Poorly chicken

[Richard and Jo]

2 in 2 weeks now. This was our fault because we know the fox comes round earlier - about 8. I was distracted by doing diy (I fitted a new light and for some reason it was flashing - no idea why and will make a great posting on a diy chat room) -Anyway heard a massive commotion and looked out to see the fox going for Margot. I shouted and ran down the garden. Fox grabbed Margot and turned away. I slipped on the wet grass and slid into the fence. The fox turned and ran with Margot. I lay there thinking that was it when Margot popped out of the trees - minus quite a few feathers. I opened the fence and she ran up to the house as though she felt safe there. I picked her up and for the 1st time she lay down on my lap. The others actually got jealous of her!

I let them out this morning (into the run only) and she seems fine.

 

We are very lucky - and so is Margot

[PurpleHen]

Thats was a close one

But glad it all turned out well in the end - maybe you frightened the fox a bit by banging into the fence

Well done for the quick reaction though and hope Margot continues to be well.

[Paola]

How awful for you both. Poor Margot. Really glad it turned out well in the end. Brave chook.

 

Do you have a fox watch?

[Richard and Jo]

We dont because the fox jumps the fence at the end of the garden and there are trees and bushes all along the fence so I am not sure it will set the fox watch off before it gets to the chickens. I may get one anyway to try and stop the poo all over the grass.

[Paola]

Am sure I read that somebody hung a radio from a tree while the chooks were out. Also it might be worth Richard weeing around the garden and also maybe get some hair from your local hairdressers to hang in socks round the garden.

 

Good luck

[parmaviolet]

We had a fox problem last October when a fox came by almost every day at differing times over a two/three week period. Some days it came by 5/6 times a day. Each time I would chase it off ( I used to work odd days and luckily I was home three days during the week and Os was here at the weekends) Over this period I had to confine J & A to the run as I couldn't be sure that the Fox wasn't around. Sometimes I could see that it was asleep in next doors garden.

 

I threw water at it, threw rocks at it, chased it off, Slept in the back bedroom with the window open in order to hear it. Os peed round the garden etc. At first the girls were terrified, one time I caught it on top of the run trying to get it's paws between the mesh. Then it just stopped coming.

 

Then in February, I came back from shopping and found another fox sniffing round the side of the run. The girls didn't even make a sound.....I think they realise that a fox can't get them if they are safe in the run.....it's the only thing I can think of.

 

In May we had the odd experience of a fox with a baby in it's mouth looking in. It was walking along the 6ft back fence behind our small garden shed. It must have seen the girls in their run, but it didn't even come down into the garden. Again the girls will have seen it, but made no sound.

 

Since then we've had fox visits (to our knowledge, but we realise that night time visits will obviously go undetected unless they leave us a 'present') around once every 10-12 weeks. In London this is pretty sp"Ooops, word censored!", we know people who have foxes visit their gardens almost every week.

 

BTW a woman in the street behind further down from us has a Fox deterrant of some kind (little green box) and she still gets foxs, in fact she has a real problem with them. She's tried everything, trapping included, which did not work. I'm not sure what she's doing now, as she was the person who reported us to the council for encouraging foxes (even though, as we recently found out, that she had a problem with foxes before we even considered moving here) so we don't have any contact with her.

 

Once we've moved, by the end of the year I hope, we are going to get electric fencing.

 

ps

 

Regarding music/Radio

 

Os plays CDs in the kitchen at 6pm every eve with the back door open while he chills with the chooks and a beer. It's loud enough to be heard at the bottom of the garden where the foxs come in from. Well it is only a 40ft garden, so it's not big!!!! But the Foxs still come, maybe they like The Clash

 

You might have better luck in Bookham than we have in Wimbledon, our foxs are far too tame. I know that some people in Wimbledon feed them.

[chocchick]

That was so lucky, I was then almost with relief at little Margot coming back to you. My stomach churns reading about fox attacks since ours.

Sometimes I could see that it was asleep in next doors garden.

 

I threw water at it, threw rocks at it, chased it off,

Bad case of foxes

 

she was the person who reported us to the council for encouraging foxes (even though, as we recently found out, that she had a problem with foxes before we even considered moving here) so we don't have any contact with her.

 

Once we've moved, by the end of the year I hope, we are going to get electric fencing.

 

ps

 

Regarding music/Radio

 

Os plays CDs in the kitchen at 6pm every eve with the back door open while he chills with the chooks and a beer. It's loud enough to be heard at the bottom of the garden where the foxs come in from. Well it is only a 40ft garden, so it's not big!!!! But the Foxs still come, maybe they like The Clash

 

I'm sure you could only encourage foxes by actually delibrately leaving out food silly woman

 

The radio has to be on talk radio as foxes are generally scared that people could be there- except your scary ones

[AnnieP]

What a lucky escape! Hope you didn't hurt yourself in the fall.... Now we know the story had a happy ending, I expect the whole thing looked rather comical! sorry!

 

Can't really offer any suggestions: (Peeing around the garden is completely useless in wet weather, so don't bother: it also gets the neighbours talking! )

 

I think a fox watch is possibly a good idea. Although I still cannot say it works, I'm happy to have mine. I have it connected to the mains, and positioned almost on the chicken's run. It goes off constantly pretty much, because of grass moving, trees and shrubs, but I think this is great: It means that if Mr Fox came near, it would probably be going off, even if it wasn't him triggering it.

 

Do hope you don't have to repeat that experience and give Margot some extra sweetcorn today for being such a brave girl!

[Richard and Jo]

Thanks. Bought them some meal worms yesterday as a treat. Margot still laid yesterday!! We have noticed one of her eyes seems very slightly closed but she is acting like normal.