My first Fox attack that ended in a kill

[Shellz]

I will go call in coyotes one of these days. Too busy with the chicks pipping in brooder right now. Sigh! My dog keeps them away, by doing a patrol of property. All times of day and once before bed. As long as he can stay outside, chickens are safe when free ranging the warmer months. I have 0 losses in late fall & winter, when they are penned.
I've thought about getting Irish Wolfhounds. Those would take out the buggers, but I don't have a fenced property. I worry about my current dog when he passes on. I will need a replacement.
Yeah, gotta make sure everything is legal! Steemroo makes a good point. You just never know! It happened to me. We had a nosy neighbour who had it in for me (nut job!) for some reason! She called local wildlife authorities (MNR) claiming we were baiting & shooting wild song birds. She knew we weren't. We were target practising. Anyway, this nice man pays me a visit. I show him our shooting range, describe property & how we shoot safely. Show him wild bird feeders for admiring their beauty, not for sport! I had the last laugh. He walked away saying, definitely no problem here! So you just don't know who's going to get on your case. Protect yourself by upholding your laws.
RIRs & Plymouth Rocks can be great birds if gotten from good stock! Nice & meaty, cold hearty, and great egg layers! You shouldn't be disappointed with those birds. I got the bug & wanted more variety! Too much fun! Hatching my own mutts now from silver gray dorking hens & cuckoo Marans rooster. Suspense is killing me!
Don't know when I'll be back on here, hubby feeling neglected! Have a great weekend everybody!!!

 

[Mygirls20]

Thank you steamroo for your concern Ya to many poeple freak out and think that farmer and country people kill for just the sport and not to protect their land/family/animals. I do have some wonderful news though I finally have a wildlife officer call me back this morning and he said SHOOT IT. He said the fox will just keep getting braver. Dont see how thats possible cause he is already insanely brave and that I would be putting my 2 and 3 year old in danger if I didnt get rid of the fox. So I have the go ahead to kill it. PLUS!!!!!



This is what I saw this morning when I walked out to let the hens out of their coop. I couldnt get a closer pic cause he was lunging at me through the trap. He is not a happy fox. (I will be honest kinda feel a little bad now even though he kill one of my chickens)

I called my friend and he is coming out to shoot it and get rid of it. So glad this is almost over and I have more time to reinforce my coop even more before another one takes its place.

 

[Gallus Sapien]

Nice job

I am glad this worked out for you. Nice pic!

 

[Mygirls20]

Nice job

I am glad this worked out for you. Nice pic!

Thank you sooo much! is has been a hellish week of fighting with this thing and soon it will all be over

At least my chickens can sleep in peace tonight. I am sure that something else will take its place but for now I have more time to prepare and glad this fox wont be on my mind anymore

 

[Mygirls20]

I will go call in coyotes one of these days. Too busy with the chicks pipping in brooder right now. Sigh! My dog keeps them away, by doing a patrol of property. All times of day and once before bed. As long as he can stay outside, chickens are safe when free ranging the warmer months. I have 0 losses in late fall & winter, when they are penned.
I've thought about getting Irish Wolfhounds. Those would take out the buggers, but I don't have a fenced property. I worry about my current dog when he passes on. I will need a replacement.
Yeah, gotta make sure everything is legal! Steemroo makes a good point. You just never know! It happened to me. We had a nosy neighbour who had it in for me (nut job!) for some reason! She called local wildlife authorities (MNR) claiming we were baiting & shooting wild song birds. She knew we weren't. We were target practising. Anyway, this nice man pays me a visit. I show him our shooting range, describe property & how we shoot safely. Show him wild bird feeders for admiring their beauty, not for sport! I had the last laugh. He walked away saying, definitely no problem here! So you just don't know who's going to get on your case. Protect yourself by upholding your laws.
RIRs & Plymouth Rocks can be great birds if gotten from good stock! Nice & meaty, cold hearty, and great egg layers! You shouldn't be disappointed with those birds. I got the bug & wanted more variety! Too much fun! Hatching my own mutts now from silver gray dorking hens & cuckoo Marans rooster. Suspense is killing me!
Don't know when I'll be back on here, hubby feeling neglected! Have a great weekend everybody!!!

So excited for you!!!! Ya I really want to start hatching my girls would love that. I know nothing about it so when I get a rooster I will def need some advice from ya

 

[Shellz]

I am thrilled you finally got that s.o.b.! I know, foxes look cute, but it will get old once another comes to take its place.

I have 2/3 eggs starting to hatch right now! One pipped this morning & is now starting to zipper! Weeeeee! Should be hatched out soon! This is part 2 of my staggered hatch. It is SO amazing! This is a first for me using a cheap incubator. I had 4/5 hatch from part one. These 3 are 4 days younger. I

 

[JackE]

I knew you would get that fox. He was, key word WAS, very stupid, or crazy brave. He could not just sneak in a grab the bait and back out this time.
Jack

 

[Shellz]

stupid iPad! I had a RIR hen go broody & hatch 4 eggs my 2nd year. Last summer, I had a Black Star hen go broody & raise 7! These breeds aren't known for broodiness, but clearly, there are exceptions! My first hen, I put in a small dog crate in garage. That was her nest, nice & safe. With the other, I let her do the work! Much easier. I now have nest boxes closer to the floor in new coop, just in case! It never gets old! PM me anytime for advice.

 

[Steemroo]

e. Congratz, Mygirls!

(how do I disable spell checking here??? It's driving me crazy auto changing words it doesn't know).

It's normal to feel bad for the fox - just take care of it and move on. People who don't feel at least some empathy in These situations haveissues (possible psychopaths).

Shells, gratz on pips & good luck on hatch! Dorkings are one of the top birds for taste. They grow slow, but were Queen Victoria's favorite - to eat.

I wonder if a ddorking rock cross would grow faster but still taste great.

Yeah, some people are so busy "saving the world" that they lose sight of reality - and get a bit zealous. Same impulse that drove Puritans to burn "witches'," imho.. I'd laugh, except they're getting powerful.

 

[Shellz]

These small hatches were basically experiments. I'm hoping the Marans roo genes will carry some weight on those Dorkings. I think a RIR got in there too with a few! Will be interesting to watch them grow.
Those are some wise words Steemroo! I'm not totally heartless, although it may sound like it sometimes? I've always loved animals, but have seen nature in a whole new way, since moving to the country. I'm not out to kill everything, just those varmints that pose a danger to us. I don't hunt anywhere else.