Alis girls Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 My Eglu Go is on grass with tent pegs - the weird thing is the girls have kicked their auboise out (as theydo) and the grass has grown back over the skirt - you cant see it. I know this is no deterent. they FR only when we are in the garden in their fenced off bit. We have been here since 2006 and seen a fox once - the fox was more interested in our elderly bun (RIP) who died this yr of old age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna C Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I'm really sorry al, it seems mr fox can get in anywhere we have ours in a wir and touch wood have had no problems so far. Where about in the west midlands do you live? We're in Solihull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaza46 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Two of my chickens were taken yesterday about 5pm. They were free ranging in the orchard with Hubby working close by, he came in and i went to check on them 15mins later i couldn't see them (heard nothing). Hubby went out as he thought it was strange and he found 1 dead and still warm and the other gone. That fox was watching us without a doubt and it was just waiting. The horrid thing is we had only just let them out for a bit and had only had some free time for about 30mins before it happened. We live near a railway line in a rural area and we have a major fox problem. This has happen to us before and again that was in broad daylight. Someone close by feeds them and they seem to not have any fear of humans. I have a 2yr old son that i can't let play outside by himself anymore as he wouldn't know any different and think it was just a lovely dog . I have replaced the chickens today as i couldn't tell my daughter (7yr) AGAIN that they had been taken as she is scared of going out to chickens by herself already that it would just make it worse. Lucky we have a neighbour that is happy to do a little fox control and actually got 2 at the beginning of the week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I'm really sorry al, it seems mr fox can get in anywhere we have ours in a wir and touch wood have had no problems so far. Where about in the west midlands do you live? We're in Solihull. We're in Halesowen *waves* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I lost 2 last year in broad daylight and I live in an urban area. I had to cull one today because of an accident so know how you are feeling, you did nothing wrong. Hugs x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Not an attack per se, but we heard the fox the night before last - dog went mad; and neighbour says last night she saw him sitting bold as brass on her drive at 1am while her dogs also went mad. he is very big and very dark and I think it might be the same one I saw in a field nearby full of sheep (no lambs luckily). so tonight I am going to make sure all 4 ex-batts are in the WIR (last night 2 slept in there and 2 in their temporary home). just feel safer that way, even with the leccy fence. meanwhile we have a rabbit in the porch (in a cage); slightly worried about him and might bring him indoors for the night. I know foxy loxy has to eat, but not MY pets!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaza46 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I scared one away from my girls this morning. They were in their run and going mental so i ran up to see a fox cub at the run and the hen freaking out. I have a boody that is due in a few days and i am worried about her and her babies. Dam those foxes they have so many Rabbits to eat its not funny and they want to hassle my girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I know foxy loxy has to eat, but not MY pets!! Exactly! I now have a WIR surrounded by an electric fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I know foxy loxy has to eat, but not MY pets!! Exactly! I now have a WIR surrounded by an electric fence. same here migsy - but we have had electric fence failures/breaches in the past, hence the WIR which fingers crossed, touch wood, has been great. got all 4 ex-batts in - 2 had gone in already, had to go and pick the others up where they were sleeping happily in the grass! our outer porch door doesnt shut that well, but if I bring bunny in there is the dog and cats to consider. so will try and wedge it shut and put something behind it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buvarka Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 This morning at 8.30 we had an attack on our free-ranging girls. The routine in the last week or so was, that I got up at 5.30, let them out in the garden while I was studying in the conservatory, which is fully glazed, I see them, they see me. The girls spent most of the time on the patio, just inches from me, on the other side of the window (stealing the ripening blueberries). Sometimes they got in the garden to rummage around. After the first week of life in the run, they really enjoyed freedom and I was stupid enough to think, that my presence in the conservatory would be enough to deter foxes. Well, after 2.5 weeks of peace it wasn't. We actually had breakfast with my husband when we heard the hens screaming and crying and just under the patio, on the grass a young looking fox was was on Daisy. We both flew out, shouting like mad, my hubby almost grabbed the fox (I'm grateful he didn't) but it escaped and run away through the fence. The attacked bird seems to be unhurt, no blood or broken bones, although she spent the last 2 hours in the house, which is very unusual, I never saw them get into the eglu if not for sleeping. The hardest bit for us was to herd the other two back into the run, free-ranging is over, I'm afraid At the end all were put back in the run and the two more traumatised are mostly in the house ever since, only top hen Rezi is out and eating. I checked on Daisy a couple of times and she seems to be fine, just in shock, if I open the back door and gently nudge her out, she walks fine, but doesn't eat or drinks, as soon as she can, gets back in and sits down, so sad, poor little girl. Could she be really hurt without blood to show??? Should I put some food/water into the eglu? How long can they not eating/drinking. Is not hot today at all, but still. I know is just an animal, follows its instincts but I'm really not into foxes at the moment... Update at 11.12am, they are all out and eating/drinking, so I'm a bit more relieved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 What a horrible shock for you all . It sounds like you managed to scare the fox away before he did any real damage so hopefully once they're over the shock they'll be fine. I think you can give them Bachs Rescue Remedy (not sure of the dose though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 What a shock for you all, glad they are ok though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buvarka Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I think everyone recovered by now, Daisy is a bit less perky than usual, but came out and stayed out this morning and my dear hubby hates foxes more than before, but generally, is over. I'm planning the next safety measures though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brynone Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 The fox (?) ripped through some wire at night & took one of our chickens. They weren't free range, and they were our