[Sharondp]

Had another visit from the fox last night. Thought we had made the pen totally secure, but we've had some trees cut down and think it got in by climbing on the logs. The hen that was alone in the coop was a broody sitting on a clutch of 10 eggs due to hatch this weekend - our first attempt with a broody hen. All that was left was a load of feathers and 2 intact eggs - I've put these in the incubator but fear they may have been cold for too long. 

Fox got in through the nest box floor, so hubby has been out screwing all the floors down!

Feel very sad today 

[Roxy]

OMG thats terrible news. I am so sorry.  Especially bad that the broody was so near to hatching too.  I have such a lot of hens, in all sorts of sheds, coops, and even those plastic garden storage boxes adapted with hen hole! plus rabbit hutches.  I am probably paranoid about foxes, and check, double check and check again at night.  But even so, I am not entirely happy that a fox could not get in if he really tried.  Its amazing the lengths they go to if they want food.

I tell everyone I know has chickens, to make sure the nest box on the side of some sheds, and has a lift up lid, to make sure its clasped, or bolted.  My friend had a fox take her hens by entering and leaving the shed this way - she never thought it would get in, as the shed is quite high.

[Rosemary]

I never clasp the nest box lid - will now though. Wish I coudl find a way to stop the magpies.

[plumseverywhere]

I'm the same Rosemary, I've never clasped it - until today.

really sorry about your hen sharon, particularly sad that she was that close to hatching her eggs 

[CameronS]

So sorry,    shame foxes are so cruel,

[Wizard]

Hello lasses Rosemary see if you can find some one who will put you a Larsen Trap up they cannot resist and you may have to get someone to deal with the trap if  you or Dan really cannot face it,Foxes are lovely things ain't they but only on pictures especially when they get among your poultry I would hate to think that they were extinct but we could do with a major cull

[langdon]

MAJOR MAJOR blimey i say a full wipe out.
i pity poor cattle farmers who have to put up with this half and half way of dealing with badgers-
controlled cull and imminisation injection.
kill the lot, foxes and badgers.

[Sharondp]

The nest box was clasped and with a log on the top which was still there the next morning, it had gone underneath and pushed the floor up!

A glimmer of hope, just candled the 2 remaining eggs now in the incubator and there's movement   

[Helencus]

Fingers crossed you snatch something back from this.. Hubby made our coop and it's like fort Knox can't ever be compacent though I know.

[Roxy]

Fingers crossed for those two eggs!!

Is the floor in your coop one of those removeable ones?  I have one, that someone gave me, with this sort of floor. I am not at all happy, even though its got a pen round it!!  I am so worried, that every night I lift the bantams out two at a time and insist they go in another coop.

[Sharondp]

The floor in the nest box is removable, or I should say WAS removable - hubby has screwed them all down now. The floor slides out for cleaning but I struggle to get that out so I don't think that would be a risk as it's in very snuggly with a bolt to keep it in place.

I have 2 types of coop, the one as above and one where the side comes off for cleaning, and the floor bottoms are removable. This is the coop I hate cleaning the most - back breaking! Anyway, a badger tried to come up through the floor, but rather than screw it down as it would impossible to clean, I put a paving slab inside on the floor, and there's been no sign of anything dislodging it since.

Fingers crossed for the eggs, it's a shame I need to go and buy another heat lamp now though 

[Wizard]

I don't think we should make foxes or badgers extinct langdon  What is needed is a major cull and them as is left to live on the moors and such like places where they will do little harm to the farming/small holding fraternity.Mind you You may get a lot of opposition from the Grouse men and women and I don't mean the one on the TV ! Good int he especially in that storm wonder he isn't blown away

[bevsmith]

I feel for u our local foxes are now visviting during the day as they have cubs so are paricularlly hungry,have lost maran hen[ HENNY PENNY] maran cockeral [ COCKY DICK] and a lovely silkie hen who had just been separated from her chicks that day and was giveing her a treat out for the day,To say i hate the fox is an understatement,all my fowl are now confined to barracks for the near future.They are not Happy chucks.

[sabrina]

Trouble is, once a fox has been and taken some chickens then he will just keep coming back, we have lots of badgers but there is no control over them. That goes against nature, there has to be a balance.

[plumseverywhere]

we have been SO lucky. have had the chooks for a couple of years and at the old house they were totally free range and shut in at night but here they are in an electric fence area.so far we've not lost one - touch wood. the fox walks around the fence   and we have several badger sets and fox dens in our field. the farmer next door lost a herd of cattle to TB last year  
the fox took loads of my friends lambs too.
I get annoyed with members of my hubbies family who are very anti any type of culling - they dont' seem to appreciate what an effect these have on our lives.