Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[ToryLou]

Dear All,

please help!!

i have 4 chickens , cats, g pigs and children. We had our 2nd fox visit this morning, and fortunately all my ladies are ok. i have not noticed foxes having an interested in gpigs or rabbits while here, but we had an attack on the chickens in August, and again today. (possibly more unsuccesful ones who knows??) and we have had the chickens over a year.

 

However, how can i add extra fox proofing that is cat and child safe. I don't want to use electric fencing cos of the kids.

I have read about fox watch, will that upset my cats and/ or next doors dog??

 

i think we do need to make the fencing higher around the run, but if determined he will still be able to climb over the garage i suppose, which makes up one side of their run.

 

 

any suggestions/ answers welcome

 

Vicki

[Chicken Shirl]

Sorry to hear about your fox attack. Glad the girlies are OK. I am not experienced about foxes, but I know someone will be along soon that will be able to help you. Hope you get it all sorted. xx

[skye]

Hi ToryLou

 

Really sorry to hear you've been visited by the dratted fox for the second time. Hope your remaining girls are ok?

 

I think the only way to be sure your girls are completely safe from the fox in their run is to have a secure roof of something like onduline or corrugated plastic fixed firmly onto it. Also paving slabs around the bottom of the run, or weldmesh buried in the ground around the frame, will deter foxes digging their way into it.

 

The Foxwatch product is not an absolutely guaranteed deterrent, but its high-pitched sound is only audible to foxes and does not annoy domestic cats and dogs apparently. However to be effective it must be switched on all the time if connected to the mains or always have fresh batteries inside it.

 

Good luck and hope you and your hens are all ok after your shock

 

skye x

[ToryLou]

i should add we have an outer run (with about 4 1/2ft high fence) with a serarate coop/ run combo inside. this inner coop/ run is shut at dusk, and the fox was attacking the chickens through the wire of this at 5.50 this morning. it was very dark still..

[Chucky Mama]

Can't offer any practical advise but do be as worried about your rabbits and guineas as you are about your chickens.

[Egluntyne]

A fox watch won't upset your cat, but the dog might be affected by it. Depends how close the property is, I suppose.

 

I agree with Chucky Mama about the rabbits and guinea pigs. We have lost both to the fox in the past. (Pre Eglu).

[sandyhas3chucks]

i should add we have an outer run (with about 4 1/2ft high fence) with a serarate coop/ run combo inside. this inner coop/ run is shut at dusk, and the fox was attacking the chickens through the wire of this at 5.50 this morning. it was very dark still..

could you explain a bit more please....

were your chickens up at 5.50?

mine are tucked up asleep and secure until nearly 7 am these dark mornings, sometimes later.

I think I might be ready this wrong.

and 4 1/2 ft fence won't keep a fox out AT ALL NOT EVEN MAKE IT STOP AND THINK!

I agree with Skye, and it wil be back, it's the nature of the beast.

I have 2 fox watches on have had 2 go faulty(they replace them no trouble. I think one has gone wrong again.

From my experience unless all 4 I have had are faulty NO dogs have been bothered in the slightest... I was with the bloonin noise the 1st faulty on made.

But have read of some people REALLY REALLYrating them!

[TAJ]

You simply need to ensure the chickens (and other pets) are fully fox proofed. The one I caught 11.30 am in the garden back in Jan simply lept over a 6ft fence to get out, so the only alternative is to keep the girls secure. Locaaly people have also lost Guinea pigs - we have extra fox proof locks on the guinea pig housing, granite sets weighting down the run door. From the bitten wood I know a fox has tried to get into the guinea pig. In almost 2 years of chickens we have only seen a fox in the garden once, but I know they are around - one walked down the footpath next to our garden only last week.

 

Alpaca'a are supposed to be good guard dogs for chickens, but not an option in my little garden!

 

Tracy

[debbier]

My sister had some g-pigs taken by foxes

[ToryLou]

the outer fence is to keep the girls In! ie confined to their pen, not the whole garden. i know this wont keep foxes cats etc out. it is not practical for us to make this outer run higher on all sides or to cover over the top due to location/ presence of trees etc.

 

the chooks were, i believe asleep at this time, and that the presence of the fox, scratching biting or whatever it was doing at the inner run- coop woke them up.

 

ANYWAY.... we have spayed around the edges of our garden with dil. ammonia from a squirty bottle, and fingers crossed he's not been back.

i need to repeat this as surely its washed away now!!

 

so 2 visits, one in august and then in November. and touch wood our rodents never been visibly affected.

 

sorry for delay. thanks for posting x

[Mollie333]

Hi,

 

i lost my pekin, Dear (the buff/ lemon cuckoo in my signiture) on the 9th.. i miss her so much..it also took on a 19 pound turkey hen,she is badly injured but recovering..

Make sure you have a good routine.. i.e: Let the chickens out at 7:30ish (earlier when it is light mornings), supervised free ranging all day or secure WIR, or electric fences, as soon as it starts to get dark, lock the chickens in the eglu, cube, coope, whatever and make sure they cant even get into the run.

as for foxwatch i'm getting a few, ithink, but eveyone are sayingt its not wearth it, and they brake.. Hmm..

well i heard male human urine works LOL!

 

 

goodluck..

[ToryLou]

we tried the men of the house weeing, but it was a but undignified for them and then i read about ammonia, similar in some ways to urine, so used that.

it was funny though, both dh and ds were up for not peeing in the loo!! lol

mr fox not been back ! hurray

(well he's not made the chickens squawk, so i assume he hasn't)

 

both attacks were early morning.

 

sorry to here about your loss

 

x

[Mollie333]

I actually feed really bad.

Then again, it did kill my hen and attack my turkey..

i just threw a stapeler at the fox, it didnt see me, (at night) and it went limping off..

Oops.. it was really near my chickens..

 

So glad the fox hasn't visited you tonight so the male urine didnt work?

Hmm..

How many chooks have you got?

 

x

[ToryLou]

we have 4 girls, all hybrids - 2 ambers, one marsham blue aka bluebell, and a black one, dont remember name of this hybrid!

 

i dont know if the male urine worked, but as ammonia is pretty strong, and it was autumn, and the boys kept forgetting to do their morning wee (the strongest stuff) in a bottle or outside, we went with the ammonia idea.

 

i'd have done more than lob a stapler at it.

with the first attack my brother in law managed to whack it one with a piece of 2 by4 that was handy. dont know if it was injured but b-i-l would have messed about. fox dropped the amber, leapt out of run and fled pdq.

2nd time we yelled a lot and chased it off, throwing whatever we could but i'm a lousy shot.

 

and fortunately he was up early and at the back door at the time (they were off to catch a ferry ) otherwise we'd have lost at least one by the time we'd got up and outside..

 

torylou x