Have to say Im mindful of foxes another reason why the chucks have had a new run built with steel mesh, Foxes don't just kill for food, they have a instinct to kill for food and to kill for store for later visits and in their path leave alot of dead or maimed bodies lying about, my son had 1 taken 1 killed & 3 almost dead ones, which I had to destroy....not a nice thing, but he couldn't face doing it

The old boy fox that used to visit here never bothered with the chucks but I know we have a young vixen in the area now and she is a different kettle of fish a steel mesh roof has detered her and of course the dogs

Why? So people can pussy foot around and think that its ok for Foxes to rip peoples pets up? Not only that but start a "problem" topic and not expect some people to take exception to it? Not gonna happen!

Hmm, who said it was ok for pets to be killed

But foxes are never going to go away (assuming it was a fox that took this hen). As Steve says, foxes are territorial, if you are to shoot them, sooner or later, another one will move into their place. All you can do is make the hens as secure as possible, learn from mistakes, fortify your defences and step up security. Even if you wanted to, you are never going to shoot all of the foxes, you can shoot them till the cows come home but more will follow. Sadly mistakes do happen and an opportunistic predator will take advantage. Chicken keepers have a saying 'You have to be lucky every night. The fox only has to be lucky one night'.

We have had hens for just under 3 years now and we have yet to have a fox take one of our girls. I couldn't say for sure whether we have had a fox sniffing around at night or not. We have the coop and run on paving slabs to prevent digging, padlocks on all of the openings etc. We have tried pretty hard to make it predator proof. That is not to say that we will never have a successful visit from a predator though...

We were talking to someone who had hens a while back, they said they felt it was unfair to lock hens up and they liked their hens to live as natural a life as possible. Whilst there is nothing I would like more than to let my girls free range all of the time, it simply is not safe to do that and I owe it to my girls to do everything I can to protect them. The risk from foxes, and other predators is always at the back of my mind. A few months after our conversation I learned that they had lost all four of their girls to a predator (presumed fox)

My girls really are cross when I chat them in the morning but don't let them out because I am off to work. I do feel bad for them, but not as bad as I would feel if they were taken by a predator and as I said previously, as ex battery hens, they should happy with the ample run they now have and deal with it

Very good post Jane!

Lol! Just re read the thread.

So sorry to hear they have been taken,



It sounds silly but when we had ducks and cats!! not a good mix we soon found out our large tom was the culprit so we had a 7ft brick wall surrounding the shed and rear entrance to the house we put up guttering the wrong way round the the top of the wall on the inner edge. This made it so when he climbed over the wall he reached a smooth surface overhang that he couldn’t get over. it’s not pretty but it worked I would try some of that cheap upvc window ledge stuff with cable ties to attach it on the outer edge of the fencing but make sure it is slightly pointing downward anything is worth a try

beccy

It's their nature Dawn - just like some humans like to kill for pleasure I don't know why we humans have to be so arrogant as to think that it's OK for us to kill for pleasure, but god forbid that a cat should, or a fox.

It is awful to find a whole coop full of dead chickens, or a pet bunny shredded, but it is up to us to protect our pets. It is not that difficult or expensive.

Who said it wasnt? Killing for pleasure in humans isnt in our nature at all, why on earth you would say that is beyond me, its a CHOICE. A choice like subjecting your dog to electric shocks because you cant be bothered to put in a bit of effort, no more in your nature either Im afraid, your choice too.


Rubbish. READ the title " A Fox PROBLEM" does problem mean something other than that to you?

Hallelujah! Which is what I said, dont moan about what you KNOW they will do, keep your pets SAFE!! Jees isnt that just what I originally said!