Would a fox attack my chickens if I'm near them

[Farmer Mike S]

I usualy let my chickens out of the run an hour before dusk. During this time I'm either standing/working near the chickens or sitting on my deck near the chickens. Would a fox attack my chickens even with me around? Also, if there was an attack would I have time to stop it?

 

[centrarchid]

Triple post at hands of baby Trueman.

 

[centrarchid]

Fox will attack while you are present if it has not learned you are a threat. Once it goes into chase it may even ignore you then. A couple of instances I had fox come in after birds with me present. First go I looked like an idiot trying to wack it with a wooden dowel as I chased it while it chased chicken. Second go I had a young dog in house that came out and chased fox as fox chased a stag; dog caught fox and briefly chewed its butt. Thereafter same dog now puts considerable effort into chasing fox and has now killed two apparently with captures occurring when fox is focused on something else. Foxes still occasionally visit but are clearly very concerned about dogs and as a result have been coming up empty handed. I also now use electric fencing and will in next day or so be using electrified poultry netting to compliment dog. The latter I suspect will allow some form of free-ranging even if dog not present. The netting is also cheaper than dog but dogs better a against wider range of predators.

 

[Shellz]

In my experience, no. They like to be sneaky. I free range all day with my dogs out or we're all outside. Haven't seen a fox yet this year, unlike previous ones. If you were to witness an attack, I have doubts about being able to save the bird. Foxes kill prey quickly. Just my experience. I'd like to hear what other folks have experienced in this regard.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

While it's about a coyote and not a fox, you should check out the attached link and the video that's about 1/3 way down the page.

As she's taking video of her rooster, a coyote snatches her hen about three feet away and behind her. You hear the hen - see the rooster respond - and then . . . nothing.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=rooster+predator

So - YES - predators can and will snatch your hens right from under your nose in broad daylight.

 

[Shellz]

I guess anything is possible if a predator is hungry enough! Yikes!

 

[Shellz]

What I mean by sneaky is, my foxes would wait just inside the woods & observe our habits. When he knows nobody is around, that's when the fox would strike. We have no fencing, so I didn't trust my dogs last year to stay off the road & out of trouble. This year, they're doing great! I can trust them to guard the flock & not worry at all! A boom in the small game population doesn't hurt either!

 

[centrarchid]

In my experience, no. They like to be sneaky. I free range all day with my dogs out or we're all outside. Haven't seen a fox yet this year, unlike previous ones. If you were to witness an attack, I have doubts about being able to save the bird. Foxes kill prey quickly. Just my experience. I'd like to hear what other folks have experienced in this regard.

I have seen interactions between foxes and free-range chickens only a handful of times despite having had chickens for about 40 years. When chickens are small fox can kill quickly and sometimes kills more than one before going back and picking up bodies. With larger birds, especially adult roosters, killing is more difficult and is usually by multiple bites to body, especially the back where real damage seems to involve nerves although respiratory system is also punctured a lot. Red foxes with apparent lots of experience will sometime decapitate chicken before packing it off. Overall foxes do not seem well equipped for taking on large prey like chickens. They seem more adept at going after smaller rodents and cottontail rabbits. Foxes can still do well with chickens because the latter are often so inept at escaping.




Chickens in pens are a very different story and that I have seen more often.

 

[bugglesmommy]

If a fox is desperate and/or has pups they may try and nab a bird from you. If it thinks it can get a bird without you noticing or get away quicker then you can get up and pursue it, it may try. Its by no means a guaranteed thing, especially if there's lower risk dining around because foxes don't normally like taking risks but always possible.

 

[speckledhen]

A friend of mine had a young fox shoot into her garage to take a bantam hen very close by her. Yes, they will try it.