Weird fox..

Dogstar

Dogstar

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OH went out to investigate some startled chicken noises this morning (after I told him it was fine, it was just an egg-laying noise!) and found a fox curling up in the nest box on top of a broody welsummer! There appeared to be about 6 hens missing at this point. Managed to trap the fox and shoot it, thankfully the other hens turned up and the broody was also fine. However, we realised the geese were missing and found one dead in it's open shed, intact but with its neck totally eaten, top to bottom all the way to the bone. About a week previously I had found a welsummer in the same condition and had assumed that it had died of natural causes and been nibbled by rats- but obviously not! Very odd behaviour- from my experience foxes usually kill and take away the chickens whole...it was quite small one so maybe didnt know what it was doing?
 
I wonder if it had a problem with it's mouth or jaw? Probably not though, if it managed to kill a goose :eek:
 
Thanks for your thoughts, glad it's not just me thought this was really odd...I was amazed that the broody was OK, though she jumped out of her skin afterwards when our Ridgeback appeared behind her- she is usually fine with dogs, so she was obviously upset....it's mouth was fine, no mange, looked quite well actually, so I would say it was just a clueless cub. Glad we got it though, as it had obviously been creeping around a while and the last thing we needed was a daytime neck- nibbling fox :-0 Ps we dont make a habit of vulpicide but this one was asking for it and the hunt never meets around where we live any more :-)
 
Why were your animals not secure? Cant blame the fox if there is a way in. I have had chickens and if ever the fox got in it was my fault, foxes are opportunists. Sorry for your chickens and geese
 
well we have weird foxes too.....last night my Dad found our elderly terrier with something all round her mouth, he cleaned her up and put her back to bed only to hear the cat flap go 2 mins later. He watched Whinnie mooch about the garden and head over to the bon fire where he saw some orange fox eyes too, the dog (a well known fox chaser, badger chaser, rabbit, squirrel, rat and mouse killer in her prime, she is now 15) and the fox eating the 20 or so dead fish our gardener got out the pond yesterday and threw on the bonfire. Side by side they were eating chargrilled gold fish!!!! I still dont understand why whinnie didnt chase him, but maybe in her old age she is making friends (was never very good at that before).
 
bay_beasty said:
well we have weird foxes too.....last night my Dad found our elderly terrier with something all round her mouth, he cleaned her up and put her back to bed only to hear the cat flap go 2 mins later. He watched Whinnie mooch about the garden and head over to the bon fire where he saw some orange fox eyes too, the dog (a well known fox chaser, badger chaser, rabbit, squirrel, rat and mouse killer in her prime, she is now 15) and the fox eating the 20 or so dead fish our gardener got out the pond yesterday and threw on the bonfire. Side by side they were eating chargrilled gold fish!!!! I still dont understand why whinnie didnt chase him, but maybe in her old age she is making friends (was never very good at that before).
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Classic!!! If you can't beatum, joinum!
 
well done for shooting it :)

there's quite a lot of young foxes about at the moment, if the side of the roads are anything to go by!
 
Daisy2 said:
Why were your animals not secure? Cant blame the fox if there is a way in. I have had chickens and if ever the fox got in it was my fault, foxes are opportunists. Sorry for your chickens and geese
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So what are you saying...that we poultry-keepers should keep our hens in all the time just in case a fox happens by?

I've had hens killed in the middle of the day, and their chicks have come home by themselves. I've had hens and chicks stolen from the garden, and have seen a fox trying to rip its way into my pens.

I like to free-range my birds wherever possible...that's what they were born to do.

I kill foxes.
 
Daisy2, as the other posters have said it is a real shame to keep poultry shut in all the time- my chickens free range during the day and are always shut in securely each night. They love dust bathing and sunbathing, why would you have them deprived of that!? Geese in particular are grazers, they would hate being in 24/7 and mine are 'guard dogs' too so no good if shut in.. normally I am happy to co-exist with foxes, for years they have checked out my poultry sheds each night but been unable to get in. However this one had been creeping around for a while and was a continuing daytime menace to my 40 chucks, so it had to go.
 
