Foxes

[a123andpoof]

Yesterday I let my girls out to freerange and had a real scare. We were watching out the window since I had let my youngest chicks out and wanted to make sure they were not being harrassed to bad. But as we were watching my mom saw a fox so I went running out and yelled at it to scare it away. Thankfully none of my girls were hurt. They all ran up towards the house. The babies on the other hand were not sure what to do. So the rest of the evening I kept them in the run. Now I am sitting watching out the window for any sign of it. Is there anything I can do to keep it from coming back? It was around 4ish and still a bit light out. I am not worried about at night cause the coop is very secure. Double walled, off the ground ect. But I am sure it will come back and I would prefer it didn't get any of my girls. Anyone have a good way to get rid of pests. If my dad were around at the time i would have asked for a little help with a gun...but he usually isn't home around the time they are out and about. So any other ideas?

 

[Kevin565]

Foxes are very smart animals. He may return or he could have just been traveling through the area and thought he had a easy meal. I've never had to deal with foxes but hopefully someone with some knowledge will chime in.

 

[a123andpoof]

No we have foxes in the area. Last year or the year before we were having a bonfire and some foxes were hanging out nearby. So we know we have a few around.

 

[UncleTommy]

ooo, time to get a rifle and a book on making coats.

 

[Kickin' Chickin']

This spring I lost twenty birds to a fox, they will come back every day for a free meal, Early morning and evenings were the times that we had to sit out with a .22 and keep watch while the girls were out.

 

[DinosRBirds]

You should not let them out unless supervised from now on.
Kepp them in a run.

 

[mamadukes5]

I had a fox come through about a month ago and kill three of my girls at about 3 pm, still full daylight. It came back the next day, same time and I saw it from the window checking out my run looking for a way to get in. I had everybody in lock up cuz I figured it would be back. It looked healthy, no sign of mange or anything else, so I let my dogs out in the yard. They chased it until it jumped over my fence and I haven't seen it since. It seemed to think an easy meal was worth the trip, but the dogs convinced it to go elsewhere. I had the dogs out there every day for a week at about the same time, just to see if it came back again, but it hasn't been by since then. I still keep the dogs out while the birds are freeranging just to be on the safe side though, don't want to chance him sneaking back in.

 

[a123andpoof]

I should have paid better attention in gun training class...maybe Ill ask my dad for a few lessons. Anyways where I sit in the house I have the perfect view of where the girls hang out so at a moments notice I can be out the door to scare it away. I only let them out in the yard for a few hours in the evening and now it is very very supervised. I may actually talk to my parents about getting a live trap and relocating it a few hours away. My girls do stay in the run all day its secure, but I think a fox could easily dig under the fencing. but I do check on them a few times a day and the dog goes out alot, and I think we are in a residential enough area that it will stay away during the day. I hope.