i hate foxes!!!!

[kerrysmommy]

well we have had a fox problem latley and every week he got a bout 2 chickens so no we r down to 5 and 1 duck we have been baiting him but he just gets the bait at night wen no one is up i was wondering if any one had any ideas on what to do it would be great to get that fox so i can purchase chicks to raise because the others are about to stop laying
thanks alot

 

[wegotchickens]

Do you have the chickens locked into a secure coop at night?

If you can't trap the fox, then you need to lock up the chickens in a safer coop & run.

 

[Bi0s]

get a real good trap and some good bait

 

[kerrysmommy]

well we have a coop and run and my mom didnt think that the fox would come out in the rain w/ wind and she let them out so my sister bf called saying there a was a fox right nxt to the house and by the time i ran out the door one laying there dead and 3 missing we found one of the 3 but the others didnt make it i am going to call my neighbor to look out in her wood cuz last time they were there

 

[dacjohns]

I feel like a broken record because I say this so often.

Check the laws. Fox are managed in some areas. Some areas are very specific about predator control.

Do all you can to make your coop and run predator proof. The fox has just as much right to live as your chickens do. If you kill one predator another will take its place.

 

[bethinoklahoma]

I agree.....
I have a LARGE run that is fenced and a coop that is
locked up at night. We have a possum and a skunk
right now that wants in. We try and stay two steps
ahead and when that dosnt work we trap and relocat.
Skunks eat snakes that eat my eggs and baby chicks.

 

[kerrysmommy]

my run is very large and predator proof and we have the coop locked up durnig the day and night unless my mom lets them out my dad says we dont need a trap because he has very good am with a gun and the laws state that we are aloud to shoot anything that harms the wellness of livestock

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Quote:
If the fox is getting the chickens/ducks while they are in the coop/run - it is not predator proof.

Right now, our coop, the only thing that can get in is a bear. Since I'm not making concrete block and 1/2" plate steel coop, it's not bear proof nor can it be.

Be sure you have the exact mandate that says you can kill whatever. Here, with foxes, doesn't matter, they are protected, so I can't kill them. Same way I can't shoot an eagle who takes a chick, they are protected. I can't shoot a wolf either, protected status. I can dispatch skunks and raccoons all I want, but again, I kill one, another one moves in and I haven't fixed the problem because the coop is not secure.

Relocation is the WORST idea. A) It's illegal here. B) Now I have the problem instead of the other person. We had a RABID skunk dumped here last year, that was FUN. Not. Gee ding bat, if the skunk is docile enough that you can PICK IT UP and not get sprayed, I think that's a problem. DO NOT drive it to our area, dump it and just drive off. We went out to see what the car was doing, and ugh. Got the dang thing in a trap and had to do a heart shot to kill it which is horrible and takes a long time. But we couldn't pick up the trap to move it, and we couldn't do a head shot.

 

[cptbahama]

The laws don't take into consideration the welfare of your chickens, or your family, so forget them. Fox are vermin and should be treated as such.
Fox are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. These are the best times for your pa to use his good aim with the gun.
Otherwise, buy a soft catch leg hold trap such as this one from Oneida Victor. The jaws have rubber around them so if you catch your cat or neighbor's dog, it can be released without harm. However, it will hold the animal until you decide what it's fate will be.

http://www.oneidavictor.com/softcatchtraps.html

Dig a shallow hole next to a tree stump or other obstruction. Bury bait in the hole (mr. fox cannot resist a can of sardines). In front of this hole, dig another hole even less shallow and set the trap in it, with the chain to the trap secured to something solid. Cover the trap with a napkin so the dirt doesn't get in the springs, etc. Cover the trap with a thin layer of fine soil. Check the trap in the morning. Bet you there's a fox in it. Take your gun.

Around my coop, the fate most often does not fair well for the perpetrator.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Quote:
thank you! exactly the info I came on here searching for this morning.