Should I trap the fox?

[mowin]

I shoot any predator activity trying to get at my livestock, day or night. We are overrun with coon, coyotes and fox. I have no prob giving them a dirt nap.

 

[Folly's place]

Having a safe coop and run, even if it's a smaller run, is essential to keep the chickens safe! Electric fencing really helps if it's legal where you live, and most of us have learned about touching electric fencing by doing it!
My coop and small covered run are one roofed structure, on an old concrete foundation. The 'run' south and east walls are built to be safe from anything except the bears we don't yet have.

The hardware cloth and 2"x 4" woven wire is stapled to the framing, and then boards are screwed over the top of both layers into the framing. The woven wire goes up 4'. Thinking of two big motivated dogs trying to get inside, they won't.

In winter the lower hardware cloth south and east walls are covered in sheet vinyl.
Mary

 

[McChooky]

Inspect your coop regularly to make sure the wire is attached good and the boards and latches are secure. Predators are clever.

 

[FunClucks]

So the first thing I caught in my trap - a large BO chicken. She had run out the door behind my son and then run about the yard some, and then decided the steak my son had just put into the trap smelled tasty. So it was helpful for catching a chicken... She didn't even notice she was trapped.

No luck with trapping a raccoon or fox yet.

 

[chicknmania]

Thats ridiculous to just trap anything and kill it. Just hurry and get the coop built!

I shoot any predator activity trying to get at my livestock, day or night. We are overrun with coon, coyotes and fox. I have no prob giving them a dirt nap.

Well we are too but we rarely have issues. Sounds like you just like killing and don't bother trying any other measures. At least that is what it sounds like to me. Predators only see chickens as food, they don't see them as "your" chickens. They play an important role in the balance of nature. It is because of people that now the balance is way off. (to put it politely).

 

[mowin]

Well we are too but we rarely have issues. Sounds like you just like killing and don't bother trying any other measures. At least that is what it sounds like to me. Predators only see chickens as food, they don't see them as "your" chickens. They play an important role in the balance of nature. It is because of people that now the balance is way off. (to put it politely).

I guess you haven't read all of my post in this thread or the other fox thread. At least thats what it sounds like to me.

Get back to me when you do and let me know if I just enjoy killing things.

 

[chicknmania]

Time is on your side.It'll eventually hunt someplace else or starve to death.

It shouldn't starve to death. We've had a very good spring/ summer season, there's plenty of food out there for foxes. Plus in our area practically everyone has chickens. I don't wish this on any of my neighbors, but there they are.

 

[McChooky]

It shouldn't starve to death. We've had a very good spring/ summer season, there's plenty of food out there for foxes. Plus in our area practically everyone has chickens. I don't wish this on any of my neighbors, but there they are.

I only meant it has to hunt to eat so it'll move along eventually!

 

[chicknmania]

I only meant it has to hunt to eat so it'll move along eventually!

Well, you'd think. We put the game cam up. nothing all week. I was gonna let the flock out in the late afternoon tomorrow, day 8, as has been suggested. Nothing on the game cam all week except deer. This morning....8:45AM....game cam shows the fox standing on the edge of the cornfield, gazing towards the barn. Great. It's a big one too so it must be a dog fox. The picture is a little grainy due to distance and light, so I wasn't sure if it was fox or coyote, but I thought I could see the white chest and white brush tip. Just wonderful. The flock tried to storm the door this morning to get out. I think I'm gonna let them out late afternoon tomorrow anyway, and just try to stay with them as much as possible.Maybe let them out every other day or something, idk. And if that doesn't work I guess we'll have to try trap. Our neighbor down the road has free range chickens and no real means of confining them that i know of. I don't know that neighbor, but I have noticed that I havent seen their chickens out recently, neither have I heard their rooster crowing. So maybe the fox went there and cleaned out their flock, I hope not, but I'm thinking probably yeah.Now it's out of food there, so it's back here!

 

[Folly's place]

Electric fencing is your friend!
Mary