Suzie Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Michelle - What a nightmare. Hope all your chickens are safe and sound in their cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphorus Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Keep that Cube door shut, they might not like it but at least they will live with it Anyway I am sure they are a tight squeeze in there but perfectly comfy all huddled up together. What a night you have had. I hope Mr Fox has got the message and moved along his patch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Oh poor you (and poor chooks) ... sorry, though, I did laugh when you said your husband wasn't expecting the fox (even though he was sitting in the garden with a gun!) I'm certainly not batting on the fox's side, but do be careful at this time of year - it could be a vixen with cubs depending on her. Also, research tends to show that if a fox is 'removed', then within a couple of months another fox usually moves into the territory - so this might only be a short-term solution. Have you considered a Foxwatch? not infallible, but I'm convinced it has deterred the fox from visiting my garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 The fox will be back and your hens are not safe freeranging, not even for a minute. Like you, I had a narrow escape. Mine had over 3 years happily freeranging by day, locked in a purpose built Fort Knox run at night. I weighed up the risks in my garden and felt on balance I would go for freeranging as long as it still felt safe, but would abandon this idea if the level of risk changed. The fox called at 5.30am and snatched at feathers through the run, and then a second time. The hens had been up for breakfast & then roosted leaning against the fence I then installed a Foxwatch which seems to have kept the fox at bay (the hens were very noisy during the visits and they've been quiet since the Foxwatch). However, I'm going to keep them shut in hen garden 24/7 forever. I think even a supervised freerange is out of the question. Foxes are cunning & I couldn't protect the hens if he was to lie in wait & make a grab that's all it takes. If anyone knows there is a fox then I think that a foxproof run aided by Foxwatch, or electric fencing, are the only responsible things to do. Shut doors at night can be an extra precaution if you can (I need mine to be semmi self sufficient so I don't) but a fox won't give up because of this once knows you have chickens, he'll be back sometime, day or night. Be glad that like me you've been lucky enough to have a warning but take heed! Best wishes.[/u] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 Gosh strong words there, against free rangeing! However I do strongly believe free rangeing if you have the space is the best possible way for hens to live. We did have plans to build a run at some stage, but having looked into the huge costs of them, it will not be a possible option for us. I think for us the best possible solution is to have electric fence round their area, which is basically what many of the large chicken farmers have anyway, my Dad having been one of them. I would also like to sress that, my neighbours who own our local farm have hens free rangeing and they have never lost any during the daylight hours! I do understand we may not be so lucky, but I just feel free rangeing is the way hens were meant to live. I can get over shutting them in at night, but not to free range would kind of (for me) take away the whole point of having my own . They are all still here today and that is the important thing, we will need to look at this situation and keep an eye, but to be honest that is all any of us can do, I have just been made aware enough to pay more attention. As I did not really consider we would be visited by Mr fox before! Now I know we are on his night watch! Just one of the not so nice joys of chicken keeping I guess M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I agree 100% with Sheila. Unless you have an electric fence, a fox will eventually come and get your hens if they free-range in your garden. It may take three days or three years, but it will happen. This country is infested with foxes, and in cities an awful lot of people are feeding them and encouraging them to breed. The sad thing is that most people on this forum only believe in foxes when it is too late and they have lost their hens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 I agree 100% with Sheila. Unless you have an electric fence, a fox will eventually come and get your hens if they free-range in your garden. It may take three days or three years, but it will happen. This country is infested with foxes, and in cities an awful lot of people are feeding them and encouraging them to breed. The sad thing is that most people on this forum only believe in foxes when it is too late and they have lost their hens. I understood from what Sheila had said that chickens should only be kept in a fox proof run with either a fox watch or electric fence round the outside, I do not agree with this! We do have an electric fence as that is what the Omlet netting is, I do need to get the power box for it though, which I will now be doing! I see no problem with my hens free rangeing so long as they have this on, 100's of chicken keepers all over this country do it (as I said earlier). We do seem to have a huge volume of foxes in this country, I have not seen one in our garden, or indeed on this side of the road before, but I do know he's there now. We actually live in a very rural area with fields and woods all around and lots of farms so I doubt anyone here would be feeding Mr Fox. I would expect we will not be the only one's to be hunting him!!! My hope is he will get bored and move on, but I will be getting that box for the fence and extra fence in the next couple of days! They are clearly not too fazed by their feathers being pulled out. I did not expect any eggs today, but we have had 7, so very pleased with my girls. Hubby will be more prepared for foxy tonight, or so he says!!! M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 .....I understood from what Sheila had said that chickens should only be kept in a fox proof run with either a fox watch or electric fence round the outside, I do not agree with this! We do have an electric fence as that is what the Omlet netting is, I do need to get the power box for it though, which I will now be doing! I see no problem with my hens free rangeing so long as they have this on, 100's of chicken keepers all over this country do it (as I said earlier). I seem to have been misunderstood! You knew what you meant, & I knew what I meant, neither came across in complete form! I didn't see any reference to electric fencing earlier & imagined that you had the Eglu and just let them out, which had been fine until now. Not knowing you or your set up, I was just really worried that if I didn't post my concerns your next post would be bad news. Only 'cos I care! Also, I meant the other way round about keeping them in a run. If they are being kept in a run & there's a fox, then extra protection such as Foxwatch is a good idea. I wasn't implying that everyone had to use this method! Of course electric fencing is ideal for containing freerangers, I do agree about that! My garden doesn't lend itself to that as an easy option, but if you can then that's brilliant. Mine are in fact freeranging as Fort Knox is quite big for a hen garden, but I just miss having them out on the lawn & foraging all over, but better that they're safe. I guessed you were in more rural location as a gun wouldn't be an option in an urban one. My extra warning about "supervised" freeranging was a general comment to others as there seem to be so many posts where people maybe still underestimate the risks, a fox is quick & cunning. My hope is he will get bored and move on, This phrase was what rang alarm bells for me, although there's no harm in hoping. This is why my reply seemed a bit strong against continuing freeranging. But, electric fencing, brilliant. Hope my intentions are clearer now. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Thanks for that Sheila, I like to see the girls on the lawn, like you I think that's great! We actually don't have the girls in our garden as such, as we own part of the field behind our house, so the girls have there own area up there, although a few of them do fly over to say hello when the mood takes them ! But mostly they are in their own area where we also have baby fruit trees growing and long glass for them to wade through! It's a fairly flat area which easily can have electric fenceing popped round. I was moving it on a weeky basis now I have opened the whole area up so they have more room, hense needing more fenceing! I saw the fox up there yesterday in daylight and straight away let our big black dog Blake out, he saw him off in his own way ! Apparently geese see the fox of is this true? I'm thinking geese.....? Golly I really need to get a grip, I am only meant to have 2 chickens... ! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
