Foxes are the number one predator of our chickens in the U.K (unless of course you live on the Isle of Man where there are no foxes!)
Foxes usually rip the heads off chickens and will kill as many birds as they can in a frenzy if they manage to get into a run or coop. Foxes usually get into a run by digging and squeezing under a fence or by going over the top of a fence. Fences need to be buried at least 8 inches deep with the wire then curled flat outwards by another 8 inches. They can clear a 5 foot fence with ease. Remember foxes are more like cats than dogs and can jump!
Foxes can also tear rabbit wire fences with their teeth – it is best to keep fences taught and ideally use the I inch rectangular wire as this is thicker, stronger and they can’t get their teeth into it.
They will squeeze through the smallest of gaps… but don’t take my word for it, this short clip shows him in action!
Foxes usually work alone but towards the end of summer, sometimes the Vixen will hunt with her cubs to teach them.
When are your chickens at risk?
Foxes are generally nocturnal creatures, hunting under the cover of darkness; however when there is a large population of foxes or a shortage of food as is often found in the urban environment, they can start to become a pest during the daytime. Young cubs that are just finding their own food often stay out until mid morning, I frequently see them playing on the bales of hay in the fields near my home in late June and July and from time to time they will come into my garden.
The winter is obviously a dangerous time for chickens when food is short, however the time when most of us get caught out is June to August. Cubs are learning to hunt on their own, will often come early evening or morning when it is light and don’t have the fear to stay away from us.
If your chickens free range, a fox may make a dash, grab a chicken and run off. During these risky times, you may need a small secure run to house them when you are out but there are other options. Electrified poultry netting works wonders at keeping them safe in a large area and you may be able to speak to your local game keeper if you have a problem fox that is very determined.
Do you have any advice on Foxes? Please leave a comment below if you do.
Hi. Love the help your site give us newbies….. my run has a 4 to 5 ft block wall at the back of it my wife saw a fox last night on the other side. 1st how high can they jump and 2nd any ideas how to stop them don’t wont my girls being his dinner.
They can get over a 5ft fence so I suspect they would be able to get onto the wall and in.
1. Reduce the chance of the fox getting in by making sure they are always locked up at night.
2. Add either an electric fence wire along the top 8 inches above the top of the wall, or an overhanging mesh fence about a foot high. Failing this, adding an extra foot of mesh may well help give it a bit of extra height.
3. Make sure there are no bins or other things a fox can climb onto to get higher before it jumps onto the wall…
I had 7 girls all between 5 and 7 months. each had their own personality and we adored them.
Woke up yesterday to an unusual quietness and instantly had a gut feeling something was wrong. they are normally bwacking for breakfast. When i went out it was clear a massacre had gone on. All around the garden were feathers then we found one with her head missing in the garden.
2 were still alive uninjured but very nervous walking around and diving in their coop at the slightest noise. A few hours later one of our other girls were found in our neighbours garden, again with her head missing. The other 3 hens were nowhere to be found but their feathers were all over the place.
Our girls sleep in a secure coup. Their is no evidence of an attack or scare taking place in the coop at all but, on the night of the attack, I had forgotten to put the lock on the coop door. I dont believe the attack started in the coop, I believe the girls were free ranging in the garden at the time early in the morning as you can see by the feathers where each one was cornered in the garden.
Is it possible for a fox to cause this damage alone in a built up city street and take 3 hens and kill 5? I just dont understand it. I feel so upset and guilty. I have found homes for the 2 survivors as I just couldnt face anything happening again.
I feel I have failed them and just want to know for sure what could have done this to them? My garden just doesnt feel the same.
Also, it was hammering with rain on the night. Are foxes about early in the morning?
Firstly, sorry to hear this. These are the classic signs of a fox attack. Foxes usually kill by ripping the heads off. It probably happened when they came out of the coop although they will take them outside and then kill them and go back for another.
I had a coop with 35 hens in it and a fox killed all of them, taking one. They get into a killing frenzy. This is one of the reasons foxes are hated so much by chicken keepers.
Foxes are around mainly at night but also at both ends of the day. When they are hungry or feeding young, they can also be seen during the day. Cities are often densly populated with foxes and can be worse than rural locations.
Thank you. I was praying one or all of the missing 3 might have been hiding and come back but no luck. Its a sad learning curve. I just wondered if it was one or several foxes that attack? Sorry about your attack too. Must have been devastating. I’m going to get more after christmas and hope my story will remind people about locking up. Its so easy to become lax but I can’t turn the clock back now but, ill never forget again. Great site by the way. Have a nice christmas!!
Hi, have a fox proof pen, do I need to lock the chickens in the coop at night? Thanks
In theory no, providing there is no risk of other predators such as rats…
We had our rabbit taken by a fox yesterday. A pet for four years outside for the first time in months. It Ripped through the chicken wire. Luckily we recovered his body, and scared the fox off, which was hiding under the shed.
Between 11am and 12pm he was taken. Now considering getting some chickens, since it was a very large run, so will be re-inforcing the run as much as possible.
My question, though, is, The fox ripped the mesh off the wood, what’s the best way to stop that happenining? It was held in with galvanised staples!
Yes, they will. I’ve also seen them tear the wire with their teeth.
We call it ‘rabbit wire’ but it’s not really fox proof unless you can find a heavy duty version. The best solution is to either put a double layer around the bottom at fox height, or use the rectangular squared wire. This is stronger and most improtantly a fox can’t get his teeth into it easily to pull at it. Another alternative (if appropriate for your garden) that I use is to use an electric fence wire – A strand of galvanised wire on insulators at 6″ from the base, nose height and along the top means he won’t be able to dig, climb over or pull at it without a shock. Foxes will look for the weak points and in investigating he gets the shock and learns from this.