How do I free range my chickens with a Fox in the woods??

[centrarchid]

I would get a LGD.

LGD may not be best option for small backyard flocks. Will take a year, possibly two to become effective. Will cost more than most other options.

 

[OverEasyRider]

Yes I free range all year long but every spring the foxes come back! I've got a secure coop ( they get locked in it every night and it has chicken wire around the bottom ) and two dogs but it still seems to always come back!! I also don't have a fence because they have a small run, the whole thing is muddy dirt though, and I don't want to have to kill it because I have neighbors behind me and I don't want to shoot them!

Get a pellet rifle. A well-placed pellet in the butt will sometimes send them down the road

 

[WGHowell]

DOGS work wonders for any type of predator that wants to stick his or her nose where it don't belong . If you can't have a dog and live in the country then a shotgun will work too! The neighbors will understand or get peed off. Sometimes you can't win for losing. The fox has to live too. Have you actually seen the fox or do you just think it's a fox getting your chickens. It could be something else all together. Just a thought.

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

A good thought, we have two dogs and one was out when it attacked in February but she didn’t even bark at it! And yes we saw it twice

 

[Gallinarium]

You also have no grass or other benefits I associate with free-range keeping of chickens.

I'm just going to point out that chickens don't eat much grass. Maybe just the very young stuff, dandelions, and clovers. They get even more insects scratching in dead leaves. Plus, that place is dust bath heaven!

 

[centrarchid]

I'm just going to point out that chickens don't eat much grass. Maybe just the very young stuff, dandelions, and clovers. They get even more insects scratching in dead leaves. Plus, that place is dust bath heaven!

I am going to point out the chickens are not big consumers of grasses mixtures used in a typical yard. When if comes to forms dominated by legumes (clovers), then the bulk consumed based on sheer volume and dry matter is greens, assuming forage quality and quantity is not limited and feed is limited. Insects come in second. Birds are unlimited forage with good insects can be top lay without need of feed. There is a spectrum, and most people are not coming close to providing a quality forage base. Walking around on fescue all day does not provide the benefits of free-range I look for.

I am now dealing with chicken experts that have similar position as you. They do not have a concept how free-range works beyond the USDA definition.

 

[Big Doggie]

Yes I free range all year long but every spring the foxes come back! I've got a secure coop ( they get locked in it every night and it has chicken wire around the bottom ) and two dogs but it still seems to always come back!! I also don't have a fence because they have a small run, the whole thing is muddy dirt though, and I don't want to have to kill it because I have neighbors behind me and I don't want to shoot them!

Killing it is a final solution but most towns and cities have laws about shooting firearms in neighborhoods. And the fox may be a protected species so you could be arrested and publicly embarrassed.

 

[centrarchid]

Killing it is a final solution but most towns and cities have laws about shooting firearms in neighborhoods. And the fox may be a protected species so you could be arrested and publicly embarrassed.

Red Fox not protected species.

 

[Gallinarium]

I am going to point out the chickens are not big consumers of grasses mixtures used in a typical yard. When if comes to forms dominated by legumes (clovers), then the bulk consumed based on sheer volume and dry matter is greens, assuming forage quality and quantity is not limited and feed is limited. Insects come in second. Birds are unlimited forage with good insects can be top lay without need of feed. There is a spectrum, and most people are not coming close to providing a quality forage base. Walking around on fescue all day does not provide the benefits of free-range I look for.

I am now dealing with chicken experts that have similar position as you. They do not have a concept how free-range works beyond the USDA definition.

Point taken.

 

[micstrachan]

I am quick to judge, and stand by it. The chickens are spending a lot of time in their run denuding it of vegetation. Then comes the next part, a tightly mowed lawn provides very little in the way of forage. A more heterogeneous area provides more and better eats. It takes a lot more manicured lawn to meet needs of chickens when compared to the edge areas like you have along the wooded area.

Seriously? Are really criticizing a set up where chickens free range all day with a guard dog, have access to woods and access to a huge lawn all day? Let’s see your set-up.