Fox Attack

[chicken slave]

Well I was lucky and only lost 1 chicken today.

All my chickens and goslings free range and the fox has called and took 1 warren.

I found some signs (and bits) at the fence into one of my neighbours gardens. When I was looking at how it had got in, who appears but foxy standing bold as brass looking at me. Obviously this is another urban fox that has been released into the countryside. It had a shiny coat and very well fed, which is not the case with the normal foxes around here.

A neighbour heard the noise of the fox attack and chased it across 2 gardens with a chicken in it's mouth (which she thought was mine) but mine had been killed here. So I am now waiting for our other neighbour to come in as it was most probably her chicken.

We now have guns at the ready and it will not want to come back after my neighbour has dealt with it.

[pdblake]

They release urban foxes in the countryside

Bloody hell

[Aileen35]

They have been releasing them for years

[chicken slave]

Yes and they do more damage as they have no fear of humans, I have heard of a pet dog being attacked and even a boy being growled at by them.
There was a reason for fox hunts in the countryside now we have urban foxes to deal with as well, if towns folk think that the foxes are a nuisance there when they just tip a bin over they can't imagine the devestation they do out here when peoples livelyhoods are wiped out with the fox they relocated.
If it had got into the chick shed I dread to think what I would have went into.

[RichmondHens]

All my bantams free range, and so far have not had a fox attack, although it's only a matter of time I'm sure. The large fowl are in an electric fenced paddock (but they get let out of that late afternoon too, to free range). We are lucky here to have gamekeepers keeping foxes down as there are a lot of pheasants raised in the woods. I admire the fox for its beauty and cunning, but it's terrible to see the carnage they leave behind after an attack.

[frias]

I have never heard of this before. Who exactly is releasing the urban foxes back to the country? My BIL is a pest controller and is often employed to deal with foxes. He says there is more urban than country ones. If he is able to shoot them that is prefered, however if the area is too built up, they are caught in a humane trap and then shot, never released. They don't just tip over bins in the towns. A fox killed my neighbours rabbit and ducks last year. I live in constant fear for my chooks.
Sorry for your loss Chicken Slave.

[Hilary B]

I have never heard of this before. Who exactly is releasing the urban foxes back to the country? My BIL is a pest controller and is often employed to deal with foxes. He says there is more urban than country ones. If he is able to shoot them that is prefered, however if the area is too built up, they are caught in a humane trap and then shot, never released. They don't just tip over bins in the towns. A fox killed my neighbours rabbit and ducks last year. I live in constant fear for my chooks.
Sorry for your loss Chicken Slave.

There are people who see the Urban fox as
a) a nuisance and
b) simply in the wrong place
Well he CAN be a nuisance, but he isn't in the wrong place from HIS POV.
Unfortunately some of those who think foxes belong in the countryside cannot see the need to cull, EVER, so they arrange for the resident fox (who may have a family for all they can tell) to be cage-trapped and released away from the town.
I was lucky when we first had chooks, not only did our neighbours keep several dogs, but we were within hearing range of the hunt kennels. Then we moved to Orkney, where foxes do not live (no ground predators at all, unless you count the occasional otter).

[Nicos]

gosh- a close call then Pity he managed to get those- but he's bound to be back

I found some fox scat in the garden last week 20 feet away from the electric fencing...'my' foxes clearly know there's fresh nosh about

Fortunately it's open fields so hopefully the cockerels will see him/her coming- but my lot have nowhere safe to squeeze into-apart from flying up onto the roof if the fox gets over the netting.

fingers crossed for you.

[chicken slave]

I did have to persuade a few down from the tree, and the cockerals were very quiet.

But to cheer me up I have 5 chicks that have hatched over night and more that have pipped so I can end that episode on a happy note.

All the chickens and goslings have been left locked in today, which is a shame but will keep them safe I hope.

[Nicos]

More chicks??...how lovely!

[Two_Sheds]

Obviously this is another urban fox that has been released into the countryside. It had a shiny coat and very well fed, which is not the case with the normal foxes around here.

Urban foxes are not released in the countryside, and even if they were they would head for home again sharpish !
The fox website | Attitudes to foxes | Common myths


Fox coats do look very healthy over winter, after they have moulted, and before summer when they begin their annual moult. The fox website | Ecology | Life cycle

Having said that, I am sorry for your loss. I'd be devastated if a fox got my animals.

[bluemoon]

Thanks for that, Two Sheds. I've heard of this nonsense before and even stopped visiting a chicken keeping forum because of it. It seems to me like another bit of Town V Country rumour-mongering, but couldn't prove it before.

[chicken slave]

We actually watched them release the foxes in a field over back, so I think I have grounds to say this and it is not rumour mongering unfortunately. We have complained to the police/RSPCA to try and get it stopped. These foxes do suffer as there food is not so ready made and the strange thing is you know a newly released one because it doesn't smell at all even if your down wind of it.

[FionaH]

As foxes are strongly territorial releasing them out of area would put a tremendous strain on them. Quite cruel in fact

[sternyboy]

I remember the 1st series of river cottage when Hugh Furnly-whatshisface got some chickens, he bought some tights and went to his local barber/hairdresser.
He filled the bottoms of the tights to the size of a tennis ball with the hair and spaced it out hanging from the fence. Apparently the scent puts foxes off. Whether or not this works is a different matter, but may be worth a try