HELP aggressive chicken

[jimnpaula]

4am Monday I became aware that I could hear at least two chicken voices shouting. "Great, early egg announcements, that'll go down well with the neighbours", I think. Nothing seems unusual when I check them later or throughout the day. Tuesday only 1 egg, that is rather unusual. Wednesday evening my husband goes out to see how they're getting on with the new nest box arrangements, calls me out to see the muddy footprints on top of the cube As there is a narrow gap between the cube and the wir panel - wide enough for a paw to poke through - last night the cube door was shut for the first time in ages.

 

Now I know we have foxes in the area, we always supervise free ranging, but I've seen a rather brazen one that we actually had to throw something at to make it go away.

 

My question is, can we actively do something to discourage the red menace if it's worrying our chickens? I'm talking weapons here: We're wondering if we're allowed to use a catapault? (I don't think shotguns or air rifles will be popular in a back garden, let alone allowed/getting the documentation etc) Does anyone know the rules? I want to make this thing go away, preferably without killing it.

Or are we stuck with passive defensive things like electric fencing?

 

Paula

Edited July 10, 2014 by Guest

[Beantree]

You can't deter an urban fox easily, because they are not afraid of humans. I have suggested a paint ball gun in the past, which shouldn't fall foul of the animal rights laws. But as you say, an electric fence is really the easiest solution. A catapult may be rather too inaccurate and you could end up hitting something you don't want to.

[LizzieLloyd]

Sounds a bit odd but if you can get your OH to discretely wee around the garden the smell of male urine is supposed to deter foxes. We have urban foxes in our neighbourhood but my OH takes his duty seriously and we've never had trouble with foxes.

[Beantree]

We used to do that LizzieLloyd. 3 fox strikes a later and we had learned the hard way that it doesn't work on urban foxes. May be OK on rural foxes, because we had one at night, but never in the day, which used to jump over the scented wall.

[Alex_LJZ]

Are there a lot of foxes around or is this a one off. what i mean is, if you got rid of it would alother one just take its place? One way to answer this is how long did it take to end up with a problem?

 

If it was the former then I would advocate removing it either by shooting or trapping or snaring. You can pay someone to do it if you don't have to tools.

 

I think the wee thing works if one hasn't already got in. if they know there are heand ther, I think they will overcome the fear.

 

i'm not sure about paint balls. The laws around this sort of think are complex. You can kill a fox as it is a pest, just like you can a squirrell. But, you have to do it humanely or you can be prosecuted for cruelty. The laws around this bit are a bit odd though. There was a guy prosecuted for drowning a squirrel in a trap as it was in humane, and yet you can poison them legally. You are supposed to shoot them through the bars of the cage with an air rifle, which is the least humane thing I can immagine since they move around and you will miss! you can box them into a corner with 'combs' but this takes a few minutes while the squirrel goes mental, also not too humane in my view.

 

 

So, don't know where paint balls sit. To be honest though, I have been shot with a paintball and even though it hurts, i'd do it again for a decent dinner. It might work for a couple of weeks but not for ever.

[stu]

The best way to deter a fox is... keep bears..!!

 

Foxes are very mechanistic in how they live... keep a diary, find any patterns (Yearly, monthly and weekly) and manage the chicken within it

[Redwing]

Without doing anything drastic you can do little to keep the foxes away. Fox proofing the run is your best defence

[SueChick]

Do you have fences around your garden? If you have you could try nailing some expanding tell us to the too of it (pound land stuff up fine). I don't think it's foolproof but we had a fox in our garden when a piece of it blew of the fence and it took the opportunity to gain entry. Everything helps a bit I think so throw everything at it!

[Adams Egg]

We returned from a holiday in May to find the foxes had clearly advertised our absence on Facebook and held a party. The garden was covered in fox fur and dung. The chokes didn't seem phased though. I used a product called. Scoot that you mix and spray around every few days, seemed to do the trick in that there was less evidence of them. I have seen them clear an 8 foot wall with ease though a trellis does deter them as they find it harder to get a stable grip to climb over

[kajlbw]

Hi, we've got electric poultry netting and have not had a problem yet and we have loads of foxes around! We see them every morning and evening in the field at the back of the house and one will often sit and watch me in the field down the lane where we keep the hens in the morning as Im clearing them out etc, cheeky beggar!

 

Im not saying we'll never have an attack but the netting is certainly putting them off so far. Fingers crossed

Edited July 12, 2014 by Guest

[cheekymonkey68]

I have a Patterdale Terrier and an electric fence, other than an Omlet WIR. Seems to do the trick! I do get foxes every night but they dont try and go through/ over the electric fence, it does pack some punch....Toby (dog) touched the fence twice and that was it he wont go near it or the girls. He's happy to sit out with them in the garden now :) I think he thinks he's protecting his flock!! :)

[jimnpaula]

Thanks for all the suggestions - of course, we haven't seen the damn thing since I posted! I don't for a minute think it's gone though so will consider what steps we're going to take, and the girls get shut in overnight in the meantime.