Topic: Chickens lost to foxes - Advice please!

[BarriedaleNick]

Hi all

I lost 3 of my four chickens to foxes a couple of nights ago.  My own fault and we live and learn.
However we have one left and in a quandary..

I will get some more chickens at some point but I want to redesign the garden and make a proper run for them so they dont destroy the whole garden.  This will take a few months to sort..

Is it fair to keep one chicken on it's own for a month or two, over the rest of winter?  Or would it be better to either get some sooner or give her to someone who already has some chickens so she is not on her tod.

On the same topic - how does one go about introducing say 2 or 3 new chucks to the one we already have - I atke it there will be scabbles?

Cheers.. 

[goodlife]

Oh dear...sorry to hear that!

In general chickens do prefer to have company of their own....BUT...there has been many examples before how some individuals do prefer their own/your company and keep distance or even escape to wild world. They all have they personalities.
If this would happen to me...I would see how she holds on, that's if you want to keep her. If she start to be sorry for herself, then company would be good...but the new flock issues would be the issue either way..weather you take her away or new girls arriving.
 
Usually they will have some 'words' and nasty looking behaviour for a week or so...some times it can be really bad and sometimes not...again, it all depends their personalities and how quickly they settle and sort their new pecking order...ideally all girls being similar size so nobody fall to be bullied really badly, this being more important in confined space than in free ranging.

If you do decide to keep her on her own..for time being at least..try to make her living area more interesting than you would usually..give her plenty to do and play with.

[goodlife]

Oh and to add..

if you do decide to get more girls and introduce them to your existing one. Get them in the coop at dusk, ideally when they have just enough light to see their perches and climb on...they will settle for night and the hell won't break out until they've spent night together already...may even help with settling.
Give them couple of separate food and drinking sources placed as wide apart as possible...most fights are over 'who can eat/drink first' and any weaker ones could be left without nourishment.
Even as the settling period can sound and look quite horrid to us, let them sort it over...sooner they get their ranks sorted, sooner it all settles...that's if there is no blood and injuries involved.
Last time I added new 'stock'...I regularly interfered their squabbles by taking small bit of treat..when they run towards me to get their bit, they soon forgot what words were previously said. I was the 'head' chicken.. Tummy rules! 

[Melbourne12]

This very morning as we were sorting out the houses and doing a poo-pick, a fox sauntered past on the allotment.  This was at 11 o'clock on a bright day!  Unbelievably bold, even for suburban foxes.  We hastily put all the birds back in their runs, and no harm was done, but it showed that you daren't leave them unattended, even to do some digging a few yards away.

Sorry to hear of your losses, BarrieDale Nick.  The way people encourage foxes makes me cross.

In direct answer to the question, I'd personally re-house her, unless she's become like a family pet.  We recently took in 3 bantams which were the survivors of a fox attack on their flock.  They integrated with our existing flock perfectly well, and indeed one of the three is now probably the second most senior hen.  Yes, there was a bit of pecking, but nothing vicious.

You could try looking around to find a temporary home, perhaps?  We're also looking after 3 Light Sussex that belong to my daughter, whilst her garden is re-modelled and a bigger run built.  We've had them since the beginning of November, and it doesn't look as though the work is going to be finished any time soon!

[goodlife]

Foxes can do lot of damage..but I cannot hate them as some chicken keepers that I know do but then again I've been 'lucky' for not been loosing any of my girls to them...I might feel different if that would happen.
When I first started with chickens, I tried to make their housing and pen as fox proof as possible and so far it has paid off...my biggest issue has been making the pen 'as terrier proof as possible'...our 'monkey' seem to be able to squeeze through all manner gaps (I think is under control now).
We have foxes and their den in allotments too...and they are regularly seen walking about in all hours of the 'day'.. I quite like seeing them.
One allotment holder have been telling me how one of them has been bringing odd rat on his plot, putting it on path and looked at him in the eye while he's been GH and then trotting away. Chap told me he was feeling like the fox was paying its rent for him 

[BarriedaleNick]

Thanks to you both - wonderful advice as usual.  I think i'll have a ring round to see if we can lend her out for a bit or failing that get a couple more rescue birds in.  She may be ok as she was always the outsider of the group and she doesn't appear to be injured.  I'll keep a close eye on her over the next couple of days. 

[Old Central]

We ran into a similar problem but with old age and after a week managed to pick three more hens up via Gumtree. It tool four weeks to integrate them due to scrapping and we had to split them into two pairs to help the process.
As suburban dwellers we have foxes at all time and have to keep the girls in an aviary constructed from trellis panels covered with wire and with a wire roof. Stakes have been driven in where they are vulnerable to burrowing.
OC

[small]

So sorry to hear about this, it's heart breaking when it happens. We lost a few over the years, only succeeded in beating Mr Fox when we started using electric netting. We never had success in integrating flocks, and a bullied chicken is a horrible sight. On the other hand I don't think your survivor will get lonely either, the question is, is it worth keeping her for the egg a day if you're lucky, or passing her on and starting again. Running 2 flocks, 2 houses etc is a pain.

[Jayb]

Sorry to hear about your chooks, horrid when it happens. Good that she isn't sounding traumatised as they can sometimes be so shocked after the experience.

We've sometimes ended up with one chicken from a group being the last survivor and although not ideal they seem happy enough being kept on their own, but perhaps it was because they were getting on a bit and enjoyed their own company more? One Black Rock positively bloomed and really took on a new lease of life. She had always been towards the bottom of pecking order, often going off on her on or sitting inside the coop away from the others, it was a surprise she outlived them all.

We have had a lot of problems with foxes over the years and now keep our girls in either an enclosed arc with a run or Egglu (sp) again with enclosed run and they get moved once or twice a day on to fresh grass. Bit of a faff but keeps them safe and they get a fresh spot to enjoy. I'd prefer them loose in the garden but I'm afraid between the buzzards and foxes we wouldn't have any chickens at all!