Worried!

[LedgeWoods]

We've started our adventure last week and now have a brooder filled with 41 chicks (doing great btw!) and are nearing completion of a new permanent coop for the "kids." We took a walk on our property today and discovered a huge fox den less than 100 yards away from the coop. We had seen mama fox numerous times in the past weeks in the early morning either coming or going from the area and believe she has some hungry kits. To add the the worry - there is a pair of nesting red-tailed hawks about 300 yards away. Now, we've raised chickens before - about 8 years ago, but they were only raised over the summer as meat-birds. Never had a problem with predators getting in the run then. Our intentions for our little girls is to have them free-range (over about 3 acres of lawn/yard/garden) during the day and coop-up at night to roost...keeping them year-round as egg layers. The coop is built with a concrete floor and steel siding. I feel pretty confident nothing is getting in at night (although - should we be putting hardware cloth over the window screens?). We plan on limiting the chicks' time outdoors until they are a bit more substantial in size. We've got Buffs, Wyandottes, RIR, Ameraucanas, and Austalorps. I'd rather not have the chickens in a run nor do i want to "take-out" the foxes & hope they won't be an issue. The hawks I worry about a bit more since they are daytime feeders. "Guard" dogs are out of the question since we had german shepherds and border collies in the past who get overprotective and chase EVERYthing on the property -deer, rabbits, skunks, etc...not to mention our son is allergic. Instead we've got a protective indoor/outdoor cat who goes up against the foxes & coon and is tough as nails. Coon & possum I don't care for and have ways to take care of them.

Am I rightfully worried? Am I delusional to think the fox shouldn't be an issue? (I'm new to the free-ranging thing - growing up we always had chickens in runs and coops.) Any insight would be appreciated! ( I love the tons of info on this site!!)

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

First of all....Welcome!! Now, yes, you have every right to worry. The hawks and the foxes are daytime hunters, especially if the fox has young ones to feed. Don't think for a moment that she has not been eyeing you all along and is waiting for those fat, plump, juicy birds for her feast, along with the hawks. I would NOT free range with those predators that close in sight unless you can sit the whole time they are out there with a gun in hand waiting for the foxes. The hawks, you can NOT shoot, but chances are you can shoo them off pretty easily if you are out there. Good Luck...

 

[sourland]

Yes, put hardware cloth over the screens to complete the fortification. Although I would never think to call you delusional, the fox will eventually become a problem if you free range your chickens. Fox are opportunistic feeders, and once they locate your flock, they will treat it as a smorgasboard. Although they are primarily dusk to dawn feeders, fox will hunt any time of day if they are hungry.

 

[LedgeWoods]

I was afraid of those answers - but thank you for your input! I'm putting a game camera out later today pointed at the fox den to see "what I'm up against." I've got access to a number of live traps and may try to re-locate them to another property a few miles away with good "fox habitat." I don't mind them keeping the mouse and rabbit population down, but paws off my birds! Hubby's not real keen on putting any more posts in the ground either since our ground is mainly rock! I've got a few weeks to try to "even the odds" - I'll keep you posted!

 

[sourland]

Relocation of predators is never a good idea for many reasons. A fox's territory may cover several square miles; therefore, "relocating a few miles away" will accomplish nothing. If you are lucky enough to catch a fox in a box trap, It will probably beat you home after relocation. I have done a fair amount of trapping in a variety of ways, and I have only ever caught 4 red fox in a box trap. Three were immature littermates caught in the same trap over a span of 4 days. The fourth was a starving mangy dog fox that was in desperate condition.

 

[wildorchid053]

we have the same problem and made our coop and large run fort knox.. we have 1/2" hardware cloth buried 12" all around the coop and run and put up welded wire over the top. they have been there a year and no digging or attacks yet.. i have heard from people on here that hawks are brazen and have swooped in and grabbed hens only 2 feet away from you.. one hit the hawk with the book she was reading. so don't think that you being out there is a deterent. gl with your babies we free range an hour each day.. the dog and both of us are out there.. we have just been lucky so far

 

[elmo]

Free ranging always carries the risk of predation, but many people think it's worth the risk for their flocks to have that freedom. By the way, I'm sure you realize that your cat is itself a potential predator to your chickens, certainly until they're full grown, and perhaps even afterwards, depending on the individual cat and the individual chickens.