[xnbacon]

Hi, I'm looking for a bit of advice:
I've a field with 2 poultry houses on it both containing 3 birds, about 50 yards apart.  Last night we lost 2 birds, 1 from each house.   According to OH it looks like a smallish creature had burrowed under the fence (raised wire and scraped out ground) and a few feathers left.  The other bird disappeared with no trace at all - no feathers left, no damage to run.  Both were fenced, with net roofs.  Does this sound like fox behaviour?  And yes we will be making the runs more secure!!

[doganjo]

If a small animal is suspected it's less likely to be a fox, but a fox would certainly burrow underneath a fence.  They will only go in an enclosed space if they know they can get back out again though.

[shetlandpaul]

have you buried the wire 12 inchs. could be a fox or stoat. there are quite a few animals that like a fresh chuck.

[xnbacon]

Is it likely to take only 1 without leaving any sign though?  Thought they usually created carnage!  I was quite prepared to put the first bird down to natural predators, but got to admit I've a sneaking suspicion the second bird was removed by a two-legged unfeathered predator. 

[doganjo]

Depends how big the gap is lol  I have wooden panels round my runs but if I used wire I'd bury it as suggested by Paul

[xnbacon]

I find it very odd that the creature has gone to one house, burrowed under a fence taken one bird, then walked 50 yards across a field to another house to take another (larger) bird this time without apparently disturbing anything!!  Doesn't seem logical when it could have had 2 (or even 3) birds from the same place. 
Padlocks and deep wire have been discussed already, as has guard with shotgun.  Unfortunately the intention was to keep their run relatively mobile so they could be moved around on the field but big enough so that they could have space to wander round in.  Deep wiring would mean having to have static pens, which may well turn out to be the way forward - at least for birds I really don't want to lose.

[shetlandpaul]

have you thought of electric netting

[northfifeduckling]

Have they actually been locked in their houses at night? I can only imagine a person getting them out of a locked hen house...
If the door was open it sounds most likely to have been a stoat, they get through tiny gaps in runs and fences. Human smell as a deterrent is supposed to work - hair, wee, all round the runs and house...