Stressing over fox problems. Almost ready to sell my flock... :(

LestersFlat

Songster
11 Years
May 17, 2011
165
90
201
Schuyler Lake NY
I have read a good number of posts on here regarding foxes and other predators, but I could still use some advice. We have have had free-ranging chickens here in upstate NY for about 10 years. We have lost some to predators over time, but nothing like this. I love that we have a variety of wildlife around here, and have accepted that they need to eat and feed their young as well. I have every predator you can think of, including cougars, coyotes, bears, hawks and eagles. I don't want to shoot everything that eats my chickens, because, as pointed out in your forums, more predators will just take their place.

I am pretty sure this gray fox has kits it is feeding, and we were losing almost 1 chicken every day for the past few weeks.

I gave away 4 of my laying hens to a friend hoping I can get them back if I solve the problem. I have the rooster, 1 hen I couldn't catch to give the friend, and 1 broody hen in a secure crate in the very secure coop sitting on eggs with 2 just hatched. Before I knew there was a problem, I purchased 8 chicks who are now ready to come outside. They are in a crate that they are getting too big for in the closed up garage.

Since I fenced in the chickens around the coop (before I gave the 4 away) I lost one when the fox dug under in the middle of the day. They were trapped inside, and it apparently came and went as needed. As I was working on fencing around the bottom to prevent fox from digging under, I discovered we have a family of groundhogs inside the fence who are helping with the digging. Also working on the bottom, I watched the rooster fly/jump over the top of the 4' wire fence where I had attached some netting and chicken wire another 2' above.

So, multiple problems here, and I have not come up with a single solution.

I did try a live trap, but so far no capture.

I won't use a leg trap because I am afraid my dogs will find it before the fox.

Husband tried shooting at it, but no luck, and it came back hours later.

I am tempted to let the remaining roo and hen go back to free ranging, figuring fox will have to find them rather than having them trapped in the Chicken Diner, but I still have the problem of what to do with the remaining growing flock.

Has anyone tried an Eglu Cube with walk-in run?
omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping

Some of Eglu's forums seem to suggest that raccoons might be able to get in the Cube.

I am also considering buying just their large walk-in run, which has a skirt around the bottom that seems fairly secure. If I raise the young-uns in an enclosed space, they won't know what they are missing out on the range. Either way, it will be an improvement over the garage crate.

And then what do I do with Broody Mama and the 2 or more chicks?

I am really struggling with this, and seriously thinking it is time to give up chicken keeping. I am 66YO, and getting too old to be fixing fences for the rest of the summer only to have Foxy defeat me at every turn.

Any ideas and comments will be appreciated.
 

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RoyalChick

Rodenteer
Premium Feather Member
Nov 3, 2019
12,220
127,433
1,381
Northern New Jersey
My Coop
My Coop
I have read a good number of posts on here regarding foxes and other predators, but I could still use some advice. We have have had free-ranging chickens here in upstate NY for about 10 years. We have lost some to predators over time, but nothing like this. I love that we have a variety of wildlife around here, and have accepted that they need to eat and feed their young as well. I have every predator you can think of, including cougars, coyotes, bears, hawks and eagles. I don't want to shoot everything that eats my chickens, because, as pointed out in your forums, more predators will just take their place.

I am pretty sure this gray fox has kits it is feeding, and we were losing almost 1 chicken every day for the past few weeks.

I gave away 4 of my laying hens to a friend hoping I can get them back if I solve the problem. I have the rooster, 1 hen I couldn't catch to give the friend, and 1 broody hen in a secure crate in the very secure coop sitting on eggs with 2 just hatched. Before I knew there was a problem, I purchased 8 chicks who are now ready to come outside. They are in a crate that they are getting too big for in the closed up garage.

Since I fenced in the chickens around the coop (before I gave the 4 away) I lost one when the fox dug under in the middle of the day. They were trapped inside, and it apparently came and went as needed. As I was working on fencing around the bottom to prevent fox from digging under, I discovered we have a family of groundhogs inside the fence who are helping with the digging. Also working on the bottom, I watched the rooster fly/jump over the top of the 4' wire fence where I had attached some netting and chicken wire another 2' above.

