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Original poster

Fox proofing pens...not poss, I know but humour me!

13 replies

marmadukescarlet · 20/03/2008 20:58

Right, as my husband is a dipstick entirely unpractical I am buying my pen. Extortionate and not environmentally friendly (coming up from Devon) but necessary for my sanity/marriage.

It is a poultry protection pen from Flytes of Fancy.

My plan - trench is dug where base of pen will touch floor (50cm deep x 30cms stick mesh in the trench in an 'L' down side and along the bottom and nail it to a sleeper at the top, fill the trench with hardcore and soil. Place pen atop of sleepers and screw down.

Now is this trench deep/wide enough?

Will chicken wire be enough (underground weldmesh on actual pen)?

OP posts:
TheDuchyEggOfNorksBride · 20/03/2008 21:18

It seems like a good plan. The only other thing to do is give the pen a hard wire frame bottom and put it on slabs/terrace etc but that's not so much fun for the birds.

I had chicken wire buried to a depth of 1ft - the chickens have pretty much dug it out on their side with their endless scratching. We did have a fox dig its way in last year and kill the entire flock (after 4 years of completely free-range birds and no losses). It's infuriating, but it happens.

I've been told that foxes can chew through chicken but I've never actually seen this.

TheDuchyEggOfNorksBride · 20/03/2008 21:20

Should read "foxes can chew through chicken wire". We already know they can chew their way through a chicken...!

BoysOnToast · 20/03/2008 21:22

well since it is said that they can chew through chicken wire, it seems prudent if youre going to all that hassle to use a heavier guage wire in the first place, no?

my chickens are so doomed arent tyhey? i havnt put much into protecting them at all...

tortoiseSHELL · 20/03/2008 21:44

Ours are on slabs with a thickish layer of aubiose/hemcore/easibed (whatever the shop has in), and they love it - they can scratch around in it, the slabs mean they keep their claws shortish, it's dead easy to clean - you just hose it down every so often and is fox and rat proof!

BoysOnToast · 20/03/2008 21:52

do yours stay in all the time Tshell?

Original poster
marmadukescarlet · 20/03/2008 22:14

BOT yes you have a point but it is very difficult to get the weldmesh to bend along the bottom of the trenches and arounf the corners.

I was hoping that earth and chicken wire might be enough.

Norks yes my handyman said to put mesh underheath, but I like the idea that they can scratch around - although yours seemed to have been excessive scratchers to have dug that far!

tortoise (My tortie has awoken from hibernation btw) I can't put any slabs/hard flooring down. It is a field with agricultural listing, so would have to get pp. This way it is seen as a temporary structure and the planners don't have to get involved

OP posts:
BoysOnToast · 21/03/2008 10:38

(youre allowed to put agricultural buildings, like shelters/barns on agri land tho arent you? )

BoysOnToast · 21/03/2008 10:39

yes, i do think your plan sounds good enough. only know if you try it anyway, right? norks says shes never seen them go through the wire...

tortoiseSHELL · 21/03/2008 16:15

BoysonToast - they stay in unless I'm in the garden, as we have a LOT of foxes - I saw three in the garden(!) in the afternoon a few weeks back - all at one time. They are happy and have enough space in there, although I do want to enlarge their run area.

Is that really true that slabs make it a permanent feature? I'm sure I read something about that - will have a look!

GentleOtter · 21/03/2008 19:14

It is just a thought but if any of you live near a zoo then lion poop strewn around the place is meant to keep foxes away.(Probably keeps EVERYTHING away)

tortoiseSHELL · 21/03/2008 19:57

Also a man's urine...

Original poster
marmadukescarlet · 21/03/2008 22:26

BOT the previous owners had to get pp to put up a large shed, which could have been counted as agric - this has a solid base. There is a difference between agricultural and equine use also.

We were told our field shelter couldn't have a solid concrete base as it would count as a permanent structure. TBH we sort of just get on with it, try to stay within the guideline and try not to upset the neighbours/give anyone cause to report us.

tortoise our pen is 9' x 15' lots of slabs, my dh is already baulking a little at the cost (he has a bird phobia so not exactly keen)! But let me know what

OP posts:
ska · 22/03/2008 09:25

my dh wees around the back of the garden (so does dss). it worked most of the time at our old place but here it hasn't. i think the fox is just much hungrier at this time of year. we had our last coop on slabs and it was good for cleaning. the new coop is a flytes of fancy (lovely) one plus run allegedly for 12 (we did have 6 before the fox) and is on grass as we have an enormous garden and they have the last 100 foot. we think we may ned to bring them closer in to the house. but our neighbours who are all really freindly and help us round upo wayward ones (this new lot seem to jump!) have nearly all told us 'we used to keep chickens but the fox kept getting them' - don't really want to keep them in all the time as it would limit the number too much. btw our chickens dig for victory

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