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jomaxsmith

Fox attacks - a list of what happened?

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That's sad, I'm sorry to hear that :( .

 

We too had a fox attack after 4 years. We were much luckier than you though, as he dropped Layla in his attempt to escape over a wall when I ran out shouting. She only had a tiny wound and has recovered completely. I've beefed up our security and don't let them out nearly as much any more :( .

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Thank you. Glad to hear your girl made it. I think if Agatha had not been such an old bird she might not have had such life threatening wounds, as the poor old girl had not much fat on her bones. We could have had it a lot worse if my OH had not run out and chased the fox out of the run.

 

There has been so much upheaval to fox habitat since the building of the rail-line from Airdrie to Edinburgh and continual building of new housing estates close to the rail line all the way from Glasgow to Edinburgh, I think it is driving more and more foxes to areas they previosly did not go. We even had some deer trapped in the park beside us the other week as they could not follow their usual route due to the erection of a large fence.

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That's sad :( . Developers obviously take no notice of the wildlife that's there before they barge in :evil: . The foxes near me will probably have to find a new home when they start building a huge housing estate next to my house. There is plenty of alternative land for them quite nearby so I'm quite happy as they'll be further away from my girls!

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I have posted before but not frequently and not in this section till today.

A wee update though and you won't believe it cos I didn't.

Next door just came round at about 10pm cos theres a *live* chicken at the side of their house. They noticed cos the fox had come back for round two. I go over and there's Punky minus a LOT of feathers but still on her feet!!

 

I've put her in the green house for solitary confinement overnight as I couldn't see how bad her damage is and I thought I could see some blood round her vent. Too dark to clean her and assess her properly so I'll see if she's still with us tomorrow and off to the vets for a proper check over and anti-biotics.

 

I hope she put up a good fight :)

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hello everyone,

we have had our 3 hens (Bluebelle)GNRPP for a week now and every day i've worried about foxes! :anxious:

they are in a go !gored! and run. we have been shutting them in evey night and have put sleepers on 3 sides over the skirt and at the go door we've put a metal parasol base up against it, some people have mentioned a problem with the go door?

also at the nursery where i work we have an orchard and after hatching ducklings (duck)(white duck)(duck) with the children we have invested in an omlet walk in run and cube and have meshed the ground under the WIR. At the weekend we will feed and water the ducks but for the most part of the day they will be there on their own do you think we've done all we can to safeguard against foxes? I know they are around and suspect surrounding houses of possibly feeding! oh and forgot to mention we had a wildlife guy out to fill some suspicious holes he layed the ground mesh for us.

i know the runs are sold as fox proof but people say the foxes will always get in some way or another!

good luck everyone :)

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We live on the outskirts of a city, just getting into the rural areas. Our first pair of hens were killed last year in April, about 3 months after we got them :( we had started letting them free-range more and more as we got more confident that there were no foxes, as we had not seen any signs. One morning we found they had both been killed, very distressing. We got another pair after that, who are now over a year old and loving free-ranging during the day when we are in, but are shut away early evening until mid-morning. They don't seem to mind being kept in the Eglu run for a whole day if no-one is home to supervise either - we think better safe than sorry, and just let them FR for as much time as we possibly can each week. I have spotted a few foxes in the area since, as well as worryingly finding foxy-sized pawprints on top of the eglu house one morning, so I am constantly aware now.

 

Sorry to all those who have lost their girls too, it's horrible.

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The fox attacks are going to continue and get worse as thanks to the govt now protecting the vermin there is no culling and no natural preditor to keep numbers down. In effect the word " free range" when the pablic buy eggs is bogus!

 

Previously we only had occassional chicken snatches at breeding time from vixens (generally in poor condition) nclearly struggling to raise cubs. But now it is a matter of fox infestation with healthy dog foxes killing through out the day and clearly having no regard for humans.

 

We have built a large fenced pen for the chickens but as any small holder will appreciate we did not visualise our country life as having sad chickens scratching in dirt confined like concentration camp prisoners because non country appreciating public want foxes to be protected! So when we are about literally present working on fence maintenance or the stables we let our chickens have an hour or so out supervised to get fresh grass and dig under the garden bushes.

 

But the fox does not care if people are about and is working a day time circuit around the whole area killing ducks and chickens and pet rabbits all around our village. This year right in front of us the critter has snatched two ducklings and 6 hens. Several other holdings have likewise lost hundreds of pounds of livestock.

 

I have had a trap in place now for a month to try and catch and kill the fox, but I strongly believe the cost of lost livestock should be placed at the door of the govt. They pay compensation to farmers for crop losses, well my livestock loss is directly a result of the govt action in banning the hunting and culling of foxes. The govt should have kept in place the legal tracking and killing/culling of foxes by working foot hounds.

 

Perhaps if poultry owners small and large collated livestock losses through fox attacks and put the real time financial cost in the hands of the govt to demand refund of the money lost it will make the govt take action to control fox population growth. As it stands while I for one previously had no issue with the odd cub rearing snatch, I now intend trapping and killing every fox I can. It is not funny seeing hand raised "pets" snatched in broad daylight from my daughters hands, nor right that vermin foxes can dash through the adjacent housing street chasing chickens or pet rabbits among the feet of playing children. This is the reality and direct consequence of the so called public and govt decision to ban fox hunting and protect what is in essence a vermin hunter with no natural preditor to cull it.

