foxes security advise please

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VALBURNHAM

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I am coming increasingly concerned about all the stories of foxes attacking during the day. I wondered if anyone has any comments on my security and if you think it needs reviewing. I do live quite rural although I do have close neighbours to two sides of my garden. I have three houses all with good sized covered runs 15ft x 6ft made with weld mesh and with anti dig skirts. I do also have a large open run made from heras fencing this although reasonable secure I am sure if a fox was determined he could get in reasonably easily. It would be very difficult to actually fox proof this area as it is so large. My girls are locked in every night in the houses in the covered runs but during the day they are allowed to road freely in the large out door run. The house to either side of me have dogs and on most occasions are in the neighbours garden. My dog is also out a lot in the summer although I do put him in when I'm out. If I intend going out for any length of time I do put the girls into the more secured covered runs. Last week when the weather was so hot due to worrying about them enclosed in the heat I did leave them in the outdoor run whilst ~I was out most of the afternoon but felt very uneasy about it. I have had hens for four years and not had an attack touch wood but as I know from a close neighbour that is no guarantee as he had hens for years and suddenly had an attack killing all but one in his what he considered very secure run. His attacks did take place during the night, however, and he did not lock his hens in at night. My thoughts have always been that you have to weigh up quality of life for the hens and risk and I have felt that giving them lots of space to dig and do chickens things in is worth the risk but am I wrong . Any suggestions or comments welcome.
 
We had a surprise attack as well Val. The details are in the thread 'We've been lucky so far', which sums your position up really. Foxes have little or no fear of humans now and will wonder into your garden given the chance. Our fox couldn't see the chickens, only smell and hear them. Still squeezed through two boundaries to get in though. Came back over the wall the next week as the boundaries were repaired -good 5' jump from the outside so an electric line was added and so far no problems.

Agree with the quality of life aspect. Trouble is when it does happen in order to have chickens again they have to be confined to runs.
 
iv been lucky so far is exactly how I feel I have just been out and tried to see a way of improving the security on the outdoor run. I can put an ant dig skirt around the bottom as the heras fencing does have gaps as the ground is so uneven which I fox could possibly get through. However, in one area there is a tree which a fox could climb up and jump over the fencing. I have as far as possible tried to enclose all the trees inside the run to stop this problem but this particular one would not be possible to enclose. I could consider an electric fence at the top of the fencing but there are several trees foliage all around the top of the fencing and I do not know how feasible it would be to actual do this. My only consolation is that to press all fox attacks around here have been at night or very early morning at which time my girls are locked in their houses. This once again makes me wonder as I have also heard of foxes breaking into locked houses and killing chickens. My hope is that in order for a fox to get to my girls they must first break into the run before they can break into the house. My houses have the twist and shut time securers on would I be better changing to bolts? OH thinks I'm over thinking this but I'm sure my quality of life versus risk would be totally forgotten if I lost all my girls to a fox
 
We're rural and I've left my chooks out in the garden with no security regularly for a year and a half now. Foxes live in field next door and walk along a regular run behind the garden & not troubled me at all. To top it off, they used my garden as a sunbathing area until the day me & my dog moved in.
I think you've got to just cross your fingers. 'Random' is the word. If they are in runs with a dig skirt (& roof?), the only other thing you can do is get an electric fence or line to run round the day run.
 
With regard to your 'twist and shut' Val. I always try to picture a fox breaking in. Standing and scratching at the door or pop-hole they are extremely strong creatures. Could the door latches be accidentally opened or torn off? All our doors are security bolted as an anti-theft device primarily, but I can't imagine a fox getteing into them.
 
I have two strands of elecric wire runing round my pens. One is about a foot off the ground, to stop them if they considered digging under, although the wire is sunk in, the other is about three feet above the ground, the theory being that if it tried to climb the fence - zap ! Having had daytime and night time attacks, I'm never really relaxed.
 
Val, foxes dont climb trees. so dont worry about that. they will not break into a well made hen house. they will try and dig under the fencing if they think it is worth their while. but by the sounds of what you say you are pretty secure and if you were to fall victim to a fox you would be extremely unlucky and it would not be down to you.
 
