[pepsi100]

Thanks  hillfooter for the information,

ALL firearms regardless of power (from a shot gun to a airsoft gun (toy)) should all be used correctly, no weapon is a toy, they can all cause harm

No matter where a weapon is used (private land or public) you can and will be prosecuted if you do cause harm or undue suffering to ANY animal (vermin or otherwise) or take a weapon out on the streets unless it is in a gun bag

Some here may think I am some kind of nutter who runs around shooting any vermin that appear, just to make things clear, IF I want to use my weapon, I have to go upstairs, unlock the loft hatch, get into the loft, unlocker my steel gun locker, then unlock the steeel ammunition locker at the other end of the loft (shot gun and ammunition cant be kept in the same locker, I would think that anything would vbe long gone by the time I got back

The foxes I have shot have been in the run and havent found their way out, usually covered in feathers from their deed

I have to keep any cartridges I have fired, I can only have a limited amount of ammunition at any time (usually agreed between myself and the police)

I was a soldier for 16 years, I know my way around weapons, I have NEVER had an accident or a ND (neglient discharge) while I was serving, I dont advertise I have any weapons in my home

I think I am safe to use a weapon, so do the police or they would revoke my licence and confiscate my weapon and ammunition

[penninehillbilly]

I think there is some confusion regarding air rifles.
apart from the well known original type, there is one whch I believe uses a type of gas canister, these are commonly called air rifles but do need a form of licence.

[hillfooter]

I think there is some confusion regarding air rifles.
apart from the well known original type, there is one whch I believe uses a type of gas canister, these are commonly called air rifles but do need a form of licence.

Not so.  Airguns are simply guns which use compressed air (or CO2 gas) to propel a pellet.  Whether the compressed air is charged from a gas canister or mechanically generated by releasing a cocked spring is immaterial.  It's the energy discharged which determines whether a FAC (Fire Arms Certificate) is required. 

Guns which use other compressed gas (other than air or CO2) require a FAC automatically.  The majority of airguns use a cocked spring or a CO2 gas charge system.  The benefit of the later being that repeated (automatic) operation is possible from a preloaded magazine.

BASC publish information on air guns and the law
http://www.basc.org.uk/en/utilities/document-summary.cfm/docid/54486592-4812-41DB-8FC5E78820E2D7BAHF

[penninehillbilly]

Additionally Section 48 of the 1997
Firearms (Amendment) Act includes air weapons powered by compressed carbon dioxide (CO2). Firearms using other gases are not so exempt and require a firearm certificate in order to possess them, regardless of their power.

Presumably these are what BIL was talking about-

Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended) contains various descriptions. Any firearms (regardless of kinetic energy) that fall within any of the following definitions are prohibited weapons.
6. Any air rifle, air gun or air pistol which uses, or is designed or adapted for use with, a self-contained gas cartridge system [Section 5(1)(af)] (i.e. Brocock and Saxby-Palmer type)

[nerdle]

Hoping to change the subject a bit......
I've put a lot of effort into foxproofing lately but can a fox climb a tree and jump over?  How well do they climb exactly?

[ANHBUC]

Hoping to change the subject a bit......
I've put a lot of effort into foxproofing lately but can a fox climb a tree and jump over?  How well do they climb exactly?

Very well so your run/enclosure should be well away from trees, fences or anything else they could climb.

Here is a video link of a fox in a tree, think he is raiding a nest.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmGxacavuvw

and one of a fox on top of a 12 foot hedge

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiwgP7TtOQQ

[nerdle]

They are so clever!

They do need something to grip though but I have more fox proofing to do!!!!!!!!!!
A block halfway up a branch should fix it.....I hope.......!

[mummyeagle]

saw thefox again at 9am it hurtled across the lawn and jumped up the wall at end of garden. nearly made it but fell off- the wall is about 7 ftat thatpoint. he then managed a 6 ft climb further along at about 6 ft and over into the woods ( a 12 ft drop!). so athletic unfortunately. still have my 2 chooks as being very careful

[TheWebbFamily]

I wish we had known about this site when we first got our girls.  My hubby and daughter really wanted chickens and i suppose i just went along with their wishes.  I always thought i wasn't that fussed with them, having to sweep paths and hose down to keep poop to a manageable level made me think they were hard work at times, especially after a long shift at work.  However after the events of Friday night Saturday morning I was so wrong, I loved our girls, they were fab layers and all had their own little characters.  As i type this i really cant stop the tears flowing.

We had friends visiting this weekend and had been chatting excitedly about introducing them to the girls the next morning.  I even warned them that being at the back of the house they would probably be woken by their indignant squawks that they were still inside ...

