Big Chicken Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Hi There have been a number of posts recently of fox attacks and fox sightings during the day. Does anyone know if these daytime fox sightings are rural foxes or townie foxes. My reason for asking is that although we keep an ear out whilst our girls are free ranging we do not watch them constantly, and I don't know if we should change our set up to allow the girls only a limited area that is fenced in which we can try to fox proof. They have a walk in run but we let them out so they can have more room to scatch and flap about. We know we have a fox as our first 3 girls were killed by the fox one night when we made an error and didn't shut the eglu properly. Also can anyone tell me if a fox could pry open the front door of the eglu. We have a walk in run so the eglu is on a raised platform. I think the egg port is very secure but am concerned that a fox could pull open the front door even though I depress the front handle. I can move it and could probably snap it open if I used some force, but I'm not sure how much force a fox can exert. The fox would have had to have got through the weld mesh run first (weld meshed on the roof and floor as well as the walls) so this is really me just over worrying about our new girls Big Chicken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I doubt very much that a fox could pry open the Eglu if the door was fully closed and the handle depressed. I think townies are more likely to see a fox in the day as they have lost their fear of humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I live in a suburban environment and a friend of mine saw a fox cub at around 5.30-6pm a week ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 my mum's chickens were taken by a daytime fox and this was in the countryside. I think the fox population where she is has expanded out of control and they are therefore hungry enough to take chickens in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut12 Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 we back on to fields etc and have never seen a fox in our garden in 18 months (touching wood).I did see one down the road the other day on the way to work, he wandered between 2 mallards and a pheasant and completely ignored them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 The fox would have had to have got through the weld mesh run first (weld meshed on the roof and floor as well as the walls) so this is really me just over worrying about our new girls Big Chicken You mention that you have weld mesh on the floor of your run yet I have read that it can hurt the hens feet when they scratch. Have you had any problems with this so far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I am sure the Eglu itself is fox-proof if locked: I have had many foxes on top of it, day and night, trying to get in, and all have failed miserably. The run is not entirely fox-proof, but pretty safe. Urban foxes mainly come out during the day, because that is when people feed them. But some urban foxes are being released into the countryside, so I think you have to be careful everywhere. I don't think anyone can be certain that they are free from foxes, because you never know when the first one will arrive. You have to weigh up the pros and cons. I don't think letting hens free-range when no one is in the house is ever safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I've just chased a blooming great fox out of the garden. I haven't seen one for months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracefruit Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 The fox taking my neighbour's chickens is rural. I wonder if these are mother foxes trying to feed their cubs. Might explain why there are so many lately -- both rural and urban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koo2cat Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 The fox that got my friends hens was very rural! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Chicken Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 The fox would have had to have got through the weld mesh run first (weld meshed on the roof and floor as well as the walls) so this is really me just over worrying about our new girls Big Chicken You mention that you have weld mesh on the floor of your run yet I have read that it can hurt the hens feet when they scratch. Have you had any problems with this so far? We haven't had any problems so far. On top of the mesh we have a really thick layer of auboise so they can scratch around in comfort through this. Big Chicken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 It is an urban myth that rural foxes only come out at night. It is just not true. I live in the country surrounded by trees giving them good cover. I have seen foxes at all times of the day and they are not released urban foxes. It has got to the point now that I recognise each one and know its daily run. They are not only still feeding their young but some are also teaching their youngsters how to hunt. Chickens are easy prey, much less trouble than chasing a wild rabbit. Looking on the bright side, they do eat rats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanson Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I haven't seen an urban fox when the day is busy. I've seen them a couple of times in daylight around 6/7am and they are quite bold around the few people up and about. Their night time cries alert me to their presence in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janette1954 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I had to leave work at lunchtime yesterday for a hospital appointment and a fox ran across the road in front of me,that was in a busy built up area of Bristol,there were a lot of people around,this meant that my girls were confined to quarters until I got back from the appointment as I was too scared to let them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
