Got a fox outside the hen house

[barn206]

My wife sent me these pictures at 7am this morning while I was at work.
Couldn’t believe how close it was to my dog.
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Be mindful of your dog! We still have coyotes here. Small dogs vanish as well when left unattended.
Its not uncommon to see fox during the day... they adapt and are adapting to their environment. The fishers up here are doing a number on their food supply. If you notice, there are fewer rabbits that you see now. It feels like all we have left is deer and predators. Fox are changing their habits. When food runs low they make their way into the village/town. They are rummaging through garbage and anything else they can find.They are highly intelligent and persistent.
I’m interested to see what else comes up on your cam. Great pictures!

 

[Abriana]

Fortify your coop and trap and shoot or poison the fox. Once it’s gotten a bird it will not stop coming back for more. Once it figures out that it can get your birds, it will also want to try and raise and family here, their dinner being your birds. Get An electric fence too. I love mine!

 

[Hopperkiller]

My wife sent me these pictures at 7am this morning while I was at work.
Couldn’t believe how close it was to my dog.
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That dog will end up dead if not careful. That coyote will defend his turf from other canids. I am wondering why he didnt attack this time. Be careful with that pup, he is no match!

 

[AmsoilJim]

My wife had let the dog out and he was barking. When she got up to see what he was barking at it was the fox or coyote, hard to tell from the crappy pictures she took, but she said it looked like it was kind of trying to play with the dog which made her think it was not an adult. But she was surprised by how big it was.

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Any fox that has returned and bothered our birds or coop has died of lead poisioning. They are persistent and will keep trying.

lead poisoning.. omg I laughed.. (and agree!)

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

In all seriousness though, fox are hard to deter and i havnt found or heard anything that works except to dispatch them. There pretty determined.

I agree.. I had a fox pandemic at one point.. 2 down and 2 to go. One fox actually followed my dog around without him knowing (he is old and deaf) and the fox also had the gall to be feet from my house.. they do not care and they do what they need to do to get your beautiful birds. Good Luck! I have only had luck with shooting them. Its legal where I am to protect my livestock .. trapping them is near impossible unless its a kit in my experience.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

My wife had let the dog out and he was barking. When she got up to see what he was barking at it was the fox or coyote, hard to tell from the crappy pictures she took, but she said it looked like it was kind of trying to play with the dog which made her think it was not an adult. But she was surprised by how big it was.

Coyote are good at luring their prey in - especially when it comes to domestic dogs.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

My wife had let the dog out and he was barking. When she got up to see what he was barking at it was the fox or coyote, hard to tell from the crappy pictures she took, but she said it looked like it was kind of trying to play with the dog which made her think it was not an adult. But she was surprised by how big it was.

Definitely a coyote!!!! They are far more dangerous than a fox. Lucky the dog didn't get lured into the bushes where more coyotes were waiting...

 

[mowin]

I watched a coyote take a Yorkie couple yrs ago. I was driving by and out of the corner of my eye a see a lady frantically running into the yard. A coyote had just grabbed her pup. I stopped and tried to help, but there was no way to catch the yote. The lady was obviously distraught. She said the dog was laying down a short distance from her while she was weeding the garden. She heard her pup growl only to see it get attacked.

I'm very surprised the pup in the picture wasn't attacked.

 

[LisaMarie81]

Our fox is back.....shocking. (Not). We've had fox for years, but since the coop we haven't seen any. Welp. Woke bolt upright 4am this morning to their shrieking bark. Immediately had flashlight out on the coop and couldn't find them. No scratch/dig marks this morning, but I know they will be back.
Our coop is surrounded by 3 feet of wire skirting and 6" Spikes/Yard Staples into the ground. I'm hoping the 3ft is enough to discourage, but I suspect I'll be up again middle of the night.