Henslaved Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Lucky you were there. Will be keeping a much closer eye on my lot when FR from now on, even more so when they have hungry cubs to feed. Foxes eh! ever the opportunists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightonbelle Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I sadly lost my 3 girls to a fox at 6 yesterday morning. My dog went mad and when I went to back door the fox was standing over one girl,and as I opened back door one of them,Roxy,ran into the house. Belle was dead inside the run and Rita was dead on the flower bed,with feathers all over. There was also a dead magpie! I took Roxy to emergency vet and she was given pain killers and I was told to see my own vets re surgery options for large wound under her wing. Amazingly she perked up quite a lot in the intervening 2 hours ,eating tomato,and even laying an egg in my spare room. The vet felt it worth trying to repair the injury,but when they sedated her they found she had another wound under her feathers so that the 2 wounds together made it too major a repair job and he recommended putting her sleep,which I agreed to. Checking the run it appears the fox had tried chewing several areas before finding a weak spot,a knot in the wood,which seemed to have given way. We had tried everything to make sure they were safe,even trying with all our strength to pull wood apart,but we reckoned without a determined fox and a weak spot in the wood. Before i decide if I want to risk it again,I will be looking at putting mesh over wooden structures as added strength. I cant believe they have gone after only 8 months. The garden is so quiet without them shouting at me for treats every time I go out there. RIP girls,and I am so sorry I failed you x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 How awful but don't be hard on yourself you thought they were safe in the run . 16g weldmesh is said to be foxproof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyann Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 My heart goes out to you all and your sad losses, but I would be convinced to try and make the run more secure. You can buy electric fencing now that runs off car batteries. Foxes will get in anywhere and anyhow. Unfortunately its the time of year when many vixens have babies to feed and no time of day is safe. Be vigilant and take all precautions to keep your hens safe. Lots of companies do electric fencing now that is portable to be moved around the garden. Big hugs to you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammiboo Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 How awful! I have only let my girls FR unsupervised once whilst i popped out to the garden centre a few weeks ago, i dont think after reading these stories i could risk it again. I dont know what our fox situation is but this proves you cannot be complacent. Sorry to everyone who is has lost their beloved pets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stomper236 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 lost my 3 girls 3.30pm, live in a busy town,garden backs onto school playground,lots of children coming and going.i walked into house back door was open windows open, answered a phone call lasting 2 mins went out all 3 girls dead, must have taken 2 to 3 mins max feathers everywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Hens in Eglu at night but with door open.Run door closed and pin intact.Fox tunnelled diagonally underneath the juncture where the run joins on to the Eglu (ie, where the metal skirting stops)All hens killed and one taken. Advice - place your Eglu on a piece of chicken wire or metal grid, so that the skirting effect continues around the Eglu itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 stomper and penny - horrible for you both. foxes! bring back hunting, I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Sorry to hear that Stomper and Penny But Penny, is your eglu one of the older ones? I think ours come with a little square mesh to prevent that from happening? (just before xmas) Sorry for your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 stomper and penny - horrible for you both. foxes! bring back hunting, I say. Son went last week and they were hunting 'proper' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hi 5am - yes indeed, it's an early Mark 2. I've now been in the shop and seen the extra skirting bits which you mention. And to be honest, I'm a bit appalled that Omlet didn't make me aware of these - it must have happened to other people if they've made special extra bits for the Mark 2. Might have saved me from losing my hens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongus Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 we are moving to a new house in the country in a few weeks, currently we live in the town (no urban foxes have ever been seen locally) but am now obviously concerned re: predators. the garden has a large wall around one side and the back with a wooden fence separating us from next door.. i know foxes can climb so am thinking they will have to be confined to the run unless we are in the garden, they currently free range in a fenced off area of the garden... worrying stories on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Today my beautiful Ancona, Margo was PTS following a fox attack. At about 6pm I went outside to check the food and water levels and found piles of Ancona feathers in the garden. All the chickens had been within the electric fence but Margo ocasionally managed to fly over the top. She was nowhere to be seen. Then, initially to my relief, she wondered out from behind the shelter (within the fenced area) with lots of feathers missing. I then checked her and found the most grusome injury to the back of her neck. I rushed her to the vets where she was PTS as her injuries were found to be so severe. The clip for the live wire was on the floor and the wire had been dislodged but had reattached below. I cannot understand how the fox got in as there are no breaks in the fence - it is pegged down and made taught with guy ropes. I can only think that the fox jumped into the area from the top of a nearby shed. I am also mistified about how Margo got away. Maybe the fox got a shock when trying to get out and dropped her. Very sad. Poor Margo. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megtree Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Hi 5am - yes indeed, it's an early Mark 2. I've now been in the shop and seen the extra skirting bits which you mention. And to be honest, I'm a bit appalled that Omlet didn't make me aware of these - it must have happened to other people if they've made special extra bits for the Mark 2. Might have saved me from losing my hens. I'm so sorry for your loss - I had the exact same happen to me and it was explained to me at that point by other forum members about the corners We'd only had the chooks a few weeks and I felt so guilty but you're right that this should be made more obvious as it's a clear weak point. After the guilt and sadness I got fierce! Like some other omleteers I laid paving slabs under the eglu itself as well as obstructing access to the offending corners and I can happily report that we've had no further attacks (a year later) I hope that this horrible experience doesn't put you off completely - I'm really glad I fought back, it was just a very steep learning curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singloudclear Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I am not sure how useful this will be to anyone and to be honest the whole thing makes