Foxes can climb .I had to chace recently fox from my garden as he went after one of my yung pullets(she is great flier and I do not clip their wings to give them more chance to get away from danger)she ended up on the fence and waited there until I run after the fox he went up on vertical fence with easy and over to the next door . It was in the morning about 9AM,I was cleaning the chicken house when I heard paniked chickens and saw him.Not firs time,urban foxes are really bold.
 
i said foxes dont climb trees. a fox is pretty much a wild dog, did you ever see your dog climb a tree? they can clamber up a wooden fence the same as your dog could.
 
Is an anti-dig skirt mesh at right angle to the vertical side of the run? How far out does it need to come? If the coop is on paving slabs which extend beyond the enclosure can the fox see them and will they just start digging further out? This is belt and braces as I'm going to use electric poultry netting as the first line of defence.
 
I believe there is only one sure way to prevent fox attack, and that is keep chickens in a run (larger enough for them to do what chickens do all day) and to put electric fencing around the whole perimeter. If you think you have just an odd rogue fox in the area, get somebody with experience of fox control to sort it for you. My son has shot 37 this year already with his .17 mainly at night with a nightsight and silencer - it's part of his job as a Keeper - so he has the time and incentive. Trouble is knowing if your fox is the odd rogue or do you have several in the area? They normally hold a territory, but do overlap somewhat, and if there are many in your area, when one is removed another takes up that territory in time. Electric fencing is a good standby and will always do it's job - so long as you keep it supplied with power. If you feel you don't want to kill the fox, just deter it then electric fencing is your answer. Good luck.
 
we've had trouble in the past with foxes, well when I say trouble two got into our pens around 3 in the afternoon and killed around 30 hens. wasn't the best greeting when coming back to put them to bed. we're very rural and don't live at the premises so being around just waiting was almost impossible and they never show when you want them too. we moved the remaining hens (6) to my mothers large back garden in a fairly built up area and slowly built our numbers back up, but this time with ducks and geese. after a relaxing 9 months when we thought all was well a fox got into the garden and killed all but 1 duck, 2 bantams and another hen (didn't touch the geese but our 2 ganders are a bit tasty lol). my mothers garden is in a row of terraces with dogs each side also and fairly good fencing. Well we've decided to go back to our original premises and go all out on the defensive this time and get really serious about fox protection (we've also had weasel attacks, dog attacks and mink attacks in the past in this place) and up our game. the only way we can see to keep foxy out is 6ft boundaries with 1" square mesh and skirts at least 1 meter wide. this should be okay but only hoping and only the future will tell. we're also putting in a 6ft enclosue around the pens. we're told foxes can't jump a clear 6 ft of wire (wood fence or panelling they'll climb) can't dig under if the skirts are over 1 meter as they always try close to the pen/run and the 1" mesh should be small enough to beat all the preditors. wish us luck cos i don't want to see another massacre as long as i live.
 
That's a horrendous story RhubinaFach. I need to say that if your wire fencing is too tight they can climb that as well. I have also seen a Fox jump a 5' 6" wall without touching the top -he was a good 6" clear. I will be putting in my idea of a fox proof enclosure soon. It will be about 6' high with a turnover at the bottom depending on the soil conditions. Plus a single strand electric line along the top. The height depends on the turnover as we will use two rolls of 1050mm netting.

Think our biggest problem could be Coypu?
 
Chris
Did you ever get your fox proof run built? If so, could you put a pic up please, and describe what you did.

I'm becoming obsessed that if we don't build one that's completely covered, then when we get the chickens they will be taken.

Thanks
 
Well Carolb, I'm really the last person to be talking about fox proofing. The only areas not hit now are the covered small coop runs, which are not fox proof, only resistant for about an hour perhaps and the tall runs which have 6' of fencing. They can also be dug under in about an hour. I say an hour because the bricks below the surface hamper any digging and have to be removed with effort. I have also looked at the new runs on which the wire was staple gunned in position. The staples are rusting and in 12 months the wire will get loose, so they need the hammer staples in as reinforcement.
 
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