid metal mesh fence around it, not the flimsy chicken wire stuff but they scaled it, so unless I keep them in a bomb shelter which kinda defeats the object as mine are backyard chickens in theory meaning I love watching/enjoying them, I used to let all my chickens free roam as my gardens have always been fenced but lost so many I had to build a more solid run area, but now I think I am just going to give up and get a goldfish as I am heartbroken this happened again - I have had these 3 Wyandottes for about 6 months!!

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

I would also think that in a coop or run chickens are sitting ducks so to speak. In my opinion in some ways they are safer being free range. I lost a hen about 1 month ago now. Would you Belive that most of my attacks happen during daylight hours

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

It was the middle of the night when this fox pulled the wire off the wood on my coop, well needless to say we now double wire out coop. As for our Silkie flock, they are kept in a secure run so they are safe