[bealers]

Hi,

We lost our entire flock (13) this morning, the usual, they were all missing their heads. We live on the edge of a small town but it's very rural, the hens haved circa 3/4 acre of our garden to roam around in, they put themselves to bed all secure at night and the door shuts/opens automatically. We think he got them at daybreak.

In previous places we've lived we had fort-knox like enclosures but in our experience the area they get to roam in becomes dead/muddy very quickly so I'm loathe to repeat that (and the fox still got in and killed them all!). However the Fox knows we're here now, he'll keep coming back so what is there to do?

I don't have a shotgun, so trapping & shooting not an option. Poison? Is that even allowed?

I'm about to improve our boundary fence but I know it won't stop a Fox. I hear stories of weeing on boundaries to deter them?

Someone suggested a goose, but they are cranky so and sos and I'd be concerned he'd go after the kids.

I could get a dog? Would that actually help, though?

Sorry if this is a much repeated question. I know people get away with free-range, but is that only until The F** comes calling and then it's all bets off?

[in the hills]

Sorry 


Wee, dogs etc. may or may not help to deter him but will not stop him if he really wants to pay you a visit. He took one of my hens when my retriever was out in the garden with them and neighbour hammering in next door garden  .


Local gamekeeper??? Don't know how rural you are. Where I live now this is my first call.

[darkbrowneggs]

Electric Poultry Netting has worked for me.  You have to make sure it is not shorting out which takes some time with the grass growing etc. 


Mains is best but battery is ok as long as you keep the battery well charged


When I was not so involved with my poultry I had a small flock and never shut the pop-hole in around 6 or 7 years, and never lost a bird.


Foxes eat geese!

[goosepimple]

So sorry for you bealers, that's a real pity, makes you feel quite vulnerable knowing he/she's out there  .
 
We've been lucky so far, no fox strikes here in last 10 years (shh..) but we get otter strikes - few weeks back a fox was seen outside our house eating the remains of an otter which had been run over a week or so before  .
 
Maybe wait a bit then get only a few hens or a few unwanted cockerels from someone, urine can put them off maybe if you wee around the perimeter    may help or human hair from a hairdressers in net bags hung around also supposed to help, also a serrated (spell?) edge on a fence such as sharp pointy bits of wood along the top of your fence puts them off (unless they dig underneath then I expect).  House on stilts?  Or we have hens that roost in trees, the mums teach the wee ones how to do it, you can provide a twigs ladder up to the tree trunk top and they flutter up to upper branches from it.  They are much safer than in a house and free from house diseases and mites but they do tend to come down earlier in the morning (go to bed earlier too) which may be a problem for you.  Guinea fowl do this too.
 
Get a gun? 

[plumseverywhere]

Speak to a local hunt/farmer who may know of someone who will bait a trap for you and shoot any caught foxes. This is what we've done and its working.
We have electric fencing, fox jumped it one day at 1.30pm and killed 10 hens whilst next door neighbour was 10 feet away mending his fence! very bold. We have a dog and I let him wee on the perimeter of the fencing.
High sheets of fencing can help. Would be inclined to avoid poisoning (no idea if its legal or not!) because you don't know who or what might pick up on that bait  and you want to eradicate the fox as a sure thing rather than just make it ill. Chances are though there are more than one fox....and as you remove one dog fox another could come along and claim the territory.

[happygolucky]

  That must be so disheartening, its a common problem, we only have a walled garden so not much can get in or out so ideal, when we move not sure where or when but I will come back to this thread with interest.
My daughter used to have Fox problems, they even came into her village garden during daylight, they are certainly not scared by dogs!!
Hope you can sort it out, what a horrid shock and waste!! It would be slightly better if they had have been eaten!!

[lachlanandmarcus]

a fox bit off and ate the head (nothing else) of our grumpy gander and had to come over a 7 foot wire fence (top two feet wobbly electric wires) to do it so geese are just as much of a target tbh. Interestingly our chickens with much lower fence havent been touched in 5 years but they are a lot nearer the Doberman's exercise field and the stables so a lot more comings and goings and big dog smells.

[funkyfish]

We use electric poultry netting- it has worked well for us- I'm sure a really determined fox could get over it (our collie cross jumpes it), but they seem to leave ours alone and go for the neighbours free range birds.


Dogs don't really help- I remember being at my parents having a bbq- 4 dogs sleeping in the sun, and a fox hopped over the fence and grabbed a hen not 8 foot from me and 6 food from my mum''s Great Dane, it hopped back over the fence before anyone or the dogs could react!

[happygolucky]

  , same with my daughters hens, there were always a fox of 2 around and she had 5 dogs, 4 Bedlingtons and a Lurcher!
 

[bealers]

sshh about the dog being useless! This is the excuse I'm using to convince Mrs B that we *need* one

Thanks for the all the replies. I'm most upset as I was just about to get a clutch of eggs ready for first attempt at hatching. I'll have to go on ebay and buy some now.

Ah well, at least we're keeping the local ex-bat rescue place in business.

[graham-j]

Hi,my little border terrier and jack cross let me know the second mr.fox is snooping about the slightest sound and there off even if the hear a fox on the telly they go mad if one doesn't here it the other will.My staffy on the other hand is under its blanket snoring.
Pee is a wast of time but don't tell the wife that.
poison is crawl and illegal.
The only option is electric fencing,I believe in belts and braces I have 3 chords and netting just inside this.My geese are out all night so this is there only defense

Graham

[mojocafa]

Do you have an incubator or where you waiting for a broody

[Brijjy]

I think you have to be prepared to lose a few hens to Mr Fox if you are going to let them free range. It's the conclusion I've come to. Foxes will go for anything at any time. I nearly lost my Araucana cock last year in the middle of the day when my OH was out in the field putting a roof on the shed. He had the radio on too. it wasn't until he got off the roof and shouted at the fox that the fox dropped the chook and buggered off!
 Any hens that I don't want to lose are in fairly big pens and are given greens etc. It does get muddy but better that than no chooks. The rest of the gang are in a big main pen with a 6-7' fence that has been dug into the ground. It's also intentionally quite wobbly. Foxes are pretty adept at climbing and digging. My neighbour will go out lamping when I ask him to and there is a local gun pack that account for a few foxes and my dad goes out fox shooting too. My birds will either have the run of the field or stay in the main pen for the day. I have no set routine as I reckon Mr Fox gets used to a routine mind you they are also opportunistic sods too! It's a constant battle with no clear winner.