My first Fox attack that ended in a kill

[shelbydog]

They are cute. Raccoons are cute too but they aren't called the masked bandit for nothing. It's always easier when it's something butt ugly like possum or armadillo (I know not a predator but a destructive pest).

Since your neighbor is feeding the wild canines like pets then I'd tell him that automatically makes him their steward and he just purchased every chicken they killed and unfortunately you will be charging sentimental value.

 

[Steemroo]

Heh, there you go! Wish some could make that stick.

 

[Shellz]

Yeah Steemroo & shelbydog! I've heard of folks trying to claim damages from other folks' dogs eating their poultry. Some folks are ethical, some not. Try sending him a bill for the costs it took to raise & care for those chickens! Probably just fall on deaf ears though.

 

[dolphinlvr4]

Soler, I 100% agree with you. I lost 2 hens to predators and instead of killing any of them I invested alot of time, back breaking labor and a lil money to re-enforce my coop n run. It's predator proff now, we don't have to worry and neither do my hens. We probably over did it but it's extreamly safe now

 

[Mygirls20]

Soler, I 100% agree with you. I lost 2 hens to predators and instead of killing any of them I invested alot of time, back breaking labor and a lil money to re-enforce my coop n run. It's predator proff now, we don't have to worry and neither do my hens. We probably over did it but it's extreamly safe now

So what do you do when you free range them in the spring/summer? Or do you just leave them in the coop/run all the time?

 

[Mygirls20]

They are cute. Raccoons are cute too but they aren't called the masked bandit for nothing. It's always easier when it's something butt ugly like possum or armadillo (I know not a predator but a destructive pest).

Since your neighbor is feeding the wild canines like pets then I'd tell him that automatically makes him their steward and he just purchased every chicken they killed and unfortunately you will be charging sentimental value.

Ya I agree if it was a coyote everyone would tell me to kill it and be glad I did but since its a cute little fox everyone it upset. Does anyone watch animal planet anymore. People forget what they can do and how wild they are. I think people need to post more pics of their dead torn up chickens then maybe people will wake up "omg a fox did that how gruesome, poor little chicken" Again if I was complaining that a fox killed my new born baby lamb or something people would be more understanding. Everyone loves the eggs I give them say they are the best they have ever tasted. Do they forget that the chickens that I take care of every single day for hours on end and spoil the crap out of laid those eggs?

My girls and I have become really attached to our chickens and when we get meat chickens it will be the same way. they are a part of our family and it is my job to protect them against anything just like I do with my kids and dogs. The whole topic is extremely frustrating to me. This is why I believe everyone should own a farm animal snap back to reality and understand how the world works.


I dont want to cause anymore problems with the neighbor I am going to build new coops and these will be anything proof. I am going to dig a foot trench around the coops/runs and pour concrete into it. Then do four layers of fencing also the coop will be wood on the bottom so nothing will get in and hopefully it will be better insulated. I will post pics when I start building hopefully it will go according to what I am thinking in my head haha. And when my chickens free range I will be out there with my daughters and Foxy (my .22)

 

[ocap]

. I am going to dig a foot trench around the coops/runs and pour concrete into it.

I dug a foot trench one inch deep and buried a fence toward the predator area, they are not smart enough to back up to begin the digging. chicken wire mesh is fine.

 

[Mygirls20]

Thats what I did to my current one but my husband thought that concrete would probably be better. I think he just wants to pour some concrete His company build forms and curing systems for prestressed concrete (bridges and stuff) Hey whatever he wants to do is fine getting him to help has been h3ll lol

 

[Shellz]

Great stuff Mygirls! Concrete is your bet bet! You have an advantage there! Now if only I could find someone to pour a floating concrete pad on a site we have for a garage. The best guys in the area won't do small jobs like that. Argh! Honey, its time you learned something new!

My coop and run are great, no problems. It's free ranging that's the problem. I insist on it for their happiness, health, & end product quality. This will be my first year with my new arsenal. Think I'll take the .17hmr, as its a T bolt. Faster reloading if I need to take another shot. Hopefully not!

