Tangled with a fox

[HeatherKellyB]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @aart @Eggcessive
@sourland
Tagging just a few of the folks here that are always so helpful and can offer some solid knowledge that's helpful.

@mscallisto how are they acting? Are they eating and drinking well? I know that you mentioned that you haven't offered any supplements. What kind of feed do you use? Are they getting time outdoors at all? I wish you the best with your girls. Thank you for getting pictures. I believe this will be helpful.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

How many days has it been since they were attacked?

 

[RW1984]

I would put a live bait animal like a pullet or a spare rooster or a healthy hen and put them in a dog cage outside the fox can’t get Into and wait at night for it to come around and as soon as it does, shoot it.
I just had one that’s been after my girls and did this, it got one. And then I got it.
Fort Knox or not, you want to remove the problem, not react to the problem.
I don’t care if it’s a dog, cat, fox, coon or other predatory animal. If it makes a go at my birds, that’s the last thing it will do.
Follow the 3 S’
Shoot, shovel, shut up

 

[azygous]

Serious wounds need to be kept moist. Letting them scab over and dry out invites bacteria to colonize the wound. Daily flushing with saline or soap and water and then a dressing of antibiotic ointment is the basic treatment. It can take six week for a large wound to close up.

As for the fox, take seriously a hot wire as @mscallisto recommended. I have a major bear problem here. It was a nightmare of attacks, and bears destroy infrastructure as no fox can. Since I put up a hot wire, no more bear problem.

 

[Kezs]

I'm so sorry about your chickens. I would be heartbroken. I hope they make it.

Foxes are extremely smart and creative. They are experts at getting into a coop, and you have offered them an all-you-can-kill buffet. ☹ You said you dug the wire 4 inches down, but if your coop is able to I would cover the entire bottom of it with 1/4 hardware cloth. All of the sides also. Make sure the locks are 2 step locks, minimum. We have 2 on our door, one near the bottom and one above the middle. They are the kind you have to lift, slide, and then lower to unlock, and then we put a dog leash clasp on it so it can't be lifted. I can send you pictures if you want.

For free ranging, I would get a tractor run you can move around the yard, or enclose an area for them to be safe in. The fox doesn't care what time of day it is, unfortunately. In our yard, we have the coop and the run 100% secure, and then we have a 2nd run under the trampoline that has simple chicken wire around it for them to roam in during the day. The door between the two runs is locked from the inside with the same lock, and opens outwards, so there's no way to get in.

Good luck. You have to get rid of that fox though, or it's just a matter of time before you lose more chickens. Foxes never forget...he'll be visiting for the rest of his life and he'll show his kits even though they can't get in, kind of like food storage area.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss, but I would make sure that the fox cannot get back at your birds before you get any more. Cleaning the wounds with half strength chlorhexidene, weak betadine, or Vetericyn are food. Apply plain antibiotic ointment twice a day. I hope your wounded hens survive.

 

[mscallisto]

Ok thank you for your insights. I let them scab over because I thought it would keep dirt and junk out, but I'll switch back over to daily cleanings.

They are acting almost normal again. The both eat, drink, and poop normal. I take the kennel they are in out every day and clean it. During that time they have free reign of the back yard. The welsummer has worse injuries so shes a little slower, but they both walk around, peck the ground, do a little digging. They get between a half hour to an hour of outside time. The easter egger is vocal, the wels is quiet, but will talk when I pick her up. I just offered them table scraps and they are eating it up.

The attack was a week and a half ago. I've been checking the wounds every day for pus or maggots. Flies are heavy this year. I doubt feathers will grow back around the wounds, especially on the wels, but the ee's feathers are already growing enough to disguise the bare spots.

We will be getting the hot line up by this weekend at least. They will not, however, be free ranging without supervision. I feel bad that they don't get to spend all day out, but it's too risky. The foxes have visited all the neighbors around me, and although none of them have chickens, none of them are happy about it either. They're getting to brave for everyones liking, so I'm sure 'something' will happen soon.

I will definately start cleaning the wounds again. They're gonna hate me, lol. Ans treat them after cleaning.

What suppliments would you suggest? I'm guessing that healing is similar to molting in that it takes a lot of calories?

 

[mscallisto]

Kez, I just saw your comment about the hardwire cloth. Yes, we did that now. All the way to the ground, and it's 2 ft high. On the backside of the coop we have run fence pickets to reinforce there too. It's one of those kits you can buy online so it's getting some rebuilding done. My mom bought it for me so I had to use it, right?

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a video of a predator apron around a coop and run:

 

[mscallisto]

That is very similar to what I have, except I laid it down before the coop was installed. I dug about 4 inches down and laid the fencing all across the area. The coop is sitting in an area that the previous owners framed out with 4x6 timbers for a garden. So the fencing material goes all the way to the timbers. The timbers are buried with rebar to keep them from moving. I've not had a problem with digging. The last attack the fox grabbed the fencing on the bottom of the door and pulled. The door tweaked enough for it to slip in. The door is now fixed and won't allow for that again. I know we live and learn, but I would have preferred to learn with a few dead chickens, not practically all of them.