Mutrix Farmers Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 We lost Gertrude to the pesky fox at the weekend! To make it even worse, our neighbour was very kindly chicken sitting for the weekend so he found the pile of feathers. He feels awful, even though it wsn't his fault, she tunnelled out of the bark run and couldn't find her way back in again so was left stranded at night (our neighbour knew we had left them in the Eglu run and didn't lock the eglu as we said they would be OK with the door open as the run is fairly fox proof - we reckoned without tunnelling chickens!!) We're now paranoid. The girls are shut back in the Eglu run by 8.30 now instead of being allowed to find their own way back at dusk. The bark on which their run is placed now has to be made tunnel proof - OH suggested bringing home some bus panels (he's a bus driver)to bury in the ground. Girls have been told to stop digging such huge holes in the bark! So the motto of this tale is "check your hens at dusk every day so you know they are safe"!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrin Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 sorry to hear that I've only had my girls a few days and I already can't imagine losing one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 So sorry to hear that - loose ground is very easy for foxes and hens to dig in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 So sorry to hear that. I lined my wood chip pit with concrete and bricked the edges too, so the wily fox couldn't get in and the girls couldn't get out. RIP Gertrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'm so sorry to hear your sad news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitbag Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Sorry to hear it. It is even more upsetting to lose a chook to a fox than from 'natural causes' in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Sorry to hear it. I have mine locked back in the run by 6pm.......the foxes here are very bold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'm so sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toonfamily Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'm so sorry to hear about your Hen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*mummy_hen* Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 How sad I would definately now make the run more secure....if she could dig out, something could easily dig in. Even laying a line of patio slabs around the outside would help prevent this. 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 of you loss, as we had a similar (although rather more extensive) loss this morning. We shut our four girls in the Eglu run at about 7 pm last night, as we were going out. At this time of year, we never shut the door to the Eglu house, so the girls can let themselves out in the morning. We always assumed that, once they were in the run, they were safe. Certainly, this is what we always do when we are away for a few days. This morning, however, I went out to find a fox (or similar) had burrowed its way underneath the house and into the run. Nothing left of our beautiful girls other than hundreds of feathers. The horrible thing is, the girls had nowhere to go - effectively, they were trapped inside the run. We have never seen a fox in our garden before, and have never seen any evidence that we have been visited. The only thing I can think of to do is to lay some concrete slabs to create a patio, and possibly fix some mesh over the base of the run. We'll have to leave it for a few weeks before getting more hens, though. I feel sick, and keep thinking "If only..." - but then I always thought they would be secure in the run, so am not sure what I could hve done to prevent this. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Try putting some slabs under the housing and the edges of the run I did that with my eglu and then modified it for the cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 So sorry to hear of you loss, as we had a similar (although rather more extensive) loss this morning. We shut our four girls in the Eglu run at about 7 pm last night, as we were going out. At this time of year, we never shut the door to the Eglu house, so the girls can let themselves out in the morning. We always assumed that, once they were in the run, they were safe. Certainly, this is what we always do when we are away for a few days. This morning, however, I went out to find a fox (or similar) had burrowed its way underneath the house and into the run. Nothing left of our beautiful girls other than hundreds of feathers. The horrible thing is, the girls had nowhere to go - effectively, they were trapped inside the run. We have never seen a fox in our garden before, and have never seen any evidence that we have been visited. The only thing I can think of to do is to lay some concrete slabs to create a patio, and possibly fix some mesh over the base of the run. We'll have to leave it for a few weeks before getting more hens, though. I feel sick, and keep thinking "If only..." - but then I always thought they would be secure in the run, so am not sure what I could hve done to prevent this. Peter I'm so sorry Peter, that must have been a terrible shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter S Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I'm so sorry Peter, that must have been a terrible shock. Thanks for your kind words - I am completely in pieces today, and cannot stop thinking about how terrible it must have been for my poor girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 How Awful for you ! We often leave the eglu door open and I have been woken once or twice by a commotion which has ben a fox trying to get into the run. They have tended to chew through the clips holding the run together and with me waking up have never managed to get in. We now use cable ties as well to hold the run together as they are harder to chew through. We've never had one try to burrow it's way in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
