Red Foxes! How do I get rid of them?

[SulkyBantam]

OK. Well, I hope it helps and was the right decision.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Thank you We were worried that was going to be the answer I'm trying to contact a person who is a taxidermist and was interested in coming and trapping or hunting them for us. Haven't been able to get a response from him as of yet. My Husband said that one has mange and hopefully will die from it but the other one really is very brazen in stopping in the yard and looking at me as I'm running at it yelling and clapping then it runs.

Can’t you just shoot them? I doubt you’re gonna find anyone other than a friend to come trap them for free. You’ll likely have to pay someone or do it yourself. If they’re that brazen it would be easier to just shoot them and be done with it. The one with mange will die eventually so shooting would be more humane than it freezing to death.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

Plus if you dispatch the mange ridden one yourself you can ensure it won’t be transmitted to anything else by dealing with the dead body properly.

 

[Pinfeathersgeek]

Thank you. I just hated it because I wanted to see my baby chicks grow up....

My Husband is not sure if we should continue forward with chickens he said we're just supplying the predator with food. But we love them my Husband isn't the building fence type so that just stresses him out. I want to have a secure enclosure for them. I don't know what we're going to end up doing I'm begging him hopefully he caves in and we figure it out. I'll definitely see about the 6' fence but they can climb and my girlfriend has the 6' cyclone fencing and they still get her chickens.

 

[Pinfeathersgeek]

Can’t you just shoot them? I doubt you’re gonna find anyone other than a friend to come trap them for free. You’ll likely have to pay someone or do it yourself. If they’re that brazen it would be easier to just shoot them and be done with it. The one with mange will die eventually so shooting would be more humane than it freezing to death.

Our property backs up to an Angus cattle farm so my Husband's aim would have to be spot on which I fear it isn't. Our neighborhood is spaghettied between two older neighborhoods so he can't shoot to the right or left either but he's gonna have to learn to shoot faster and on target.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Our property backs up to an Angus cattle farm so my Husband's aim would have to be spot on which I fear it isn't. Our neighborhood is spaghettied between two older neighborhoods so he can't shoot to the right or left either but he's gonna have to learn to shoot faster and on target.

Do you own a shotgun? #4 lead or anything bigger within about 40 yds will drop a red fox in its tracks.

 

[Weeg]

My Husband is not sure if we should continue forward with chickens he said we're just supplying the predator with food. But we love them my Husband isn't the building fence type so that just stresses him out. I want to have a secure enclosure for them. I don't know what we're going to end up doing I'm begging him hopefully he caves in and we figure it out. I'll definitely see about the 6' fence but they can climb and my girlfriend has the 6' cyclone fencing and they still get her chickens.

All you need to do is predator proof your cop. I fit can't get het chickens, it will leave. IF it sin't getting food why stay? IT WILL move on if it can' teat. WE have lost flocks to Coyotes, Raccoons, and Cougars, and we didn't kill one of them. We just predator proofed more and they left. That is the only solution. Otherwise, another predator will just come and get the chickens if you don't predator proof anyway. This is may advice, with LOTS of predator experience, it WORKS! There is no need to kill this fox. No need at all. I agree with @Sulky Bantam and sorry for your loss.

 

[Weeg]

You don't need a fence, just put up electric fencing on your coop, wrap it on hardware cloth, or anything that will stop it. I can help you with predator proofing, jus need to know how it is getting in.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

@Weeg makes a good point too. But regardless of your plan with the healthy one that’s giving you trouble, it’s only humane to try to find a way to dispatch the unhealthy fox, or contact someone that can catch and treat it, mange can be dealt with I believe.

 

[roosterhavoc]

All you need to do is predator proof your cop. I fit can't get het chickens, it will leave. IF it sin't getting food why stay? IT WILL move on if it can' teat. WE have lost flocks to Coyotes, Raccoons, and Cougars, and we didn't kill one of them. We just predator proofed more and they left. That is the only solution. Otherwise, another predator will just come and get the chickens if you don't predator proof anyway. This is may advice, with LOTS of predator experience, it WORKS! There is no need to kill this fox. No need at all. I agree with @Sulky Bantam and sorry for your loss.

Not everyone keeps their chickens in an enclosed run/coop. Many people free range birds or have a run without any kind of roof at all. Many times the run is just too large to put a roof or netting on it.
Electric fencing will work if set up properly but even then not everyone wants to mess with all of that.
I question your predator experience? I along with many people on here have been free ranging birds 24/7 and killing the occasional predator with minimal losses for longer than you’ve been alive. Some years I kill 2-3 foxes other years none. They don’t just move back in overnight and there’s nothing that says a new animal in the area will automatically go after your birds.