Author Topic: what to do ??? (Read 3764 times)

crosser · « **on:** June 23, 2011, 11:55:18 pm »

went up to shut my chickens away for the night and theyve all been killed, feathers everywhere and just one dead hen on the grass.. other 3 have been taken including my cockeral, i gather it must be a fox.. never had any problems with a fox in last 2 years here... next doors peacock was killed last week aswell... will a 7ft high chicken wire fence keep a fox out? as only got a 4ft at the moment... need to sort it out before my chicks are ready to go out of there run... the wife is gutted so dont really want to have to go throught this again...

Sandy · « **Reply #1 on:** June 24, 2011, 12:28:07 am »

It must be so upsetting as well as disheartening.......I dread seeing dead hens!!! we have 6ft walls all around so fingers crossed we have been ok so far!!!

sabrina · « **Reply #2 on:** June 24, 2011, 05:58:05 am »

Sounds like a vixen teaching cubs to kill, keeping a fox out is a nightmare once they know where free food is. You would have to bury fence wire to stop them digging under and even with electric fencing around the outside of a higher fence they can still work out how to get in. Know anyone who would shoot it. May take a few nights but it will be back.

crosser · « **Reply #3 on:** June 24, 2011, 07:07:57 am »

it is upsetting and the wifes thinking of giving up chickens now... we wanted to keep our hens free range but that doesnt look possible now... as the area there in is just to big to cage up for them and dont want to keep them in a run .... i just didnt excpect a fox to take them during broad daylight... as for catching the fox i would love to but dont own or know anyone with a gun and ive only an air rifle so im lost on what to do....

crosser · « **Reply #4 on:** June 24, 2011, 07:36:09 am »

are fox traps anygood? could possibly try that... as i said weve never had a fox problem here so im thinking its just a chancer..

wellywearer · « **Reply #5 on:** June 24, 2011, 09:23:42 am »

You have my sympathies, it is VERY upsetting. We didn't have a fox problem either, in our case 7 years of free range being shut in at night with no problems, then this year 1 hen disappeared without a trace, not even a feather. We were mystified but not sure if it was a fox because none of the carnage we would have expected. A month later 2 went with a trail of feathers so we knew...However, we were "lucky" because there were 30 hens in the field so it could have been a lot worse. Our solution is not ideal, in fact its made me question the whole chicken keeping thing - my OH build them a new enormous run on paving slabs to compliment their existing run which has turned to mud with all the rain we have had here. They have a big brick house on a concrete floor. We, like you only, really wanted hens that were free range on grass so our run was only used for short periods on days when we wouldn't be home before dark, and wasn't practical for full time. Now we are reduced to keeping them in during the day and "chicken watch" every evening when we come home from work, roping in dogs and kids to make sure the hens get out for a few hours but are not left unattended! We are hoping that we will find someone to shoot the fox (es?) as we can't go on like this for ever, don't really feel happy about keeping them penned and the new run has to be scrubbed out everyday, it hard work just for eggs but the problem is that once you have animals you have to do your utmost don't you? I hope you find a solution, and if you do, please let us know!!

feldar · « **Reply #6 on:** June 24, 2011, 10:10:22 am »

Hi Crosser, i know how you feel! it is my own fault and i blame only myself, but last night a fox came and killed one of my hens. They are ex bats so i love to see them roaming free. They are out all day and just lately they started roosting somewhere in the garden i wasn't sure where, now i know it was under my empty compost bin.
So mrs fox came i heard a commotion and ran outside but only feathers left. But this morning two of my girls came onto the patio a bit the worse for wear, feathers missing , one has a scrape down her side and bruising to her breast, both are very nervous especially of my two collies ( who are frightened of the chickens), so i have a dilema ; do i now have to keep them in full time? i put them in the run to recover.
And will this beastie come back during the day for my others? i know the answer i just hate the thought they had their freedom and i now have to take it away.
I dont blame the fox i put temptation in her path but at this time i could quite happily shoot her.

doganjo · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2011, 11:35:41 am »

Quote from: feldar on June 24, 2011, 10:10:22 am

Hi Crosser, i know how you feel! it is my own fault and i blame only myself, but last night a fox came and killed one of my hens. They are ex bats so i love to see them roaming free. They are out all day and just lately they started roosting somewhere in the garden i wasn't sure where, now i know it was under my empty compost bin.
So mrs fox came i heard a commotion and ran outside but only feathers left. But this morning two of my girls came onto the patio a bit the worse for wear, feathers missing , one has a scrape down her side and bruising to her breast, both are very nervous especially of my two collies ( who are frightened of the chickens), so i have a dilema ; do i now have to keep them in full time? i put them in the run to recover.
And will this beastie come back during the day for my others? i know the answer i just hate the thought they had their freedom and i now have to take it away.
I dont blame the fox i put temptation in her path but at this time i could quite happily shoot her.

Don't forget that they will still have a lot more freedom - and length of life - than if you had left tehmwhere they were! THat is always the way I look at thing with my ex batts. Even if they only live an hour after getting home they have had an hour of life!

melholly · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2011, 12:49:30 pm »

Ah sorry to hear that. I think what was earlier mentioned - the vixen showing her young sound like what's happened, though that's obviously no reassurance. We have a 6ft 'fox proof' fence that's dug down 3ft on top of that - the fox has still jumped in. But we have a particular male that's as big as an Alsatian - just glad I've no ducks for a few weeks!! Then the fun begins!

Good luck

Mx

crosser · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2011, 03:08:38 pm »

well ive decided not to let the fox beat me... so in the middle of building a super deluxe bomb proof hen house and run... will upload some pics tomorrow .... me and wood dont get on so please only nice comments... lol..

little blue · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2011, 03:35:31 pm »

poor hens, and you crosser & feldar.

thats why we pen ours in, foxes & dogs.
having said that, we lost 5 chicks (growers really) to a bloomin' rat a few months ago... it had tunnelled under the house, got in & was storing the bodies underneath.

dont let it discourage you, just up the defenses. Foxes have to eat too .... just dont let it be yours!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #11 on:** June 28, 2011, 08:36:14 pm »

I am so sorry to hear all your stories, I know how it feels.

The first time I lost hens we thought it was a fox coming when we and both our immediate neighbours happened to be away from our homes one afternoon - but then another neighbour told us that she'd seen a Jack Russell about at the time, and this same dog had attacked other hens in the village.

The solution was the same - Chicken Knox and locked up whenever no-one would be about - but it did make me just be a little cautious about blaming a fox if I didn't see it.