The Poultry Keeper

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1960 Location: Cheshire

OMG!

I was cleaning the chickens out this morning, they were free ranging whilst I had my head stuck in the hen house busily cleaning. I must have heard something, but I dont remember what, bacause if it was a warning call from the chickens it must have been quiet. Something made me pop my head out of their house and look around the door. There in front of me (about 8 metres away) and even closer to all the chickens was a skinny, manky looking fox Shocked

. This is the first one I have physically seen since I first got the chickens in March. Bold as brass, at 9.30 am. I didnt seem to bother it at all! Later on at about 10:20am it was back!

He must be very hungry, he didnt look like he had seen a good meal inside him for a while, and didnt look very healthy at all. When I looked at the undergrowth at the back of the garden there was a well trodden path so he has obviously been around for some time.

Ah well. Its not the foxes fault that I have decided that my lastest hobby is keeping chickens, he is just trying to earn his living. I will just have to out wit the fox. The war of winter has begun! Rolling Eyes

cazjohn · Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 73

Our fox is back too Mad

Striding up and down in the fields behind our garden.

I'd like to think ( in my own little world) that we can all live together, but I'll probably change my mind if she gets any of my girls!

Anyway we've raised the fencing to 8 foot and the electric fence is always on when we're not in.

The first time I saw it I ran out to the back of the garden grabbing a spade on the way, don't really know what I thought I was going to do Embarassed

The fox gave me the lol look Exclamation

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1960 Location: Cheshire

Bhindi · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:08 am Post subject:

I'm with you two on your foxy outlooks, though admitedly I have not yet been 'foxed', though I have seen it franticly trying to get into my coop twice. I would be totally devistated If it takes my flock, but will accept it as I choose to let my girls run free daily, as I dont like to keep them shut in permanently, so its a bit of a gamble.. but life is..

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 499 Location: gwent

imagine how i feel my chickens, ducks and fox are up our field as we do not live on site we are up there every spare moment we get there are fox dens literally metres away from our run we have spent so much time making their home secure its ridiculous but well worth it as so far they have been up there a year and the only things we really have had a problem with was magpies and rats i have seen a fox midday run out in front of me only a few metres from the outside of our run at the moment

our lot only get to free range outside the safe cage when we are there as we are currentley fixing our electric fencing which is taking ages but was speeded up considerabley thanks to henwife sending me the proper connectors and wire and also have a few strands of barb wire to add to the top but my eldest has come down ill again and stopped us in our tracks again.i cant wait till they are in the big run all day free ranging they have plenty of room where they are its just i would prefer them to be out amongst the trees sctratching up all the leaves that are fallen Very Happy

fortunatley the foxes have lef our lot well alone not sure if this is due to the amount of rabbits and pheasants in the area as they all come to feed from us in the winter last year i found a mole upside down in our woods dead i went back to show dh five minutes later it had gone so i assume i must of disturbed the fox that had caught it in the first place and it must of been watching me and went back for it.

Bhindi · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 3:21 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately a lot of work and expense has to go in to protecting our animals, but they are worth it over and over again. However much I like to see a fox, (I even got a bit of a thrill seeing it in my garden, and that's damn bizarre) they are a constant concern to us all, so far my only chook theft was from a human, and after much leg work I got her back.

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1960 Location: Cheshire

Bhindi · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 12:09 am Post subject:

Some very unpleasant children at the end of my street, took her, she had been kept in a rabbit hutch in a garage overnight. At 6am I went to let them down and realised one was missing, so I walked the neighbourhood asking anyone I met if the'yd heard or seen anything, and as the day progressed I strarted knocking on doors, and by the afternoon, I got a woman at my door, saying had I lost (grrr) a hen as she had one in her garden, that her boys had found. She obviously wasnt pleased at their new pet.. My poor little girl even delivered them an egg. Even more annoyingly I felt obliged to show my gratitude by giving them a box of eggs, because they were not the sort of family you wanted to get on the wrong side of..

It turns out my neighbors had seen the kids in her garden and banged on the window to chase them out, but she didn't see what they had in their hands, and at that time my neighbor hadn't even realised I had hens.

I was very lucky, but I was devastated when I discovered her missing.

CP · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:30 am Post subject:

Little b*****s! Twisted Evil

Glad you got her back Bhindi. Very Happy

Bhindi · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:39 am Post subject:

She still thrives, her name was Onion at that time, some bizarre connection to the green ring she had on her leg, but after that experience she had an orange one and so was called (and is) Carrot. She deserved a new start. Very Happy

She has always been the more nervous of the group, but Is high up in the pecking order so she does alright. Smile

Duckie · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 201

that's awful Shocked

I'm so glad you got her back.

Chicken theft is something that's crossed my mind a few times since we have a footpath down the side of the garden, but I guess you can worry about everything if you let yourself Confused

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1960 Location: Cheshire

Welsh Duck · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject:

I keep my pens locked. They are chainlink. about 30ft wide and approx 120 ft long. It was hard work building them, but gives peace of mind from Mr Fox. When we are out at night we often see eyes looking at us (other than the sheep) I had fox losses in the past before the pens- not a pretty site Sad

Being a farmers son I am practical that such things happen but it is not nice seeing headless birds strewn across the field especially when you can recognise individual birds.

Welsh Duck · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject:

Worse than foxes is mink- I lost six earlier on the year- they got over the chainlink and killed six birds but only one was taken- others were injured by puncture marks on the back of the neck but they thankfully survived... Financially it was about £200 damage, not that that mattered. The loss of the birds was worse as it was breeding stock that I had won show awards with... But thats life, we have to take the ups with the downs.

I had never had a mink attack before and we dont live anywhere near running water

Duckie · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 201

mink are vicious little gits Sad