[Penninehillbilly]

Had a visit about 9pm the other night, ducks must have started to go about 8.30, it took 4 hens, 4 ducks, (I had a security camera overlooking that area, only caught a glimpse of the fox) I'm left with 1 call duck, 1 cockerel and the hen which I'd shut in a weldmesh cage to break her from being broody. trouble is she'd already decided not to be a mum and I have 10 eggs I now want to hatch.
Gamekeeper came up yesterday, says the cubs will be getting bigger and needing more food. Had a good look round and set up last night, hope he got something.
I love to see them free range, but it is so quiet out there now, (what's left I daren't let out) they usually wander over to see what I'm up to, if I do get any more they will have to be in a run, I don't think I'd like that. But I will miss the company and the eggs.
No more call ducks, the little lass still here will have to go, I love them to bits but I can't deal with this anymore, stoats, mink and foxes, they've taken some practicaly every year, no more.
I just feel sick.
 

[Bionic]

How sad for you. 
We got 4 hens shortly after we arrived here but neighbours have said no one keeps hens around here because the foxes always get them. We still have them at the moment but its only been a couple of months.
I know its a natural thing for the foxes to do but it must be so tough when you are on the receiving end. 
Sally

[jaykay]

Oh no PHB, I'm so sorry 

[Penninehillbilly]

rang gamekeeper, Nearly cried again today,
He said round here a normal dog fox is about 16lb, they got one last night weighing in at 20lb, and a litter of cubs, no vixen. It was actually near our place and they 'called' it to them, they have different sounds, played a sound of distressed cubs and the fox came towards them. He thinks the vixen had already been killed, but dog wasn't looking after the cubs very well, they were scrawny, so my beautiful girls died in vain.
I was saying to him that they are all locked in huts or cages overnight, everynight, and he said the fox would have known they were there, and been coming earlier at nights till he got them, I was only about 40 yards away when it happened, but there was a hedge and fruit patch in between, I thought the girls were just squabbling over perching rights, how many times have I run over to see what the noise was and it was a squabble? the time they needed me I wasn't there.

[SteveHants]

Dunno if it helps or not, but I used to live on a place which had the only spring for miles so foxes would come in from the hills to drink and so on. My neighbours were always losing them to foxes. I used to keep my chickens behind electrified flexinet and never lost one, ever. I have actually witnessed the fox walking past a run of 20 hens with all out, clucking around on numerous occasions and not paying them any attention, I'm guessing because he'd been stung!


But woe betide the day when you forget to charge the battery....

[chrismahon]

They can sense the charge in the air Steve and know when the fence is off. As you say, the first time it goes down they will be in there. We have a large Rutland unit with a warning 'low battery' light. I check it twice a day.
 
Sorry for your loss Penninehillbilly. We lost two on Christmas Eve due entirely to our complacency and not checking the outer fencing which I thought was buried in brambles. The brambles had all died off and the fox just squeezed through a gap in the old fencing. Reason it was only two was because we have all our chickens in small separately penned flocks and the cockerel stood his ground and let the hens escape -unfortunately his favourite hen came out of hiding after an hour to look for him and the fox was still there.

[Mammyshaz]

Oh that's awful 
It seems to be the time of year for fox attacks.

[crispin70]

After five years of Fox free free range Chicken keeping the blighter
has finally found our flock. We've lost 15 in the last week. Trying to give the rest away before they are all gone!

[PetiteGalette]

I don't understand why chicken-keepers insist on having their chickens 'free range'. to me it is an open invitation for fox attack. Foxes ain't stupid; they sit and they watch......., and they watch...... As soon as they see there is a free meal going, (for whatever reason) they seize the opportunity. They are the ultimate opportunists.
The only way to keep your flocks safe is by protecting them behind barriers. Whether it be tall (heras-type), or lower (electrical - BUT on mains electricity for the ultimate ZAP!)..........
I would love my chickens/ducks/geese/turkeys to be free-range but, I have a duty of care for them; they are in my charge, they produce eggs and meat for me........... and I have a responsibility to care for them as best I can and to protect them................................

[hughesy]

Ours are kept in pens made from heras type fence panels and with a single electric wire about 6 inches off the ground around the perimeter. Haven't lost any from the pens but a few have been taken when they've been  out during the day. We only ever let one pen free range at a time mainly to stop cockerels fighting and so that we control who's breeding with who. It does limit any losses though if we have a visit.

[doganjo]

I don't understand why chicken-keepers insist on having their chickens 'free range'. to me it is an open invitation for fox attack. Foxes ain't stupid; they sit and they watch......., and they watch...... As soon as they see there is a free meal going, (for whatever reason) they seize the opportunity. They are the ultimate opportunists.
The only way to keep your flocks safe is by protecting them behind barriers. Whether it be tall (heras-type), or lower (electrical - BUT on mains electricity for the ultimate ZAP!)..........
I would love my chickens/ducks/geese/turkeys to be free-range but, I have a duty of care for them; they are in my charge, they produce eggs and meat for me........... and I have a responsibility to care for them as best I can and to protect them................................

   It rather depends on your interpretation of 'free-range'  What size are your pens, what terrain are they, how many birds in each pen?  Perhaps your's are actually free range because you have the space that many of us do not have.

[Penninehillbilly]

Mine are (were) totally free range, kept out of the yard but had the fields to roam in, they were fastened in their huts or cages at dusk, the only other problem fox in 20 years was an urban fox that had been released locally, other problems have been stoats, mink and a 'friends' dog, there was never even an apology for that!
If they are brought up to be able to wander around eating naturally, pecking a bit of grass here, a worm there, I think it's cruel to then fasten them in runs.
However, I have put some of my girls last eggs under a broody hen (she was in a cage to 'break' her nesting, and so survived the slaughter) and I will keep 2 pullets, in a run. How long I will be able to see them confined everyday I will have to wait and see.
The cockerel will have to go, but he is such a friendly little chap I really can't do the deed on him, so I'll put him in swap shop. unlikely I'll find a home for him I know.

[chrismahon]

English Leghorn Bantams are so fast and flighty I have been told a fox can't catch them, which I believe. I've seen ours fly over their 5' fence to steal the treats from the Orpingtons. The Orps can't stop them because they are so fast. Important that there are trees available for them to fly into and also that you don't get a fox waiting for them to drop down again. And they lay 47 -50 gramme eggs every day. Other flighty breeds may perform nearly as well as our TNN's are pretty agile!

[Moleskins]

Surprised nobody has mentioned a baited fox trap, I know they're used on a pheasant shoot locally.

[Penninehillbilly]

Surprised nobody has mentioned a baited fox trap, I know they're used on a pheasant shoot locally.

Gamekeeper said they don't do very well with them out here.
 
We aren't actually on the estate, but they are very good at responding to calls from outside people who have fox/crow etc problems, I suppose keeping vermin down round the perimeter helps to keep them down on the estate.
We've offered to help keep the crows down in return, esp this year we've seen dozens of eggs eaten by crows/maggies.
We have a few pheasants round here, but they aren't from the estate, someone let some loose years ago, They seem to have discovered sleeping in our fir trees (planted by me about 15 years ago) is safer than the ground, it's funny hearing them flying up in the evenings, must take quite a bit of effort and difficult for them to land in the branches, very clumsy 'landings'. But of course that doesn't help when they have babies. it's always sad to see the remains in the fields, last year there was often a mum and chicks in the front field, I found her remains but never saw the chicks again.  Numbers do seem to be slowly increasing though.
I just wish foxy would work on the zillions of rabbits we have around just now!