Worried about foxes

[julia305]

Hi there
I'm a newbie - have 4 chickens and 2 ducks all aged nearly 4 months old. I absolutely ADORE them they have such personalities. Their coop is placed on my old shed base which is concrete and we extended the coop to make a semi-run by adding some aviary panels and also put a roof on the extension with the left over aviary panels. The coop is obviously a proper one with nesting boxes and a proper roof, perches etc.

Anyway, my neighbour this morning told me that a fox was poking round for about an hour last night and i'm now really worried - i'm worried that they are going to bite through the wire or batter their way into the extension and then into the coop. Are foxes able to bite through aviary panel wire? Are they able to throw themselves at it and it breaks? Sorry to sound stupid but I dont know what to do here. They cant dig their way in thankfully due to the concrete. I wonder if I should by another load of chicken wire and have double wire on the whole lot...?

What's even more worrying now is that the girls have the run of the garden when I'm home and I usually pop my head out every 10 minutes or so to see that they are OK now i'm worried that if the fox knows they are there it will come back during the day. :-( it would be the worst thing i could think of to wake up and find them all gone from a fox i cant even begin to imagine it :-(

Any advice, opinions etc would be most grateful.

 

[torilovessmiles]

Foxes are definitely a threat. Are the panels made of some type of welded wire? If so, it'll be pretty difficult for Mr. Fox to get in. Be warned, foxes are cunning, and if there is a way in and they are determined enough, they'll find it. You just gotta be more clever than the fox!
Here's an article that may help
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2012/jul/11/chickens-foxes

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!
I'm guessing you're from the UK by your use of the term 'garden'......
......putting your location in your profile can really help folks make better suggestions

What do you mean by aviary panels...can you post a pic?

Chicken wire is not a deterrent to canines (or raccoons) as they can chew thru it.

Heavy gauge wire on all openings in coop and runs.

Anti dig apron is great to put along the walls of the run.
Mesh is out of scale on corners of this graphic, but don't forget the corners:

 

[julia305]

Hi yes I'm from the UK and i will most certainly amend my profile

again sorry to sound dense but how can I check that the panels are welded? The gap between the wire is bigger than that in the coop. I will try to find a picture but in the meantime, the extension part looks something like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13-Aviary...7572c&pid=100338&rk=17&rkt=30&sd=281480525646

I can most definitely put some wire on the floor but is it necessary as the whole structure is on concrete?

I'm not going to leave them alone in the garden from now on especially after reading that article.

Thank you both for your help and advice

 

[aart]

Most wire mesh is either obviously twisted at the junctures of the wires(like what we call chicken or poultry wire) or welded.
The link you show appears to be welded, but hard to say what the size is (size of openings and diameter or gauge of wires).
Regional and colloquial names for things can be confusing, even in the same country, so sizes are best for discussions.

Mesh with smaller openings and heavier gauge wires are best but a more fragile mesh could work if it is securely and tautly attached with no sags or edges exposed for teeth to gain purchase.

Hot wire around coop and run works great if properly placed and kept charged.

The anti dig aprons really work well but are best made of heavier mesh to avoid chew thrus and to resist corrosion longer.

1 inch Poultry wire http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-1-in-x-4-ft-x-50-ft-Poultry-Netting-308431HD/204331892

I used 14 gauge 2x4 welded wire for my run http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-5-ft-x-100-ft-14-Gauge-Welded-Wire-308313HD/204331899

It has an 12-18" apron....hawks are my main concern during the day.

 

[julia305]

Ahhh OK I see - i'm pretty sure its not twisted at the junctions. I think i will buy some extra wire though and add an extra layer. Its stapled to the wood I hope this is OK... I'm not sure of the size of the gaps (the squares), from memory it's maybe a little over half an inch square or 1.5cm. I think i'll check everywhere tonght just to make sure its all secure. I will put an apron of wire down but there's nothing for the fox to dig under thankfully as i say, the whole structure is on a concrete base.

Thank you again for your help

 

[aart]

Ahhh OK I see - i'm pretty sure its not twisted at the junctions. I think i will buy some extra wire though and add an extra layer. Its stapled to the wood I hope this is OK... I'm not sure of the size of the gaps (the squares), from memory it's maybe a little over half an inch square or 1.5cm. I think i'll check everywhere tonght just to make sure its all secure. I will put an apron of wire down but there's nothing for the fox to dig under thankfully as i say, the whole structure is on a concrete base.

Thank you again for your help

Oh, is the extension on concrete too?
Screws ans washers are much better than staples...unless they are the long(1.5") heavy duty kind...I like screws better easier too install, and uninstall if needed.

 

[julia305]

Hi Aart yes the whole lot is on concrete. The panels are fixed together using screws - very long wood screws as my partner did it and its very secure its just the wire that is fixed to the wood using staples. I checked. Plenty of staples in it though. How would I secure the wire with the screws then please? Gosh I'm so new to this there's a lot more goes into it than i realised!

 

[aart]

I used screws and flat washers.
You can also screw pieces of trim wood over edges of stapled mesh to cover the edges.

 

[julia305]

Thank you so much I'll do that. Thanks for your help