odd question about predaators and breeds...

[heather112588]

I'm fairly new to chickens -I started off with rhode island reds and barred rocks, and i loved them. I love in 40 acres of woods and have alot of predators around. I recently had a fox take two of my hens. I have been taking extra precautions since such as re-enforcing the coop, owning a gun and buying a live trap. I curently have a pug (that wasnt my idea) and can not get another dog right now. Thank god i had a rooster (my RIR)- he did put up a fight! please don't think i'm stupid for asking

, But was wondering if there are any chicken breeds that are either extra protective or will intimate a fox. For example, would a larger breed like a jersey giant scare a fox? Any suggestions or experience with different breeds please chim in...

 

[CMV]

No breed of chicken will intimidate a fox. I have full-sized geese that would be no match for a fox. The only deterrence for a fox is a good fence or a good guardian animal (dog, donkey, goat, mule, llama, or unemployed neighborhood teen).

 

[Pinky]

An emu would intimidate a fox.I don't think there's a breed of chicken that a fox won't go after.

 

[sourland]

Some roosters or game hens with chicks will tackle a fox, but they generally lose the battle.

 

[TinyBirds]

We have bobcats and foxes, and they come in the middle of the day to grab adult chickens right before my eyes. After 2 years of this, and so many losses, I don't know how much longer we'll be keeping chickens. At one point we had 300+, but now only 150 due to predators. So far, the only type of fowl that hasn't been taken is the 2 geese. They take full size turkeys, ducks, everything in sight. We have a perimeter electric fence now and it slows them down, but a neighbor had 5 hawks come as a team and pull a huge turkey into the air. It's like Jurassic Park around here. I have the silkies inside double-fencing in the day (6 ft outer fence w/ netting above for hawks), and of course everything is locked up tight at night in wood coops, so although we haven't had any night-time losses, daytime is crazy, losing up to 5 adult birds in one day.
H&H poultry is only 30 minutes from me, and she doesn't have any predator problems, and I believe it's because she has a great DOG!! It's a border collie mix and very sweet - sprinting to meet us whenever we go there. Wish I had one of those too. Our neighbor across the street has a great guard dog too. I think that's probably the only way to avoid massive predator losses, unless you live in the city I suppose or just plain get lucky in your area to have a lower predator concentration.

 

[chickortreat]

Sounds like a great place to target practice!!!

 

[Illia]

Two suggestions. . .


1) Araucanas. The real ones, not the hatchery Easter Eggers. Real Araucanas are very good foragers, protective moms, and both genders are very aware and good about threats to the flock. The number one plus is their lack of tail. Most predators, especially when chasing poultry, go for the tail first. I myself can even attest to how hard it is to catch a fleeing Araucana.

Also, they're excellent fliers.


2) Gamefowl. American Gamefowl to be more precise, just like with Araucanas they're very good foragers, a hardy breed, make protective moms, and the males in particular are very protective of the flock. They will fight off whatever they feel they can. The only downside is that you can only have one male or keep males separate, as they will fight to death. They're bred to.


Now, none of these will truly help against a fox, but they're a good choice for free ranging.