OP - I feel your pain! I too have free range chucks but have found a way to keep them as safe as they can be - I've hooked a batteryup to the chicken wire and electrified it. The chucks are now safe from the foxes (and my dogs :rolleyes:)

Oliver12 said:
And that's why all the wolves died out in Britain - persecuted to instinction by paranoid humans.
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The first part of that isn't actually far of the mark...Foxes will go the way of wolves. As much as I hate hunting with hounds, at least the species was preserved in a way. Now farmers are shooting foxes on site - my neighbour shot 17 in one night!

I isn't paranoia - we have to preserve our livestock.
 
foxes are upping the game look at the 2 baby girls (ok town fox) but still they are menacing hens give us eggs and meat what do foxes give us? i would quite happily shoot he town fox who stands out side my garden screaming all night cant let the dog out after 12am as its fox heaven out her and she has all ready had a nasty bite from 1!
 
Ah shoot the bloomin thing. My OH has kindly said I can have the Peruvian Gineau Pigs I want as I have had such a horrible few months and I've decided not to because I am so frightened of a fox getting them (fluffy I know) but I would be heartbroken. I really want chickens as well but I'm frightened they'll get it too like the lovely geese and cockerell on my old yard. I'm kind of glad that we haven't got wolves wondering around tbh.........
 
I had my goose taken by a fox a couple of weeks ago she was sitting on eggs, (poor thing) i have a flock of 6 they were all ok bar her. But last year we had a fox kill 20 hens and only took one. I hate the Bl**dy things we managed to shoot the one from last year but this one we haven't got yet.
 
I had 4 girls that I use to keep at the stables. A fox had one of my girls so i moved them to my home. I still let them out in the day and shut them up at night. There are risks involved but, the free range life out ways the dangers. Everyone to their own. I am not against farmers or small holders shooting foxes. If they are doing what's in the best interest of their animals. I don't have a gun just a loud voice and a angry pointy finger which isn't much good for getting rid of foxes.
 
It is sad that we live in a country with only really one predator left that interferes with our perfect lives in such a personal way. The fox must be praised for its tenacity on life and how it has learnt to adapt. I know its hard when you loose stock, crows used to get out lambs if the birthing happened in the night and there were complications, thats part of what living in the countryside brings. However a lot of posters use the word hate. I think the fox is a beautiful creature and I always feel lucky to see one. Other countries have to deal with man eating tigers and marauding bears, surely we can cope with foxes especially with all the types of fencing etc there is on the market. The fox outwitted you whilst your guard was down but ultimately paid the price. Can't blame the fox, its their nature.
 
Daisy2; as a foxhunter, I admire foxes; they are indeed beautiful and I would not want them extinguished from the countryside. I realise that they are amoral and do not 'blame' the fox for what he did. However, from a purely practical point of view my hens are my pets and my livelihood, so I had no real choice other than to despatch a predator that had learnt of easy pickings and would keep coming back.
 
Did you not watch Jimmys private life of chickens??? very informative. lets just hope the fox never learns to use a skateboard or all chickens everywhere are done for :p
 
Oliver12 said:
And that's why all the wolves died out in Britain - persecuted to instinction by paranoid humans.
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Had you seen the bodies of my poor beautiful girls and boy, and nursed for 6 weeks solid the two cockerals that were left for dead, one who had dragged his broken body to his mate only to see her die before his eyes, then you would understand why people shoot them!

I have to admit that I love foxes but my hens were in a run, I do blame myself because it obviously wasn't secure against a fox attack but it was during the day and they should have been safe. I don't blame the fox at all, it did what foxes do.The 'paranoia' has led me to not allow my hens out unless I can be there with them, nor my geese, they are locked up for far more hours than they should be, what sort of life do they have now? Dogstar is doing the right thing letting them free range. When ours were free range before we moved we always said that at least they were happy and free during the day, now they are safe but nowhere near as happy!
 
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