me feel so guilty. We had three ex-batts in May 2009 in an Eglu classic and run. They had a great life, lots of free-ranging in the garden and we slowly bought them back to a really good condition. We never saw a fox the whole time we had them. I also never saw ANY evidence of foxes being around. Every night they were locked in the eglu and the run was locked and with a big bin put in front of the door. I forgot one night to lock the run in around the August but they were locked in the eglu and again there was no evidence of any predators. To be honest we did get quite careless and I would leave them free-ranging in the garden if I was in a house but we just assumed there were no foxes in the vicinity. Anyway in November 2010 I lost my nan on the Monday and then on the Friday received some more bad news about another family member. We were all very upset and stressed and on the Saturday night I totally forgot to lock the chickens in the eglu and in the run. We woke up in morning to a bundle of feathers and a tiny drop of blood. I still feel terrible about it and it has taken us until now to get some more chickens. I still am shocked that the one and only time I left them so vulnerable the fox came to call. He must have come every night! Yet we never saw him or saw evidence of him. I think my advice is 1) Dont get complacent 2) If family life is a bit stressful maybe put a notice up to remind you of the chickens We have now put the elgu in a walk in run and I will not be free-ranging these chickens. The walk in run is a veritable fort knox and I am still locking the eglu every night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 So sorry to hear that There's a saying - you have to be lucky every night, the fox only has to be lucky one night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 My friend who was borrowing my Broody hen to hatch some chicks got killed last night, along with the eggs that was due in a few days time.. R.i.p Barbie. More info here: http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=77904 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiks Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 When I first got my girls I was really vigilant whenever they were out free ranging, but after nearly 2 years had got quite complacent and let them roam weekend daylight hours and early evenings after work. Our first fox attack, happened 10.30 on a Sunday morning, so neighbours out and about, and my dogs were in the non chicken part of the garden. Thankfully my neighbour heard the girls making not normal noise and whizzed down the garden to investigate and spotted the fox. There were loads of feathers and one old girl vanished - thankfully she turned up after 8 hours in hiding awol. One little girl took the brunt and she's been stapled up by the vet and after 4 days is doing brilliantly, thankfully I didn't loose any but I'm now paranoid. I just feel that I let my girls down - I saved them from the battery farm to give them a good life. Have now ordered extra bits for the run so they can have more space but be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 You didn't let them down - you have been giving them a wonderful free range retirement. I know the guilt of a fox attack but my 9 year old son reassured my by telling me that I look after the chickens really well. You do too. I'm extra careful now as a result like you are. Sadly, we are fighting nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geordie Rob Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I read many stories like these before buying an Eglu and was initially quite concerned about foxes. Niles & Daphne were allowed to free range in the garden during the day. We herded them in and closed all the doors every night, and opened up in the morning but not always as early as we'd like. We slowly allowed them more and more time out of their run during the day as we gained more confidence, having never seen a fox around here and a garden that's rather enclosed. They always wanted to be out much earlier than we opened up and did a little dance at the Eglu run door until let out. With longer days and having read about others leaving doors open we started letting them go in and out as they pleased. For at least a month this worked out rather well until... This morning my girlfriend found them both dead in the garden with feathers everywhere. I can only assume it was a fox during the night. Cleaning up the remains (I wouldn't let her do it) is something I will struggle to forget. We will be extremely vigilant in future. A bad way to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacake Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 sorry to hear about your hens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 lost 2 quail to a fox last night. I have (had) 3 colonies in wooden pens outside my electric fence, so they could be on grass, which they were loving. anyway, foxy dug down underneath the rim and managed to get 2 of them out through the very narrow gap - must have just stuck his snout through and got lucky, as there was no way he could have got his whole body in and back out again. so I have put the one remaining male into my other colony of 3 and we will have to see how it goes... but I think they'll move back inside the electric fence today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlettohara Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Really sorry everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 (edited) We live in an urban area but across the road there is a playing field and small woodland where I have been told foxes live. Our back garden, where our chickens are kept in an Eglu Classic and extended run, is fenced off and surrounded by other back gardens and garages. My husband and I have spotted a fox in the garden at night on two separate occasions in the 6 months we've been here. The fox I saw easily jumped onto a 6 foot fence and walked along the top to make its escape. Since that sighting we always close the run door in the evening and pin it through then close the eglu door as soon as all the chickens are in it. My husband opened the eglu door (leaving the run door closed) at around 3.30 on Sunday morning, just before he went to bed as he works very late. He's been doing this daily for a couple of months now as it saves me from having to wake early to do it. When we went to let the chickens out of the run at about 10.30am we found lots of feathers in the run, the tarp covering the run shredded in several places and the hens were all in shock and cowering inside the eglu. There were also lots of scratches on the eglu and on closer inspection we found that two sections of the run had been pulled apart a little but not enough for the fox to actually get in. Two of the three chickens had a couple of puncture wounds each but the other had a large gash on her back. She was put out of her misery by the vet. The other two had a painkiller and are on a course of antibiotics. I cleaned up the feathers this morning and it looks as if all three hens were bitten through the run as there were three distinct piles of feathers just inside the run. We had no idea that a fox could attack chickens from outside the run and hurt them so badly. EDIT: Should have mentioned that we do have a Foxwatch but after the attack we discovered that the battery had run out. Also the eglu and run are on a large slabbed area. Edited June 14, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Sorry to hear that Al How on earth could a fox manage to bite/scratch a hen through the eglu run Poor girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