At 9.20am yesterday I got up and thought the girls must be out as they were all quiet, thinking our poor guests had been disturbed and been kind enough to let them out.  I went to the back door and it was locked I opened it and at 09.22am my heart broke with the silence and scene that was there to greet me.  I saw a pile of feathers and thought omg what on earth?  (i will hasten to add we were very new to chicken keeping)  as i got closer to the coop it was then i noticed the first mangled bird ..... i screamed until hubby got to me ..... we then checked and there were no others, three missing hens.  We thought they had probably escaped in fear of whatever had done this.  Daughter and one of our friends scoured the neighbourhood and apart from finding some feathers a little further from the house there was nothing

We went inside and i just broke down, how could this happen to us?  My daughter went out to the garden and went and sat on the small wall we have which runs to the back of our house and she looked and saw a freshly dug hole, she thought it was odd and called her Dad he ordered her inside and then checked .... yes it was one of the other girls ... double tragedy.  We then considered all the other places a bird could be hidden and started hunting high and low.  To the rear of our garden we have raised beds and in one of these we found Chook, our black speckled neck Maran buried there.  So now we have two buried birds, one mangled bird and one missing one, which we presume the predator must have eaten.

We sat and wept, our beloved chickens were gone and we felt so helpless and that we had let them down.  It was then that discussion turned to foxes had done this. I have NEVER considered foxes, yes i live in a village which is near farms but i just have never seen a fox in our garden or even in the locality.

Following trawling the internet it became aparant that foxes do once inside a hen house, kill all even if they dont eat them and that they bury the rest to retrieve at a later date.  I was flabbercast, i know they call foxes wily, cunning and sly but now i fully understand why.

We have lost pets, including the 17 year old cat this year, but that has always been old age and expected.  To lose these girls in such terrible circumstances has left me so upset i am not sure what we do next.

We may get chickens again in the New Year but the coop will be placed on a patio base .... to protect them.  We need to mourn our loss for now and remember the funny times we had with our girls.

To anyone reading this please please please protect your birds i would never wish this on anyone else.

[ANHBUC]

   Sorry to hear your sad news, we do get attached to our hens and you must be heartbroken to loose all of them.

Not the best time for you but welcome to the website and I hope that happer times are just around the corner for you and your family.

[mummyeagle]

condolences to thewebbfamily on the loss of their hens. it is awful when a fox gets them and hopefully it wont stop you getting some more. lots of good advice on these pages.

[Mickle]

Foxes mainly go under the wire and a good tip is to bend the wire bottom out 12-14" and bury it, they dig right alongside the wire to get underneath and the buried wire thwarts their plans, it also pays for the top of the wire fence to be loose and lean outwards and at a height that would make climbing over virtually impossible.
They are predictable and seem to visit a site on alternate nights approaching on a recognised run.
Being an opportunist they frequently check poulty houses during darkness on the off chance that you havent locked them up. 

Their problem is once in they will kill everything they can get their jaws round be it 1 or 100+1, Fatigue steadies their bloodlust.

[viettaclark]

I am sitting here still distraught after a big dog fox had a go at my 6 hens when they were in the garden at 3.30 this afternoon. I've been very wary since seeing a vixen one morning last week and I lost 2 young birds last Spring.
I heard a bit of unusual noise, looked out of the window and my biggest bird was being dragged down the garden with feathers flying everywhere, When I screamed the fox let go and dashed off. Phyllis is ok I think but totally traumatised.....she's a strong, heavy hen and was a bit more difficult to kill.
Then I checked the others and Speckledie was missing with huge piles of her torn out feathers leading towards the bottom fence. She has just come out of a brood and is moulting so she's much lighter and I thought she had been taken off.
The other 4 were rosey and milling about the old coop and eventually I realised they were trying to tell me something.
There was a ragged scrunched up bird hiding in the corner! She eventually came out but neither she nor Phyllis would let me near to check for wounds although both seemed to be walking ok.
I put treats in the run, which is pretty foxproof and they all crowded in, ignoring the food, just shivering in one corner together. Then Phyllis went into the coop and the others followed (this is 4pm) so I locked them in. I've got an Eglu Cube which is definitely fox proof.
I'm not sure what to do now. My first thought was a gun, but an air rifle wouldn't be suitable. Can you get a professional in with a shotgun to kill them? Then poison but we have cats and so do our neighbours. Then electric wire round the 6' boundary fence but that would cost a mint and might hurt the cats.
I always let out the birds during the day. The run was fine for 3 birds but I've got 6 now and I don't like confining them in that space for too long.
The only solution seems to be to expand the run and make sure it's totally foxproof (?) but this will take some time. I must only let the girls out if I'm there with them which is a b****r at this time of year. I'm at my wit's end.
I spoke to the Council after the last attack and they gave me the number of a private vermin removal company. If I pay £150 (per fox and there are at least 2) they will humanely trap and remove them and let them go elsewhere. As dogs will find their way home and money is tight this is not an option.
I'm not looking forward to opening the pop hole tomorrow morning. I may have 2 girls dead from shock.
What can I do?

[viettaclark]

I have ordered the walk-in run and extension from Omlet. I haven't told the OH yet (he works away) and it's our holiday money but I researched wire, wood etc (he made the 3x1m run joined on to the Eglu run) and it would cost over £200 to make a basic walk-in run and he's now got no time to make it.
Delivery on Monday so if the kids help we might have more FOX-SAFE space for the chooks in less than a week.
And I won't break my back changing the water!!!
Oh cripes....what's he going to say......? :blink:

[joyfull]

I'm sure he will understand, and don't forget to post photos of the run