Fox has killed my entire lot of chickens, so upset

[Janus]

Just that really. I have a green frog so can programme the door so it opens at 7am but I should have changed it as it’s still not entirely light at 7. I feel so bloody guilty., especially as I have to tell the children when they get home.
The oldest was 10 so we’ve done so well in keeping them this long, all the others are 5+ but I feel devastated at how they died and how to tell the children in a way they won’t hate me.
I don’t think I can have them again but this makes me feel so incredibly sad as I’ve loved having them over the years. We have a massive field next door and I can see the foxes sometimes so it’s just selfish to get them again I think.
Proper sad.

[CMOTDibbler]

Oh no, it is heartbreaking isn't it. How about a light sensor on the door for the future so you don't have to change the time?

[Janus]

I’ve assumed it was when they got up but to be honest I’m not sure as did school run, dog walk, fitness class so went to give them some leftover pasta at 11am so it could have been any time but doubt it was middle of the morning??
But maybe in the spring I can think about it, it doesn’t feel right now. In feat I’ve just remembered the bloody thing has a sensor but I out it on timer as in the summer they got up at 5am and woke the neighbours! Ah, I feel awful again.

[Slippersandacuppa]

We lost some of ours in the middle of the day so pleas don’t beat yourself up about the door. Our are behind a 1.4m electric fence now. Sorry about your girls

[Janus]

Actually that’s true slipper, or at least I’ll tell the children that they were taken at some point this morning as easier than them trying to forgive me if they think it’s my fault too! I feel properly miserable. Maybe wire fence is the way to go - do the chickens understand not to go near it and do they learn by getting shocked or can they sense it?

[Slippersandacuppa]

They do get shocked but they learn quickly. I’m really sad not seeing them out all the time but they have a huge run and we let them out whenever I know we are in for a while so we leave the dog out to guard them. The rabbits are in with them and our electric system was getting old but I hadn’t realised by how much (I’m reluctant to touch the fence to test it but do every day now with thick wellies on!!) until one of our rabbits squeezed under the fence two days on the trot! I changed the energiser and she hasn’t done it since. Our dogs won’t go near it. One of them hasn’t been shocked as far as I’m aware. I think she can just sense it. The average height one worked until one of the guys ropes broke, the fence drooped and the fox jumped over. Go for the 1.4 if you can. I still lock them away every evening just in case. When you feel ready, have a look on the British hen welfare trust website - they had some beautiful hens for rehoming recently. We got 8 from there and they’re fab! Brave, funny and grateful. They get into your heart, don’t they

[Janus]

Thank you slipper. Ours are in a huge 30x30 foot pen and locked in at night. Now considering putting an entire mesh roof on it but the electric fence is probably more sensible. We have all sorts, dogs, cats etc that will have to learn about the fence! I think I will miss them too much to not replace them but really like the idea of the rescue hens so may have a little look now, just for the future. We have dogs and a dog flap and they go out and bark at every little noise so I now wonder if they did come when we were out on our dog walk. Therefore I can’t get any more until I know I can make it safe for them. I already miss them, they all had names etc.

[EmbraRocks]

Oh Janus awful time for you. The foxes are such buggers that even if the wire fences very well dug in they can still burrow under, definitely think electric the way to go.

[Honeyroar]

We lost ours by day to a fox too. Ours are in a huge, fox proof run, but are still shut in at night (we have more problems with weasels, that can get through most fences). How high is your fence? The fox jumped over a 3' fence (we'd let it fall down to that height at one corner). Usually we have it 5'9 high and dug into the ground too. Hard work initially, but worth it when they are safe.

Another vote for ex battery hens from me too. But they really do need a fence - they don't have much survival sense for a while, they're really sitting ducks.

[Ariela]

We had fence dug in, electric fence round the top of the run (Heras fencing) and fruit netting over the top of the run, yet despite all that a fox killed all our remaining ones sometime mid-morning. (The previous lot I disturbed the young fox but was bare legged no implement to hand so didn't fancy my chances, again mid morning. )

[ScienceIsTruth]

Sorry for your loss. Chickens are real characters so I can imagine how much you miss them.

Can I ask a question though, as I was hoping to keep chickens myself now we've moved to a house with a big enough garden?

The issue we have is that now we've settled in here (2 years) we've realised that there are a family of foxes living in the garden right next to where I'd hoped to build a chicken house/run.

It's been fun watching the fox cubs grow up, but it's obviously not great for keeping chickens.

