Nicola O Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I was woken at 6.00 am this morning by some panic sqwuarking from the girlies, I rushed to the landing window to see a large fox pacing round the two runs . I hurtled down as fast as I could but in my panic forgot to unlock the backdoor before trying to open it, so by the time I had got the door open the fox had gone. I noticed a few fluffy feathers on the grass outside the run so he must have been able to grab someone through the bars, I sat by the runs talking to them trying to calm them down but they seemed so stressed I put them in their eglus and shut the door so they could settle down. When I let them out later I checked them over and they are fine. I'm really worried the fox will come back now - he knows where the chooks are - so for the next few nights I think I'll keep them shut in the eglu in case he comes back in the mornings. In the 16 months I've had chooks this is the first fox 'incident'. I can't believe how shocked and scared I felt when I saw him pacing round the girls. And then, strangely, I felt really angry - how DARE he come and frighten them. Perhaps I had become convinced that we were 'safe' with seven foot fencing so this has brought me up a bit sharpish. Anyway, a lucky escape perhaps (though I'm sure the run would have kept the fox out) but extra vigilent from now on. Nicola. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Gosh Your girls were lucky, I think it's a good idea of yours to shut them in safely for a while karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 it is scary and you did all the right stuff. I am going to replace my fox watxh it's gone wrong i think so thanks for making me more vigilant again I have heard 1 fox in the field by us about 2 years ago, it terrified me and made my blood go cold at the thought of it coming here BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Phew...that was close. Get some human hair to spread around, and get the males in the household to "water" the area around the Eglu. Or some of that Get off My Garden stuff sprinkled about might put the fox off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted August 30, 2007 Author Share Posted August 30, 2007 get the males in the household to "water" the area around the Eglu. Unfortunately, no males in this household escept the cat, and he prefers the privacy of a large shrub at the bottom of the garden . Nicola. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 phew, that was a close shave, thank goodness your girls are ok If it were me I would keep the eglu door shut at night all the time now, I do with mine and it doesnt bother the chickens one bit and I let them out in the morning, at least that way you wont be woken up early in the morning and can sleep well knowing your girls are safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lost-sheep Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 i hope this isnt deleted cos its useful(and disgusting) info that i found on the web... apparently if a man "scent marks" an area it can keep foxes and other beasties away cos they feel threatened dunno how foxy proof you want to get! lucky for your chooks tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Get all the males in the neighbourhood to come round & water your plants! I'm sure they will willingly oblige! My hubby has fit me up a security light on our chooks, so that any intruders will trigger the light off. My cat is the chooks body guard. Many a night she spends out sat on the skirt of the run. I've got bags of my hair tied up in old tights and hung in the holly trees round the garden. I just need a fox watch now. Touch wood never seen a fox in my garden, but you just never know! You can never be too careful! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I think once the fox is there, nothing much will keep it away. I've just bought a Foxwatch (had to return it today as it's not working ) but I'm hoping that will at least put him off. At the moment I regularly find paw-prints on the Eglu. My girls don't seem too bothered but it must be stressful. Apparently the water scarecrows are really effective, but I can't use that because of the cat. Just be vigilant - no free-ranging unless you're there to supervise. It's a pain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Get some human hair to spread around, and get the males in the household to "water" the area around the Eglu. I was going to suggest that. I've just been on holiday to an echo friendly camp site in Cornwall, compost toilets, solar showers, wind turbines that sort of thing and the owners had me and my kids weeing in the hedge to keep the foxes away. You don't get that sort of thing in the caravan club Apparently they have to be meat eating males, veggie wee is no good so I'm told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Meat eating males??? Oh no, where am I going to find that?? We are all veggies in the house, so no point sending my husband out... I wonder how the postman would react next time he rings the bell with a delivery and I ask him .... 'Excuse me, are you a meat eater?... Oh great, I was wondering if you could help with a little problem I have... Would you by any chance need to use a 'bathroom' right now?? Well we have those chickens you see, and a fox often comes round...' Maybe not, he's a nice postman, I'd frighten him off On a serious note, yes the foxes do tend to come back once they've found chooks. My fox watch worked great, but is not working now, will need to check if it's a battery problem or whether it's broken, but the foxes haven't yet come back though it's been not working for a few weeks... Locking the chooks in the eglu at night sounds like a good and safe idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I wonder how the postman would react next time he rings the bell with a delivery and I ask him .... 