[lightyears]

Somehow a fox got into my run and then the chicken shed last night or early this morning, weve lost 6 of our 10 chickens all of which were rescue hens. to make things worse only a couple still had there heads. My neighbour lost 30 of his pure breeds last friday night so we had fortified the area heavly agaist it. The 4 who are left, one is badly shaken and i think will not live out the night and is my house with me, the other 3 seem ok and are eating and drinking well, they have been locked inside there coop as tight as can be now for a few days to calm try and calm the area down. Im going down to there coop tomorrow morning before sunrise, armed and if i see it, i will shoot it.

[Mrs Bee]

Somehow a fox got into my run and then the chicken shed last night or early this morning, weve lost 6 of our 10 chickens all of which were rescue hens. to make things worse only a couple still had there heads. My neighbour lost 30 of his pure breeds last friday night so we had fortified the area heavly agaist it. The 4 who are left, one is badly shaken and i think will not live out the night and is my house with me, the other 3 seem ok and are eating and drinking well, they have been locked inside there coop as tight as can be now for a few days to calm try and calm the area down. Im going down to there coop tomorrow morning before sunrise, armed and if i see it, i will shoot it.

Good luck!

[lightyears]

i must point out to the tree huggers amoungst us that shooting is not always the aswer and that weapon ownership and usage is governed by some serious laws all of which i abide to. My dad who has done this for years has set me up some snare traps(humanely if anyone is concerned) and we will dispatch it, if we catch it, with one quick,humane shot. More than it ever gave my chickens i might point out

edit, i might come acrossed as a bit bitter, but i am truly devestated about my chicken loss, hence the anger

[Tony H]

Its understandable how you feel it must be so heartbreaking, i dont condone shooting but if its done humanley then its ok i just dont agree with cruelty to any animal, but if you and your dad have got the experience then its unfortunate but its somthing that has to be done. alot of the problems these days is people who feed mr fox and then wonder why in some towns they are more common than wild birds, people think they are doing the right thing but they are slowley changing our wildlife. hope the chucks that are left fully recover 

[joyfull]

people who feed foxes upset the balance of nature. When prey is plentiful it follows that there will be a rise in the predators but then they will eat most of the prey and therefore their numbers will drop through a lack of food. This is something I keep having to point out to my father in law who makes up dog food sandwiches everyday for his local fox family - 1 sandwich per fox  .
I am not a tree hugger and like Tony I also do not condone shooting (especially by untrained people and those who think a 22 rifle will suffice) however by a trained person with the correct equipment it is a different matter. I have had 2 mink attacks last year and welcomed the local shoot when they came to the farm next to us.

[hen-night]

Really sorry to hear about the fox attack and the loss of your hens..Aden

[nerdle]

How fox proof were you?  If you were fox proof how did the fox get in?

[Karhog]

How awful.... sorry to hear you lost your chooks. Hope the survivors are ok

[Ice]

The OP has left the building.  Not sure why though, no one said anything untoward.

[MrTwang]

The OP has left the building.  Not sure why though, no one said anything untoward.

I think he's oiling his shot gun ready for Mr Fox...

[Thrift]

Good luck lightyears. Fox numbers certainly need reducing and if it's done properly and humanely I have no problem with that.

[Cluckyclaire]

  very sorry to hear this has happened to your hens, I have only had my hens for a week but feel constantly worried about the threat of foxes, whilst i respect all animals i think i would feel exactly the same way in terms of dealing with this attack, i hope your other hens make it through ok, all the best

[bood77]

My heart goes out to you i may only be 16 but i know that when a fox gets your chooks it hurts 

[Robert_S]

If I caught one in my chicken run it would be extremely tempting to go and grab a shovel and give it a violent send off, but the only real solution is to make sure they can't get in next time. Killing one only clears the territory, and another one will move in before too long.