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Tigerlily

Blinking FOX! I knew this day would come...

By Tigerlily, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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Tigerlily Frequent Layer

Tigerlily

Posted
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:shock:

Well I knew it would happen one day... Luckily no one really hurt, just Betty very slightly injured - I think foxy loxy just managed to catch her comb near her nostrils :(

 

All chooks traumatised (plus myself and OH), but ok, thank goodness :pray:

 

It was around 7.30am, I had been to let them out the eglu into their run at 7am and give them their breakfast pellet porridge. I was a lot longer than usual as I emptied the droppings tray and put fresh hemcore in the nestbox. Everything was fine...

 

I went upstairs to start getting ready for work and OH said "the girls are making a right noise - is one of them laying? " I went to the back bedroom and opened the curtains/window to hear them squawking like mad :shock: nothing in our garden but... in next door's garden I saw a fox (a Vixen I presume) sloping off into theirs :shock::shock::shock: Spring is nearly here and the cubs will have been born...

 

I don't think I have ever shot downstairs so quick! Gnasher, my ever trusty cat decided to do sentry duty over the back fence and I spent 30 mins trying to calm the girls down. Luckily Betty's injury is so slight, it must have just caught her through the run bars with a claw maybe? you can hardly tell it's an injury and it's not bleeding at all now.

 

So...phew! Thank goodness they were in the run! :) I now have fox watch ordered and have asked OH to leave his calling card around the garden!!! :oops::lol:

 

Is there anything else I should put in place to protect my girls?

 

I am so lucky to have an undestanding boss- I phoned her panicking and she has allowed me to take leave for today :clap::clap: she's lovely!

 

BW, :)

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Posted
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Oh no what a pain Mr F is

 

I had 57 ducks incl my own and mallards in my back garden middle of the day and my son said Mum there is a fox. :evil: ..I dashed out t shirt and pants only yelling up the garden..the fox stood there as it couldnt believe how many ducks it had the pick of :twisted:

All the ducks were frozen on the spot and the fox was just in the middle of the lot(I mean apart from my Aylesburys all the others could have flown off :!:

 

Mr F grabbed a mallard and I gave chase and it dropped it (we have a pond & it was trapped). :o It was one lucky duck :D

 

Also some of the ducks in their panic run into our picket fence and I had to go along and pull them back out as they got stuck being so fat.

 

Even though most people think foxes come out only at dusk ...you will be surprised they are out a bit more I have seen them any time of the day.

There are more of them about as well for the obvious reasons....

 

My neighbour lost a silkie right under her nose..I think chicks have been lucky...its is v annoying(I lost most ofl my ducks in their wooden house the fox broke in..whats annoying is they kill the lot ..not a fox expert but i understand they have really bad eyesight but if it moves they will kill it..they will then come back and eat the rest eventually)...lucky chickens indie

perhaps it was my lack of clothing that scared it off mind u, not a pretty sight :eh:

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Groovychook Feathery Fanatic

Groovychook

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I had a scary fox moment today too! :shock:

 

I'd been out in the garden with the girls free ranging inside their fenced area. My oven timer went off so I rushed inside to check on my cake, leaving OH chopping logs out there so wasn't unduly worried. I'd been inside for less than a minute, glanced out of the kitchen window to see the girls all clumped together and staring at something. I noticed that Blanche was sort of squatting and she looked so strange that I took a closer look at what they were transfixed by. Had the fright of my life to see Mrs Fox in the garden, on the other side of the fence to them, ready to jump over! :twisted: I charged out of the house, screaming at the top of my voice and chased it out of the garden.

 

What a close shave... I'm normally so careful- just goes to show that you have to keep your guard up at all times. Foxy must have been waiting for me to go inside and could see that OH was occupied.

 

Operation walk in run has now stepped up a gear!

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Chillicat Frequent Layer

Chillicat

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Glad you posted this.

Its true, I'm dreading the day, but know it will come.

I've seen a fox running up the road before now :shock:

 

Don't forget human hair..........go to your hairdressers and collect the clippings.........much easier to explain that OH's putting in their contribution :shock::oops::lol:

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RosemarysBaby Frequent Layer

RosemarysBaby

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I haven't got my chickens yet and am wary of foxes coming a calling but today we had a giant hawk fly into our garden! Does anyone let their chickens free range and have you had any problems with hawks taking any birds? I am so worried i started googling like mad on hawks and dreading i can't let them out to roam the garden. gonna start pricing giant walk in runs i think.

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Tigerlily Frequent Layer

Tigerlily

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Hi everyone :D

Thanks so much for all the support and replies... We haven't seen any sign of Foxy Loxy since :pray: and the girls have been fine and managed to have a 8) in the sun on friday afternoon!

 

My foxwatch arrived in the post this morning! Fantastic service :clap: they promised they would despatch it 1st class the same day and they did! So it's all set up in the garden now, I'll let you know how I get on with it.

 

What a close shave... I'm normally so careful- just goes to show that you have to keep your guard up at all times. Foxy must have been waiting for me to go inside and could see that OH was occupied.

 

Groovychook - My girls were out for 4 hours only last Sunday with myself and Mr TL just keeping an eye on them fleetingly... If foxy had struck then it would have been a tragedy :cry: It's made me realise you can't turn your back on them for a second - so we can only do supervised outings from now on!

 

 

Does anyone let their chickens free range and have you had any problems with hawks taking any birds? I am so worried i started googling like mad on hawks and dreading i can't let them out to roam the garden. gonna start pricing giant walk in runs i think.

I haven't got my chickens yet and am wary of foxes coming a calling but today we had a giant hawk fly into our garden! Does anyone let their chickens free range and have you had any problems with hawks taking any birds? I am so worried i started googling like mad on hawks and dreading i can't let them out to roam the garden. gonna start pricing giant walk in runs i think.

 

I think I have read posts on here about hawks trying to attack chickens. They probably could get a bantam, but I'm not sure about bigger girls - but I'm sure they would cause injuries if they tried to... Someone I know seen a hawk take a flying magpie out of the sky :shock: so I suppose it could be possible. My neighbour has seen a hawk here as well - it has managed to get a few wild birds :( unfortunately.

 

Thanks again everyone :D for all your concern x

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One_Box Chicken Eggspert

One_Box

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I'm glad your girls are OK and that no lasting damage has been done.

 

It's always a balance - I let my lot out of their run into an area enclosed by Omlet netting most of the day but only allow them into the rest of the garden when we or the hounds are in attendance. I know foxes patrol the area but have only seen them in our garden or by our 5 bar gate at night. The trouble is if I keep them in the run too much I get feather pecking :shock:

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Tigerlily Frequent Layer

Tigerlily

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:shock:

 

So glad they'll (and you) will be ok.

But did Mrs Fox get into the Eglu run? I had hoped it was fox proof??

No Mrs Fox didn't get in thank goodness! :) But she must have got right up to the bars and managed to claw Betty slightly - I presumed Betty was crouched over having her pellet porridge and she was caught unawares :shock:

 

The run is only fox resistant not fox proof. The Eglu is fox proof (with the door shut I think)

 

I'm glad your girls are OK and that no lasting damage has been done.

It's always a balance - I let my lot out of their run into an area enclosed by Omlet netting most of the day but only allow them into the rest of the garden when we or the hounds are in attendance. I know foxes patrol the area but have only seen them in our garden or by our 5 bar gate at night. The trouble is if I keep them in the run too much I get feather pecking :shock:

 

It is striking a balance - you are so right!

 

BW :)

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