littlegem Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Sorry to hear about your chickens . Not sure that a fence would make any difference, the fox that visits my garden every day come across the top of the garages and then jumps down into the garden, also when my boxer Alfie chased it it just jumped over our 6 foot fence so they are really agile. Hope the electric netting helps........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 We have foxes reported daily next door and our garden backs onto open fields, with a boundary fence like a sieve. We have foxes, cats, all sorts regularly. But the electric fence seems to keep the foxes out and the chickens in. We do have dogs next door either side, but they are not always out - and big softies too. We let the girls free range in the electric fence pen outside the eglu run all day long. I shut them inside the pen and eglu at night. I don't bother to switch the power on when they are safe at night, just when they are free ranging in the daytime. So there is still netting at night, and not seen any sign of attempts to get in closer. I am sorry to hear some of these experiences. Has anyone with electric fencing lost chickens? I was told to keep the fence on even at night as if the fox discovers that it is ever left off, he will be back regularly to check. Our local farm shop has chooks protected by electric fencing...the strand type (like Louisdog's) not netting... and says that a fox got through the strands once. He also says that he thinks the fox visits several times a night to check if the fence is on. I am guessing that the netting is better as there is no physical way through the strands. We leave our electric fence on all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Forgot to mention - I lost a duck from behind electric netting, before I installed the strands. I believed the strands gave a better kick. Still don't know how the fox got past the netting, whether it leapt over it or scrabbled under. It did it in winter in frosty temperatures - maybe that affects the charge/voltage? I hate foxes nowadays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Yes, the battery loses a lot of power in cold temps. A fox could easily jump over electric netting but he usually tests the fence first and (hopefully) gets a zap and so stays away. I think that is another reason for keeping the fence on all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Mine was a mains energiser but maybe the same still applies in the cold, maybe it loses a lot of the charge somehow. I agree about leaving it on 24/7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Cottage Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Well I left the electric netting on all night last night because I heard the fox barking next door! It is comforting looking out to see the red flash from the energiser to show it is working... We have a battery version, but I specified a 120Ah battery, stronger than the one normally sold. It lasts longer (about 4 months) and has a better Zap. The net is pegged down all round. You need to keep long grass etc away from the fence so it stays on full power. I am just not sure whether it is really necessary to have the fence on at night, as the eglu and wire run are pretty tough anyway. I understand Foxes might keep trying it, but we have never seen signs of a breach when the power has been off. And it is on when the girls are out. Maybe we have just been lucky so far? The first two days we had the eglu without netting there were teeth marks and scratches on the eglu in the morning. Just shows Foxes are on the case 24-7! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickeroo Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Gosh I've just has a lucky escape!!!!!!! The dog is owed a large bone! Girls freeranging from 11am, I pop in and out and Lottie the dog sits and watches the garden from our conservatory. At 12.30 lunch time today Lottie suddenly bolted and instinctually I ran for the back door let her out and at that point the chickens go bezerk, lottie and I charge down the steps not knowing what the noise is about and the dogs bombs for the hedge. All I can see are feathers and the chickens running towards me and then poor Bridget comes out from the hedge looking shocked. She headed for a corner and crouched behind some wood so I scooped her up,she seems unharmed but put all girls back in their cube and checked the rest of the garden. Hope she's not too shocked but I think the dog saved her as her feathers are half way up the fence, so Lottie must have scared the fox into dropping Bridget....Lets hope she'll recover from her ordeal...will watch her over the next few hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Well I left the electric netting on all night last night because I heard the fox barking next door! It is comforting looking out to see the red flash from the energiser to show it is working... We have a battery version, but I specified a 120Ah battery, stronger than the one normally sold. It lasts longer (about 4 months) and has a better Zap. The net is pegged down all round. You need to keep long grass etc away from the fence so it stays on full power. I am just not sure whether it is really necessary to have the fence on at night, as the eglu and wire run are pretty tough anyway. I understand Foxes might keep trying it, but we have never seen signs of a breach when the power has been off. And it is on when the girls are out. Maybe we have just been lucky so far? The first two days we had the eglu without netting there were teeth marks and scratches on the eglu in the