[Beano]

I was in the garden last Saturday at 9.15am watching my  chickens eating some tinned sweetcorn. They had just been let out of their run into a (not so secure) fenced area.
The had been let out of their coop and into the run at around 7.45am and I had gone back to bed till 9ish. They had been shouting to come out as usual and were very happy to see me at 9.15am armed with sweetcorn.
As I stood there watching I noticed a fox the other side of the fence in the field. He was only around 4 to 5 yards away from me and my precious girls. Fortunately, he was obviously in a hurry  to get home and had not noticed me or the chickens. I was rooted on the spot and I have played what ifs round and round in my head. The poor girls have had to be in their run today. It's a good size run and they have more than enough space but they do like their freedom.
It had been a very wet Friday night and the fox probably had to stay out longer to catch some food. I'm so glad that he wasn't five minutes later!!

[Aunt Sally]

Lucky escape but they are about all the time  


This is my garden at about mid day.

[CluckyChicken]

I know what you mean.  I'm quite lucky in the sense that I have 6 foot fences all around, but my friend has her chickens out all the time. She lost 27 in the middle of the day to a fox.  Can never be too careful...   

[Aunt Sally]

I too have 6ft fences/walls all around my garden too 

[CluckyChicken]

And you still get foxes?? I was asured that they would never get over them.  Must re-think things... thanks Aunt Sally!

[Beano]

Oh criks!! Where were your chickens in that photo? I can see their run and coop. Were they hiding in the coop?
We don't have urban foxes and we're too far from any large towns for them to be "dumped" on us so they aren't as tame/cheeky. I'm sure I've seen photos of your chickens on here freeranging. Is that only when you are in the garden?

[joyfull]

sadly urban foxes are very cunning and agile and not in the least bit frightened of people as I found out when foxy got my ducks.  .
Be vigillant out there everybody xx

[Aunt Sally]

My hens were luckily in the fox proof run at the time.  They do freerange most of the time and I'm not always in the garden with them.  It's a bit of a gamble really

[Beano]

It is a balancing act between freedom and risk. The thing is I was quite neurotic before this incident and found it very hard to leave them this morning to come to work. I'll be spending even more time watching them on my days off from now on. Now that cant be a bad thing!

[Debz]

I have a fox that sits on the 6 foot fence and watched the hens in their run.  I only had the hens on a temporary basis though as they were going to my sister's to live.  I will get more in the spring for me after the worst of the weather is over.

[Evansent]

The foxes (note the plural!!)   in my garden go over the 6ft fences like atheletes! They don't even think twice about it.
 Hence, the reason I now keep my hens in a large shed and run and only let them free range when I am in the garden.

c x

[themagicaltoad1]

My neighbour often has a fox in her garden, I usually leave my dogs out when the chickens are having their daily free range couple of hours. The dogs have learnt not to mess with the chickens, but would see off any fox that came into their territory.

[Knight Family]

thank goodness the fox's round by us dont come into the garden in the day time. Then again thats why I put the chickens in a electric fence, Mr Fox did try once woke us up in the middle of the night with the howling from the shock!!

dont know why he does not go down there again!

[evie2]

We were in Co Cork on holiday last year, half way up a hill and the fox was everywhere night and day, no fear, the only place it wasn't was in the cottage.

Never underestimate a fox or badger

[Junie]

Oh criks!! Where were your chickens in that photo? I can see their run and coop. Were they hiding in the coop?
We don't have urban foxes and we're too far from any large towns for them to be "dumped" on us so they aren't as tame/cheeky. I'm sure I've seen photos of your chickens on here freeranging. Is that only when you are in the garden?

I wouldn't dismiss wild foxes as scared of humans or evening hunters, we are in the middle of the country and as far as I know I cannot think that the french would push urban foxes into the country.
I lost 4 chooks last year at around 1pm ( heard the commotion) we think they were unsettled by the "chasse" and came our way as it was a Sunday.
I lost 4 this year, just metres from the house, then I kept them in their run, heard a commotion again to see a fox sitting 2 metres from the fence, it did not move when it saw me, but legged it when my JRT gave chase.
My neighbour could hardly believe I had seen a fox during the day.