Fox attacks - a list of what happened?

[Reynard]

This is the first forum I've ever contributed to but having read some of the existing entries I thought I'd take the plunge.

 

We have ordered an orange cube, 3m run and 2 chickens which are due for delivery later this month. After ordering it I read some comments on the form about water getting into owner's cubes, roosting bars that fall to pieces, panels that don't fit and sticking roofs. I emailed Omlet asking for their comments and they replied promptly. I have pasted their reply (which is quite reassuring) for the benefit of others who may be tempted to emither them on the same subject - I hope Omlet don't mind!

 

I was also going to comment about foxes as there are some really sad stories about people loosing their feathered friends. We are not new to keeping chickens but haven't had any for about 7 years. Before moving to our present address we backed onto a railway line and had built a wooden coop which was positioned at the end of the garden surrounded by a 5' fence. We had 6 chickens including a cochin cockerel which we had raised from a chick. One day (early afternoon in the summer) I was kneeling in the run next to the fence positioning some paving flags. I heard a noise and started to stand up to see what it was. For a fraction of a second (it seemed longer as if in slow motion) I was nose to nose with an adult fox looking directly into his brown eyes! The fox exploded through the undergrowth back over the embankment and had I not been there I'm afraid there would have been a bloodbath. The next day I caught it walking down the embankment to have another go so we gave the coop and chickens to a friend, (they were later killed in his garden by a fox despite a 6' enclosure) as I was not in a position to secure the run. To make matters worse we had been looking after a couple of chckens for a friend, one of which had disappeared the week before. We then realised why!

 

Protection from foxes was one of the reasons we have ordered a cube as we don't want a static run at this time. To make it even more critical we had cubs living in the garden a few years ago but they haven't bred since we removed the shed. My advice to anyone who has not already done so is to make the chickens as secure as possible with an enclosed run. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't!

 

Having said all that I don't hold a grudge against the fox - they have a tough life and are only trying to survive. The cubs used to play on the lawn and were fantastic to watch. Also very cute!

 

Apologies for the long post.....

 

***************

There have been a few problems with regards to the cubes leaking and now

this has been rectified by a retrofit spout which is directing the water

correctly. With regards to the poorly fitting panels 99% of the time

this is due to the fact that customer have put the cube together

themselves incorrectly and then once reassembled it is fine. If there is

a problem with a gap on the cube and we establish that it is a faulty

part we rectify this for you.

 

The roosting bars that we do currently have are made out of wood and we

have had people commenting on the quality of them but if there is a

problem with them again we replace them for you. With regards to the

roof sliders, this is not an issue I have heard about so I am afraid I

cannot comment on it. If you do have any other concerns then please do

give us a call on 0845 450 2056.

[Egluntyne]

Welcome to the forum Reynard.

 

Thanks for the info........which confirms what the chap who put my cube together said.

 

Great forum name.

[Egg Lou]

Hi Reynard

 

I am new to forum and was also a bit concerned about the leaks etc .. ordered my cube earlier this week so thank you for asking Omlet directly and letting us all know!

 

Will be a first timer chicken mum so glad of the fox advice too!

 

Lou

[lisa33]

Hi & Welcome Reynard

[Reynard]

I'm glad the reply from Omlet assisted although the Cube roof issue was not recognised.

 

Just to clarify when I say enclosure I mean one with a roof. My friend had a 6' fence but no roof. I think he relied on his geese and dogs to guard them but it didn't work. He lost about 20 over a couple of nights in addition to ours.

 

I just hope the cube's run is really foxproof. Some forum users leave their cube open and rely on the Omlet run ...(?) Ours will often be left unguarded during the day (in the run), including in the winter when it goes dark early. Can anyone vouch that the Omlet run is foxproof when positioned on a lawn? We have a good population of foxes here so if it isn't we're in trouble. We were planning to use tent pegs to keep the mesh in position.................

[chickflick]

just to clarify my cube has been put together by one of the omlet bosses himself and it still leaks and there are rather too large gaps on either side of the rear panel and i am still wating for my retro fit to arrive.

Maybe i am the 1 percent they talk of!

[Gallina]

Omlet don't say the Cube or Eglu run is foxproof: they are just fox-resistant. To my knowledge no hen has been killed in the Cube run, which is safer than the Eglu run.

 

If your grass is perfectly flat and you also peg the skirt or weigh it down, it is pretty safe. My hens have survived for over a year in the Cube run, but I lost one very quickly through the Eglu run when the first fox came after a year of peace. There is nowhere for the hens to run in the Eglu run.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum Reynard . I noticed your username as the newest registered user a day or so ago - glad to hear you're a friendly fox .

 

I've (luckily) had no experience of foxes (yet ) and don't have a cube, but I hope it all works out for you when you get yours.

[SAB]

I have had a rablu for some time now, a year of which it was positioned on grass, despite lots of foxes around we did not have a problem. We found that the grass grew through the "skirt" and anchored it - though this meant it could not be moved about! For various reasons unrelated to this we repositioned on slabs and have found this ideal for cleaning and I reckon even safer as nothing can dig under the run (some rabbit owners had lost rabbits due to them digging out!

 

We currently have no rabbits but 2 guinea pigs in the rablu who hate the door closed and so almost always left open and seems fine (but this is on slabs).

 

We now have a Cube also (new to chooks) and have decided to site on slabs with eventual plan to build a big walk in run. [/b]

[TAJ]

Gallina - why do you think the cube run is safer than the eglu? Surely they are made of the same fabric, with the same size skirt and identical doors?

 

Tracy

[Gallina]

The Eglu run is so narrow that the hens cannot get away from a fox lying on top of the run: it can swipe them wherever they are.

 

A fox got one of mine with this tactic. I still use the Eglu and run, but I feel much more secure with the Cube, as the fox cannot lie in wait in this way.

[Reynard]

Thanks for the comments regarding security of the run. I suppose they cannot say it's foxproof in case they get sued if one somehow gets in. I think we will keep them locked in overnight as much as possible, as I suspect a cube with an open door - even behind mesh - will attract foxes as the smells and sounds of the birds will be more obvious. Plus I'm sure that the birds must get stressed if they can see a fox is trying to get in - especially if they know that Omlet doesn't offer a guarantee!

 

I wonder how our cocker spaniels will get on with the chickens...

 

When the orange cube arrives I'll try and work out how to post some photos.