So, multiple problems here, and I have not come up with a single solution.

I did try a live trap, but so far no capture.

I won't use a leg trap because I am afraid my dogs will find it before the fox.

Husband tried shooting at it, but no luck, and it came back hours later.

I am tempted to let the remaining roo and hen go back to free ranging, figuring fox will have to find them rather than having them trapped in the Chicken Diner, but I still have the problem of what to do with the remaining growing flock.

Has anyone tried an Eglu Cube with walk-in run?
omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping

Some of Eglu's forums seem to suggest that raccoons might be able to get in the Cube.

I am also considering buying just their large walk-in run, which has a skirt around the bottom that seems fairly secure. If I raise the young-uns in an enclosed space, they won't know what they are missing out on the range. Either way, it will be an improvement over the garage crate.

And then what do I do with Broody Mama and the 2 or more chicks?

I am really struggling with this, and seriously thinking it is time to give up chicken keeping. I am 66YO, and getting too old to be fixing fences for the rest of the summer only to have Foxy defeat me at every turn.

Any ideas and comments will be appreciated.
Oh I am so sorry. I live in similar circumstances and have a very heavy fox load. A few years ago I even caught on trail cam video a vixen with 7 kits.
I don't have much advice to offer really. I have a coop with a secure (I hope) run - with a hardware cloth apron to prevent diggers, and most days for most of the day I let them out in a large area that has an electric fence.
I am reasonably confident the coop and run are predator proof but for sure a fox could breach the electric fence so it is a risk. I think so far I have just been lucky.
I do try and vary the times of day I let them out so as not to create a regular meal opportunity. I have no idea if it helps but someone suggested it.
Right now there seems to be a lot of easier prey - squirrels and chipmunks seem to be favored - come the Fall the risk will be higher.
But I can't bear to confine them the whole time because they love to go exploring in their fenced area so it ends up being a risk I take.
 

LestersFlat

Songster
11 Years
May 17, 2011
165
90
201
Schuyler Lake NY
Oh I am so sorry. I live in similar circumstances and have a very heavy fox load. A few years ago I even caught on trail cam video a vixen with 7 kits.
I don't have much advice to offer really. I have a coop with a secure (I hope) run - with a hardware cloth apron to prevent diggers, and most days for most of the day I let them out in a large area that has an electric fence.
I am reasonably confident the coop and run are predator proof but for sure a fox could breach the electric fence so it is a risk. I think so far I have just been lucky.
I do try and vary the times of day I let them out so as not to create a regular meal opportunity. I have no idea if it helps but someone suggested it.
Right now there seems to be a lot of easier prey - squirrels and chipmunks seem to be favored - come the Fall the risk will be higher.
But I can't bear to confine them the whole time because they love to go exploring in their fenced area so it ends up being a risk I take.
I have also thought of electric poultry fencing. Do you know if it is truly fox-proof? I have not yet read of anyone saying a fox had gotten through, but I wasn't really searching for that.

The other issue with it is that my chickens already can jump 6' fencing...the electric netting is only 4' high.

I thought of putting the electric fence a foot outside the wire fence, but if I can't contain the chickens in the wire fence...
 

RoyalChick

Rodenteer
Premium Feather Member
Nov 3, 2019
12,220
127,433
1,381
Northern New Jersey
My Coop
My Coop
I have also thought of electric poultry fencing. Do you know if it is truly fox-proof? I have not yet read of anyone saying a fox had gotten through, but I wasn't really searching for that.

The other issue with it is that my chickens already can jump 6' fencing...the electric netting is only 4' high.

