Outdoor chickens - we give up

JDemaris · May 8, 2010

We finally let the chickens out of the barn last week. Since there's nothing to ruin in the fields or gardens yet, we let them free-range. First day, a red fox came over by our house around noon and grabbed one. Luckily, it was too big for the fox. We ran outside and chased it away. One chicken lost half its feathers, but was otherwise OK.

So, we then put them in our little outdoor "chicken tractor" mobile coop. Then? Last night, something spent a lot of time trying to break the door open, and also reached in through the chicken-wire and pulled off half the feathers on all the birds. Coon maybe?

Then this morning, the red fox came by our house again snooping around and I managed to get a few photos. It caught a mouse and left.

We just put all our half-bald chickens back in the winter-barn. Things are a little too wild here right now for outdoor chicken survival.

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Jeff in TX · May 8, 2010

Instead of taking the camera out with you, you might want to grab your rifle. You do have a rifle, don't you.

JDemaris · May 8, 2010

I've got many rifles, but haven't been near fast enough. Those photos were taken from inside the house with a zoom lense. By the time I got outside, that fox was out-of-sight.

Besides, we think that fox has kits and a den nearby. Call me a bit soft-hearted, but I don't want to kill an adult fox that has little ones near-by, that will starve to death. If I was going to shoot every invader, I'd never be done with it. Our fields border a couple of hundred acres of woods and swamp. So, we've got coyotes, fox, coons, weasels, skunks, all over the place. Also a few black bear. But, they usually don't come this close to the house.
I expect chickens to get killed if they wander, but not 50 feet from our home and barn.

What I assume is the same fox came here last week, standing up on its hind legs and making what sounded like bird-calls. It would do it, then travel 50 feet, and do it again. My wife and I were wondering if it had some wayward kits it was trying to round up.

I will kill something if it really becomes too bold and a nuisance, but only as a last resort. I was given many State permits to shoot deer and turkey in my corn fields last year, and wound up not using any of them.

old · May 8, 2010

Looks like you shoot with the wrong thing. If it had been me I would have gone out with a gun and shoot it the correct way

Sidekick · May 8, 2010

You'll have to kill him now. He knows where your chickens are and he won't quit until he's figured out how to get every last one. He's just gotten started.

M Nut · May 8, 2010

Your philosophy is about like mine. They don't bother me much, so I don't bother them much. Everyone around here wants to come and shoot every moving thing on my land for fun. Coyotes, fox, coons, etc. I always say no, and I haven't lost any calves and only a couple of chickens in the past 20 years or so. Not too bad in my opinion.

Jim in Ma. · May 8, 2010

That's why I keep a bean-bag on my kitchen windowsill. The 22 Mag with a small scope will reach about as far as a zoom lense.

Spook · May 8, 2010

I intend on killing the fox that is killing my chickens, but if it doesn't bother me, I let it live.

Anonymous-0 · May 8, 2010

(quoted from post at 10:09:04 05/08/10) Looks like you shoot with the wrong thing. If it had been me I would have gone out with a gun and shoot it the correct way

He did just as much damage with the camera as you would with a gun and this way we can all enjoy the pics :shock:

Hi Rich,
still mad at me?

RodinNS · May 8, 2010

Welcome back to the fold.... of big bad confinement agriculture.
Little wonder they put hens in cages 50+ years ago....

Rod

Russ from MN · May 8, 2010

You need to put away the camera and get out the rifle, or else forget about raising chickens!

Flurette Farm · May 8, 2010

I'd rather have the fox than the chickens, but then thats just me............

kopeck · May 8, 2010

I've got the same problem.

A fox had one of my hens in it's mouth right under my dining room window.

I went out and chased him/her off, made a lot of noise etc. The fox let the chicken go, she was a little shaken up but OK.

I have seen the Fox since but I've got the 22 ready if it shows up again but I'm not around all day and Fox tend to be pretty good at staying out of sight.

I hate to shot it but on the other hand I'm not keeping chicken to feed the fox either.

old · May 8, 2010

Dave would you care to test how well I shoot??? Seems during deer season I never have any problem hitting what I am shooting at and I drug in 5 this past deer season.
And ya I figured you would be the one person who would say something about my shooting

Tom from Ontario · May 8, 2010

Bad enough the fox found your chickens, but I like your idea of not shooting unless they get too bold. fix is bad enough, friend of mine had her broilers inside and a weasel got in and wiped out 150 nearly market ready birds. Don't know if it was one or a couple or what but next morning, she went into the coop and there they were with a few survivors. Tough time of year. Today any outdoor chickens would get blown into the next township.

buickanddeere · May 8, 2010

If it wasn't for the dog the coyotes and coons would have taken every bird here. I did loose two geese last winter when they wandered away and the coyote pack was too large for one guard dog.
There is an abandoned house down the road full of critters. If they all stood up at the same time they could carry the building away.
Seen the old foxes training the young ones to hunt at the Pickering Nuclear plant. The place is infested with hudreds of geese. When the young geese are 1/2 grown the adults disapear for hours. With the exception of 1 to two pairs of very stressed adults watching 100+ young geese.
Now the old foxes create a diversion to distract the attention of the geese. Then the young foxes run up to the rear of the goose flock and grap a goose or two each.
Wish there were more foxes around there.

Bob Bancroft · May 8, 2010

Wife kept chickens in our old barn behind neighbors house for a few years. They went in every night and were closed in. We had a yard fenced in where they picked during the day. The most we ever lost was when we were gone one day and left our young son in charge of Ma's young pup. I don't know if he learned anything, but the sight of the dead chickens laying around brought him to tears.
Then we lost a couple once after neighbor saw a real big bird circling. We guessed it was a young wayward eagle down from the Montezuma swamp.

agpilot · May 8, 2010

Hi jdemaris: I agree with your not shooting unless pushed into it... Getting more pleasure out of seeing other living things do what they were designed to do to make a living on this small earth... besides, the stock market will take more from me in minutes then all the critters will in a whole year. ag

ChrisinMO · May 8, 2010

We raise laying hens on pasture. They're not technically free range as they are contained inside a portable electric fence. We move the wagon every day or two. As long as they are locked up by shortly after dark and we keep the hardware cloth intact, we have no problems. The wagon has the nest boxes and roosts.

Anonymous-0 · May 8, 2010

I had to electrify my chicken tractor to keep the coons out. A couple wires is all you need. No problems since.

rustyj14 · May 8, 2010

Better go over to Kountry Life, and write to Hollie Bastian, in that column. She moved from town to the outback of MO., and has been trying to raise chickens, etc., and is having the same troubles.

Richardin52 · May 8, 2010

We raise chicken and have around 200 layers on pasture. We use portable electric fences from Kencove fence, they do a great job.

We have had to kill fox in the past. The trouble with killing predictors is that they are very territorial. Every time you kill one another one will come in and take over where that one left off. We much rather much rather train them not to like chickens.

It's really easy to train them but you need to do it with the first one they eat so they never get a taste for chicken in the first place.

Here how, Take a chicken and kill it then put something in it that is orderless and tasteless that will make Mr. Fox sick as h*ll. Then just put it where Mr Fox can eat it. Once he thinks chickens aren't good food you worries are over.

MarkB_MI · May 9, 2010

We never lost a chicken when we had a dog at our place. But after our dog died, raccoons, coyotes and the occasional fox have done very well.

Outdoor chickens - we give up

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