by Seasonsgirl
It’s official… we have a fox 😦 We have been pretty lucky here that predators usually stay away because the dogs are in with the chickens off and on all day and until bed time). The smell of the dogs and us usually keep them out of the fenced in area we have for the dogs and chickens. But not this fox… Sunday night we went to lock up the girls and found this one missing…
We looked and looked and never found her. We assumed we had a predator. Well Tuesday morning we woke up and two more girls were mulled… Luckily hubby found them (or what was left of them). We found out it was our old girl…
And my only blue egg layer that had been gotten…
I was pretty upset this predator got my blue egg layer (well I was upset about all- never fun to have chickens die like that). We predator proofed our coop and the area more, and had to finish in a bad thunder storm. Then Tuesday night before we let the boy out we would check the area. About 9:30pm I went to open the back door so the boys could go out and a fox shot out from behind hubbys grill, down the back porch steps, and across the yard. By the time hubby got there the fox was in the neighbors field. This fox must go he’s too bold and I can’t have him killing my chickens. I am praying he doesn’t get anymore.
Seasonsgirl 
It’s horrid when that happens. Last Sunday we lost 5 chickens to the fox. I think our electric fence had become overgrown with foliage and wasn’t working properly, so we have been pulling the foliage off now to make it work better and spraying with weedkiller. We lost both our blue egg laying birds, one of which was 5 years old! so sad!!
You are 100% correct losing chickens is horrid. Sorry you lost some of yours. We need to get our electric fence back up and running too. Hope you don’t lose any more especially the blue eggers. Good to hear from you even if it is over something sad.
We haven’t had predator attacks since our first year with chickens, but the memory of finding Becky’s body is still fresh. I hope you get the fox, and that your hens stay safe.
Ya we never had a problem till recently. It’s a bummer. We are defiantly more cautious and better prepared now especially when we get their new door installed.
How many girls do you have now?
46 all told, but 5 are roosters, and 4 of those juveniles. They are still free ranging in the pasture and we lock them up at night. I think we have been very lucky. Our neighbor lost her whole flock of chicks this past spring and she still doesn’t know to what.
Wow I would love that many, the most we had was 28. Only had 1 rooster. We have 3 juveniles (one was one of the ones we lost that had only been laying a little over a week). We have 7, as we call them babies, but they are 4 months old now. I’m just hoping we can catch this fox and not have to worry for a bit. We do like you do… free range in the day and lock up at dusk. I feel bad for your neighbor that’s hard to recover from.
Yeah. Everytime she sees she asks how mine are doing and I feel so bad. She raised those little ones with her foster son. I hope they try again next year.
46 is the biggest our flock has gotten. Seems like all my hens wanted babies this summer, so we hatched quite a few. I trying to re-home the juvenile roos right now. Next summer most of my older ladies will be 3 years old. Not sure what I will do when they start to slow down their laying.
That is sad… but good you let her share your girls in a way. I hope they try again too.
It’s hard when they get over 3 or 4. We’ve just let them live out their life where we are now. Its not cost efficient but right now it’s best. May re-home a couple this year that are 5 but the rest are under 3.