more fox trouble

[chickengeorgeto]

Now I have people telling me everywhere that foxes do this, that is common for them to kill blindly in a frenzy, that they kill for fun, that they leave a mess. I tell you in ten years of bird keeping I have never seen this or heard this. Foxes sneak in, grab a meal and sneak out. I've had domestic dogs do this for play, pups or bored hunting dogs, never foxes. This thing was skinny too, it literally blew my mind he did not even try to take one with him. I've heard stories of them having this cunning, that because I was at his den he hit the house knowing I was not there, I have just never experienced it, and certainly never seen a hungry wild thing kill with no thought for food.

Red fox parents also like to drop off injured prey animals at the den and allow their kits to PRACTICE over and over catching, re-catching, killing and re-killing the unlucky prey. All foxes enjoy eating prey that would gag a maggoty. Foxes in other words are unconcerned with how fresh their meals are.

Come to think of it us humans as well are basically unconcerned about eating fresh poultry.

http://honest-food.net/2012/10/20/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

 

[Kleonaptra]

Mine do come outside still, I even had my injured patients out yesterday for physio. Two older ones want to go back to the pen as they are imprinted on it, but I'm teaching the others to hang out right by the house. The fox hs been around, he's left signs, but I haven't seen him. We are going to put up electric fence I still have lots of equipment as I used to use it for the horses

 

[The Lazy L]

What kind of protection did you provide the chickens to keep them safe from the fox?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's not for everyone but I'm a complete convert to electric poultry netting. Portable to move about in the foraging seasons and has stopped all ground predators. Of course now I'm entering winter so will have a fixed run for a few months. Dog kennel with partial cover to keep an area open I don't have to shovel.