Fox raid,again
- Thread starter alani
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Oh dear, so sorry Alani.
When they emerge, are they then free to roam your pasture? Foxes will attack at any time in daylight and particularly in low light after dawn and before dusk, in cold weather when they're hungry and chickens or ducks are sitting targets.
The only way to protect your flock is either by keeping them in a secure enclosed run, or inside an effective electric fence. Once the foxes know they are there, they'll be back, I'm afraid.
When they emerge, are they then free to roam your pasture? Foxes will attack at any time in daylight and particularly in low light after dawn and before dusk, in cold weather when they're hungry and chickens or ducks are sitting targets.
The only way to protect your flock is either by keeping them in a secure enclosed run, or inside an effective electric fence. Once the foxes know they are there, they'll be back, I'm afraid.
50 yards from the house is too far for them to be safe, just because you may be at home. Even if you were sitting at a window on constant watch, or even pottering about out in the garden, a fox could easily nip in and have all the remaining ones before you got down there. Realistically, you just being home isn't going to keep them safe. You either need to sit out among them with a rifle, or instal electric fence, or make a large enough enclosed run where they will be perfectly happy and safe. Free ranging in a fox-free area, or behind electric fence, is good for hens, but actually they don't need it if they have enough space in a large comfortable run, and daily greens.
At least one person I know of has posted on this forum about a fox attack even when she was out in the garden. The fox problem will get worse as Spring arrives because they will have cubs to feed, so now is the time to instal effective protection, for your own peace of mind as well as their safety.
At least one person I know of has posted on this forum about a fox attack even when she was out in the garden. The fox problem will get worse as Spring arrives because they will have cubs to feed, so now is the time to instal effective protection, for your own peace of mind as well as their safety.
Hello,
This morning Iam stunned and suspicious that something other than a fox is involved with the killing of my remaining hens.
I found that my remaining hens had been killed by something.The building was completely secure.A corrugated plastic window,one and half metre high,with limited access had a fox sized hole in it.
Is it possible for a fox to force a hole in corrugated plastic,at such a height with not opportunity to take a run at it?
It has happened,but I cannot see how it is possible how would it now to go for the corrugated plastic at night,it would just appear to be a solid wall to the Fox.
Would anyone suspect human involvement?
This morning Iam stunned and suspicious that something other than a fox is involved with the killing of my remaining hens.
I found that my remaining hens had been killed by something.The building was completely secure.A corrugated plastic window,one and half metre high,with limited access had a fox sized hole in it.
Is it possible for a fox to force a hole in corrugated plastic,at such a height with not opportunity to take a run at it?
It has happened,but I cannot see how it is possible how would it now to go for the corrugated plastic at night,it would just appear to be a solid wall to the Fox.
Would anyone suspect human involvement?
What an awful thing to happen. I'm so sorry, Alani.
This is a real puzzle. The window was high up and solid, as you say not an obvious weak spot as a target, and that corrugated plastic is pretty strong and it would be difficult to chew through or break by an animal jumping up at it. Whatever got in through the window must have got out again the same way, presumably. You say the hole was fox- sized - how big was that? I would have imagined it would be too small for a human to get through, and anyway a human would be more likely to force the door than break and crawl through a window. Was the door locked? Inside the coop, what did it look like, were the hens' bodies still in there, were there signs that they'd been injured by a predator, or could they just have been lifted off and passed out through the broken window?
Anyway, I can't imagine why a human would go to the trouble of stealing three domestic hens, can you? They're not very valuable, except to you, and hard to sell on in such small numbers. Sadly, there are some sickos out there who do this sort of thing, but as I said, it's hard to think that it was possible for them to actually get in to a relatively small and inaccessible hole. Any footprints outside, hair caught on the edges etc?
This is a real puzzle. The window was high up and solid, as you say not an obvious weak spot as a target, and that corrugated plastic is pretty strong and it would be difficult to chew through or break by an animal jumping up at it. Whatever got in through the window must have got out again the same way, presumably. You say the hole was fox- sized - how big was that? I would have imagined it would be too small for a human to get through, and anyway a human would be more likely to force the door than break and crawl through a window. Was the door locked? Inside the coop, what did it look like, were the hens' bodies still in there, were there signs that they'd been injured by a predator, or could they just have been lifted off and passed out through the broken window?
Anyway, I can't imagine why a human would go to the trouble of stealing three domestic hens, can you? They're not very valuable, except to you, and hard to sell on in such small numbers. Sadly, there are some sickos out there who do this sort of thing, but as I said, it's hard to think that it was possible for them to actually get in to a relatively small and inaccessible hole. Any footprints outside, hair caught on the edges etc?
I don't know Marigold,you mind cant quit comprehend how this could have been done by a Fox.The hole is about a foot high and 9inch wide.There is no other entry/exit and there was a half eaten hen inside,the other smaller hen gone.
Irrationally my mind thought someone had smashed the plastic to allow an animal in,but none of it makes sense.
I will check for hair.
The local foxes seem super strain,I recently got a Patterdale Terrier and the smell of her hasn't put them off,in fact there were hen feathers on my lawn a couple of weeks ago from a killing of some other persons hen,brought them to my Garden!
Oh,the hens are more like 15mtrs from my house.
Irrationally my mind thought someone had smashed the plastic to allow an animal in,but none of it makes sense.
