Sooo much pooping

[Gallina]

Jay: I agree with you 100%, especially when you are a bit stroppy. But people don't believe foxes will ever visit their gardens, and then it is too late.

 

Every time I write about the dangers of foxes, many people reading it must think I am going over the top, But some of them will soon lose their chickens. You should never allow your chickens to free-range in your garden without some form of protection.

 

Every week someone on this forum seems to have chickens snatched in daylight by foxes (two people so far this week). And obviously far more people with back-garden chickens are also losing them and keeping quiet about it. (Many of those chickenless Eglus for sale on eBay probably reveal a sad story.)

 

My nextdoor neighbours have had all their chickens slaughtered three times inside a traditional run: that's 24 pure-bred gorgeous hens wasted. We eglu/cube-owners all have very safe runs and should not be losing many chickens. But we are, because we are letting them out of their safe quarters and not looking after them.

[Peter S]

You should never allow your chickens to free-range in your garden without some form of protection.

 

You obviously feel very strongly about this, although I'd thank you for not imposing your views on others... We all need to make our own decisions about how to best care for our hens.

 

My point about it only taking 5 minutes for a fox to snatch a hen is simply that you cannot possibly spend all day watching your hens whilst they free-range. An earlier poster had commented that their hens were out whilst they were at home, but acknowledged that they themselves were inside, not outside keeping a vigil over their hens.

 

Personally, I do not feel happy keeping my girls inside the run all day - they love being outside. Indeed, by the time I let them out in the morning, they have already started to dig the dirt/bark from underneath the run skirt - many times, they have created a hole to the outside...

 

The decision to keep the hens in the run at all times or let them free-range is difficult, and I feel is down to the individual - without any judgements.

 

Peter

[Helly Welly]

To be fair, i don't think Gallina is being imposing, like you said she just feels strongly.

 

I don't keep vigil over my chickens when i'm at home but i can hear them from all parts of my house and i have made sure that i have more than adequate fencing. I also think that you shouldn't leave the girls in the garden when you are at work but it is personal choice.

 

I find it worrying that your girls have already dug a hole to the outside, if thats the case then a fox could dig its way in too.

 

Maybe you don't have a fox problem Peter, but many of us do and would be devastated if one of our chooks was killed through our negligence.

 

If the chooks aren't happy in their run then get them an extension or build them a large run.

 

This isn't a judgement, just my opinion.

[Sarah 2]

How can you tell if a chicken is happy? I let mine at the moment free range all day. Because our run isn't big enough for them to stay in it all day. We haven't got room for the convertor. So we're planning on making our own run or getting a cube. Or maybe i just dreamed about getting a cube.

[Egluntyne]

You have to remember that Gallina, who is an experienced chicken keeper speaks as the voice of experience as one of her hens was killed by a fox.

 

I'm sure that she won't mind me saying that she found the event EXTREMELY upsetting and I know that she just wishes to spare other owners (and hens) a similar ordeal

 

I have wondered how we stand in the light of the recent changes in the law regarding ownership of animals.

 

If we were to go out leave them to their own devices and they were murdered by a fox, would the law (if applied) find us guilty of neglect and open to prosecution.

 

None of us I am sure would go out and leave a lamb in the open knowing that there might be a lion in the vicinity.

[neal & ella]

On the subject of recent changes to the law; maybe the government should reintroduce hunting with dogs...and start a few new packs in urban areas!

[Tracy T]

We have had our hens for about a month now and they free-range from 7am-8pm when they put themselves to bed. Looking at the other postings then maybe I should be more careful but they really seem to go nuts in the run. We keep them in the run for the first half hour of the day to make sure that they stock up on a few pellets before free-ranging and when we come down the garden again to let them out they are biting the wire, pecking and generally looking quite agitated.

We live in Shrewsbury and it's not exactly rural though fields are about a mile away. We have seen a mink in the garden once during a thunder-storm but no foxes so ???? Just hope I don't come home to find one or more of the girls missing.

 

Tracy

[Olly]

Of course this has to be a matter of personal choice, and balancing the risk of a fox against the benefit of free-ranging. I don't think anyone on here is trying to 'impose' a view, surely the whole point of this forum is to have some healthy debate!

 

What worries me (and Gallina) is the fact that some people don't seem to have a clear perception of the risk. You may be very lucky, and not have one in your vicinity - and if you live in a rural area, then it's my feeling that your local foxes will be less tame, and more nocturnal. Equally, if you have a dog (or dogs), the fox may not venture near your garden.

 

There are some common myths, and it upsets me when I read them repeated on here:

- my garden has a six-foot fence, so a fox couldn't get in. (WRONG!)

- I've never seen a fox in the garden. (and you probably won't, until one of your chickens goes missing)

- the fox wouldn't come into the garden while there are people in the house

- foxes only hunt at dusk/at night

 

all of these are untrue, and there are sad posts on here to verify that. I'd hate anyone to make a decision about whether to let their hens free-range without being fully aware of the facts.

[starboyhull]

I have to agree with you Olly on the points at the bottom of your message, some of you may remember my post about the fox.....It walked right passed me while I was sat in my garden and today I have found foot prints in the soil and scratch marks up our 6 foot fence (to next doors) they are too big for a cat so assume that it was one of our resident foxes, so they can easily get over a fence that high......

 

I love our girls free ranging and I have only ever left them out once when we went out, but I left our 2 dogs guarding them, its very sad to see posts on here where foxes have had their girls and I dont think any area dispite being in a city (which we are) is safe from them.......

 

I dont think anyone tries to impose their views on anyone else, its just a voice of experience.......