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.
We found a dead chicken in our garden this morning , the head had been ripped off and you could see inside its gullet , we live in a village two of our neighbours have chickens , our house has a 4 foot wall round 3 sides but the drive is open , could this have been a fox or a badger ?
It would be a fox – they take the head off.
Found all 7 of our chickens (6 brown lohmanns and a black rock), dead in the bottom of our coop this morning. Would be grateful for your opinion as to whether you think this was likely to have been a fox attack :-
Lots of feather strewn about with 1 bird in particular having most of its neck bare of feathers but other birds have no obvious signs of what killed them. No missing heads or signs of having been eaten. The birds necks do not appear to have been broken. They were all perfectly healthy the evening before when shut up for the night and all seemed to be healthily hungry.
The wire is buried about 60cms down and another 60cms out all around and there are no signs of the wire or gate having been breached. The coop is a converted and extended children’s play house. Small diameter 1/2 inch galvanised wire covers everything including the roof of the secure run and doubled up around the base. The only openings are in through the original windows of the playhouse but these have max. openings of only about 2″ x 6″ and these are about 6 feet off the ground, although the wire around the base could allow a creature to climb up to about 4 feet.
The only other signs are that an external wooden plank attached to the structure has been newly knawed close to the edge of the coop and also the day time wire run had been largely flattened on several sides. The coop is located in a (relatively) secluded (Ipswich Suffolk) suburban garden and this is the first time since having the chickens (four months ago) we have had a problem.
It sounds like a fox, it is typical for them to kill all of the birds in an enclosed area. They can squeeze in through very small gaps but can’t always carry off what they have killed.
If the fox gets even one chicken, the other hens usually die from the shock of the attack. Best to shoot the pesky fox in the head before any of your hens get taken out 🙂 If it gets one, it get’s them all. So get it first lol.
Hello, we are looking at putting 3 or 4 chickens in our garden however we know that at the far end of our neighbours’ garden there is a fox family. During winter and spring we often saw the foxes in our garden and in the allotments behind. We haven’t seem them for a few months now. Regardless of sturdy hen house and wire, are we kidding ourselves about it being feasible?
Not at all. I have foxes walking up and down the hedgerow in the summer months looking at my birds. If the run and coop is secure, there is no problem. I use an electric fence and that works very well. You can use 3 or 4 strands on insulators that will secure an area, this is how wildfowl are kept safe on ponds in large collections.
Don’t let it put you off…
Hi
I was hoping you can give me some advise in regards to securing my run/coop….
I can not afford to get electrical fencing so I have a wire mesh which goes completely around my run. I can not really dig in a mesh down into the soil and bring it out at an angle as the soil is clay soil and it would be a very tough job. I have placed paving slaps (45cmx45cm) around the whole of my run/coop. From your knowledge of foxes do you know if foxes would dig from the outer edge of the slabs to to get into the run?
If so, I was thinking of digging in pegs on the outside of the slabs as an added precaution.
Regards
Luc
This sounds ok to me, the slabs should work. Just make sure you tuck the wire underneath them.
Clay soil is far less risky than sandy soil.
Hi, I’m looking to get 2 or 3 chickens to keep at the bottom of my garden. I live in a fairly bust street and my garden backs on to another one. I’ve chosen my coop and run and it’s pretty secure, but I’m starting to be put off by the horror stories I’ve heard about foxes. The last time I saw a fox in my street was about 6 years ago, since then I don’t think it’s been back. I would love chickens and they would be a welcome addition to our family, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it. My coop is a coop and run all in one.