[lukasmum]

When I bought a lovely new house for my banties, I chose one with a slide out droppings tray to make cleaning easier, and lovely fox-proof bolts at the pop hole and cleaning door.

The banties have been quite happy in there for several months now - until this morning I discovered the tray had been forcibly scratched out from under the coop (assuming a fox) and had accessed the poor chooks from underneath the house. Feathers everywhere and my banties and a bantie cockerel taken

I was going to move them into the other house, and let my broody pekin (who sleeps with the big girls) have that has her broody coop, but as you can imagine, I'm having second thoughts.

Just a warning - incase you think yer babes are safe.  Mr Fox broke the bottom lap of a fence panel to access their run and was tenacious enough to remove the tray. Poor girls must have been petrified....

I did think of putting wooden blocks that rotate - to pin the tray in position - but am so upset I'm not thinking rationally yet!
Lukasmum

[madcat]

Oh dear!  Poor chooks!!  Poor you!! 

[Chookiechook]

Oh no.... that is awful and so sad

Poor you and poor chooks

Is there any way of making it foxproof now??

[joyfull]

How awfull, who would have thought that would happen? huge hugs xxx

[wolverine]

What is the base of the tray made from ? mine is a thin sheet of metal I don't think a fox could get through it.  Did the fox kill them all?? that's just greedy.

[tosca100]

So sorry about this.

[Pretty Chick]

Shame, poor little things  
I myself, would make the house a little more foxproof, but would definately concerntrate on making the area around it fully predator proof.

[dizzylizzie]

Im so sorry for your loss, you must be deverstated. These coops are sold everywhere and they make it look like such a good idea

Shame, poor little things 
I myself, would make the house a little more foxproof, but would definately concerntrate on making the area around it fully predator proof.

Thats not helpful!!!

[Pretty Chick]

Im so sorry for your loss, you must be deverstated. These coops are sold everywhere and they make it look like such a good idea

Shame, poor little things  
I myself, would make the house a little more foxproof, but would definately concerntrate on making the area around it fully predator proof.

Thats not helpful!!!

Well that's your opinion dizzylizzie and might have been better if you had kept that to yourself.

[lukasmum]

Their run was pretty foxproof (so I thought) - like I said, the fox actually broke through a wooden fence panel!

The base is a wooden tray, with a metal lining. I can only assume the fox used its head to slide it out a little - then scratched it the rest of the way out. There were definitely scratch marks on the metal tray, the bedding was strewn everywhere.

Like I said, the only thing I can think of is to secure the tray on both sides of the house - but my little broody girl is just going to have to stay nesting on the floor of the other house until I figure this out...

No bodies - just feathers, the fox obviously has a hungry brood of it's own to feed.
I'm gutted - but wanted to warn everyone. I assumed they'd be safe bolted in, but they weren't.
 

[Pretty Chick]

It's good of you to warn us, thank you   :happy:
I wish you the best of luck in making the house foxproof 

I feel really sorry for you 

[wolverine]

Now your making me worry about my coop I'm gonna put a bolt on the tray now. I never would have thought a fox would be able to actually slide it out.
 can you not make and electified chicken dummy so the fox gets a shock when it goes for it it may then belive chickens are dangerous and leave them alone I'm gonna look into a prototype 240 v version. I'll sell you one then you can get your own back : )

[nicky d]

arh really sorry to hear you lost your little banties, just awlful,  sending hugs    nickyx

[Ice]

No selling on the forum wolverine.

So sorry to hear this.  Thank you for letting us know so we can keep our hens more secure.  It wouldn't have occurred to me that a fox would be able to do this.

[wolverine]

Sorry ice  I was joking though as much as I hate the fox for his chicken eating ways I don't think electrocuting them is fair also having a 240 v chicken in my garden might raise some health an saftey issues.  sorry for the joke on this thread lukes mum it's not very sensative. I'd be gutted if I lost my girls