Guest Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Hi everyone, I know there have been plenty of warnings on here recently but it is definitely fox season! We have never seen any foxes in our area or any signs of foxes nearby over the last few years since we moved in to our small holding. However last night our dog started barking in the back garden. I looked out and a fox had just jumped off our rural hedgerow (it's probably about 5 ft and full of brambles). It ran accross the field and over the next hedge/field. Unfortunately I think it was homing in on the location of the chickens. They completely free range by day and get shut up at night. But this was about 15 minutes before we was going to shut them away, (it was still light and there was a few stragglers reluctant to go to bed)! I just wanted to emphasize the importance of safely locking your chooks up when your not supervising them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anjuli Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Absolutely, they are out there, bigtime at the moment! I hear them screaming at night in the wood that backs on to my garden, whilst I'm lying in bed worrying about my chickens. Yesterday Mr Fox decided to pay us a morning call just minutes after dh had let them out into the run. Thankfully they are all enclosed with a roof and a wiremesh skirt (16 gauge)and large stones on top..yes we have learned lessons...It seems to me that all chicken owners have horror stories to tell at some point, but hopefully lessons are learned, even if it is the hard way sometimes. Our girls created an almighty racket and the fox legged it, whether it was also the sight of dh running down the garden in his dressing gown and wellies, I don't know. Anyway, am thinking about ordering FoxWatch today as it did frighten my girls even if he didn't get in and sometimes we go awy for a weekend, so it would be peace of mind too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 There are foxes everywhere, all the time, and I think that anyone who lets their hens free-range without supervision is living very dangerously. About five people on this forum have said they have lost hens to foxes just in the last week. There will be others who have lost hens but have not posted or who have not joined the forum. The risk just isn't worth it. Foxes are drawn like magnets to chickens, and if you are a new chicken-keeper who has never seen one in your garden, this is because until now your garden has had nothing of interest in it to a fox. I work in the centre of Oxford, and we have a fox hanging around outside our offices in broad daylight, hoping to be fed. There are a lot of silly people who have tamed and bred foxes in the city, and life for city hens is now a lot more dangerous than it was in the past. Please look after your hens: they can't look after themselves, especially if you have had their wing clipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Where would you put 50+ chickens? In an eglu? lol Unfortunately I personally don't think it's fair to pen them in if you've got the space for them to roam freely. How many chickens on a farm, do you see cooped up in a small run all day? That's why we have trained our dogs not to chase the chickens. They are their constant protection while they free range... We've never lost a chicken yet to a fox (touch wood) and they have lived happy fulfiled lives during that time so we must be doing something right. I was merely warning fellow omleteers to ere on the side of caution and supervise them while they free range and lock them safely away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanters Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Luckily I have my FoxWatch, electric fence, and tight's stuffed with hair (collected from the OH and my dad's monthly hair cutting episodes) at the ready. I'm still conscious that my girls aren't 100% protected but at least I'm doing all I can to deter Mr fox. I have tried teaching them the ancient martial art of henkido to equip them with the tools to defend themselves against such enemies...still working on this and I'll update you on their progress. Nora's already at brown belt level and has shown her skills against a rook who took a fancy to their feed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Where would you put 50+ chickens? In an eglu? lol Unfortunately I personally don't think it's fair to pen them in if you've got the space for them to roam freely. But the reality is, Offspring, that most of us on here are keeping a few hens in our backgarden. It's not just about space, it's about them being safe - like Gallina, I know that mine would be taken within an hour if I let them free-range. We've never lost a chicken yet to a fox (touch wood) and they have lived happy fulfiled lives during that time so we must be doing something right. Hmm, define 'fulfilled' for a chicken? My hens can feel sun, wind and rain; they get to scratch about under shrubs and trees, just not all day long; they have an established social group, and they are safe from predators. I reckon that's as 'fulfilled' as it gets for most chickens. Mine are staying safely in their run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 (edited) Well said Olly! Mine do 'free range' in their corner of the garden, when I am around. All of us appreciate the warning about foxes, but many of us are unable to let our chickens free range around our own little 'farms'. Stop baiting people Offspring! Edited April 19, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Now that the fox has sussed the fact that you have chickens Offspring....he will be back, and will be a great deal wilier than your dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Well said Olly! Mine do 'free range' in their corner of the garden, when I am around. All of us appreciate the warning about foxes, but many of us are unable to let our chickens free range around our own little 'farms'. Stop baiting people Offspring! Ditto from us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