first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buvarka Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The fox (?) ripped through some wire at night & took one of our chickens. They weren't free range, and they were our first Oh, I'm sorry Ripped through the eglu run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmberSky Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Lost Bluebelle last week to a Fox, she and double decker took to roosting outside on a homemade perch under a shelter. i think the fox maybe burrowed under the fence from next door there was a commotion about 1pm so we went out and did not see anything though double decker was spooked. it was not till the next morning i saw a clump of feathers which was bluebelle in the corner of the run, it must have been terrifying. but lesson learnt, in 3 years not a problem but now girls are shut in every night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 So sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I've had this sitting in my drafts folder for a few days. I started the post then forgot to finish and post it, so this is from a few days ago. Well, that was a close shave At around 12:30 me and my mum went to clean the cube. While we clean it, we let the chickens wander around for a bit. I was about 3 metres away from the run, and I was picking poo out of the tray, while my mum was about 2 metres away from the actual Eglu, scrubbing the roosing bars. I had my back to a large area of open land, because I was facing the compost bin. After a few minutes, Sneezy began to shout. I turned to look to see what was wrong, but I didn't see anything there so I didn't think much of it, (she's finally getting her 'big girl voice', she's not going "Cheep cheep cheep" anymore. She sounds a bit like a goose bless her ) Then she started doing it again I realised that there must be something wrong. I turned around again, and hiding behind a small wall, about 2 metres away from my girls, was a fox, crouching low on the ground. I chased him (I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life! ) until he scrambled over a fence. He wasn't very fast, I almost caught up with him which suggests that either A) He was hungry and tired, or B) That he wasn't scared of me, which I think is much more likely. Further inspection of the fence showed lots of scuff marks and claw marks. He obviously uses it often. I can't believe it This was in broad daylight (12:30!) with TWO people there. It just goes to show that urban foxes are simply not afraid of humans! If it wasn't for Sneezy doing her foghorn impression, I don't know what would have happened If only the other girls knew that they owe their lives to the craziest little hen I know... Love you Sneezy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen3 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 My silver laced wyandots were nearly goners as attacked by a fox during the terrible snowy weather during January. Penny was grabbed by the shoulder and the fox took off over the field with her. However the fox seemed to loose its grip and she flew back home. What a stroke of luck. They are free rangeing and live in a cube with 3 other girls. Used to be 4 but Maizie the 1st was taken one Sunday afternoon in May by a fox. No feathers or evidence. We have just the barbed wire field fence and the hens come through the gate into the garden which is surrounded by a six foot wooden fence. I took to shutting them in the garden whilst unsupervised and my Dad bought me a fox watch for the outside cube. Fox was seen sitting in my front garden at 11 am after Maizie was taken. Obviously casing the joint!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophelia Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 There are foxes all around where we live but the presence of our rottweiler kept them out of the garden and the hens safe. Two days after out beloved Rocky passed away we spotted a fox stalking the girls in the garden at 8pm. Now they only free range at weekends after I have borrowed a friends dog to wee around the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buvarka Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Ophelia, I'm so sorry for your dog, is so inconsiderate to put out poison where pets (or kids!?) can find it, horrible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Marsh Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I lost my lovely 2 year old girls at the end of June. They were in their wire run but my friend (who was looking after them) had forgotton to close the door of my wooden coop. The fox came early morning (5ish - my neighbour heard what she thought was "children playing" ). She tried to dig under the fence but it's sunk down pretty deep so whe somehow went over the top, even though it's 7ft high. She ripped all their heads off and left them, not bothering to eat anything. I had her (the fox) shot a few days later when she came back for the bodies. I've now re-stocked and have added strands of electric wire running along the top and bottom of the pen to try to prevent another fox from digging under or climbing over. RIP Buffy , Freckle Speckle , Sunny , Daddy and Stephanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will-99 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I had 3 Chicks with the Mother in a Wooden Pen. Woke up one morning looked out and there were feathers everywhere, Only one survived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodinparts Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 R.I.P. Broody Brigid - taken from the broody cage early this morning. She was one of my first 3 girls, whom I bought from Cotswold Chickens in June last year. I heard a very brief "Bok" at about 5.00- but as the girls tend to start a kerfuffle pretty much as the dawn chorus gets going, didn't think anything of it, specially as it stopped straight away but when I went down with their breakfast the first thing I saw was some speckled feathers & the broody cage on its side... It was inside the run, but the run door catches weren't properly shut - came in late last night and was trying to do too many jobs in the dark...so it's down to me 100% I knew we had foxes around - we are quite close to a railway line, where I often see them - but the presence of our dog has kept them away from the garden so far. Even in the heavy snow I saw no paw prints at all....so was probably dangerously complacent. I wish I hadn't had to learn the hard way - feel very guilty that I didn't keep Broody Brigid safe - (though I suspect the bantams will be celebrating quietly as she was rather inclined to peck them just for the heck of it, and wasn't the most endearing hen) I'm now really torn between the feeling that i MUST keep them safe and the equally strong feeling that it's better for them to have a shorter but free life...The cube train is a good long one (4 extensions) so they have ENOUGH space but they so love scrabbling about the place. Really don't know what to do for the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Oh no - how sad; but don't blame yourself, these things happen and as you say, there are always too many things to do. I know what you mean about trying to balance short & happy versus long but restricted; but I'm afraid that it would be all too short in my case, and it wouldn't be just one - given the opportunity, most foxes will take every hen they can. Mine are only allowed out under supervision, it's a pain but the only way to go for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
