Just lost all our girls to a fox....

[Wrongmoreoftenthannot]

For home today after being gone for the night to find all 7 of our girls had been savagely killed by a fox. I'm devastated. Foxes are bastards.

We want to get up and running again but I'm after some tips to try and protect the new birds...

A friend of mine swears by putting urine all around the chicken coup (haven't asked but don't think she actually pees out there) once a week. They live in a small village surrounded by fields so am guessing she's either been very,very lucky or it actually works.

:(

We are down to 2 from a flock of 5. They were my Pride and Prejudice girls - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Lydia and Kitty. Jane and Kitty were missing when we got home just after dark one evening - just a small pile of feathers left behind, so I knew a fox was responsible.
Then last week we had the remaining girls loose in our garden, three of us at home with doors open onto the garden, dog loose in the house/garden when I spotted a huge fox belly crawling across the grass. I ran out yelling and screaming but he grabbed Lydia and ran off through the undergrowth into the woods. It was horrible to watch. We eventually found Elizabeth in a hedge but couldn't find Mary anywhere so thought she must have also been taken. Then next day I found her hiding behind the bins!

Elizabeth and Mary are no longer allowed out of their (big) enclosure to play, and at night they are secured in the coop inside the enclosure.

It's so dreadful, all ours had been decapitated, feathers everywhere.

We are going to try urine, has anyone tried bags of human hair?

Argh. Poor you.

I make DH pee around the run. I'm not convinced though. What were the cir umstances? We're they taken in broad daylight?

See I don't know if I could cope with this! I would cry for weeks:( Especially watching one actually being taken:(

Poor things. Poor you:(

Oh how awful, the poor things.

I've heard about urine keeping foxes away too but apparently it has to be male urine?

Were they in a run? Or dod the fox get into the coop? I lost all three of mine when they were free range, now I have one (one pts recently, awaiting a new one atm) and she is only allowed out of the run when someone is in the garden. She can fly quite well too, which I think might help, if something happened. The run is weldmesh and pretty strong but I do worry about a fox tunnelling in. The house is secure I think.

There are all sorts of things that you can try that work. It has to be male wee from humans or dogs and plenty of it so if you have a male dog or a friend with one let it in the garden and let it wee freely. we have tried wee soaked rags as well but you have to keep them topped up as it were. also leaving a radio on - has to be on a talk show not music. however unfortunately the only way to keep them really safe is in a run behind a 6ft+ high fence with the fencing dug into the ground. Did he get into a coop OP or had you not locked them away. Just trying to see if he is determined as if he is it would be best to leave it for 4 - 6 weeks before getting any more. it happens to all of us - a constant battle with he who must not be named, stoats, crows etc.

Really sorry to hear that. We have lost 3 to foxes over the years, and managed to save a 4th.

1. Have a fox proof run, only let them out of the run if you are watching them.
2. Electric fence, cost at least £100.
3. Build a large foxproof walk-in run and keep them in it all the time.
4. Get a dog with a really strong prey drive and let it out into that garden to hunt the fox when it comes into the garden. Not guaranteed to work but we haven't lost one to the fox in 2 years since our dog nearly killed a fox. Not recommend from a dog training point of view.

Otherwise, sooner or later then fox will get them.

Look at the omlet site www.omlet.co.uk for lots of advice and discussions, you don't have to have an eglu to join