I thought of putting the electric fence a foot outside the wire fence, but if I can't contain the chickens in the wire fence...
I don't think anything is guaranteed, but I have cameras up and I have seen a fox get zapped on his nose and flee, and I have seen foxes steer clear of the fence (they can hear that it is on because it sends out a little click with each pulse electricity). The trick is to train the foxes to the fence. If the first time they encounter it is when they are in hot pursuit of a chicken they will ignore it - their fur insulates them and adrenalin will carry them through. But if the first time they encounter it is with their delicate little noses then they keep away.
The way you train them is to smear some peanut butter, or bacon fat onto a little strip of aluminum foil and hang that foil on one of the live wires. Make sure the fence is off when you do this or you will get zapped! The fox explores the bait with its nose and gets zapped and learns that the fence is not a nice thing. I have seen both fox and raccoon run away after exploring the bait. I plan to re-bait my fence again in the Fall to make sure that the new generation of foxes has understood the lesson!

With the chickens it is the same thing but without bait. Mine are more than capable of flying over the 42" height of the fence. In fact my roosts are at 5' in the coop and many fly up rather than use the ladder. But they just don't. I think that is for two reasons. First they like to fly up to things not over things and the fence is too thin to represent a good landing spot. The second reason is they tend to avoid the fence because when they get really close to it when foraging their combs hit the live wire and they hate that. Not all of my chickens have learned this lesson but slowly they are all beginning to get it. My bigger fear is how they will behave if they are in a panic so I am quite glad that the foxes just avoid the whole fence area. But if a hawk came down inside the fence I am ot sure how they would behave. I am busy planting shrubs and putting random bits of lawn furniture around to provide aerial cover, but it certainly worries me.

Sorry for lengthy response. Hope it is a bit helpful.
 

vawolfmom

In the Brooder
Jun 14, 2022
24
60
49
I have read a good number of posts on here regarding foxes and other predators, but I could still use some advice. We have have had free-ranging chickens here in upstate NY for about 10 years. We have lost some to predators over time, but nothing like this. I love that we have a variety of wildlife around here, and have accepted that they need to eat and feed their young as well. I have every predator you can think of, including cougars, coyotes, bears, hawks and eagles. I don't want to shoot everything that eats my chickens, because, as pointed out in your forums, more predators will just take their place.

I am pretty sure this gray fox has kits it is feeding, and we were losing almost 1 chicken every day for the past few weeks.

I gave away 4 of my laying hens to a friend hoping I can get them back if I solve the problem. I have the rooster, 1 hen I couldn't catch to give the friend, and 1 broody hen in a secure crate in the very secure coop sitting on eggs with 2 just hatched. Before I knew there was a problem, I purchased 8 chicks who are now ready to come outside. They are in a crate that they are getting too big for in the closed up garage.

Since I fenced in the chickens around the coop (before I gave the 4 away) I lost one when the fox dug under in the middle of the day. They were trapped inside, and it apparently came and went as needed. As I was working on fencing around the bottom to prevent fox from digging under, I discovered we have a family of groundhogs inside the fence who are helping with the digging. Also working on the bottom, I watched the rooster fly/jump over the top of the 4' wire fence where I had attached some netting and chicken wire another 2' above.

So, multiple problems here, and I have not come up with a single solution.

I did try a live trap, but so far no capture.

I won't use a leg trap because I am afraid my dogs will find it before the fox.

Husband tried shooting at it, but no luck, and it came back hours later.

I am tempted to let the remaining roo and hen go back to free ranging, figuring fox will have to find them rather than having them trapped in the Chicken Diner, but I still have the problem of what to do with the remaining growing flock.

Has anyone tried an Eglu Cube with walk-in run?
omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping

Some of Eglu's forums seem to suggest that raccoons might be able to get in the Cube.

I am also considering buying just their large walk-in run, which has a skirt around the bottom that seems fairly secure. If I raise the young-uns in an enclosed space, they won't know what they are missing out on the range. Either way, it will be an improvement over the garage crate.

And then what do I do with Broody Mama and the 2 or more chicks?

I am really struggling with this, and seriously thinking it is time to give up chicken keeping. I am 66YO, and getting too old to be fixing fences for the rest of the summer only to have Foxy defeat me at every turn.

Any ideas and comments will be appreciated.
Maybe a hotwire?
 

