[chick34]

me and my kids went to feed our hen today and boy what a shock we got when we went in they looked dead i did a head count and i lost 8 hens and lost another 1 whilst we was there and i think i may loose 2 more during the night
but fingers crossed!
we was told we had missed foxes by mins and it was only 7pm
i always thought foxes only came out at night
but can any 1 help me
how do i keep foxes away from my hens
i've been told different things to do
please help i don't want to go through this again i can still see the feathers
and my kids faces when they saw what had happened
   :cry:

[hermon]

so sorry to hear your loss, the only thing is to keep them in an encloser made from weldmesh, foxes dig under things so have the floor covered in chain link with no gaps at all. you need to constanly keep an eye on them when they are free-ranging foxes are out all hours of the day especially this time of year when they have cubs to feed.

[Rural Living]

Really sorry to hear about the chickens, know how you must feel, as we once lost chickens the same way. I was only away from the barn for ten minutes, the fox must have been watching, when I came back he had taken two hens. Hermon is right, that is the only way to ensure they are not taken. Also once they know there is a ready meal they will be back particularly if they have cubs.

We still have ours free range with the ducks, and have had no problems for a few years, but the local estate do keep numbers down. We also have a male dog that we have scent around the fields regularly, not sure if that helps or not.

It is a big risk free ranging them, if the fox is about he will take them, but I so enjoy seeing them out, and I am sure they like being out, but a difficult choice. Our only consulation was that they had had a better life before being taken than many hens that are battery kept, perhaps that will help the kids

John

[John]

That's really awful - I'm so sorry.
My sister had a chicken taken by the fox whilst she was in the garden with her two dogs.  Explaining that to my little 2 yr old  nephew was pretty tough.

[twysted1]

get in touch with the local zoo and see if you can get some lion poo (i'm not joking) and put some around your enclosure i have heard of this working but never seen it work . good luck.

[becky]

Hi there, Unfortunately foxes come out at any time of the day now, they aren't scared of anything, it would seem. I have seen them on my plot eyeing up my girls in the middle of the day. I chased the pair of them away and threw a few stones, but they were back. Fortunately they cant get in to the run, as it is totally enclosed, I have to get in through a small pop hole!!! To try to stop the foxes I got my husband to wee every where! Sounds gross, but it has worked since late March, we also take the dogs down occasionally, to let them pee, apparantly human hair works aswell, good luck.

[hermon]

i've heard about lion poo i think you can alss get something called "roar"

[chick34]

I'm going to melton today to see if i can buy some more hens
my son as seen the foxes a couple of times since but i stay with the hens i potter around doing bits and bobs
at least it did'nt rain on me lol,
i take my dog (border collie) with me i don't think he will do any thing but if the foxes thinks he will then it's half the battle
i've found out that it a woman near where i keep my hens who is feeding the foxes so they won't leave because it's a free meal for them
so what else can i do ?  :?

[GrannieAnnie]

Shoot the woman who feeds them??  Sorry, but foxes are sweet, but they are killers.  And they kill for fun, not just for food and people shouldn't feed them or they will never go away!!!!  Good luck with the new chickens

[ang]

A few years ago we had a lot of young cockerels killed by foxes (we were going to eat the cockerels) they managed to climb/jump over an 8ft fence. Stupidly we had left the cockerels out all night. However we did have 3 geese and these seemed to deter the foxes thru the day.

[John]

My dad was brought up in the country and he hated fox hunting - but he used to sit quietly until the fox came then shoot it with a 12 bore. Quick end to problem.

[jamesmills]

We had a problem with foxes for quite some time before a farmer told us of a "trade secret". Get males to urinate around the garden/field/yard where the chickens are kept. Apparently foxes can smell the testosterone in the male urine and will be deterred from coming anywhere near.
I remember my mother asking all my male friends to pee in the garden rather than use the bathroom. They must have thought I came from a family of crackpots until we explained that the fox had killed a number of our birds. The fox never came back. You do have to pee every so often though...
...otherwise call pestcontrol

[Tensing]

I remember my mother asking all my male friends to pee in the garden rather than use the bathroom. They must have thought I came from a family of crackpots until we explained that the fox had killed a number of our birds.

I suppose its also a good way of making sure your daughters new boyfriend doesn't come to tea again

[jamesmills]

if the idea of pee-ing in the garden doesn't appeal to you. I have a friend that works in chester zoo. I'm sure she'll be able to get her hands on some Lion poo. Not sure if the postman will be happy about sending poo through the post!

[mark]

I'm sorry for your loss. I have had problems with foxes in the past. If you are going to put you hens in a pen put your wire a foot under ground then stones or bricks around this will put them off. also put barbwire around the top as foxes can climb. Also go to your local barber and ask for some hair,  put it in some tights and hang it on the fence and around the perimiter of your fence or your land. If your budget will stretch to it, you can put an electric fence around the pen.