Just got chased by a fox!

[Noymira]

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No offense taken! Generally women are smaller than men and not always as strong, so I understand the basis behind the advice. In my case, not so much, but I didn't see any malice in your post.

 

[bryan99705]

Don't worry about getting another crack at the fox, it will be back looking for a easy meal for the kits. You may even consider checking if one of your neighbors has a gamecall, it may speed up their return (while doing it when your ready) and put a end to the problem sooner, Do suggest you run the wire on the sides of you coop long and let it lay on the ground, to the outside. Fox will dig under a fence real quick but start they at right at the base of the fence so some wire laying there will stop them cold. Also remember a fox is really quite skinny so keep that in mind when selecting your fence's hole size.

 

[BrattishTaz]

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Understood.

I named my roo after Archie Bunker after all. I must say I am glad I missed the "good old days" though.

 

[NanaLantana]

I hope you washed your cat's tail right away, to remove any saliva, and check for puncture wounds. Rabies is a saliva-transmitted disease. As others have said, keep a watch for the fox or any other critter with such behavior, and also watch your cat -

 

[Noymira]

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My cat is 12 lbs, so I thought he was a bit large for a fox too. Our fox don't get much larger than 20-30 lbs here on the high end. It could easily be that the cat challenged him if he was making an attempt at the hens right near the house. He tends to turn and fight when he really should run, especially near the house- he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but at 10 we've given up on him learning any better.

 

[Noymira]

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Thanks, I think we will probably be seeing it again. We are definitely building our run with that fox in mind now!

 

[bryan99705]

Having tangled with a rabid fox before, it doesn't sound like it was sick. A rabid fox would have either continued it's attack or acted like a spazed out puppy. You probably startled him like he did you and it took a moment for it to realize he needed to leave cuz' you were about to get medievel on him. Still makes for an interesting story to tell over a good chicken dinner with friends

 

[Noymira]

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We checked and washed his tail, no puncture wounds and no scratches that we could find. The cat is up to date on his rabies shot, we don't go without for any animal that has outside contact.

 

[Noymira]

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That's what the rabies hotline told me this morning. It sounded more like a bold and hungry fox who was looking for an easy dinner. I don't know how threatening I looked with a broom, but I did pace back and forth on the porch where he could see me as he circled the house and yelled back at him, so he must have realized I was not going to run and hide (although I certainly would have turned tail had he come that close again).

 

[Noymira]

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Even in the "good old days" up here farm women had to be as tough as men. Even my great-grandmother was a force to be reckoned with!

I much prefer being outside working on the garden and lawn than inside cleaning or doing laundry.