Advice re Fox attack

[MoonFacesMum]

We’ve kept our three lovely chickens for 2years now and last night we lost one to what I assume was a fox. It was my fault - I went out to shut them in to their run and coop about dusk and assumed they were all in their coop but, for some reason, didn’t check. One must have been roosting elsewhere and we woke up to chicken feathers across the patio and only two chickens in their run. I feel so guilty, I usually take a quick peek in the coop to do a headcount, I have no idea why I didn’t last night.

I’m worried that the fox now knows we’re here and will try to get the other two. Occasionally we’ve noticed the chickens make a loud alarmed noise in the early morning (not laying noises) and DH wonders if something was prowling around but couldn’t get in to them. We have an eglu with run and I’m pretty sure it’s as fox proof as a run and coop can be. My two questions are:

1)Are the other two chickens more in danger now because of this incident, and if so what can we do?

2. Obviously we won’t leave them out all night (never usually do anyway and can’t believe I did last night) but will they be ok free ranging in our garden during the day, including when we’re not here?

If a fox knows there is a food source then yes, your ohter chickens will be more vulnerable.

As to whether they would be taken during the day, it all depends how bold/hungry the fox is I suppose, I've had chickens taken from a paddock in broad daylight, I think only letting them out under supervision if you are really worried might be worth doing?

Sorry you've lost one, one of the downsides of keeping chickens sadly.

Thanks for your reply, it’s confirmed what I thought. The other two are happily pecking about now. I think we’ll only let them out when we’re here. Obviously we’ll make sure they’re shut in at night and keep our fingers crossed that the fox isn’t too hungry/bold to come back during the day.

You can either buy some cheap dog food and leave it out for the fox which will stop him from going near the chooks or you could have hubby or son wee in a bottle for about a week and just spread it around the garden as it has been known to keep the foxes away.

Sorry for you loss. :(

Never heard of those ideas, I’ll discuss them with DH. Perhaps not today though - I think he’s getting upset with how upset I am about it.

Thanks for condolences too, I knew I love my girls but surprised about how upset I am about this.

They might be chooks but they are our furbabies.

Beaver don't you mean featherbabies?
Op we lost 1 to a fox but others were fine.

Sorry to hear about your chicken, I've just posted about our eglu being under attack but those eglu's really are fox proof! Could you add another run extension on so that you don't feel bad about keeping them in? I have bunnies in a classic but we used to have chicken in an eglu cube and they never came under attack, we had the chicken fencing up to keep them in a specific area which had trees so they could flap up to branches if mr fox came when they were free ranging 💐

We've had foxes prowling around for a while and I'll admit I've been a bit complacent as nothing has happened so far, but a couple of weeks ago a fox bit through the Omlet netting surrounding the Eglu wire run and tore up the raincover. Plus some local friends lost a couple of birds to a fox in the early morning recently. It's the first time we've had actual damage and has definitely made me more concerned for the chickens safety during the daytime too.

Thankfully the wire run kept the hens safe, but it's not big enough to have them in all the time (we have three large hybrids) so I would love to get an Eglu walk in run to keep them enclosed but it's so expensive. Instead we've picked up an aluminium framed one with strong wire mesh off Gumtree. They'll have a little less room than before but it will mean they're more enclosed and safer during the daytime, and we'll still free-range them when we're around in the afternoons.

I know they're probably never 100% safe from foxes but I feel a bit more reassured with the enclosed run instead of the loose/uncovered netting. I think I will also encourage DH to 'do his bit' too as per the suggestions above!

We'd started letting our chickens out for a bit when we were in the garden....... we were both there about 11.30 am a few days ago, in the garden, very sunny - and the fox came and took one. It was the first one we'd lost to a fox for ages as our run is VERY fox (and terrier and husky............) proof. I'd thought they would have been ok in broad daylight with us around but not.

So sorry for your loss :(

We find the fox only attacks at first light when the hens come out. We used to use a light sensor door, but he would be waiting for them (having somehow apparated into the run - we still don’t know how) - after two deaths and a near miss, we now let them out manually a little later, around 7/7.30. Touch wood, that seems to be fine, fox has retreated to wherever he does during the day.

I only let mine into the garden when I’m in the house, even if not directly supervising - as moving because of a few massive domestic cats as anything else.

A few things that may intimidate the fox - we hang a large red towel out on days when we have to use the light sensor door, seems to work; also borrowed a neighbours dog in the hope the smell may scare foxy.

We no longer let ours free range after losing three in broad daylight whilst we were there.

Aargh! Had a bastard fox in with my hens this evening. It was just getting dark and I had not got round to shutting the door of the run. Kicking myself now.

The fox was in the run itself and I don’t know if it actually caught any of them. One had fled into the garden, one was squeezed into a tiny space under a pallet making a terrible noise, one was in the nest box and one was fluttering about in terror and also fled the run while I was sorting out the fox. I had a hell of a job driving the fox out without upsetting the girls any more. Then had to catch the two escapees who quite naturally were not keen to go back.

All four are alive and mobile but it was too dark to really check them over without traumatising them even more. Dreading what I’ll find tomorrow morning.

They were eerily quiet this morning and crouching in the bottom of the run but cheered up enormously when I gave them a treat. One is limping a bit - the one which was squeezed under the pallet. I'm going to continue to keep an eye on them for any further sign of injury.

Need to be extra, extra careful from now on as this fox will be on the lookout.

Oh no Knight - that's scary! hope your hens will settle down again soon. It's easy to get caught out at this time of year I think, when the nights are getting shorter. Fingers crossed the fox doesn't make a return visit.

There are a couple of foxes which visit regularly in the early morning. This one looked younger and smaller.

Three days on - looks like two hens were caught. One is limping a bit but weight-bearing on the bad leg, one has lost a small chunk of feathers and is also limping a bit. Can't see any flesh wounds but they are both subdued and I think its now a matter of hoping they recover quickly enough not to be victimised. The others seems back to their normal clucky selves. .