The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: paulsou on June 09, 2009, 09:00:39 am
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This question has probably been asked time and time again. What is the best way to protect your chickens from the fox??
I have a few chickens in a 150 sq mtr run & they are in hen house at night, they are fenced in with a electrified poultry net which is just under 4ft high. the run is surrounded with open fields in middle of no where, i went to feed & put chickens to bed yesterday only to see a young fox run away. what other precautions can i take to protect chickens????
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sorry to hear it, but it goes with the territory. if you have electric and a sturdy perimeter then the fox should not get in. It was just window shopping, but will try and find a way in. there are all sorts of things you can do to put them off, and I'm sure other members know loads more. a dog, weeing on the perimeters( you and the dog). human hair hanging in old tights?, renardine( if you can still get it), a shot gun, a humane trap( and a shotgun for after), ask a local hunter to come and lamp, or just accept it and make sure your defences are up to scratch.
good luck
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Sorry to hear about your visitor. I sadly have the very same problem as you just now and lost 3 birds 2 weeks ago. Good luck with protecting your birds, it is such a worry when you know the Fox is about!
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150sq m is a big space. Can you section it and put a cover of some sort on it - netting for example?
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I saw our fox this morning. I think it's young and / or female. It was very fine built. It was lovely, actually. Wish it wouldn't eat our hens, though.
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You can get a live fox trap from ebay if you can afford it, and then drive somewhere far away and release it? We went to get some chicken wire from a shop selling fox traps today and the lady told us of an old lady who bought one only to release the fox about 2 miles away, and then thinks she's got quite a few foxes around her area :dunce: The shopkeeper had to tell her that it's the same fox!
Sagehen
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fox traps = difficult.......... you need to put electric trip wires up about 1foot then 2 foot then 3 feet away from the fence about 1 foot high so a fox cant get near enough to dig under which they will do. a fence without this is not good enough.... i do this and also vary the hieghts and since have had no more probs with foxes which i did have
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I love Fox's too but like any preditor, we have to protect vulnerable stock, after all, we have trapped stock inn so a bit too handy and fast food for Mr and Mrs Fox and tier family