The house was empty for several years before we moved in so I think they're pretty settled here, and even my 6 dogs don't really scare them away.
We thought clearing the garden would move them on, but it hasn't worked so far.

This means I won't be able to keep chickens, doesn't it? Or could I make it like Fort Knox somehow? Or would it still be too stressful for them to have predators so close by, even if they were secure?

Sorry to derail and thanks for any help.

[Fucksgiven]

Maybe time to bring back hunting

[ScienceIsTruth]

I had planned on making a very large cage using iron reinforcement mesh sheets tied together and buried a foot or so under the ground horizontally with earth, etc, on top so they can scratch around still) and then on all sides (buried slightly to meet horizontal one) and on top too, and then covered with wire mesh to keep holes too small to get through.

[Janus]

Our fence is about 5 foot tall on 3 sides and about 7 foot brick wall the last side. I’ve always thought as long as they are in at night they’d be ok, we’ve kept 2 going for 10 years like this (one died of old age about 3 months ago, the other 10’year old we lost today). I guess I just don’t know when and how they went.
I really think the electric fence is the way to go now as I don’t know how else I’d ever relax. I need a bit of time to get over today though, it was a sight and clear up I can’t foeget at the moment, I hate the bloody fox and don’t understand how people feed them and think they are ‘cute’.

[Honeyroar]

That sounds as though it would be fox proof SciencelsTruth, you'd probably need something overhead too (chicken wire roof across the whole run?). We dug out run in about a foot too, and tipped a bit of hardcore around the outside of the run so it would be extra hard to dig. You could also put an electric chicken fence around the outside of the run to make it even more off putting.

There are always foxes around, but if you know there is a family of them nearby, make sure that the hens have a big enough run that they can feel like they can run away, and a big enough coop for them to all hide inside if need be.

[Honeyroar]

I think with an electric fence you need to keep strimming around the fence regularly.

I like foxe's, I think they're beautiful. Not that I'm not really sorry when they kill my hens, but that's nature. You just have to do as much as possible to fence them out. (Not saying you didn't OP, sometimes shit just happens).

[mrsjackrussell]

Don't blame yourself. We had foxes in the day time take our chickens. They got to know what time they were let out. Eventually we just let them out at random times. Iv even known a fox to climb a 10 ft wire fence. They're very clever. I won't have any more chickens now. Too upsetting.

[eggncress]

Sorry about your girls OP. It’s not your fault. We had a fox kill almost our entire flock of 8 at about 11am. Only one survived because she ran into the kitchen.
They were ex bats ... lovely personalities. Yes you will miss them but when the time is right you could get some more.
We have just 3 hens now. We have an eglu where they sleep at night and during the day they like to free range close to the house. We also have a home made enclosure which is 10ft x12ft with a transparent plastic roof.We’ve added interest by making perches and nest boxes for them and a bark floor means they can scratch about.

[Janus]

Thank you all for your kind words, and telling me not to blame myself! I think I will go with maybe 2 birds next spring and see how that goes. Thinking of getting anroof put on the enclosure and an electric fence! Will make their run a bit smaller but if only 2 that’s more than enough. Thank you againz

[AmmoniteMum]

We had an electric fence around a walk in omlet run/house so the hens could free range during the day. We switched it off at night when the hens were shut in but the foxes chewed through the fencing. Once one got its head stuck in it and was all twisted up. We had to call the rspca to cut it out. The fox was unharmed and released, but it was traumatic experience. I haven’t used the electric fence since so my girls only free range when I’m in the garden because we lost a hen recently in broad daylight.

[AmmoniteMum]

So sorry for your poor hens but the electric fence wasn’t the answer for us

[DaffydownClock]

I had a fox dig through a 3' dry stone wall to get into the stables where my bantams roosted- it killed all 18 and only took one.
It's very sad and we thought everything was fox-proof - it had worked for the previous 15 years 😢

[Janus]

My word, they can be pretty determined then. I was looking last night at the eglu walk in enclosure as we had the eglu years ago and they didn’t get in that. Always wondered why they didn’t just start digging 2 feet away and keep going, sounds like they might try. (There’s me saying never again!)

[madmum5811]

A friend lost 36 in the 15 minute afternoon school run. Don't blame yourself brer fox has been waiting for the opportunity for a while now. Only a gun deters them

[Janus]

Oh madmum, that’s horrific, must have been truly awful to come home to. In a way I’m so thankful it was done the time it was and day it was as at least it meant I was the one who found them all and not one of the children. Your poor friend.

[Rainandclouds]

Why do they kill them and not eat them or do they die of shock? I am quite glad I live somewhere with no foxes