Unsecure chicken perches

[Minty_76]

Hello all

 

I am worried that having chickens may bring foxes into the garden. I have 2 rabbits and although I've never seen a fox there maybe a possibility I could if it smelt hens. Has anyone found that a fox has suddenly appeared in their garden? I live in a estate with surrounding neighbours and 6 ft fences.

 

Thanks

[Space Chick]

Urban foxes are around everywhere, just because you haven't seen one, doesn't mean there hasn't been one.

[Egluntyne]

Space Chick is right I'm afraid.

[Minty_76]

Yeah i thought as much. I don't think anything has had a go at my bunnies except the neighbourhood cat posse.

[gongladosh]

One thing worth remembering is that a 6ft fence is nothing to a fox (or a cat for that matter!)

 

Most urban areas have foxes but you don't tend to see them in daylight hours (you can get them during the day of course).

 

Sadly it's an ongoing risk.

[Olly]

Afraid that daylight, 6' fences, neighbours, and even dogs are not a deterrent to a hungry fox. It's pretty much a certainty that there is one around and he already knows if you have bunnies or chooks.

[francesca88]

Has anyone had chickens for a while and not had ANY signs of a fox visit though? I've had chickens since July 2009 and have never had a problem... although I am very precautious, have my run on paving slabs, have double locks on doors etc.

[richardr]

Hi All,

We live in London. We'd seen foxes early morning but never in our small terraced garden.

First night we had our girls, back in early May, he was in the garden.

I don't think I slept for about a fortnight!

The girls are in an eglu classic with three metre run, on grass, with lot of tent pegs.

We shut the eglu door at night.

He was a regular visitor each night.

As time has passed, we've seen less and less of him and I'm becoming a little more relaxed.

 

Relaxed but not complacent.

 

Last week, at about 3.30 am I had my suspisions confirmed.

I heard him coming over our fence.

I didn't disturb him, as I wanted to see what he got up to and where I might need to bolster defences.

It took him a couple of miute to pick his way in as I've put brambles and thorns over our six foot fence.

Once in, he was in the garden for less than a minute. He did a cursory check around the perimiter, around the droppings tray at the back uo the cube - Big plant pot up against that - and at the run door.

Then up onto the top of the run, along it, one leap, over the fence and gone.

He was just checking.

Thus, we may not see that much of him, but we're on his 'to do' list each night.

 

So don't drop your guard.

 

The girls have seen very little of him. The few occasions when there has been an issue is when we haven't been able to close the eglu door at night and the girls wander out as soon as its light - I usually let them out into the run at about 6.45 - I or my neighbours have then been awoken by them shouting and found Fox in the garden terrorising them. One of our girls then usually lays softies for a couple of days.

On the subject of neighbours, I was so worried before I got the girls, but everyone seems to have fallen under their spell and they are the talk of the street.

 

And finally, thank you all.

This is my first post, but I've been reading for a while and you are all a great source of information and encouragement.

I didn't want chickens, my OH did.

Occassionally, she will now ban me from mentioning the 'C' word for an entire evening. Me, a chicken bore...Never!

[Lisa C]

Occassionally, she will now ban me from mentioning the 'C' word for an entire evening. Me, a chicken bore...Never!

 

Dont know what you mean

[hammy72]

We live about 3 miles from the centre of a city but we definately get them. My dogs chase them out of the garden and we see them on our early morning walks sometimes. My neighbours sadly had one of their rabbits killed by one about 3 years ago. I think we still get a fox coming back to check out their rabbits. They are locked up at sunset but they do leave them in their run in the day which I can step into so it's not that high. I have told my neighbours that we are getting chickens just incase it attracts more fox visits so that they can look at their defences. I am worried about daytime visits when I am at work so the chickens will have to be in their run when I am not around.

[johnandkymberley]

Hi, i have never seen a fox but dont doubt they are around, since i have got hens about 7 other people on my street have got them, so hopefully he wont bother with mine! the annoying "know it all" postman said someone had a fox attack, he says stupid stuff like "careful that your hens start flying overhead" he always has to say something to pass the time i think whilst im signing for a recorded item. anyway enough with my rant about my postie.

no1 else has got a cube in the area so im hoping this will give me more protection. Our cube is next to our lawn and has double paving slabs. basically there were paving slabs underneath the soil and we went and put some more on top! and our skirting is invisble as the grass has covered it completely,at the front it is almost covered by soil, hopefully will me invisible when the girls stop stratching it!!! however on one side we dont have grass but it is right next to our fence and at the back it is slabbed so quite secure really.(and our skirting panels are bent into the soil and grass too)

my girls free range when i am in, they peck around and get up to trouble etc but i live in quite a busy street, park across the road, sainsburys local at the end of the street which is always packed so a fair few cars going around. Academy and primary school on our doorstep so alot of kids around. Dont get me wrong we dont live in a really loud place but there is things going on and people around so i hope that deters foxes away in the day.

i always keep an ear out for my girls though and do all the things like my H2B wee's around the garden and the cat does her business in our garden too, i would like to know if there are any other natural things to keep foxes out?

[Olly]

I just wouldn't rely on it being a noisy neighbourhood, because the fox will be used to that. The best protection is a secure run, or actually being in the garden; if you read the 'Fox Attacks: what happened?' thread, you'll read several accounts of 'I'd just popped back into the house' or similar.

 

There are various 'natural' methods - tiger/lion poo, bags of human hair, and Olbas oil are some I've read about. Ukadex is originally designed to keep foxes off lambs, and I guess if you sprayed that around it might put them off. None of them is an absolute prevention though.

[migsy]

Once in, he was in the garden for less than a minute. He did a cursory check around the perimiter, around the droppings tray at the back uo the cube - Big plant pot up against that - and at the run door.

Then up onto the top of the run, along it, one leap, over the fence and gone.

He was just checking.

Thus, we may not see that much of him, but we're on his 'to do' list each night.

 

 

Chilling! I hate to think of foxes sniffing round my chickens. I'm sure they do though.

[Meganymoo]

Has anyone had chickens for a while and not had ANY signs of a fox visit though? I've had chickens since July 2009 and have never had a problem... although I am very precautious, have my run on paving slabs, have double locks on doors etc.

I've had fox but was just sitting on top of the eglu run and couldn't get in so it shows how good they are! (the eglu's not the fox!)

[sadietoo]

Just wanted to say Richardr, Welcome to the forum and thank you for your post. Your experience of your fox visit is pretty much what I have witnessed in our garden here in Sussex. Once you are on their "rounds" they will always pay you a visit. Yes you can make it harder for them to get in and get to your girls, but they won't stop trying!

[richardr]

Thanks for the welcome Sadietoo!

[Buckle]

Hi Minty, we had exactly the same concern. We've kept rabbits for about 10 years and just let them roam about the garden under a certain level of supervision (lax to be honest). We've always been conscious of stoats, kites and buzzards but never gave much consideration to foxes despite living next to a field.

 

On getting chickens a couple of months ago we are now extra vigilant when either creature is FRing. That is mainly thanks to these forums. The garden now has raised fences, buried skirting, fox watch and constant human supervision. We have yet to see a fox but that probably means nothing.

 

Just as an extra - our rabbits and chickens get on really well. Apart from an early ear peck due to a over inquisitive bunny they are always around each other. Probably due to being at the same level of the food chain!

[Minty_76]

Thanks for your replies. I am sure I want chickens but I am obviously concerned about my gorgeous bunnies. I shall have to make the garden a bit more secure.

[scarlettohara]

I knew I had forgotten something from my Ocado delivery Runs off to add tiger poo to the list ....