morning. Just shows Foxes are on the case 24-7! As I understand it, you have to imagine that one night a fox comes along and smells chickens. It tests the fence for an easy way in and fails but does not get zapped because you don't have the electricity on, so he jumps clear over the fence in a single bound. He can't get to the chooks while they are tucked up in bed, so jumps out again. Then he comes along in daytime one day when the chooks are out and about, knowing that the way to get in is to leap over the fence, the fox may just leap over the electric fence without testing it first with its nose. Also, if he can jump in during the night, he has all night to find a weakness in the coop set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Gosh I've just has a lucky escape!!!!!!! The dog is owed a large bone! Girls freeranging from 11am, I pop in and out and Lottie the dog sits and watches the garden from our conservatory. At 12.30 lunch time today Lottie suddenly bolted and instinctually I ran for the back door let her out and at that point the chickens go bezerk, lottie and I charge down the steps not knowing what the noise is about and the dogs bombs for the hedge. All I can see are feathers and the chickens running towards me and then poor Bridget comes out from the hedge looking shocked. She headed for a corner and crouched behind some wood so I scooped her up,she seems unharmed but put all girls back in their cube and checked the rest of the garden. Hope she's not too shocked but I think the dog saved her as her feathers are half way up the fence, so Lottie must have scared the fox into dropping Bridget....Lets hope she'll recover from her ordeal...will watch her over the next few hours How lucky, well done that dog ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Gosh I've just has a lucky escape!!!!!!! The dog is owed a large bone! Girls freeranging from 11am, I pop in and out and Lottie the dog sits and watches the garden from our conservatory. At 12.30 lunch time today Lottie suddenly bolted and instinctually I ran for the back door let her out and at that point the chickens go bezerk, lottie and I charge down the steps not knowing what the noise is about and the dogs bombs for the hedge. All I can see are feathers and the chickens running towards me and then poor Bridget comes out from the hedge looking shocked. She headed for a corner and crouched behind some wood so I scooped her up,she seems unharmed but put all girls back in their cube and checked the rest of the garden. Hope she's not too shocked but I think the dog saved her as her feathers are half way up the fence, so Lottie must have scared the fox into dropping Bridget....Lets hope she'll recover from her ordeal...will watch her over the next few hours So lucky, that's a clever pooch you've got there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Sounds like a lucky escape indeed, chickeroo. I hope that your hen is on the mend. Please remember to check her over thoroughly for injuries, because if their were any puncture wounds, she may need antibiotics from the vet. Here's hoping she is unscathed, except for a few feathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Have seen foxes all times of day. Those chickens smell very good to him I think the lesson is not to leave the birds out alone at all really. Once the fox knows there is food it will be back. Usually as if it really is a problem find your friendly farmer/gamekeeper who normally will help sort it out as they often have an interest in keeping them under control. A lot of foxes tend to get poisoned by farmers these days which is a shame. No different to domestic cat killing a bird or frog etc sorry dont mean to preach indie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 just a lttle help on finding out what happen'd to one of my chickens i couldn't find one of my chickens today ,,,and just presumed she had got over the fence after looking harder i found her in the bottom of a the small tree sadly she was dead ...with her head missing and what seemed like her middle had been chewed .with puncture marks ,,,,i have never seen a fox attack before ,i would of thought the puncture marks would have been bigger ,,,,,only going by the size of my dogs teeth my other chickens where un touched ,,they live in there own compound ,,,now sometimes they manage to get out ,,,and i wonder if my chicken was out on its own when she was attacked i found the dead one a 1 feet away form there enclosure , does this sound like a typical fox attack thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Where we live is quite rural and i have seen foxes in the lane as i drive down to my house, so i suspect there is a den there. Also there is a hill at the back of our property and one night i thought someone was getting mugged...... the screaming was horrendous! ....it was a fox. Touch wood, never had problems with foxes. The Eglu is an excellent design and if a fox can get past that then it is a very clever fox indeed. we have our run underneath the bedroom window. Also an intruder light outside the back door. Finally the three greyhounds. Their hearing is very acute. One sniff of trouble and i'll just open the back door No more foxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Hi yes head bitten off and scratch does sound like a fox....they dont just kill to eat... they will come back for the carcass when they need to, thats why u will always hear people saying they dont just kill one ...the kill them all if they can. Then they will leave them to revisit. unfortunately electric fencing is one of the more sure ways of stopping