uksuzie Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 (edited) Hi can someone please give me some advice on what to do about the front wire door of my omlet Eglu. We have had two fox attacks on our chickens. My Labrador woke us up barking @ 6am . The poor chickens where screaming outside. We run over to a horror scene. The foxes are getting underneath the door and grabbing the chickens legs. They are pulling the leg under and eating the chickens alive while the poor things are pinned to the wire bars. We have moved the whole cage onto concrete, slabs around the wire skirt, changed the door for a new one. The foxes are still getting under the door. It’s heart breaking I can’t keep these animals safe. Edited December 7, 2019 by uksuzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Sounds like you need a simple electrification setup similar to ours. Small electric fence unit with leisure batteries (one running and one charged spare), posts, wire and a tester. Set the posts a foot or so outside the run and run three lines at 6" 15" and 24" from the ground. Connect up the unit using the mesh of the run as the earth. Test it and leave it on all the time; the foxes will get a few shocks and leave you alone. I assume you have a battery charger? They will always be back regularly to see if the fence is off, so this will need to be a permanent arrangement, as ours is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksuzie Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 Thank you for your advice. I really appreciate it. We will definitely be looking into doing this. Hopefully it will keep the rest of our hens safe. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Is this a classic or cube? Similar happened to my friend who doesn’t have the run, just the cube. The fox grabbed a brahma’s leg through the gap in the nesting box. Poor thing had to be euthanised. Have your slabbed outside the run, or just in the run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 In the mean time, I would lock the birds onto the coop at night. A big log or large stone in front of the run might be a good short term solution too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 3 hours ago, Cat tails said: In the mean time, I would lock the birds onto the coop at night. A big log or large stone in front of the run might be a good short term solution too. I agree That's a horrific attack, and I haven't heard of that modus operandi before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksuzie Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 Patricia W.. We have an eglu classic and the eglu cube. The foxes had been digging around the Eglu cube cage when we kept the chickens on the grass. The foxes got smarter and started digging at the edge of the skirting and underneath it. The f**ckers started to get in that way so we put the entire cage and skirts on top of a solid concrete base. They are now attacking the chickens through the bottom of the wire front door. Cat Tails.. We physically put the rabbits and chickens away in the evenings and let them all out at about 5.30am before we get ourselves ready and get to work. The foxes 🦊🦊 come into the garden during the day and night. They have caught and killed wildlife and the neighbours cats in our area. They are hungry animals needing food from anywhere they can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Then I must gotten confused by your first post, as it said you got woken up by your dog and the chickens were already out in the run. I know it’s easy talking for me, as I luckily have no foxes around. But I agree with Beantree and think that electric fencing might be your best (and only) option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksuzie Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 Yeah your definitely right about the electric fence. Looking into it online! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Electrified perimeter is probably a better description. Electric fences themselves have major problems shorting to earth, so our solution was to make the fence the earth circuit which then shorts to the ground are beneficial in creating a good circuit. In your case you will be using the run mesh and you need to be sure all the parts of it are electrically connected. Any questions just ask; we've been using this arrangement for years now. To compliment the system we use good quality solar lights all round as well, but foxes here are the wild rural variety and are very wary of anything different and are rarely seen in the day. You might need an earth ground stake subject to your meter test, but don't bother with the metre long things they sell as a couple of tent pegs, a bolt and washers will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 All good advice above. I was looking at my own classic yesterday after reading your post and struggle to understand how a fox could get hold of chooks under the door if it is properly fastened. Especially as my flocks tend to move away form any potential attacker, rather than towards the run mesh. I would lay slabs or a hard base under any run anyhow, and then slabs or sleepers on top of the skirting. Electrifying is a good choice too - a few zaps from that might teach it a lesson. Sadly, in urban environment, folks feed foxes, which then become very tame and bold. A friend who lives rurally also has a gun licence and rifle - they've more or less eradicated (for now) the foxes which were bothering their chooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 I took a good look at my classic and cube run doors. The only thing I noticed is that the threshold to the cube run door is a bit wonky when it is open, ( I guess I trod on it at some point) but no way could anything get through it if the pins were in the door. There are two styles of door for the cube run, the original low door which just has one long pin, and the later taller door which has two shorter pins. Which one do you have? Do you have the mesh skirt in front of the door too? I’m wondering if you’ve got a wonky door which is allowing foxes to get partially through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksuzie Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 This is the gap where the door doesn't meet the frame at the bottom of our pen. It's a 2 pin door with the pins in place properly. We have mesh skirting outside and slabs on top. We have seen online that Omlet have thick frame doors on the walk in runs. I need this type of frame around my Eglu Cube pen door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Can't really see the photo properly on my phone, but perhaps you need a kickboard inside the door.... i have a 6" high board across the inside of the threshold and held in place with a brick. It stops their Aubiose litter from escaping. It will be dark when i get back, but i will try to get a photo for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksuzie Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 The Dogmother... Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I have an Omlet WIR and I don’t think the door is any heavier than my cube run door. It’s in two pieces and has a little kick board inside which I guess is a little reinforcement. You could certainly replicate that kickboard as DM says. By the way, don’t bother with the Omlet WIR, the advantages of it being ( relatively ) quick to build are off set by the fact that the gauge is even bigger than the cube runs, and allows small birds and rats in with ease. I had to cover the top with weldmesh. Invest in a standard WIR and I think you’ll find it cheaper and more effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Would you consider a Walk in Run. I have a Flyte so fancy WIR on concrete slabs. We live beside a country park with foxes and keep a cube and classic inside the run, so far we haven’t had any problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Looking at my run - pics below taken in the dark this morning - there's no gap between the run threshold and door, and the kickboard i have added further protects it as well as preventing the litter being kicked out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaCoop Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 I have a kickboard too at my door like DogMother above (well around the whole of my run to keep the wood chip in) but looking at your picture I would agree with others it would be one of a few solutions you need in place. Pretty simple to do too. Mine is plastic lawn edging from Wilkinsons. Electric perimeter too especially if you say these foxes are persistent and have previous for eating other animals too. Good luck xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
