It finally happened.... 😭

[cmom]

I caught the fox in a live trap. I baited it for a few days and put a camera out there. I then set the traps and caught the fox. I had been watching it on the cameras.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

I'm so sorry for your loss, it's hard. free ranging is wonderful for the birds, most of the time. Until it isn't, and I agree that you need to keep your birds in their safe coop and run for two weeks or so, hoping that your visiting predator does leave.
Reset your camera towards that area, you might see who's visiting. We've had losses like that to hawks; one bird, partially eaten and found not too far away. A fox is also a good possibility. Chickens are on everyone's menu!
Chickens do prefer wooded areas and shrub cover, they were jungle animals originally. Having them in open areas isn't best either.
Well set up electric fencing will deter many land predators, a very good thing!
Mary

Thank you. They absolutely love to free range, & I love to let them. They’ve been dying to get out of their run for a little bit of freedom but I’m too terrified to let them right now. I’m planning to keep them in the run until we get better barriers put up because they LOVE the wooded areas around our house, like you said.

We plan on getting another trail cam that sends the pictures directly to your phone, which is so helpful. I’ve also installed some motion sensor lights on the front of the run just in case something decides a midnight snack is overdue.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

Here I've never noticed that my white birds are taken by predators more often, not at all. It's about size, inexperience, bad luck, and poor eyesight (Silkies, or any with top knots).
Mary

This is my very first flock I raised as chicks & they haven’t had the experience of any predator attacks.... until now. Except I don’t think the rest of them even knew what happened.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

I’m so sorry for your loss. The only time I’ve lost birds to predators was while nobody was home, so mine only get to free range when somebody is home or the dogs are on guard now. I had two favorites that I never found this year, I know it can be hard.

Thank you ! I never let them free range unless I’m out there with them. It is SO hard..I literally have no clue where/what I could’ve been doing to not notice an attack since I am ALWAYS right there.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

I’m very sorry for the loss of your leghorn. The first loss is always hard. I lost my first pullet to a hawk; she was only 6 months old and from my first flock. The unfortunate downside to free ranging is that there will be some occassional losses, it’s a risk we take but I still wouldn’t do it any other way. I lost my blue Cochin (my avatar and favorite hen) last summer to a fox. Baby Blue was broody but she would always hop off the nest and free range around 11am, usually by herself as the rest of the flock had already moved into the lower pasture by then. My neighbors had warned me of a large red fox that had been making late morning appearances. I was erroneously overly confident that the 5 ft woven wire fence would keep the fox at bay. Nope, the fox scaled the fence, ran about 25’, grabbed by hen and exited the same place where it first scaled the fence. It happened so quickly that the flock didn’t even know Blue was gone. I only figured out what happened after I found a pile of feathers just passed the fence. I found two more piles of feathers deeper into the woods, never found the rest of Blue. One of my huskies tracked the fox’s scent from where it came over the fence, over to where it snatched Blue, and back again. Now I regularly walk my three huskies along the fence line that backs the woods to leave their scent. Not sure if that helps, but the fox hasn’t been back. Also since that happened, a pearl guinea cock mysteriously showed up on our property and never left. The guinea is very skittish and broadcasts a most obnoxious alarm at practically anything that moves, so he has been a good guardian for the flock. This past September, I just happened to witness him chase off a low flying hawk that buzzed the hen yard, so it was the first autumn that the flock was spared from an attack by a hawk. As time passes and more experience and wisdom is gained, we do our best to protect our flocks from predators, disease and injury, but despite our efforts things are going to happen anyway. Knowing you do the best that you can for your flock will help get you through the unfortunate times when a loss is experienced.

Thank you!! My leghorn was around 9 months old, we had gotten 12 chicks back in March of this year. Man, she wasn’t one of my favorites, she was one of the girls at the top of the pecking order,but I couldn’t imagine if I would’ve lost one of my favorites.... I would go insane That sounds almost like the same attack as my leghorn, no one knew a thing. Only thing left of her was piles of feathers. Except I found the food from her crop...presumably from her crop being ripped open by the predator. I have 2 dogs, Chesapeake bay retriever & an American water spaniel. They usually stay in their dog run since my spaniel likes to run off. Maybe bringing my Chessie out again might help... she never leaves or roams off. My husband & I were talking about getting some guineas, you’re lucky one just so happened to roam into your yard & never leave. The only type of roamers I get are stray cats & loose dogs. You’re right. Having a loss is inevitable, we do our best to protect what we have & learn from the experience, good or bad.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

So sorry for your loss. We had a hawk try to swoop while my husband and kids were outside the other week.. They have seemed to go stir crazy if not free-ranged..

Thank you! Oh no! We’ve had hawks all summer long & they were the ones I worried about the most, guess I should’ve looked at the bigger picture. Mine are the same way, & will walk the fence like there’s going to be some magical opening.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

Good dog! What are you going to do now?

I don’t know.... we have some ideas to try to lure the fox in. It’s going to be a dead one soon though. Any time we see the monster on our trail cam it’s always right before the sun rises.