Friggin Fox..!

A

Aileen

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Just outside Glasgow
My birds are gone!! Every bloody one of them! (i only had 6 left after my first fox fright a couple of months ago). He must have come round in daylight as my chook door was closed by me at 9 last night and scheduled to open at 6.30 . The b*****d must have been waiting for them! I thot I had smelled fox pee / poo a few days ago....
It looks like he has actually been on TOP of my run and pulled away the chicken wire and burst the staples to get thru.....
I am absolutely gutted to the point of taking a bloomin match to my chook house as I never, ever want to go thru this again.
Yous sincerely a very sad, very angry Aileen x
 
Hi Aileen.
I am sorry to hear of what has happened to your flock. I do not have wise words to impart being a newbie, but hope that given time to take stock, you can restart and keep the "$%^&* fox out for good. I had a scare last night thinking a fox was into mine, and i rushed out with a torch only to find it was 2 cats fighting.
Pete
 
So sorry, Aileen to hear your awful news. :(
I'm only new to this but have learnt how lovely it is to have chooks wandering round my garden.....(being pushed around the garden in my daughters dolls pram, pecking the washing on the line etc!)
Don't give up cos beginners like me need experts like you... Katy
 
Aileen,
so very sorry. I know how you feel.
A few weeks ago, a fox took, through a slat in the bottom of the nest box, the legs cleanly off two of my Pekins, one dead, I had to deal with the other. Hunting is far too good for them.
 
Hi Aileen

I lost 5 a few months back too and still shed a few tears when I remember the trauma but I don't think you should give up on having chickens, get an electric fence, the joy they bring is worthwhile the pain we go through when we lose them. Don't let the fox win, it's killed your chickens now you'll give up completely because of them? It won't happen again if you make the run secure... so sorry about what you went through, I know far too well what it feels like. But chickies are worth the pain and troubles!
 
I am really sorry for your loss, it is a horrible feeling seeing what damage that foxes do, please do not give up on keeping poultry, I know replacing your birds will not bring them back, but think of the enjoyment the girls brought to you and what wonderful times you can have with new birds in the future.
 
Hello my lovely PK Pals! Thanks for your kind thoughts and words, I have taken huge comfort in them as I didn't believe losing my gals could cause so much pain, I keep thinking about their last moments and how scared they must have been and how I have let them down (sobbing again....)
My lovely neighbour de-feathered my garden for me she wouldn't let me do it, she bubbled whilst cleaning up as well as she adored them!
Anyhoo, the coop has been scrubbed and run emptied and for the time being is staying empty, I can't look at the coop without feeling totally sick, so I am not ready to fill it up yet!
I have covered everything with diatom to keep bugs at bay but would ask can redmite come to an empty unused coop??
 
Hi Aileen. Really sorry to read about your loss. Every morning I go down to the Orchard I don't know what awaits me as I know we have visiting foxes. I thought our runs were pretty safe but hearing about yours I'm not so sure now.

Red mite are attracted to body heat so there will be no problems there. As long as there are no mite in the coop at present and no unhatched eggs it should remain mite free. We had a spare rearing coop which had red mite in it but was treated before storage. Needed to re-house one Wyandotte for a while so after 4 months storage got it out and it was swarming with little tiny brown (unfed) red mite which had to be exterminated first.
 
Hi Aileen
So sorry that this happend to you.Time is the best doctor.It is hard to loose them all.Hope you will find a new joy of having new chickens.
 
Hi again Aileen

I took about 4 days to completely clear the chicken run after I lost mine to the fox, it was a horrible murder scene really, I will never forget it, they were all over the place... and yes, so many feathers... my neighbours helped me too so I know how you feel! I kept thinking the exact same thing you are thinking (and still do at times), imagining their last moments, how awfully stressful it must have been, they were woken up in the middle of the night, when they are all happy keeping each other warm, and did their best to get away, they made an awful amount of noise (woke neighbours up and they informed me at 3am about the death tool).

The coop will be just fine, you will take a wee while to feel ok about the area again but as soon as you have other girls going about the place you'll feel better, take your time, but do have them again because it will bring life to the area again and the memories will soon be replaced with good ones again.

We can't replace the ones we lost and we'll always be sad about the way they went but we can replace the negative feeling the foxes left, with new happy girls.

Cheers

Ren
 
Hi Aileen
I have just read about your heartbreaking news and just wanted to say how sorry I am. Someone my husband works with had the same thing happen but since securing their run they have restocked and it has been ok. I know this won't be the end of chicken keeping for you as you have enjoyed them so much.
 
Hi sorry to hear that you have lost your chickens, i also lost mine, my fault i normally get them in by 8.30 but i forgot it was 9.00 when he came and got them, i now have a electric fence and they are now all safe, i watch him/her come by but they keep on walking, just waiting for the time for me to forget to switch the electric fence on, but i still love foxes they have a right to live on this planet like everything else and if i want chickens and ducks it's my responsibility to keep them safe. They sure are crafty and you do have to keep your wits about you, she has 2 cubs to feed so i know she is hungry, my neighbours feed her so she will always come around by the chickens, so i suppose if they keep her well fed she might leave my chickens alone for now......
 
I developed various chicken bedtime reminder tools over the years, as I nearly forgot to put them away a few times. My latest tool works on an Android phone, and I've published it for free. Search for "Sunset Reminder" if you want to try it.
 
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