[andyoak]

We have had chickens for around two years now and have not to much as seen a fox in the distance let alone in the garden. Last night however our number was up. Around 3.30am it sounded  all hell was braking loose. Tracksuit bottoms and rigger boots torch in hand I'm out. As soon as the light hit the coop I saw the eyes and knew. Running at it I got it cornered and swung my size 11's at it but missed and the thing jumped and was gone.
 
Some were dead others just trying to hide while others needed to be dispatched. I got done and went back in, it was raining and I was drowned. Anyway about 5.30 here we go again and the dam thing is back. I was still up so was out very quickly but still it got a duck.
 
I do have a quick question. After doing so long without a fox then it coming twice in one night is the fox now going to know where the dinner is and come back again tonight?
 
We are all a little disheartened with it and wondering if to sell whats left and call it a day.

[Thrift]

It will certainly be back at some time andy, now that it knows where the pantry is.

The only thing to do is completely foxproof your coop and run. Even if you deal with this one there will be more. At the moment there are vixens with cubs to feed so they are ever more daring. 

[steelman]

Thats terrrible. We have a fox den on our allotment. A few weeks ago it took 10 ducks in one night. We're digging them up all over the place. It took our silkie cock as he wouldn't go in the shed and paid the price. You wouldn't believe the scrape it dug to get under the fence. You wouldn't think a cat could have crawled through. We thought we were fox proof but our compounds are so large its difficult to check every little nook and crannie and the fox will certainly find the weakest point.
You have my sympathies.
C

[splash101]

It is devastating being visited by a fox, they are a real menace in our area mainly because people leave refuse bags where they are accesable which draws them in.

Dont give up, I know its easier said than done but try not to be too disheartened, and try to find ways of keeping them out (also easier said than done)

Anyone who has been visited by a fox will know exactly how you will be feeling 

[shetan]

so sorry to hear about the attack.

the fox will most likely be back as it now knows where the local take away is.

make sure you lock up your remaining chooks each night, try to make your run and coop as fox proof as possible, you could try peeing around the boundaries of your garden although try to do this at night as your neighbours may get the wrong idea - this is not 100%  fox proof but does help. if someone has a dog near you, try to borrow it and let it pee for you.

if you know someone with a ferret get them to walk it around your boundary to leave scent markings. this apparently DOES work.

having had 1st hand experience with the devastation a fox can cause, i do feel for you but please don't be disheartened.

[tortzblue]

That's awful. We have foxes here too but we have totally enclosed our run and our coop is like fort knox with barbed wire and concrete blocks all around it. OH and DS both pee in watering cans which I sprinkle morning and night.
Also filled up several 6 pint plastic milk bottles with male pee. Then buried them up to the neck at various places where fox paths are. We keep them topped up too.
I'm happy to say we haven't seen a fox for 3 weeks. May be worth a try?

[andyoak]

Thanks for your help and support, we have spent the day dusting our selves down and making some short term improvements to get us through the next few nights. I'm going to start again from scratch with a bigger, better and safer coop.

I'm afraid I have had to dispatch another chicken and a duck as the day has gone on that I thought might pull through but both took a turn and looked like they were suffering.

I was told about the pee trick so as I work from home and we have no neighbours I pee in the garden quite a lot, more than I do in the bathroom if I'm honest. We have four dogs as well so may be these two are why we have gone so long without a visit.

We are down to one male aylesbury duck who has spent the day looking for his girls. What shall I do with him, do you think I should go and get him a new wife or two. I do have the incubator full of duck eggs but they are weeks off yet and even longer before I could let them run in the pen. I do have so call ducks but they don't get on and although they are in the same run they do their own things. This drake just looks like he is at his wits ends.

[shetan]

he is probably mourning.

i have never had ducks but when we removed our girls from a previous cockerel (before freezer dispatch), he called for them for nearly a week.

you should probably find him a wife or 2 to tide you over until your eggs hatch.

lets your dogs out for longer periods at dusk and early in the morning. as you have no neighbours, encourage them to bark to let the fox know they are there. if you have male dogs and they are neutered, you might find their pee isn't as effective as that of an entire dog.

whenever we have 'a visitor' i let them out before going out myself - they usually see it off before i've even got my shoes on.