 

The increased fox attacks and that includes the odd child being injured in the path of a hunting and vicious animal are going to increase because fox numbers are increasing and the natural habitat can not support them, wheras our smallholdings, gardens and houses are easy pickings.

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We had threee new hens who, when startled, would run at the door trying to escape. They were in a truly ancient eglu and three clips on the door gave way. Seeing a way out they must have forced their ways out because when we returned from our ovenight stay they were dead.

The fox didn't even do us the dignity of eating them just killed them for fun.

 

Always check your clips!

RIP

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RIP Pippa :-(

 

I haven't been on in ages as I've been crazy busy, so trying to avoid too much online time. So this actually happened in early October.

 

Our neighbour loves the hens, he kept some when he was young. He does have a habit of letting them out and then going back inside - I think he thinks he's close enough to hear/see anything. We've mentioned to him a few times that foxes come around in the day sometimes, and that we should be in the garden with them but he still did it occasionally. I felt like I couldn't be too cross with him as he helps us with them sometimes when we go away.

 

OH and I were away with my family, staying in a villa in Portugal. Neighbour had sole charge for 2 weeks. We suggested taking them to a hen-hotel but he really wanted to look after them for us. Well, he claims he just went inside to get a cup of tea. Whether that's true or not we'll never know, but as he rarely sat out with them I have my doubts. Fox took top-hen Pippa, and apparently when neighbour came out the fox had our bluebelle cornered but she was standing up to him, bless her. She's a big girl, and if she was all puffed up I wouldn't be surprised if he was having second thoughts. Pippa couldn't be saved, but neighbour chased off the fox before he could get Belle or Lucy, our GNR. So now we have two. Neighbour was in tears, he won't be letting them out any more :cry: I wish we'd taken them to a hotel.

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RIP Sweet&Sour and Roadrunner.

 

I went out this morning to check their water, but it looks like a fox had got both of them. I've had the Eglu netting up for a while, and had obviously got complacent, because I didn't close their run or the actual eglu. I found one tangled up in the netting, and after a long search, I found the other halfway down the garden. Both minus their heads (does that sound like something a fox would do - I'd have thought he'd either eat the lot, or take them away?).

 

Feel stupid now because I've been so careful in the past, but after a couple of times forgetting to secure them in, and without any drama, I'd just got so complacent and stopped worrying. BIG mistake.

 

Not sure whether to get some more soon, or leave it for a while.

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2 girls taken by what I think was a fox. I didn't see or hear it, but found some canine-y pawprints in the mud.

Two girls were found safe in the WIR up on the high roosting bars. I also found some tail feathers in the run, so I think Foxy had cornered one of the victims in there.

At 10.30 am in broad daylight in Winter (1.1.13 - Happy New Year - Not)

Unsupervised free-ranging in the garden.

Heard a commotion and went out to check - just found huge quantities of legbar feathers - no blood or body parts. I assumed both legbars had been snatched, but then one little one popped out of the hedge half an hour later - to our delight and relief.

Large city-centre garden whih backs onto a wooded field and allotments.

No Foxwatch or real security measures. Brambly hedge backed up by netting fence, aimed to keep clucks in rather than fox out. Absolutely no sign of foxes or other predators in the last 18 months, so we got too complacent.

From now on, total lock-down in the WIR, with limited Supervised FR at weekends.

I would consider an electric fence, if they are 100% fox-proof (are they ?).

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I've been lucky. I had my first ever fox attack last week and although I didn't lose any of my 6 hens (3 wyandotte bantams in one eglu and tunnel and 3 medium hybrids in the other) I wanted to post my experience to reassure people that Omlet eglus and runs are truly fox-proof. People often express disbelief when I tell them, but I now have all the proof I need.

 

I awoke at dawn the other morning to the most amazing sound. It sounded like a slipping flywheel on a car, a kind of s"Ooops, word censored!"ing screech. I could hear the hens clucking away like mad so I ran to the bedroom window and looked out. I've just moved house, so my hens are currently on the patio just outside the french windows in the living room. From above, I could see a dark shape by the back end of the green eglu. As I watched it moved like lightening, leaping right over the tunnel of the pink eglu, and turning to worry at the middle of the tunnel, where the two pieces were joined together with clips. I have the Omlet plastic rain covers attached with hooks and bungees and I could hear the bungee pinging. I guessed this must be a fox and ran downstairs to the living room where I turned on the light. It shon out of the windows and lit up a fox really having a go at the side of the run. I tapped on the window and it looked at me, but made no move to leave. As I had bare feet and hadn't even put on a dressing gown, I didn't fancy going outside so I rapped even harder on the window and eventually the fox turned and ran off.

 

It didn't seem particularly frightened nor put off by the light and the sight of somebody looking at it.

 

The chickens were running up and down their runs in a complete panic.

