[Mrs Bee]

My garden is sacrificed on the altar of happy hen and therefore happy me.

I live in fox territory too - good foxproofing is hassle and expensive but you only have to do it once for years of henny happiness (hoping so anyway).

How do you manage to fox proof your garden so that your chooks are safe to free range during the day? Would be glad of any tips.

Mine have a good sized part of the garden electric fence, fenced off.  But the rest of thegarden seems to be open day for all the foxes around!

We spent a fair few pounds on buying prikka strips for the top of our 6 foot fences but they only deter the local cats and slow down the local squirrels. The fox just scrambles over them.

I have tried chilli powder on the parts of the garden that they mark their territory but that only has a limited use. Adds insult to injury leaving piles of poo in my garden as well as trampling the flowers and shrubs.

[nerdle]

Hello
I found all the info here somehow - can't remember where now!
A solid barrier (weldmesh or stronger) 5' high then another 1' on top leaning outwards.  1' buried under the ground also. Foxes can't grip easily so upright verticals is good.
I put some green pvc coated mesh (Amazon) on top of my exisiting fences and wall and at the base of the fence on the outside like an eglu run skirt (so foxy can't tunnel under).  I put a 'block' on any climbable trees so he can't jump over.  My one weak area is the shared fence with my neighbour where the chainlink fence is secure to the ground but not dug in.  I will do this in the summer though. Foxes get through the tiniest gaps.

I love foxes and its easier to be friends with them when I'm protected (I dare not get complacent though)...

Its such a pleasure to see her ladyship when I look out of the window!

[Mrs Bee]

Hello
I found all the info here somehow - can't remember where now!
A solid barrier (weldmesh or stronger) 5' high then another 1' on top leaning outwards.  1' buried under the ground also. Foxes can't grip easily so upright verticals is good.
I put some green pvc coated mesh (Amazon) on top of my exisiting fences and wall and at the base of the fence on the outside like an eglu run skirt (so foxy can't tunnel under).  I put a 'block' on any climbable trees so he can't jump over.  My one weak area is the shared fence with my neighbour where the chainlink fence is secure to the ground but not dug in.  I will do this in the summer though. Foxes get through the tiniest gaps.

I love foxes and its easier to be friends with them when I'm protected (I dare not get complacent though)...

Its such a pleasure to see her ladyship when I look out of the window!

Thanks for the info. Will give this to his lordship to work on. I know that they can get through the tiniest spaces one got through one of the gaps on the trellis and managed to squeeze through the hedgehoge hole we left into the concrete gravel boards when we had the fences done.

Sorry, but can't agree about liking foxes! The ones around here all have the mange and all of them carry the toxacara worm which is so dangerous to children. But thanks for the information there is some ideas that I didn't know about.

[nerdle]

You are welcome!  I didn't want a hen at all if I couldn't do free range as I was certain of not wanting a run in my garden.  I nearly gave up at one point (my prevous threads are on here somewhere..) but lovely people encouraged me!

[Diddy Gardener]

When I got my first two they free ranged to their hesrt's content for the first couple of years. Tried everything to keep them out of the flower beds... nothing more annoying that a chicked giving you the eye from the wrong side of a piece of chicken wire!

It got to the stage that I couldn't weed the borders during the summer as I had fenced them so well... walking over the patio was also a hazard (they did love to peer through the patio doors and cover the place in poo!).

We built them a fairly large run with lots to do and they seemed happy enough. Now we have two more chooks and have extended the run to 45m square - a nice large place to scratch in and play around. Strangely, I do consider them to be free range - they're not cooped up in a tiny space and have plenty of opportunity to display their chickeny behaviour. After all, if my garden were 45m square and they had the run of it - they'd be free range eh?

[nerdle]

Diddy - its sounds so perfect! 

My garden is so small.  Poo on the pathway is the real downside - perpetual sweeping and you always step in it anyway!

Just had afternoon cup of tea on garden bench - madam hopping on and off to check me out for treats...  heaven!

[ChristyRose]

Well, after my earlier reply - I lasted 2 days without chickens!!  Everytime I went out into the garden it was so quiet.  No girls rushing to greet me.  I have had a lump in my throat and it has been horrible.
My OH said this morning give it time.  Wait 3 months and see how you feel then.
Well, I could stand it no more and collected 3 of my girls this afternoon and they are now back in my garden!!  A much happier chicken mummy!!     Cant wait for tomorrow morning when I can let them out and hear them rosey round the garden again. 
I do love my garden but I also love my chickens and will just have to live with the odd dug up plant and chicken poop on the patio!!