foxes even if u r around ie in doors the fox is a good opportunist and will always come back to the smell of food..you will always run the risk with free ranging that you willl lose a bird or more to the fox(my relative lives in built up london and she gets foxes in her garden with their cubs and she feeds them) Much to my disgust indie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ella Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Well about 2 years ago me and my grandad got 2 female chicks. they grew up happily and calmly. when me and my grandad noticed the extremely large burrows trying to get in the run we fox proofed it by putting slabs around the edges. Unfortuatly about three weeks later the fox managed to dig a hole to get in out of a 1 foot space and killed poor bubble and squeak. Now we have the same problem with our new chickens and we have to trap them in at night because we have 2 rare breeds. Fingers crossed that the fox doesn't get in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 HI if the foxes are digging in if u can get a ribbon of electric tape ie the equine tape and run it around the ground this may help(someone else does that on here) an idea obviously attach an energiser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryHas Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I lost one to a fox, it was late morning in the heavy snow and I saw it with the hen in it mouth, case out after it, it droped the hen and run of , unfortunatley had to put Marmite out of her misery. since then its been supervised free ranging ever since, we have woods at the back of us and our neighbour had a fox run he blocked up. I'm interseted in the fox watch though as I have 10 more girls arriving (had three lost two one down to illness) But I have two dogs, was looking at an electric fence, I have the fence just need to get the transformer. Whats best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlegem Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Had a fox jumping up and down on top of the run the other morning, the girls were going mad. We let the dog out but it just sat on the garage roof bold as brass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I lost one to a fox, it was late morning in the heavy snow and I saw it with the hen in it mouth, case out after it, it droped the hen and run of , unfortunatley had to put Marmite out of her misery. since then its been supervised free ranging ever since, we have woods at the back of us and our neighbour had a fox run he blocked up. I'm interseted in the fox watch though as I have 10 more girls arriving (had three lost two one down to illness) But I have two dogs, was looking at an electric fence, I have the fence just need to get the transformer. Whats best? Do you mean, what's the best transformer to get or is foxwatch or electric fence best? I think the electric fence would win hands down over foxwatch Re transformer (known as an energizer or sender), you need to make sure it is suitable for electric netting. It needs to be more powerful than the energizers used for single-strand horse fencing. There are many brands, so best see what your local equine/poultry shop keeps. There are lots of companies selling them online too. If you are going to run the fence off the mains you need to get an energizer specially for that, but most people run the fence off a 12 volt battery (an old car battery is OK, but a deep leisure cycle battery is better) and so that takes a different type of energizer. Last, you need an earth stake (a long metal rod that you hammer into the ground. The instructions with ours said to hammer it 3 ft down, but we could only get it in about a ft and the fence works fine). Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter S Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Assuming this topic is still active... Overnight 10-11 June 2009, Birmingham All four hens taken Hens shut inside Eglu run, door to Eglu house open, door to Eglu run shut Large burrow underneath Eglu house into run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Sorry to hear that. A fox got in my Eglu run too I use an aviary and electric fencing now. Dratted foxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Assuming this topic is still active... Overnight 10-11 June 2009, Birmingham All four hens taken Hens shut inside Eglu run, door to Eglu house open, door to Eglu run shut Large burrow underneath Eglu house into run So sorry to hear that Peter. Sorry if I'm being insensitive, but I'm assuming that they burrowed under in just one night , is that right? Certainly makes me think about beefing things up around me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter S Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 So sorry to hear that Peter. Sorry if I'm being insensitive, but I'm assuming that they burrowed under in just one night , is that right? Certainly makes me think about beefing things up around me Thanks. Yes, no sign of any burrowing yesterday (or indeed ever before), so all happened in one night. We're going to lay some patio slabs and try to attach some wire mesh to the bottom of the run to stop this happening again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beckyfitz Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Mine were free-ranging in the garden, I was in the kitchen, my son came running to tell me a fox had one of our cjickens. I ran out but it was long gone. That was September time but getting towards dusk I suppose. We now make sure they are safely tucked up before 'fox o'clock'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
