[poultrygeist]

 

I prefer the barrier method 

Wouldn't the blood attract rats too ?

Rob

[henrys.hens]

I dont know.
it worked for him.

[littlewitch]

Hi there,  One idea you might try (seems to work for us so far!) dig in around base of run and sink (lengthwise approx 10inches deep) plastic roofing slates , overlapped a few inches at each 'join', then drilled and wired to your enclosure wire/mesh at intervals of few inches to secure.  Cost of tiles approx £8/10 plus copper wire stripped out from  2.5mm electric cable.    :blink:

[HairyBear]

Holy cow!

Completely new to hen keeping - in fact I don't pick my ladies up until Sunday.  IN the final preparation stages and thought I had the whole fox issue covered, but looking at this I haven't.

Have a permanent run which is aluminium structure with up and over netting (sold as hen enclosure) but I've added a further layer of 19 gauge mesh which I've dug down about 8 inches and set under broken paving slabs.  There will be a layer of soil over this, then a semi-permeable membrane, and then wood bark.  The mesh only stands about 3 foot above ground. 

Could a fox chew through the chicken netting at the right height and therefore be able to jump over the mesh?

I know they're wiley, but this is truly worrying.

I have a 2 year old son so didn't want to go for electric fencing but is this my only option???  Perhaps having mains controlled fencing and sticking a big sign on the backdoor reminding us to switch on/off might be the besting we keep our chicken and protect our son from a nasty shock!

I've also ordered 'Scoot' which was referred to on these pages.  Is that enough on its own???  :blink:

[Roughlee Handled]

I would suggest you have electric fence unit.  Do not turn it off. I have mine plugged in to a socket with out a switch so I can not be turned off. You will forget to turn it back on.
With regards to you littley, I hope I am not being too hard, but once he has touched it he will not want to touch it again.  They do not harm (electric fences), just make you jump.  Oh they kill the odd slug and frog.

[Kate and her Ducks]

We were around electric fencing a lot when we were little and trust me you learn quickly.  My parents could corral us with a piece of string!

[mrjolly]

Hi,
I'd have slight reservations about peeing near electric fences though. It seems one or the other would be good!

[Roughlee Handled]

Hi,
I'd have slight reservations about peeing near electric fences........

?

[Ice]

Water is an excellent conductor of electricity.

[lightyears]

this might sound a bit stupid, but a bloke at my allotments has his dog pee up the side of his pen as he reckons that the local fox is scared of dogs and that can smell the dog and thinks it is nearby, since this, there has not been a fox killing or one on site in almost a year. I think it is something similar to foxes being hunted by dogs, they are naturally scared

[poultrygeist]

Might work. Until another fox notices that there's a vacant 'patch' full of takeaway food and doesn't happen to be as scared of dogs as the last one.

That's when you see wholesale massacre because no-one's got a proper fence "because there are no foxes round here".

I'd put up a sturdy fence and take all the precautions assumign a fox is going to visit anyway. Some easy remedies may work, or may not, but it only takes one visit from a really hungry fox that doesn't fit the norm.

Rob

[lightyears]

Might work. Until another fox notices that there's a vacant 'patch' full of takeaway food and doesn't happen to be as scared of dogs as the last one.

That's when you see wholesale massacre because no-one's got a proper fence "because there are no foxes round here".

I'd put up a sturdy fence and take all the precautions assumign a fox is going to visit anyway. Some easy remedies may work, or may not, but it only takes one visit from a really hungry fox that doesn't fit the norm.

Rob

dont worry i have built a fortress as ive listened to the old guys before and got burnt(another story) i assume that the fox is hungry and he is going to try and get in whatever i try. its up to the others what they do but im building in preparedness for the inevitable

[tode]

I don't think you should ever think that there's no foxes so no problem. When mowing the grass afew weeks ago at 3 in the afternoon, noticed a pair of eyes in the bushes: cheeky b****r was sitting in the shade watching me mow.
There's a lot more of em than we think.

[poultrygeist]

Well done you !

I've heard so many old wives tales about foxes and their habits, you'd think they were from another planet.
They follow the same set of rules as everythign else on the planet and have the same needs and drives. As you say, if they're hungry, they take risks. And because of their natural abilities and their 'food caching' behaviour, they'll kill whatever's in reach and take it, one at a time, until they've buried the lot or got scared away. Who can blame them when the only thing between them and food is often a piece of rusty chicken wire and some stale urine. 

Rant over.

Rob

[too many girls]

foxes and their habits vary, the fox that took the cowshed girls last year never came near the farm but skirted the edges until he got an opportunity to strike, this years fox actually took a bird right from under Pip's nose in the chook paddock (she didn't even have time to get to her feet and the fox and bird were gone) i'm assuming the next fox will be able to open doors, take a bird from off my bed then drive off with it in my car, never underestimate the cunning fox........................