I Have a Fox Problem

[CatWhisperer]

I called the state Wildlife department when I had a fox problem. Was told I could shoot the fox if I caught it in the act of killing chickens. However, could not go near the den as it was in a state park. A neighbor ended up killing the fox which solved the problem until the next fox moved into the area.

I solved the problem by buying Premier1 electric poultry netting. Fox got zapped and never came back.

I lost my rooster and 2 hens to a fox that jumped over the 4 foot tall electric fence. Rehomed other 2 hens and built a taller fence.

 

[Charlenesmom]

Yes, store bought coops aren’t safe. Only use hardware cloth, I have lots of extra if you live near enough. There must be an 18-24” underground apron all around to prevent digging predators, all openings must be covered with hardware cloth, all openings must be super sealed.
Sorry about your losses. I had one young hen for almost a year before I introduced three more, she loves them and having the company now. She slept in a dog crate in my garage until I could have my husband build a Fort Knox of chicken palaces. I installed solar flood lights on every side as well as PredatorGuard solar deterrents on each side.
They are not allowed out of the run/coop area to roam unless I’m outside in the yard. We have many predators and not all hunt at night, i.e.Hawks. Good luck with your flock of one for now. I am in Western Mass if you are close enough to get the hardware cloth.

 

[Turkey Girl]

Well maybe if you move the remaining chick to a different spot away from woods or things a fox could hide in that could help.

 

[bruceha2000]

Well maybe if you move the remaining chick to a different spot away from woods or things a fox could hide in that could help.

It would not. Foxes will travel through open fields to attack chickens. They are wily and they are fast.

WHAT WAS I THINKING??

You were thinking since it was sold by "professionals" they must know what they are doing. Sadly, with chicken coops, that is very rarely true. Lots of money wasted by people who then find they need to build another coop.

My coop is secure and I don't worry about them at night, but they free range all day so there is always a chance of predators coming in.

Yep and predators like coons and fox do NOT hunt soley, maybe not even primarily, at night. I fenced an acre, original plan was to keep a dog IN and for the dog to keep predators OUT. Dog didn't work out (spouse) but no predator attacks for 2 years until 2 months ago when a fox came into the area and dragged off my best layer from behind the barn in broad daylight. This was a full month later than I had fox attacks before I had decent fencing in prior years. I followed the trail of feathers to where it got her through the 6"x6" field fence and at the edge of the woods. Apparently a fox can get through a 5" opening. I guess I was lucky not to have lost one the prior 2 years. 2 days later I came out of the barn about 5 PM just as the fox was going after 3 hens near the barn. All I saw was the flash of red as it sped off, by the time I got through the gate it was already on the other side of the south fence, made of cattle panels, 200' away. Had I been seconds later it would have killed another hen even if it didn't have time to carry it off. I had already ordered the 48"x164' Premier 1 electronet and put it up the next day when it arrived.

I've put 2x4 no climb horse fence on the span the fox originally came through. I need to replace the field fence on the 12' gate in that same span with the no climb. And I still have cattle panels along the south span that I can't stretch fence on because there are no braced posts, it has to run around a tree with lots of rocks around it, still pondering that one. In the meantime the girls are now confined to a much smaller area, the net is connected to the hot wire that runs along the top of the perimeter fence. They aren't real happy.

Relocation of many critters, including foxes, raccoons, and opossums, is only allowed on your property, or on private property with landowner permission within your same county, in many states, including mine.

True in my state as well. NO relocating off your property and pretty much no one has near enough property to get a predator far enough away that they won't just come right back, miles.

Photo shows the coop for free range adults on right and flight pen for adolescents on left

Good IF you have no weasels. They will pop right through that 2x4 fencing and take out the juvies.

 

[wamtazlady]

I lost my rooster and 2 hens to a fox that jumped over the 4 foot tall electric fence. Rehomed other 2 hens and built a taller fence.

That is why you do not want to kill the local fox if it has been zapped by the fence and stays away. A new fox might be smart enough to jump. A way to encourage the fox getting zapped rather than jumping is to put a little bit of peanut butter on some of the lower strands of wire. Let the fox lick that peanut butter.

 

[Sea Wolf]

The easiest thing to do is read up on how to secure your run. I use chicken wire and I have no issues with ground predators. But the wire is buried underground properly. The birds are securely locked up at night and the run is within 10 feet of the woods. It's a little late now but you can also keep your single chicken. A singleton will be fine and, once you secure everything properly, you can get her a friend. Killing the predators is not the right way to go as others just move in to replace the one you took. Teach your local predators they can't get at the birds and they don't bother.

 

[Star Creek]

We had a fox but I think the owl chased it away.View attachment 1834141

 

[bruceha2000]

The easiest thing to do is read up on how to secure your run.

That is easier when your run is something like 10'x20', not so easy if it is a fenced acre. No one is going to come up with that much 1/2" hardware cloth

 

[Folly's place]

I have a coop/ run combination, roofed, that's very secure. My chicken coop is not set in a good location for electric poultry fencing, or a very large fenced run. So, my birds free range as often as possible, and when there are predator or snow issues, they have enough room 'on lockdown' to be fine.
We have to work with what's available; in my case, it's many acres of rural property, but not set up for chicken fencing.
Mary

 

[wongfam]

I lost one of our free ranging hens to a fox a couple weeks ago. We have a couple roosters so they alerted us and we chased it away. We made sure to have our .22 close by. Early that same evening ( all the chickens were penned up) the fox returned and the roosters sounded the alarm. He didn’t live too much longer. In Alberta, trapping is illegal even if it’s a nuisance predator so the .22 was our only option to be rid of it. Unfortunately our dogs were useless and sleeping on the other side of the yard both times the fox came by ‍.

This is a real surprise to me, trapping illegal in Alberta. We had a fox attach last year (and again this year yesterday) and we called fish and wildlife to verify what predator was involved. Fish and wildlife told us it was a fox and said out racoon trap would be fine, but also loaned us a 2nd larger trap. Would they recommend a trap if it were illegal? P.S. they also said to call them again if we caught anything- we didn't catch it.