Well I know I'm going to get a "I told you so" from mum, but tonight something killed half of my free range chickens.
Six dead, I managed to find two bodies but I guess the fox carried off the rest. I hate it when this happens.
The trouble is it makes me ask myself some questions:
Should I keep free range chickens?
There's no stopping a free range fox. Is it unfair to them to let them have this risk or to my own pocket? I genuinely enjoy having them about the place and getting up to their mischievous antics but it's obviously going to happen again.
Also what should I do with the six that are left?
I can add them to my other flock (seven birds) which is in a semi fox proof pen, but with a randy cockerel and I'm sure they'll be some fighting with the other hens. Or let them take their chances, although if the fox is on "cubbing" then I know she'll be back - this attack must have been bold as brass in daylight as all the chickens were scratching about the place when I left to do a job this evening.
Bugger.
Is it legal for you there to shoot or trap the fox?
ReplyDeleteNo it's not but I haven't got the time or energy at the moment to go out staking with the gun (little one has got chicken pox so not having huge amounts of sleep). If I can find a trap from somewhere I'd happily use it as I'm sure this one will be back to "finish the job".
DeleteSo sorry kev
ReplyDeleteYes it's cub I g time
Not much I can say but a cheap portable radio with talk radio playing may help next time
So sorry
Ps
DeleteI have free range hens..... and yes please continue
Every year I loose a few
( three far ranging hens this year) but it's worth seeing happy hens
Can you get a cockerel?
I have two and they are worth their wait in gold... They watch the girls
And will run forward when a fox appears
A couple of years ago a fox got into my field
And I lost 6
Four of them cockerels
It's more cost effective letting them protect the gals
Wait should read weight( damm spell check)
DeleteI have a large cockerel, who is a great protector but I can't really have him free range as I'd worry too much about my little girls being attacked by him. Ev makes enough fuss when a hen pecks her hand being friendly!
DeleteWe used to use a radio with the sheep during lambing to keep them calm and that worked a treat. Maybe there's something in that!
He will be back as he knows where the last easy meal came from. At least for now put what remains of the flock in the pen. Time to sit on the back patio with the 22. Put the remnants of the one he killed out as bait.
ReplyDeleteThat's the trouble. In fact I saw her walking in the field behind ours yesterday so I know she'll be back soon. Having the energy to stay awake with the gun is the problem!
DeleteOh, I'm sorry Kev. I think John has a great idea...as long as your neighbours won't mind the cockerel racket!
ReplyDeleteJane x
We've got one already and I think it makes the place sound like it's properly in the countryside, although I'm not sure what the neighbours think! Not free ranged though (see my reply to Johns comments)
DeleteOur orchard fox appears in the afternoon and goes off hunting, seen it come back with a rabbit or two. Had a friend keeping hens in the orchard for a while and an electric fence kept the fox away.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is these hens used to go wall over our 5 acres so impossible to use the electric fence with them. this must have happened about 6 o'Clock when I'd gone off to do a job for someone, typical as normally I'd be in the garden making a racket!
DeleteYou can build a chicken tractor as they call them here which is a movable cage that gives the birds access to fresh range every time you move it but keeps predators out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-tractors-mobile-chicken-coop-designs
I've got a little one (we call them arks) but it would have to be pretty big for 12 hens. Might be worth looking into though. I like that they can be on fresh grass as it prevents problems building up.
DeleteSorry :( it is that time of year and so maybe keep the hens in unless you are there RIGHT BY them ? thats what we do at this time of year :( So sad :(
ReplyDeleteIt's sad but at least it didn't have all of them. I'll have to start hatching some more out now!
DeleteWe had the same problem here in Australia as foxes are introduced here. We ended up making a small paddock (that we also use for the sheep at lambing time) , buried chicken wire around the perimeter so that the foxes couldn't tunnel under. It was hard work,but well worth the effort .
ReplyDeleteBefore this , another solution we had was locking them up at night and putting solar electric fence around the base of the pen on the outside.
The fox will be back though now he knows they are there - for your current lot ,perhaps keep them with the other chickens until you decide what to do with them.
We lost our entire flock one night - it takes something like that to happen to really learn how to fox proof things.
It's mad that we introduced foxes over there! Bloody English men!I lock them up each night but this time of year the fox will happily attack in the day time.
DeleteI've put them with the others for now until I can decided what to do.
I'm so sorry about your chickens. Hope the fox will never come again
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will be back!
DeleteI guess it's getting the balance right Kev, personally I'd listen to John Gs advice.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I will keep free ranged hens again, but maybe ones they get towards the end of their working life.
DeleteSorry to hear about the chickens, I've heard that foxes will respect your territory if you mark it with male human scent (urine/hair works best I'm told) or you could get a 'guard goose' which I've heard can also help. Best of luck :)
ReplyDeleteThe irony is I do "mark my territory" around the pen every night but I guess because they were all over the field it couldn't smell me there and once it got blood lust it just kept killing. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteWe have coyotes and a lot of them. They do their damage at night most of the time. We have to put up goats and chickens at night. We used the radio as John suggested at one time when we were having a horrible time with coyotes coming up closer to the house trying to get our goats. Maybe a dog to run with your chickens? Our GP just loves the girls (chickens) and protects them. GP (Great Pyrenees) are also great doggies with kids I am told. (no kiddos here so I can't give you a personal observation on that) They are protective and very sweet. Though yes they are huge :O)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of foxes but I think I'd take them over coyotes any day of the week! We will get a dog or two in a few years time but not until the girls are a little bigger and they understand animals boundaries. GP's might be a little big though!
DeleteSorry to hear about your hens. It does happen but that doesn't make it any easier for us to deal with. I lost 4 of mine at the end of January.
ReplyDeleteI don't minfd loosing one or two but when its a large percentage then it's a blow. It's happened before to me and I'm sure it will happen again yet!
DeleteOur chickens are free range, and we always lose two or three at this time of year.. A laying hen got taken last night, and a female goose in January. But we accept that that is the way of things in the countryside, and try to make sure that all the hens and geese are locked up at night. We also have magpies which nest in a tree close by the house, and they will take any young chicks, so mum hens and little ones have to stay locked up for several weeks, which we don't like doing. It does get us down, though, when hens and geese get taken, so we know how you feel. Vx
ReplyDeleteThe magpies are another enemy of mine (although not as much as the jack daws!) so I try to keep their numbers down. the countryside makes it's own rules so we just have to go alone with it and try and influence the results if we can!
DeleteWe have free range chickens and we have the whole area (around 1 ha) surrounded by an electrical fence. We also have dogs, which were taught not to attack the birds. Together they do a good job and we haven't had problems with foxes so far, although we have spotted them twice (in 11 years) inside the property - sometimes the wire does not work properly and sometimes the dogs go out for a stroll... We also found a dead fox inside once (some weeks after one of the sightings), probably killed by the dogs.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good dog that will kill a fox and not harm your chickens. Dads dog has had plenty of foxes in its time (which is odd for a spaniel) but I wouldn't trust it for a second near the chickens!
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