How to deal with a fox
Discussion
Right so I have a problem. Chickens free range in the garden and one appears to have been nabbed by a fox this morning. No feathers but a lot of squawking and one less chicken. Garden has a 5 foot fence but there are some gaps. Garden is 10m x 30m.
I could lock the chickens in their run but they like exploring the garden, except when getting eaten by the fox.
How can I get rid of the fox?
- I don't have a gun and no way to get a rifle. Shotgun cert takes ages and whilst there would probably be a safe shot, if the neighbours got alarmed and called the police, I don't want to end up in prison. I don't have any friends with a suppressed rifle either.
- Amazon sells live fox traps. I suspect I would spend most of the time catching the local cats, as well as ours. If I did end up with an angry fox in a small cage, what then? I'd need to find a farmer to humanely dispatch it. I don't sign up for all this releasing them nonsense.
- No idea where the fox has come from as there are no woods nearby and it's not an urban area. Too dry to see any paw prints.
- I could put a few strands of electric fence wire around the garden fence. However part of it adjoins public land so in sure there is some law against electrocuting small kids playing football. I could make a pen from the 4 foot electric mesh stuff but it looks like a hungry fox could just jump over that?
- We're out a lot so I can't get a big dog or wolf to prowl the garden and anyway they might just eat the chickens.
I don't want to admit defeat and lock the chickens in their enclosed run. Any ideas?
I could lock the chickens in their run but they like exploring the garden, except when getting eaten by the fox.
How can I get rid of the fox?
- I don't have a gun and no way to get a rifle. Shotgun cert takes ages and whilst there would probably be a safe shot, if the neighbours got alarmed and called the police, I don't want to end up in prison. I don't have any friends with a suppressed rifle either.
- Amazon sells live fox traps. I suspect I would spend most of the time catching the local cats, as well as ours. If I did end up with an angry fox in a small cage, what then? I'd need to find a farmer to humanely dispatch it. I don't sign up for all this releasing them nonsense.
- No idea where the fox has come from as there are no woods nearby and it's not an urban area. Too dry to see any paw prints.
- I could put a few strands of electric fence wire around the garden fence. However part of it adjoins public land so in sure there is some law against electrocuting small kids playing football. I could make a pen from the 4 foot electric mesh stuff but it looks like a hungry fox could just jump over that?
- We're out a lot so I can't get a big dog or wolf to prowl the garden and anyway they might just eat the chickens.
I don't want to admit defeat and lock the chickens in their enclosed run. Any ideas?
Thanks for the help. Will try leaving my scent around the edge of the garden after dark so I don't exposure myself.
The chickens are locked up at night - this occurred at about 6.45-7am just after I'd let them out. Only reason assuming it is a fox is that it had to be carried off quickly and cleanly. There is not a single feather, blood drop or mark that I can find. The chickens are very hard to catch (unless you have a net) so don't think it was a thief and aside, she was just a bog standard Warren egg layer, no fancy pedigree. Hadn't considered a stoat, seemed too small to carry the chicken off without a trace?
Right now they're confined to a 4m x 2m run which has fencing dug in etc, but they prefer the full garden. Only 6 of them so the garden doesn't get too bad. Had to fence off my raspberries after they kept eating them.
If I up the outside fence to 6 foot, bury another foot or so and then run a single strand of electric wire around the top would that be secure?
The chickens are locked up at night - this occurred at about 6.45-7am just after I'd let them out. Only reason assuming it is a fox is that it had to be carried off quickly and cleanly. There is not a single feather, blood drop or mark that I can find. The chickens are very hard to catch (unless you have a net) so don't think it was a thief and aside, she was just a bog standard Warren egg layer, no fancy pedigree. Hadn't considered a stoat, seemed too small to carry the chicken off without a trace?
Right now they're confined to a 4m x 2m run which has fencing dug in etc, but they prefer the full garden. Only 6 of them so the garden doesn't get too bad. Had to fence off my raspberries after they kept eating them.
If I up the outside fence to 6 foot, bury another foot or so and then run a single strand of electric wire around the top would that be secure?
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