'Excuse me, are you a meat eater?... Oh great, I was wondering if you could help with a little problem I have... Would you by any chance need to use a 'bathroom' right now?? Well we have those chickens you see, and a fox often comes round...' Maybe not, he's a nice postman, I'd frighten him off ... My husband is a meat eating postman. I'll ask him if he could help.................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I'm beginning to wish i hadn't mentioned it! We don't want another postal strike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladylucan Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Meat eating postmen,.... what ever next, . thanks for the giggle girls, though i am really sorry about the chooks, they must have been really scared bless them, a few extra treats should be on the books . I have got to ask though, how does the human hair thing work, ??, I really cant see my boys standing in the garden weeing everywhere, infact the though really makes me want to but i do want the girls safe, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 owners had me and my kids weeing in the hedge You don't get that sort of thing in the caravan club LOL, no you certainly dont Tony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 can I ask where the camp site was, Tony? It sounds brilliant, I'd love to go somewhere like that! Back on topic - what are us single, man-free chicken-owning ladies to do, then? I do have male friends but I don't think I could ask them to wee in the hedge. I guess it's back to Foxwatch, and maybe I'll ask at the hairdresser's next time I'm there if I can have some sweepings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerbunnyacres Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 I am really glad that other eglu owners know about the weeing in the garden thing. I make my husband go outside and he must really love me as does so regularly without any complaint! I will try the human hair thing as well though. I just hope we never get any trouble from the neighbours, husband is very discreet indeed but you never can tell who will be watching! Good Luck keeping the foxes away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James H Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 your girls are VERY lucky! i have to tell you you my story now! my familys 3 chickens blinky (shes my girl!), gertrude and nell were out innocently playing in the garden, I was in the kitchen when i heard this noise, I rushed out into the garden to find a pile of grey feathers laying in the bottom of the garden, this really frihtened me as the feathers were the colour of my chicken blinky. (nell was chosen by my gran and gertrude chosen by my sisiter) My first thoughts were some kind of bird had snatched it, i searched around the garden about twenty times when I heard some chirps from 3 very distressed chicks! (they were chicks at the time) those 3 bantams had powered through 3 dustbin bags full of twigs and grass and had somehow managed to all squeeze into the gap about 2 inches wide behind my greenhouse! they obviously knew something wrong was going on and hid the clever little things! well 5 or so weeks on and they are all very healthy and happy, thats a close shave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 If you can find a postman who eats foxes then you might be on to something! Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classy Chick Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 What if your meat eating male acquaintances were caught 'watering' the garden by the neighbours? That could take some explaining! Will look into that - and the hair option also. My 14 yr old daughter has a little Saturday job in a hair dressers - so that will be easy. Does it have to be a meat eating male's hair?!!!! Also, already persuaded one of my friends to buy chickens - she now has 2 black rocks called Tina & Ella (Hi Nikki!) - and the neighbours have been on the website also! Chooks Rule! Also, if you get your male friends to wee in the garden, would it upset your cats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Apparently they have to be meat eating males, veggie wee is no good so I'm told. Oh no .... I didn't know that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I thought it had to do with testosterone in the urine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I thought it had to do with testosterone in the urine? You what? whats that about then - how am I going to know how effective my pee is now? Nip down to the DGH for a urine testosterone level test? And I bet you can't get one on the NHS. Give a guy a break and take it for granted, please! I'm not going to start eating meat in order to be more effective in my nocturnal fox deterrant visits, and I'm not going to start taking steriods either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 No serously Richard, i thought that all male animals had testosterone in their urine and that is what deters the fox. Haven't heard the meat eaters theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 No serously Richard, i thought that all male animals had testosterone in their urine and that is what deters the fox. Haven't heard the meat eaters theory. I'm sure you are right - I was just extracting the urine ..... with or without testosterone! Its an interesting theory, and sounds reasonable to me. I know that female urine is not supposed to be effective as a fox deterrant - so you could well be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
