Need help and advice on trapping a fox

[nab58]

A red fox took one of my red sex link hens in broad daylight while I was cleaning the coop and they were free ranging. It ran out of the woods, under the deck of the house, through the garden, grabbed the hen and kept running. I barely had time to yell before it disappeared back into the woods.

So now we're trying to trap it. We bought a great live trap that allows to place live bait in a cage at the back. I've been doing some research about red fox trapping which says you should camouflage the trap and place the bait outside the trap the first night then in the opening the 2nd night and then finally in the back of the trap the 3rd night.
We did that last night and got a racoon and opossum on the game camera.
We've decided we'll need to trap all the other nuisance animals before we can try for the fox.

Any advice on getting the fox instead of these other animals? We have gotten pictures of bobcats, coyotes, opossum, racoon, etc.....never the fox. Are they too smart to trap?

 

[iwiw60]

Me personally? I don't waste time with traps

S - S - S

Shoot - Shovel - Shut Up

That's my method for getting rid of scumbag predators.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There are many good web sights with information on how to nab a fox. While everything works if you give it enough time, you may run out of both chickens and patience before you catch your fox in a live trap.

It does sound like your fox has been around the block before.

 

[N F C]

Me personally? I don't waste time with traps

S - S - S

Shoot - Shovel - Shut Up

That's my method for getting rid of scumbag predators.

Gotta go with iwiw60 on this...if you just live trap any predator then turn it loose someplace else, the predator becomes someone else's problem.

Here are a couple of links you might find helpful about predators:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock

http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-predators.html

 

[nab58]

Thank you for the links. We are considering electic poultry fence....didn't know fox can jump 6'. I wonder if they'd jump over an electric fence. We have flying predators too so the electric fence wouldn't help with that threat.
We would shoot it if we had the means. We don't own guns or the patience/skill to shoot it. It was 1 1/2 years since the last time a fox attempted to take a chicken in our yard. His first attempt was not successful. I screamed, he let go and ran off. We never see him, how could we stalk him with a gun if he knows when were around but we don't know when he is?

I already know the trap is in the wrong place. We baited it with fishy cat food last night and one of my dog was half way inside this morning about to spring it. I think we'll ask the neighbors to put it in their field as we've seen it walk the stone wall between our properties.

Would appreciate any more ideas, links or comments. In the meantime, my poor chickens are prisoners to their coop and run.

 

[N F C]

I see it this way...if you're going to free range, than you have to be prepared to lose birds. If not from a fox, then from a hawk, dog, etc. Guess it's up to each individual to decide if losing their animals is worth the benefits of free ranging.

 

[iwiw60]

I see it this way...if you're going to free range, than you have to be prepared to lose birds. If not from a fox, then from a hawk, dog, etc. Guess it's up to each individual to decide if losing their animals is worth the benefits of free ranging.

Yep...it's not a question of if...it's a question of when. They know where 'dinner' is and will be back repeatedly.

 

[Folly's place]

Lock up your birds in their predator proof coop and run, until you get that fox. Talk to the neighbors, and anyone close that has chickens; maybe someone will get a shot at him. Trapping is hard; neighbors all on the alert with their 22's will work best, if he's hunting is daylight. Good luck! Mary

 

[iwiw60]

Lock up your birds in their predator proof coop and run, until you get that fox. Talk to the neighbors, and anyone close that has chickens; maybe someone will get a shot at him. Trapping is hard; neighbors all on the alert with their 22's will work best, if he's hunting is daylight. Good luck! Mary

Yep! S - S - S

Shoot - Shovel - Shut Up

 

[nab58]

We do have other neighbors with chickens. They lost2 at different times to the fox. I don't think anyone in our neighborhood will be shooting him. We're just not hunting type of people.
We're still trying the trap. So far we trapped and relocated a large raccoon. The next night we were away so we didn't set the trap but our game cam took pics of 5 baby raccoons. We must have trapped the mother and orphaned the babies. I hope they can survive on their own! Last night the trap was not set again and we took pics of a skunk! Dodged the bullet on that one!