Red Fox looking to get into my chickens

[rod5591]

Tonight a red fox was trying to get access to my chicken yard. See the photo--it is a 5 foot high chain link fence--can a fox get over that in your experience? Because I know it can't get under the fence.

Inside the chain link fence is another chicken yard, locked at night, with a 5 foot high welded-wire field fence. I don't have a locked henhouse--most of my birds sleep in the big tree in the photo and the older ones sleep in the shed with no door. If a fox could breech the two fences, it could definitely get at the older hens--but no way could it go up the tree for the younger birds.

My cousin tells me once a fox has spotted chickens, it wont ever give up until it gets them. Is that true?

I've had these birds going on 4 years now and I haven't lost a single bird to a predator. The fences are good and there's lots of cover to hide from birds of prey. But you never know.

 

[Weeg]

If I were you, I would immediately predator proof my entire setup. If it never eats a chicken, it will eventually bugger off. Cover that run with STRUDY bird netting. And get your hands on a lockable coop. If you don't have a coop at all, try FB Market place, sometimes they have something you can convert fairly quickly. Look for kids play houses (wood, plastic is usually to small) chicken coops, dog houses (depends on amount of birds), or sheds if you can afford it.
Most members would suggest to kill it, but I'm one of those, "share the land, they were here first" kind of people.
It doesn't matter though. Wether you decide to pop it or secure your setup, you going to loose birds if you don't predator proof your setup. It doesn't matter if you pop every single one, arial predators will get into that fence, and most ground predators can get over that fence. You need a secure lockable coop.
If you do have a coop already, post photos can I/other members can help you predator proof it.
Good luck

 

[Weeg]

My cousin tells me once a fox has spotted chickens, it wont ever give up until it gets them. Is that true?

Depends on the fox. If your coop is secure and completely predator proof, meaning NO way it can get in or get to your chickens, it will give up eventually.

 

[Folly's place]

You've been lucky, and one of these days, maybe very soon, your flock will pay for living in an unsafe coop and run.
Many critters can get into your coop and run, not only this one fox.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

An emergency fix would be electric fencing around your run, set up properly, with a good strong charger.
Mary

 

[Weeg]

An emergency fix would be electric fencing around your run, set up properly, with a good strong charger.
Mary

You can purchase electric netting on Amazon. Not sure if your local feed store will have it, but if they do definitely buy that. If they don't, you could try electric wire or tape for cattle/horses. You'd have to run a LOT of lines. You wouldn't want them to be more than 6" apart. Maybe try that with T-posts until you can get a secure setup, or electric wire from Amazon.
You could also purchase Hardware cloth from your local feed store/TSC. Along with bird netting, deer netting works to for a temporary fix. Whatever they got. Even buying a TSC coop would be more secure than a coop that doesn't lock at all. Something, anything.

 

[Folly's place]

@cmom and @Howard E have pictures and help here about electric fencing, and Premier1supplies.com has good products, a catalog, and advice on the phone about electric fencing and electrified poultry netting.
Mary

 

[Weeg]

Looked more closely at your photos. Looks like your coop has no door. Fix that. If you measure the space around the opening on your shed coop, then make a frame the same size in 2x4s. Use screws and washers to secure hardware cloth to the 2x4 frame. Boom, door. Now add a latch and attach it to the opening with hinges. Note that a secure latch shouldn't be able to be opened by a 3 year old. Raccoons can open anything a 3 year old can. The rest of your shed coop looks pretty good, I would do the exact same thing for your little coop.
That should at least protect your birds at night. Getting something to hold up netting in the middle, then secure it to the fence and pull it tight over the structures in the center. I use a structure like this currently or my run-

Its an old windmill tower we had on hand for some reason. Of course, without the windmill. You can make one with 2x4's if you secure them together correctly. We made another one with 3 spindly young trees we cut down.

 

[svh]

Foxes can climb trees ..... I've seen it with my own eyes !

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=fox+climb+tree&form=HDRSC2&first=1&tsc=ImageBasicHover

 

[cmom]

I had a fox dig under a gate and kill several birds. I then put concrete under all of the gates. I have electric wires up around my coops and pens and the predators know they are there. I also put some good heavy duty netting covering all of the pens due to aerial predators. Many lessons learned the hard way. Good luck...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/