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Tiggy

I'm going to cry

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:( i was just doing some potting up in my polytunnel so let my girls out into their fenced off area next to the tunnel to have a run around and within minuets heard terrible noises a young fox has killed 3 of them & saffey is lame. I have put her in my cat carrier & brought her inside I'm not sure she will survive. I'm seriously considering taking up my farmer friends offer & letting him shoot the fox. I cannot believe that this has happened again, broad daylight & me nearby, we used the omlet netting to keep the girls out of the bushes & a fox watch &. still it has happened, maybe I should give up on chickens, but I love keeping them
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Oh how awful for you :( . Poor Saffey. I hope she survives the attack. Bringing her into the warm house is a good idea. If she's sustained any injuries such as puncture wounds from the fox, she ought to see a vet as fox's teeth are absolutely teeming with bacteria and wounds, no matter how small, can become infected, bless her little heart.

 

Everything crossed for Saffey and I'm so so sorry about your other hens :( .

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Oh my word...what a shame. I am sorry.

 

I would get the farmer to shoot the fox after this.

 

His place will be taken by another one eventually, but this one is a menace, so bold , in broad daylight with you close by.

 

It might be an old one who can only manage to kill sitting targets.

 

Don't let it put you off keeping chickens.

 

Maybe you could think about having a large walk in run instead of letting them free range, although of course you will want to gather your thoughts before you make any decisions.

 

I hope poor Saffy gets over the shock.

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that's very sad, you'd think with you being right there AND a fox watch AND it being daylight that they would be safe!

 

So sorry and sad for you :( I hope Saffy pulls thru, I too will be keeping everything x'd for you

 

xxx

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I'm going to ask my dad to speak to our farmer friend tomorrow, this is the third time in 6 months that I have lost hens, we were not sure it was a fox at first because they just disappeared & my farmer thought it was a buzzard. today the girls were just left lying there I suppose because I was out of the poly tunnel so quickly. This fox is a menace & not frightened of people at all, it was laid out on our drive one night recently when OH got home, it did not even move when he drove up, it got up & wandered off only when he got out of the car. i think that foxes are beautiful creatures & I have watched the cubs play on my lawn a few times in the past. But I thought that they had moved on because I had not seen them for a few years. i cannot believe that i am contemplating shooting one.

 

OH is not keen on a walk in hen run but I'll try & persuade him, we have plenty of room. my friend is a new hen keeper & has had an enclosed run already, her OH is retired & is now more into chickens than she is. I really wanted my ex batt girls to be able to live as natural a life as possible but it does not look as if that will be possible now

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I just got the March country file magazine, which included part 3 of their keeping chickens series. In that they talk about foxes and say do not put chickens out in open runs Jan - Mar as this is when food is scarce for the foxes and they have cubs to feed.

 

Even so I cannot believe they did this whilst you were so close - I will be worried to leave them for 5 mins now!

 

Tracy

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Oh Anne, how awful for you. I think we all feel like crying too. Your fox is a menace and if you can get rid of it, I would, horrible though I would feel about it.

 

It is true that another fox will move in, but a 'Pest control' man told me that he kept chickens for years and lost some to foxes. In his opinion some foxes have a killer/hunter instinct and others are really not too bothered - a bit like cats. I'm not suggesting some foxes are safe but that this fox really has a killer instinct. The one that moves in may not be as aggressive.

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aww big hugs to you and i hope saffy pulls through.

dont feel bad about the fox attack, you obviously did everything you could, that fox was just particularily determined.

i think you should keep keeping chickens, especially ex batt ones, even if they only live a shirt time out of those cages it is still a rich and fullfilled life which they never woudve expeirienced if you hadnt rescued them!

 

i can sympathise greatly, ive had a few of mine got by fxes, another very bold one, and i was going to give up at one point but the chickens bring me such happiness, it was worth it.

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