Our first experience of foxes and chickens was not good! We were awoken at dawn by our screaming eight year old daughter who had spotted a headless chick in the middle of the lawn. Foxes are the hen’s primary enemy and the top predator in the U.K. The thing that is so devastating about the fox to poultry keepers is the fact that while killing an entire flock it only takes one away – ask a seasoned chicken keeper and they will tell you the fox likes the kill.

Every now and again a good news story of hen fightback happens as can be seen in this ITN video clip

The fox

There are around 250,000 foxes in the UK. The urban fox has a typical lifespan of 7 years, the rural upto 4 years. A fox has a territory of 0.1km2 in the town and upto 40km2 in the countryside. They are omnivores – meaning they will eat anything from worms, small insects to fruit, but they prefer meat. They have small stomachs and will hide and bury meat – which is probably the real reason why Monsieur Reynard will kill your brood given the chance.

A vixen typically mates in January to Februaury and will have a brood of 5 cubs 53 days later. The cubs will be dpeendent on mum till late July and will begin to disperse in Oct. Females weigh up to 6kg and males upto 8kg. Apparently the population self regulates – the main cause of premature death being roadkill and sarcoptic mange will killed 95% of the population in the 90′s. Population is increasing slowly again.

Getting rid of the fox threat.

Sadly killing your local fox won’t help. There is no such thing as vacant territory. Another one will take it over.
The best thing is deterrence, so here are our top tips

Protecting against fox attack

• A weld-mesh run (not chicken wire, which is not fox proof)
• A solid floor so that foxes cannot dig underneath
• A secure lock that cannot be worked loose (i.e. not a latch)
• Leave your scent – human hair tied to the fence and urinate!

An increasingly popular way to protect free-ranging runs is the electric fence – not the general livestock one but a poultry kit.
An electric fence will prevent escape and foxes getting in – chooks soon learn not to go near! The one shown comes in 25m and 50m lengths and is 110cm high. Powered by mains or a 12V battery they are safe for humans easy to install!


Buy Electric Fencing Kit*

Another help can stopping them climb over fencing using something like this…

Further Reading

www.thefoxwebsite.org