I will check for hair.
The local foxes seem super strain,I recently got a Patterdale Terrier and the smell of her hasn't put them off,in fact there were hen feathers on my lawn a couple of weeks ago from a killing of some other persons hen,brought them to my Garden!
Oh,the hens are more like 15mtrs from my house.
I agree,but having just gone down again,I cannot see how it is possible fir a Fox to make a hole on the middle of a corrugated pastic panel,especially at that hight with no access or anything to climb on.
I would say the panels are no more than 800x600.
Got pictures but don't know how to get them onto the post?(tried to add as attachment but said file too big?)
I would say the panels are no more than 800x600.
Got pictures but don't know how to get them onto the post?(tried to add as attachment but said file too big?)
Bugsy
New member
Just a point on posting photos as I posted some time ago.
I get a message saying 700 is the maximum on this site, not 800 x 600
Your images may only be up to 700 pixels wide.
It's annoying as photobucket resizes automatically to 800.
I get a message saying 700 is the maximum on this site, not 800 x 600
Your images may only be up to 700 pixels wide.
It's annoying as photobucket resizes automatically to 800.
dinosaw
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Interesting Bugsy not sure why that would be, I always resize to 800 x 600 and have never had a problem.
I shouldn't worry about posting the photo too much Alani. It's more than likely it's a Fox doing this, they are very persistent and even if they had to jump up at that panel 100 times they would do it if they were hungry enough. It can surprise you what animals are capable of, I still have no idea how my rescue cat ended up in my electric meter cupboard on it's first night with me. It must have clawed its way up the wall and then squeezed through a gap 1/3 of its size while clinging onto the wall, if I hadn't found her in there sitting on the shelf I wouldn't have believed it but there you go.
I shouldn't worry about posting the photo too much Alani. It's more than likely it's a Fox doing this, they are very persistent and even if they had to jump up at that panel 100 times they would do it if they were hungry enough. It can surprise you what animals are capable of, I still have no idea how my rescue cat ended up in my electric meter cupboard on it's first night with me. It must have clawed its way up the wall and then squeezed through a gap 1/3 of its size while clinging onto the wall, if I hadn't found her in there sitting on the shelf I wouldn't have believed it but there you go.
rick
Active member
Just a quick note seeing what you were saying Bugsy. 800 wide by 600 high works but not 600 wide by 800 high. I think 700 might be the hight limit
This might sound daft,but Iam thinking of calling the Police,as I have considered it all day and have concluded that it is not possible for a fox to knock a hole in a solid corrugated plastic panel.
It makes no sense to me,but I find the mysterious disappearance of my poultry earlier and since my last post to be suspicious.
Yes some hens were killed others disappeared.On this occaission Iam to believe a Fox came and knocked a hole in a solid panel.
Makes no sense...
It makes no sense to me,but I find the mysterious disappearance of my poultry earlier and since my last post to be suspicious.
Yes some hens were killed others disappeared.On this occaission Iam to believe a Fox came and knocked a hole in a solid panel.
Makes no sense...
alani said:
It sounds as if you have had other losses since your original post in mid-January, Alani, is that so? What happened then, and how many birds were lost or killed/injured? If you do contact the police, they will need you to provide as precise a summary of what actually happened, and when, as you can manage.
If some were killed and others injured, that would be characteristic of a fox attack, as he would leave what he couldn't carry and hope to return for them later.
However, a while ago, in the small town where I live there was an attack on a pigeon loft by some hooligans who killed some of the pigeons and released others, so you never know, anything is possible.
Well the "attack"in Jan and one in Feb,the birds disappeared,just some feathers,which in retrospect makes me Q a fox.However the next door is building a house and they found a dead hen near the building and a hens head on top of the house wall they were building,which I thought was strange.
Today there was one dead hen in the shed with chest eaten.
I wont be replacing them,it seems like a slaughter house.
Today there was one dead hen in the shed with chest eaten.
I wont be replacing them,it seems like a slaughter house.
valeriebutterley
New member
Alani,
my heart goes out to you.
I've lost three complete flocks over the years, and countless other chickens, much loved and cared for, the last one last Autumn, snatched a few yards, from me in the garden in daylight. A lovely blue Pekin.
Over the years, my son and I have made all the runs as fox proof as possible, by either digging in chicken wire to make a skirt, or engineering bricks as
deterrent, laid flat immediately outside and inside the run. For some reason they do not like engineering bricks. I used to go to my local Travis Perkins
and buy them 10 at a time, as they are very heavy and then go home and lay them lay them!. They are also very cheap.
Don't give up on chickens, I know how heartbreaking the discovery of bodies, feathers and general mayhem is.
Almost too much to bear.
my heart goes out to you.
I've lost three complete flocks over the years, and countless other chickens, much loved and cared for, the last one last Autumn, snatched a few yards, from me in the garden in daylight. A lovely blue Pekin.
Over the years, my son and I have made all the runs as fox proof as possible, by either digging in chicken wire to make a skirt, or engineering bricks as
deterrent, laid flat immediately outside and inside the run. For some reason they do not like engineering bricks. I used to go to my local Travis Perkins
and buy them 10 at a time, as they are very heavy and then go home and lay them lay them!. They are also very cheap.
Don't give up on chickens, I know how heartbreaking the discovery of bodies, feathers and general mayhem is.
Almost too much to bear.
