4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Squatlobster]

Hello. I was woken at 5am today by some noisy clucking. One of my wonderful new chickens had been taken, presumably by a fox.

 

There was a trail of feathers from inside their run and down the back garden. Bizarrely though, another of the chooks was wandering around the garden, apparently uninjured.

 

I have no idea how the fox (?) got in and got my chick out , or why the other one was wandering?? Could they both have been dragged out? Could a cat have done this? They have a secure, roofed enclosure, with stock fencing (graduated with small holes at the bottom) round it (thought that was adequate) and a hen house, also secure. There is no damage to the enclosure.

 

I live in the outskirts of Edinburgh. I have now surrounded the entire enclosure with fine chicken wire.

[TAJ]

Sorry to here about your loss - Did you count they were all in before locking up last night? It may be a couple roosted in a bush, not back in the hen house and got locked out.

 

Tracy

[Egluntyne]

Bad luck.

 

Chicken wire is no match for the fox I'm afraid. He can easily bite through it.

 

Weld mesh would be a better option.

[Squatlobster]

Thanks for your replies. They were all tucked in safely last night - I only had four of them. I didn't know foxes could bite through wire! Crikey. There stock fencing is rigid wire and it was undamaged, they must have been dragged out, that's all I can think of...

[Gallina]

You have to find out how the fox got in.

 

It is surprising that only one hen was killed, so I wonder if it was a fox cub. At the moment we have a vixen and her cubs constantly visiting our garden. I am taking extra care checking that there are no rat tunnels into the run, because a cub could easily enter via one of these.

 

The number of urban foxes seems to grow hugely every year, so do be careful at the moment, everyone. The cubs are particularly dangerous, because they are so tiny that you hardly see them: they may well be smaller than your hens.

 

Foxes appear from nowhere. I was fox-free all winter and just beginning to relax when they came back last week. There is no announcement: they just appear from nowhere.

[MadMitch]

It might not be a fox. There was an interesting article in this months about wild ferret/mink/stoat/weasel. I was suprised by how destructive they are with very similar kill patterns to foxes and they could get through the chicken mesh.

[MadMitch]

That was supposed to be practical poultry if you are confused. I just put in letters and got a chicken. Sorry about that.

[..lay a little egg for me]

That was supposed to be practical poultry if you are confused. I just put in letters and got a chicken. Sorry about that.

 

Gosh, I could do with some more chickens...where did you send your letters? Is it like writing to Santa?

 

Actually, I know what you did..."pp" is the code for a black chicken...I have only just found out how to do it for my 'signature'

[BarbaraJ]

Hi, sorry to hear about your chicken, does the run have a roof?

 

sorry reread yourpost and see you have a roof, sorry then i'm none the wiser

[redhotchick]

Sorry to hear you had a chicken taken. Hope you work out what took it and how.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

So sorry to hear about your poor chicken, SquatLobster . I take it you've never seen foxes round about before? I hope you manage to make your run foxproof .

[Louisdog]

Sorry to hear about the chicken

 

What type of wire was round the run? You mean stock wire like is used to fence in cattle and sheep? If so, this is definitely not fox-proof I'm afraid - the blighters can easily squeeze through it.

 

Sounds like the chicken wire should help as long as they don't bite through it or scramble up it.

[MedusA]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Foxes are a real menace round here. I check my run very regularly to make sure there are no break in attempts, having lost one of my girls last year.

 

I recommend at least 16 guage 1"X1" weld mesh. Anything thinner will be chewed through.