The Poultry Keeper

fenwoman · Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:16 pm Post subject: Fox attacks

They will happen we all know that. The trick is to invest in either electric poultry netting or a strong secure house and secure solid floored, roofed run.
Yesterday I had a call from someone wanting to buy cochins off me. He asked how much they were and I told him. He said "oh no, that's far too dear, I got mine near me at only £XX each" so I told him he should perhaps go back to the source and get some more to which he replied that the chap always sold out really quickly and had no more . (probably because he was selling them ridiculously cheaply and the dealers got in quiick to sell on for a profit). Anyway the chap said he didn't want to pay much for cochins because the fox kept on killing them Shocked

At which point I said that I would not be selling him any of my birds if he offered to pay me twice as much. Now I ask you. What sort of owner buys the cheapest he can find to replace regular losses from the fox, instead of making the birds fox safe, buying decent stock and saving money in the long run?
I know a lot of breeders and dealers would be all too happy to sell him birds knowing that he would keep coming back for more but money has never been a prime concern of mine.
I don't have a problem knocking a bit off if someone is just starting up in the breed and wants a trio or more but to sell them at nearly half price to help a moron feed a fox? Not a chance! Evil or Very Mad

Had another call yesterday from a chap who seemed ok but a bit clueless. We talked about foxes and he said he would get the birds first and then see about making the area fox proof and I told him straight that he was working the wrong way about. Buy the housing, make it fox proof and then buy your birds. I hope he takes my advice. I recommeded he buy 'starting with chickens' to learn about good husbandry. If he does so, hopefully he will be well on his way to becoming a good poultry keeper but no doubt if he is determined to get the birds regardless of the fact that he doesn't have proper housing etc for them, then someone will sell him some birds.
I mean, keeping cochins in a rabbit hutch and run?? Not my birds you won't!
I hope he does it properly and comes back to me. If he does, he will be just the sort of keeper I like for my birds, someone keen to learn and take advice. Perfect Smile

Zooey · Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 82 Location: East Sussex

I couldn't agee more. We're fortunate in that we started with ex-battery hens and knew that anything had to be better for them than living in a cage. We fenced off about 600 square feet to one side of our field shelter and split that into a grass run and an all weather run. We both work and keeping the girls safe was top priority. I dread to think how much that run has cost us in the intervening years. The top has been extended, the all weather run has been lined with rubber stable matting and we added 1 ton of chipped rubber to dig in. There's a fancy shelter for wet days and we're now in the middle of putting up a permanent roof. We don't sell our eggs, but it would probably take several hundred years to get our money back if we did. Wink

I feel sorry for people who look after their hens properly, but still lose the odd one to foxes. I guess it's inevitable, but I knew in the beginning I could never forgive myself if that happened Sad

fenwoman · Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:53 pm Post subject:

But zooey you and I don't think about the cost of protecting. We don't begrudge keeping our birds safe. Even with as many fowl as I have, they are still basically my pets. If they didn't lay eggs and I couldn't breed, I would still keep them.
The sort of people who want birds on the cheap and begrudge providing them with safe suitable acommodation, should not IMO be keeping them at all.
Luckily most poultry keepers want the best for their birds.

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

Having lost birds through naivety and stupidity i do agree with you both - my birds are now hopefully as secure as they can be and i learnt the hard way that this is the only way. I now realise that money is not the object as we managed to find it to protect them from a further attack.

Even now i find myself having a panic attack and dashing outside in the middle of the night and my neighbours have been known to be out there with torches also.

At least now i know that my birds are as secure as they can be and huge thanks go to my OH who helped make them that way.

Smile

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

Well said fenny, knowing we have loads of foxes around here meant we made sure the house and run are well protected. The only time I have to worry about them is when they are wandering around the garden, but I usually stand around watching them then anyway.

Timbo · Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 202 Location: Cranfield, Beds.

My memories of my parents chickens include the shock of opening the house door one morning and finding 30 dead chickens 1 wounded (who later recovered) the fox came back night after night after that chicken and one night there had been a light snow fall.. the snow was literally covered with paw prints all around the run. I'll never forget that. Eventually, the fox got through the wire which was stretched where he had used his teeth to get in to the run and then house. Incredible really. Now I've started keeping chickens again, I've spent a small fortune in making their run and house fox proof. I have two fences between me and the fox and a chicken house that is built like a battle ship. Every night I check that everyone is in. There are lots of foxes around here but so far they have not ventured too close thanks to the fences and dogs.

I don't ever want to experience the heartache again. Crying or Very sad

Don't sell anything to them unless they have a secure enclosure I say!