 

[3 NH reds]

Ok sorry to everyone but I need to vent. Went to hubbys work to pick up the dogs (he takes them to work for half the day giving me a break) And everyone (all men) even my father-in-law were all ****** at me for killing the fox. I am now called the fox murderer. It really ticks me off like I told them if this fox had snatched one of my father-in-laws small dogs they would have been high fiving me for killing it or god forbid bit one of my children. But they all said foxes dont hurt people (OK?!?!) what if my daughters had a piece of food and were playing outside and the fox tried to take it from them? So because this fox injured one of my chickens and killed another my killing it isnt justified? It has to attack a dog or cat or a child first for people to get that its dangerous. Where the hell is the human race going. Again I will say I feel bad for taking its life and you all know I did everything I could to try to make it stay away (spent four nights shooting it with a BB gun) Everyone at my husbands work told me that I needed to get rid of my chickens or move down to the city Uh why? I cant live where I want to live and have livestock why should I have to move? and btw there are foxes in the city to. I refuse to be a drone to the grocery store just cause I dont want to deal with the real life world. next time I will just drop the fox off in their front yard and see how they like dealing with it.

Again sorry for the rant but you guys are the only ones on my side right now and my hubby has a mob of people that are telling him what I did was wrong whatever

And quick question I was also told that if a bear attacks my chickens I couldnt shoot it without a license cause I am not zoned for a ranch (my husbands friend says so) From what I gathered from the wildlife officer I could shoot anything attacking my livestock and chickens count as livestock

Mygirls20 I just have to ask if your husband’s office is full of meterosexual men. Bring them in a picture of Snow White and show them that. Here I go putting my foot in my mouth but is your father in law kind of wussy? Does your mother in law rule the roost? If so that could be where you problem starts and if its like that there is no fixing it. If you need to go to your husband’s work to get the dogs tell him that anyone calling you names is out of line and that as your husband he should man up and tell them to lay off of you and respect a lady. Not go n name calling like a 5 year old Momma’s boy. First guy calling my wife names is going to hear about it . You need to continue to defend your family and your chickens but you may be right to leave your husband out of it all if it upsets him. I wouldn't even push the gun on him he might just revolt and never do it especially if you say stuff like my ex loved guns ect. If you do get a bear problem get a 12 gauge pump with a slug barrel that will give you enough firepower to defend the family. You are so right not to be a drone in the grocery store. My niece was a victim of socialist public schooling and came home one day and told my brother in law that eating beef in NH was killing the Rain forests. She became a vegetarian at age 12. This was the case until she met her husband who like her is collage educated and he has a quiet personality. He came from a family that had huge gardens and raised their own chickens and pigs. Within a year she came back and now supports responsible living meaning she is in favor of raising what she eats when she can. That is what my wife and I are about and I can bet that is what you are going to teach your kids and you know we are not alone in this. By the way you can shoot the Bear. I live in the socialist state of Mass and a guy next town over had a bear come up on his porch and came in the house after a small dog he shot it with a deer slug and killed it no charges no problem.

my wife just showed me a photo of a revolver which has it's name stenciled on the side below the cylinder "Kindness"
next time i need to shoot a skunk i will kill it with "Kindness"

I have only run into skunks up close twice. 1st time was in a garbage can that I could not figure how it kept getting in. I heard it one night grabbed a gun and turned on a light hoping it would go away. I went out cocked the hammer on a revolver I had a bead on the trash can and saw a white stripe. I went back in, I did not want to smell like that for a month. The next time was in the suburbs before we lived out here. I had a nice garden that some critter was eating and I suspected a wood chuck. Being a suburb and not zoned agricultural like now I did not chance shooting a .22 lr so I got a have a heart trap. I got a skunk in it and I was thrilled. He was big enough and I was looking forward to this husbands job. I tried to raise the trap so he would get out on his own but I was 30 feet away and snap clang he was stuck in it again. I feared I would get sprayed but I talked in the sweetest tone and said I will hold the door please leave and don't spray me. After what was an eternity he walked out slowly and he paused to look back and then he ran off not spraying me at all

Yeah Steemroo & shelbydog! I've heard of folks trying to claim damages from other folks' dogs eating their poultry. Some folks are ethical, some not. Try sending him a bill for the costs it took to raise & care for those chickens! Probably just fall on deaf ears though.

I never knew this law existed until I pick up a newspaper reading about some poor lady who lost like 30-40 chickens to a neighbors dog attack. There is in Mass a fee for every dog license that goes for paying restitution fee if your dog harms livestock. I had never seen this before but it was some old law back from who knows when. She got the money but she was devastated, she had manes for all the birds.