 

When I got up, I went to inspect the damage. I think the s"Ooops, word censored!"ing sound was the claws of the fox on the eglu as it tried to dig its way in through the back of the eglu - it had probably smelled the chickens roosting inside. As the weather was warm, I hadn't bothered to close their doors so, as all 6 chickens ran into their runs in a panic, the fox must have spotted the three bantams and leaped over to try to get in at them. The polythene rain cover has little teeth holes where the fox was biting at it.

 

I actually have a little video webcam set up to record the chickens, but that week it had been malfunctioning and not triggering when there was movement. A bit of a shame as I put it there to see if there were foxes around my new place. I now know that there are.

 

I have the Omlet 2m WIR, but haven't yet assembled it in the new place (not sure where to site it). Once I get it assembled, the girls will have more room. I've been letting them out when I've been working in the garden, so they have always been safe. Its good that I now know there is a fox hazard and will take no risks!

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First fox attack on Tuesday night

We have a eco medium chicken house, which is totally plastic and comes with a fox proof guarantee of 40 years. Sadly, the nest boxes are sealed with a plastic curved loop, which up till now has kept our chickens safe every night for two years. Overnight on Tuesday the fox worked out how to take the loop in its teeth and twist until it unhooks. He/she took our three new 14 week pullets and ate them in the garden. It was our first fox attack and was a complete shock, as we hand-made our runs, and made a concrete foundation, dug down two foot with netting etc.

 

It was so quiet, I didn't hear a thing even though the chicken area is only about two metres from our house. Fortunately, we had isolated our new girls in this house, so although we lost our babies, our older girls were safe in another house. I've emailed the company to tell them what happened but haven't heard back yet.

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I lost two of my hens - fox got in the eglu by taking the top off. Basically I bought my eglu off ebay and when I went to pick it up, I watched the seller disassemble the eglu and I put it back in the same fashion. I didn't realise the pin that holds the black bar in was missing and didn't even realise that there needed to be one until it was too late. I emailed the seller and complained to ebay that he never said any parts were missing but neither wanted to know.

 

Just a warning for anyone that buys off ebay - print off the eglu instructions off so you know you're not missing anything. I love the eglu, it hasn't put me off at all and we will upgrade to a cube when we have more money. Omlet were fab - they sent me a pin for free and I really appreciate their support, considering I bought the eglu off ebay and not them but great Customer Service works since I will def be getting a Cube at some point and have bought all my accessories off them.

 

Regardless - I've put weights against the house as Im so paranoid now.

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So upsetting to hear about these incidents. The lessons I learnt when I had a fox attack are:-

 

- always lock your chickens up at night in the Eglu, however late or warm it is

 

- the run is NOT NOT NOT fox proof

 

- it is very distressing, I cried for days after as I felt so guilty for letting Polly Peck down by not being responsible enough

 

The fox got its mouth in through one of the larger gaps in the run towards the top, the chickens came out to see what the noise was. The fox grabbed the wing of my favourite chook and pulled and twisted and wouldn't let go. He also managed to bite her chest. She was so badly injured we had her put down. I'm upset thinking about it now and it was 4 years ago.

 

I get very cross when I see Omlet selling their runs as 'fox-proof', as in the newsletter gone out today. I think they need to talk about the risks too, especially as they are marketing to newbies.

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Bit disappointed that we have a vixen in our garden almost every day now. It's been well over a year since we saw a Fox although being urban and near tubeline I've never been complacent.

I was really enjoying having the girls out in the garden and they are quite cross that I don't let them out now so much.

The Fox is a real beauty, a gorgeous creature, and I'm sure she has babies to feed but I don't want it to be my chickens.

They get so hysterical when they see her that they cause themselves unnecessary damage. At one point they had got used to seeing foxes and had become quite stroppy so they need to get back to that mindset.

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Hello all

 

Well in seven years we have never so much as seen a fox. But the other day we did. We live in East Anglia but previously I lived in central London which is the only time/place I've ever seen a fox.

 

Background: we live in rural Suffolk, nearly an acre of garden, rabbit fenced or walled on all sides. Fenced in some places to six feet in others slightly less. We have Cube which goes into a WIR the peripheries of which are on concrete (so absolutely no digging under). WIR is three sides fenced to about six feet, maybe more. One side is garden wall. No roof however as we have a tree in the middle of the run which makes topping it off difficult if not impossible.

 

Anyway, 7am and my mother said 'fox' and I ran out and it was staking out the chickens. She said she'd seen it jump at the run, but I didn't. It was big - biggest fox I've ever seen. It looked at me but didn't move. I shouted at it and it moved and then I got my broom and it ran away. My dad (who is in his eighties) gave chase.

 

I was freaked by how brazen it was, not afraid at all. And also at the thought of a wild dog coming into my garden. I have small children. We think it got in at the back, which goes into woodland and where the fence, in parts, is lower due to the way the land slopes down. I know it will be back but not 100% sure what to do.

 

We hadn't been locking the chickens up at night (as in, locking them in their house) but we have now started doing that. They were allowed to free range several times a week but we'll now stop that for the time being.

 

Sigh. At least he didn't get them.

 

ps: not that it really matters but anyone know if you can tell if it's a male or female fox?

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