help with fox proofing and chick keeping please?

[Le-y]

we're in the middle of constructing our chicken run and are hoping to pick up our chicks this week.

anyway, we were going to make it a permenent run and bury various bits to stop Foxy Loxy from eating our henny penny's however we've now changed our minds and want to be able to shift it around the plot.

i've heard if we make a "skirt" out of our mesh (not chicken wire i may add) which is around 2ft this should work?

apart from electric fencing (which we're not doing) anything else we should think about?

the run has the mesh around the roof too so that nothing can get in or out that way.


and anyone have any advice for me? i'm trying to read as much as possible but so many sources to look at, i'm going to ask the woman we're buying from as much as possble but any help would be great.

our chicks will be around 8 weeks old when we get them because we wanted them to be pets for our small children as well as egg layers.

[Le-y]

[tonybloke]

foxes mostly attack hens during the night, so, if you put your hens away in their coop every night, it should alleviate any fox issues you may have. :)

[Le-y]

i dont have a door on the hen house, should i make one so i can lock them inside it at night then?

i mean its got a back door which is locked but it jsut has a hole at the front for them to come in and out, no door

[tonybloke]

your hen-house should have a door (pop-hole) that you can (and should) shut at night.

have you read this document?[attachment=1]

feel free to p.m. me if you want to see the document our tenants are given before keeping hens.

[Rosyred]

Just thought i'd say. I live in an urban area and the foxes come at anytime. Been sitting on the shed in the next doors just wacthing our chickens so had to run out and chase away. If they are hungry I think they just come anytime.

[taurus]

They can come at any time of day or night.  Lost both lots in the late morning.  You need to think colditz, but this time for the chuck protection.  They (foxes) will dig down quiet away, and climb up the wire to get in.  The shame is if they do gain access they will kill all but take just one.  I have heard that people  collect human hair from the barbars and tie it to the fence in old stockings/tights.  The smell of humans is meant to keep the fox away.
Good Luck and enjoy.  They will have different charactors and give you lots of pleasure.
                                                                     Regards Taurus

[northener]

We put paving slabs around the run so the fox can't dig under.

[Anisemary]

Gone are the days when foxy only hunted under cover of dusk/darkness! I agree with Northener, paving slabs round the edge helps, they almost always will dig close to the fence rather than a foot or more away. We have a bottom board  fixed from post to post at ground level, so we used a 2ft skirt of weldmesh, but took it under the board and back up inside the run, stapled it halfway up the board. Then paving slabs on top of that on the outside! Belt and braces, I've seen what devastation they can cause, and it 'aint pretty  :(

[Le-y]

ok thanks for the replies, we've layed down 2ft skirt, used tent pegs to secure it plus laid down some old thick heavy windows and boxes around the edge so it cant be lifted.

its not got a roof on the run yet because we're not sure what to use but i've given the hen house a door so i can lock them away at night.

[jono]

Just a quick hint, put tent pegs around the outside, as the fox digs down and cant get through  it will eventually give up, they are greedy but also lazy!!