Why didn't fox attack?

[Jenn1018]

Yes definitely casing the situation.
It now knows where to find a meal, & a 5ft fence is no challenge for a fox to scale. (Or dig under). Even if it Was just passing by, it will likely check back/hang around now that it has discovered your girls.

Do you trust your dogs around your chickens? If so, they will be your best asset to protect your hens, & should always be nearby when your hens are out of their pen.

If you let your hens out unguarded, & they begin to disappear without a trace except for maybe a few feathers left behind, you will know the fox you saw is your likely culprit. Im surprised you even saw it. Fox are stealthy and sneaky. There is good reason for the term "sly as a fox."

oh yes my dogs are great! My problem is they don't stay out enough and want to come inside and sleep! Seriously considering a livestock guardian dog now. Also have 2 roosters who didn't even seem to notice the girl screaming or the fox...ugh!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

oh yes my dogs are great! My problem is they don't stay out enough and want to come inside and sleep! Seriously considering a livestock guardian dog now. Also have 2 roosters who didn't even seem to notice the girl screaming or the fox...ugh!

A "livestock guardian" type breed will much prefer to come inside and live too if u let it! I have 4 dogs that protect my chickens. A female cattle dog, a female great pyrenese, a male great pyrenese/anatolian shepherd, & a female pyrenese/lab. The "classic" lgd breeds are large enough to deter the high coyote presence in my area. But any breed can be suitable, as long as the dog is chicken-safe, protective, & large enough to not become prey itself.

My dogs are the reason ive had very few predator losses. Coincidently my biggest losses were from a grey fox that picked off free-ranging hens one at a time daily several winters ago. At that time i only had the cattle dog. She couldnt be everywhere all the time, & the fox grabbed the hens as they foraged in the woods. I never even saw the fox until after approx. 15 hens went missing.

If your dogs are trustworthy and protective around your chickens, you already have your livestock guardian dogs!

 

[Mellowmalt]

from my experience with foxes they generally are very shy and will not enter an enclosed area before checking it out for at least 2 hours first.
The problem is they have all the time in the world. They might not dash in and grab something but if they have 12 hours every night all it takes is 5 minutes for them to get in.
I should think a dog smell will act as a bit of a deterrent but the problem is that fox knows there is food there. It will remember and it might not do anything while its warm and there's plenty of food about but come winter time then he gets hungry and desperate, that's when he will strike. It will just wait for the best moment. It will be wary that no dog can corner it but if no dog turns up for 2 hours and everyone is sleeping then it will strike.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Yesterday morning around 10 AM my girls were making noise that I ignored for at least 5 minutes. When it didn't stop I went down to check and found a fox on the outside of my 5 ft chain link fence. I'm wondering why it didn't attack, as it had the time. It seemed to be just standing there watching and didn't run off until I yelled at it. Do they usually "case" a place first? I have 2 dogs who weren't outside at the time. Do they check things out and then make a calculated move later or the next day? Do they spend time getting a lay of the land? Maybe it just happened to be passing by and I don't have to worry about it? I have my girls locked up and am feeling really bad about it. I want to let them out, but not sure when it would be safe to do so. Thanks in advance for any input!

It's assessing your yard most likely. It will attack later if it gets the chance. If there is long grass to hide in, it needs be mowed. The fox can jump the fence and run away with a chicken. It happened with us once. The next time you see it, you can shoot at it if you want- just to scare it away. Even then, it will still stalk and look for a chance to get a chicken.

 

[ryneaeiel]

The next time you see it, you can shoot at it if you want- just to scare it away.

This. I've scared away a few coyotes and a bobcat with my dad's .22. The bobcat previously grabbed one of my hens and amputated her leg.

If you can't get a firearm, you can try to find a BB gun. As long as it sounds like a gunshot, it should work in scaring them off.

 

[Jenn1018]

from my experience with foxes they generally are very shy and will not enter an enclosed area before checking it out for at least 2 hours first.
The problem is they have all the time in the world. They might not dash in and grab something but if they have 12 hours every night all it takes is 5 minutes for them to get in.
I should think a dog smell will act as a bit of a deterrent but the problem is that fox knows there is food there. It will remember and it might not do anything while its warm and there's plenty of food about but come winter time then he gets hungry and desperate, that's when he will strike. It will just wait for the best moment. It will be wary that no dog can corner it but if no dog turns up for 2 hours and everyone is sleeping then it will strike.

Wow...this makes them even more scary and something that isn't going to go away....we have been here 7 months and back up to woods. I guess they have been here the whole time I just hadn't seen them....seeing one at 10:00 in the morning that didn't dart off when I approached really threw me.

 

[Mellowmalt]

some people say they are very intelligent. I lived near foxes and while the foxes didn't know I had chickens things were fine but as soon as a hole appeared in my back fence due to wear and tear and I lost my chickens once and then it happened two more times I felt because the foxes knew there was food there

 

[cmom]

Wow...this makes them even more scary and something that isn't going to go away....we have been here 7 months and back up to woods. I guess they have been here the whole time I just hadn't seen them....seeing one at 10:00 in the morning that didn't dart off when I approached really threw me.

Most of the time a fox will lurk looking for an opportunity. Since it's out during the day it most likely has young to feed. It will be back whether you see it or not and also most likely when you least expect it. Good luck...

 

[Jenn1018]

So from what I have read it sounds like this fox isn't going away . I've had the girls locked up for 3 days now and I feel just awful. The coop is hot and I know they are unhappy. I'm going to put up electric fencing tomorrow, hopefully that will keep the fox out. I was really hoping it was just passing through, but it certainly doesn't sound like that was probably the case based on all of your experiences. Thank you for all the information!

 

[Blue Raptor]

So from what I have read it sounds like this fox isn't going away . I've had the girls locked up for 3 days now and I feel just awful. The coop is hot and I know they are unhappy. I'm going to put up electric fencing tomorrow, hopefully that will keep the fox out. I was really hoping it was just passing through, but it certainly doesn't sound like that was probably the case based on all of your experiences. Thank you for all the information!

You can let them out for as long as you want if you watch them, we've been doing that since ours have been escaping.