[dosmongos]

Hi there, I'm a first time poster and relatively new to keeping hens. I bought 5 lovely chucks 6 months ago and have been amazed at how interesting and rewarding the experience has been. That is until last week, to cut a long story short I forgot to lock them up at the usual time and didn't remember until about 9pm, I went out to lock them up and was greated with a cascade of feathers and bodies here there and everywhere ( Only one had been taken ) I was heartbroken and my wife was distraught as those little girls had become members of the family and to be honest I still feel responsible as if I hadn't been so forgetful they'd still be around. Anyway We are about to collect some ex batts and I'd be grateful if anyone could share any tips they have with regard to keeping Mr or Mrs Fox at bay. My Chicken shed is a standard 8 by 6 shed surrounded on 3 sides by 8 ft high walls and fronted by a fence about 5 ft high with a gate. It's also covered by a large shelter. I'm just wondering what the safest times to let them out are? and I'm also wondering if keeping a radio on in the hen house might deter a fox during the daylight hours? Any advice would be gratefully recieved . . . .

[muntjac]

strong wire and a roof bury the wire under the ground about 2 ft down .then imagine if you was the fox how would you get in .one lock on a gate is not enough top and bottom bolts are best . put broken glass under the outside of the run or barbed wire ...even old rose prunings can help.. if you have a rifle .22 rim you can shoot it if you can gaurantee the shot wont leave your boundary same with a shotgun .pest controllers can also help

[babe]

yup shoot it   its what i did.....flipping fox was treating my garden like a kentucky drive through. :roll:

[Porffor]

Well now.. firstly i'm sorry for the loss of your girls.

I have been reading up and my run isn't fox proof at all.

I have read about elec fencing but that foxes can jump that if not protected enough from above.

Also read that people lay wire (similar to the eglu design) on the ground about a foot out.. so the fox or whatever can't dig down from there.

My girls go to bed at 9.20-9.30pm but are tucked in tight.. i'm wondering if perhaps they should be in bed earlier if there is a risk at that time of night still.

I don't let them out till 7.30-8.00am - mostly because of foxes, but also partly because it's the school holidays, and they were in a feed store that didn't open till 8am so they don't actually wake up till i go to the run.

The only thing that is my saving grace i hope  :? , is I work from home, and my two terriers go out in the garden whenever we choose.. or they ask, or we go out.

My dog chased 'something' out of the garden last night around 11pm. Needless to say as a new chook owner I didn't get much sleep last night - that and our foster daughter waking.  :roll:

[kattcottrell]

A pet Lion in the garden?? can't think of a much else that will deter mr. fox

[poultrygeist]

I like to think our run is fox-deterrant.

From others' experience I don't say proof anymore. We have 19g weldmesh up to 3 foot then ordinary chicken wire which can apparently be bitten through.
The house is pretty much fortified I would think. But again, I don't know what they can chew through in time.
We have 12" slabs round the outside edge of the run. I will work on the security as time goes by but it's as good as I can get it for now and we just hope there's easier things to catch than our chooks.

Rob

[muntjac]

if you got that thicker weldmesh they need steel jaws to get through it .....they are kept as pets etc in wildlife sanctuaries in runs smaller guage wire than you have .... just dont leave the door open

[poultrygeist]

The argument used against shooting is that another will take its place in time. I like to think that prevention is better because at least you know its there and can at least try to outsmart.
As munty says, try to think like it does and walk all around seeing if you could dig under, climb on things, chew through things. And if it gets into the run, what then ?

Rob

[poultrygeist]

That's probably the biggest killer I should think. People being careless and allowing them to get in.

I know I keep leavign the feed bin lid off and stuff but hope I never leave that gate unlocked.  :?

Any idea what thickness of timber (shiplap) they can chew through ?

[dosmongos]

Thanks for the advice, to be honest when I did take a walk round the coup the day after it happened I noticed just how stupid I'd been. I had placed a patio table and chairs right by the front fence which the fox obviouly used as steps, and I'd placed a water butt right by the fence to help the fox out. Does anyone think leaving a radio on in the hen house during the day might help deter a fox?

[nettynoodles1]

lol  dont think anything will deter a really hungry fox  :cry:
did you see omg wotsis name ...lily allen.... with olga the dog.? :oops:

hes had the same probs and someone suggested tights/stockings filled with human hair hung around the coop, another suggestion  diff person was  go out in the dark and wee around the coop also tiger poo wa mentioned. :oops:
must admit i found those quite funny    but hey anythings worth a try

[Porffor]

I will move a chair (dogs cosy seat) in a minute.. as just been thinking and that'd give the fox a lift up. But in fairness we have chicken wire, and wooden screening as the sides of the run.

As said, need to start saving for stronger mesh/metal.

We had 'something' nibble at the guinea pig hutch (new model) but a door propped against the hutch covering the front stopped it. Feed etc is all in a shed with the guinea pigs now (as one got a cold). That's shut in. Only feed for anything is from the compost heap... not near the chooks.

If i run some more wire round the back of the screening do you think that'll help? We have it tent pegged down at the bottom and U nails in it, but sounds like that was pointless if it an be bitten through.

[Foxy]

I use electric poutry netting. A fox will not jump over it.

I remember about a year ago watching a large dog fox pacing around the entire perimeter of the electric fencing-he was beautiful. He did not get closer than about 2 foot to the fence, he had learnt already it was electrified so left well alone.

If there is evidence or sightings of new foxes or youngsters trying their luck I bait the fence with meat gravy to encourage the fox to the fence, they then have a 6000volt shock, they then avoid that route. The dogfox above occasionally visits but knows the fence will hurt so avoids it.

Anyway, this dogfox has been around for 2 years and has never taken a chook -however, a local vixen last year took the entire flock from next door over about 3 weeks which were free-ranging. Foxes are opportunists the problem is if they have had a taste they will be back so you have to be extra vigilant.

[Porffor]

interesting to know it works.
There are small battery packs that can be used with horse tape etc.. quite cheap. I did wonder if it was worth using something like that, but if there is netting then it'd be worth thinking about.
What height is your netting?

What energiser do you use? / need?

just had a look on ebay and there is 25m's for £47, with 9 posts. not bad really. Not when you think i paid £20 for chicken wire and that was 10m x 0.9m.

Elec can't be added to chicken wire at night no? just a thought but not sure if that's just too cruel as it'd be straight metal and I know horse tape is enclosed in fabric.

[viks chicks]

Iv'e only had my chickens a month or so...but am paranoid! I don't have the space for an Alpaca or Lion-which are apparantly good deterrents. So I went to the local haridresser and asked for a bag of floor hair-they thought I was wierd-but I have hung it up around by my chicken ark- and my man marks his territory ever now and then. I am sure that this wouldn't stop a really hungry fox though!