What nicked my chickens?

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What nicked my chickens?
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doodler
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 05 8:18 pm Post subject: Foxes nicking chickens

Have recently had a similar experience to sparkly wellies. For the last 3 years we have had 3 chickens and one cockeral all living a happy free range existance during the day and securely shut in at night Two day ago, mid afternoon the cockeral raised the alarm and we went out to find a clump of feathers and one missing hen, followed trail into the woods (found the wings, poor wibbly wobbly comb!). We're pretty sure it's a fox. Today it was back again judging by the noise! Every one safely managed to fly into a tree. Have to say am seriously cheesed off! We want chicks to be running free but not slaughtered every day. Any ideas?

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 05 8:36 pm Post subject:
Get rid of the fox, fence the hens in or always be out there with the hens.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 05 11:05 pm Post subject:

I kept chooks a few tears ago, and one day came home to find the run full of feathers and corpses. My dogs had been locked up while i was out. All of my girls were dead, none taken, none eaten. Just ripped apart and left. All that night, I stayed in the garden on a ladder looking over the garden fence with a rifle and lamping kit. I was angry. I wanted revenge. The vixen called up her cubs for the feast, but smelt me on the changing wind, and drooped off. She kept her cubs called up and close till dawn, when I was the first to give in, and went to bed, having first put the cleaned and dressed birds in the freezer!!

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 05 11:06 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I know the fox does do a lot of good in the country .

Would you care to expand on that?

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 8:41 am Post subject:
Many years ago my dad found a neighbour's dog running amok at the farm. The dog had killed about 10 of the hens, some hens died of shock, but worse still it had been the the fields and worried a cow who subsequently lost her calf later that day.

Guest

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 9:49 am Post subject:

Only just caught up with this thread but I had to reply. We too must have some of those rare foxes in shropshoire Judyofthewoods! We are very rural (1/4 mile track between us and the lane and then 1/2 mile to nearest neighbour), we free range all of our hens and ducks and so have to accept the occasional loss.
However last summer when we had our birds penned in for breeding, we were all outside, Mart, me and my two teenage lads AND my terrier. A fox got into one of the duck pens and even with us all running over to it and the terrier going frantic a foot away from it, it took Mart hitting it with a stick to make it drop the duck that it had in its mouth and run off.
The foxes simply walk around our yard, right past the kennel where our working dogs are kept! As far as lambs being killed we find that the 'cuddly' protected badger is the main problem and yes I have seen one rip a newborn lamb apart from across a field and we also have vetinary proof that a 'pig' ripped into a neighbours ewe and ate its organs while the ewe was giving birth. The farmer was totally distraught as he found the ewe still alive with her insides ripped open.
Make no mistake, nature really is red in tooth and claw.

farmwoody

Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 98

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 9:52 am Post subject:
Sorry that last post was me!I forgot to log in.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 12:08 pm Post subject:

Foxes do eat a varied diet including rabbits, mice, carrion etc. I've been left with rather large holes in my compost heaps and under the odd stump where they have dug up our local mice. So they do keep pests down. What would happen to the countryside if all the foxes suddenly disappeared?

Certainly they only way I know to be sure foxes will not get your hens is to fence the hens in. Even with just our three in our back garden we've had foxes turn up during the day. Even with fencing care has to be taken to ensure it's tall enough and there's nothing for foxes to be able to climb over. I would even go as far as suggesting people use screws rather than nails to build a coop with as people have mentioned foxes tearing open buildings.

I have no experience of larger scale farming and often wander if foxes can be controlled to such an extend that hens could roam free. I have no idea how much foxes range for and if another fox would just turn up to fill the gap.

Guest

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 8:24 am Post subject:

Hello every one! Just Joined the site yesterday (after stumbling across it while looking for wild flower turf - but that is another story)

My wife and I are just about to buy a house with a bigger garden next to Gatwick

and we have been thinking about getting some chickens. In fact my wife has been offered 6 Bantams (which in hatch today

) . However having read this thread i am a little cautious... should I be?

I'm not completely green when it comes to these matters having worked in the country all my life as a gardener, but I respect both my duty to the hens as well as to the fox.

There is a free range chicken unit about 1/2 a mile from the new property so i will go and speak to him about the local foxes.

Oh yeah, and another problem I have is that as the house has been vacant for some time and the back garden looks like a hay meadow

there is a family of foxes living under one of the sheds

OldSkoolAD

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 3
Location: In my garage!

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 8:28 am Post subject:
Sorry forgot to log in I posted the previous

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 11:30 am Post subject:

OldSkoolAD wrote:

Just Joined the site yesterday (after stumbling across it while looking for wild flower turf - but that is another story)

Any more details?

OldSkoolAD wrote:

My wife and I are just about to buy a house with a bigger garden next to Gatwick

and we have been thinking about getting some chickens. In fact my wife has been offered 6 Bantams (which in hatch today

) . However having read this thread i am a little cautious... should I be?

I would always expect foxes, knowing this area quite well there are lots about.

If the hens are fenced in though they should be fine. Do you have any idea what sort of hen house you will use?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 12:00 pm Post subject:
Provided that you wait until the foxes have moved on, I wouldn't let it put you off keeping chooks. Bantams are probably safer free-ranging than the heavier-breed hens. They are a lot better at flying up into trees and out of danger than ordinary hens. I would either go for a very solidly-built house and run or let them free-range and just make sure that they are locked up securely at night.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 12:28 pm Post subject:
Depending on where you are near Gatwick there will be a lot of urban foxes who will be happy to wander about during the day so free ranging on their own may be risky.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 12:33 pm Post subject:
If the fox problem is so bad, then it would be possible in extremis to run an electric fence around the chicken run. It would, of course, need to be covered at the top to keep the bantams in!

OldSkoolAD

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 3
Location: In my garage!

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 05 1:46 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

OldSkoolAD wrote:

Just Joined the site yesterday (after stumbling across it while looking for wild flower turf - but that is another story)

Any more details?

About what?! Turf? Need it to cover some chalk at work. Any ideas? Coronet turf can supply it i'm told

I would always expect foxes, knowing this area quite well there are lots about.

Near the six bells pub...

If the hens are fenced in though they should be fine. Do you have any idea what sort of hen house you will use?

Want to go for the traditional type on the ol' cast iron wheels but am open to suggestions.

Did think about electric fencing Judith to keep foxes and people out

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