Penpal

Chirping
May 30, 2022
111
189
93
Is electric netting fox proof, you ask. As l long as my chickens are behind the netting, the foxes don't get them. They come everyday, but the netting stops them. Just make sure you plug it in.
 
Nov 11, 2020
3,153
5,123
426
West Virginia
I have read a good number of posts on here regarding foxes and other predators, but I could still use some advice. We have have had free-ranging chickens here in upstate NY for about 10 years. We have lost some to predators over time, but nothing like this. I love that we have a variety of wildlife around here, and have accepted that they need to eat and feed their young as well. I have every predator you can think of, including cougars, coyotes, bears, hawks and eagles. I don't want to shoot everything that eats my chickens, because, as pointed out in your forums, more predators will just take their place.

I am pretty sure this gray fox has kits it is feeding, and we were losing almost 1 chicken every day for the past few weeks.

I gave away 4 of my laying hens to a friend hoping I can get them back if I solve the problem. I have the rooster, 1 hen I couldn't catch to give the friend, and 1 broody hen in a secure crate in the very secure coop sitting on eggs with 2 just hatched. Before I knew there was a problem, I purchased 8 chicks who are now ready to come outside. They are in a crate that they are getting too big for in the closed up garage.

Since I fenced in the chickens around the coop (before I gave the 4 away) I lost one when the fox dug under in the middle of the day. They were trapped inside, and it apparently came and went as needed. As I was working on fencing around the bottom to prevent fox from digging under, I discovered we have a family of groundhogs inside the fence who are helping with the digging. Also working on the bottom, I watched the rooster fly/jump over the top of the 4' wire fence where I had attached some netting and chicken wire another 2' above.

So, multiple problems here, and I have not come up with a single solution.

I did try a live trap, but so far no capture.

I won't use a leg trap because I am afraid my dogs will find it before the fox.

Husband tried shooting at it, but no luck, and it came back hours later.

I am tempted to let the remaining roo and hen go back to free ranging, figuring fox will have to find them rather than having them trapped in the Chicken Diner, but I still have the problem of what to do with the remaining growing flock.

Has anyone tried an Eglu Cube with walk-in run?
omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping

Some of Eglu's forums seem to suggest that raccoons might be able to get in the Cube.

I am also considering buying just their large walk-in run, which has a skirt around the bottom that seems fairly secure. If I raise the young-uns in an enclosed space, they won't know what they are missing out on the range. Either way, it will be an improvement over the garage crate.

And then what do I do with Broody Mama and the 2 or more chicks?

I am really struggling with this, and seriously thinking it is time to give up chicken keeping. I am 66YO, and getting too old to be fixing fences for the rest of the summer only to have Foxy defeat me at every turn.

Any ideas and comments will be appreciated.
A picture of your set up would help a lot!
 

DarJones

Songster
Jan 24, 2021
231
648
113
Count me in the shoot straight camp. A fox was after young chicks here and met a 12 ga. shotgun. I expected problems and had a window loose so all I had to do was lift it and shoot. The fox was so busy chasing a chick that it didn't hear the window open.

It is almost impossible to get a fox in a trap. Same for a coyote.

If a predator is eating your animals, you have two choices. Put your chickens in an enclosure that is predator proof or eliminate the predator. A few years ago, I had a problem with raccoons. I set traps and caught 17 raccoons, 8 oppossums, and 10 chicken snakes (in the nest eating eggs) in about 3 months. I didn't have a problem with predators for 2 years after that. Point being that once a predator starts eating your birds, it will continue to eat until they are gone. You have fed a fox for several weeks already. It will come back again and again.
 
Nov 11, 2020
3,153
5,123
426
West Virginia
I agree! They'll keep coming back until you have none left. Whats worse is they teach their young to hunt your chickens too. You aren't only dealing with the original predators you've got every generation of offspring teaching their offspring to hunt your chickens.Sooner or later you're going to have to trap & kill predators or make a predator proof coop & run .
A chicken tractor with an electric fence would be ideal.Theres no poop to clean since you move it regularly. (retractable wheels make them move easily) I prefer the ones that Raise & lower the wheels with a lever.
 

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