How To Keep Foxes Away from Chickens?

Larger Animals & Birds
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Originally published at: How To Keep Foxes Away from Chickens? - Thanos Home

When A Fox Attacks Chicken Coop?

Raising chickens is not an easy task as they are always on the main menu of a fox attack. Your chickens in a coop are always threatened by a fox or any other predator.

The canine family and other animals get their food supply from chickens. A fox usually attacks a chicken coop in the early morning hours or late in the evening. Like most predators, the night is the best time period for foxes to go for a hunt.

However, foxes hunt in broad daylight, too, along with their cubs. Foxes are a major headache for chicken owners as these wild animals can kill an entire flock of chickens.

How Do Foxes Get into A Chicken Coop?

There are various ways for a fox to get into a chicken coop and kill your hens with sharp- claws. Any weak points in your chicken wire fence will provide an easy way for these animals to get inside the coop.

Any damaged portion of the hardwire mesh in a coop will be an unsecured area as foxes can get in easily from there. If the fence is perfectly fine and not penetrable, then the foxes can dig under the chicken coop to get inside.

Foxes love to dig under the chicken coop and will continue the digging activity at night. A chicken wire alone is not enough for keeping foxes from coming inside the chicken coop.

Chicken wire will only hold chickens. But it will not be sufficient to deter foxes. In free-range chickens, foxes come across more often as the foxes can even jump the fences of a free-ranging.

Do Foxes Kill Chickens Quickly?

Yes, this deadly predator can eliminate chickens quickly.

Apart from killing chickens, this predator may also damage the eggs of your hens.

Your chickens may run away inside the chicken coop, but it is unlikely to escape the claws of these deadly animals.

How Do You Keep Foxes from Killing Chickens?

Generally, a fox is an easy predator and can be kept away from the chickens if you take the correct measures. The first thing you can do to keep foxes away is by using an electric fence for your chicken coop.

Moreover, you should use a predator apron inside the chicken coop. A predator apron on the floor of the chicken coop will not allow the foxes or any predator to dig inside.

In addition, you can also use hardware cloth wire to protect the birds from these wild animals.

The best part of keeping foxes away from your chicken coop and free area range is by using tall fencing.

Apart from tall fencing, you should also keep the top of the fence in the form of an outward slope. Doing this will deter foxes from climbing the fences.

Will A Fox Keep Coming Back for Chickens?

Yes, these cunning animals will keep coming back for your birds since they love to eat them.

They feed on chickens and will not stop coming back until you put up a solid deterrent against these animals.

What Animals Protect Chickens from Foxes?

Guard dogs are the best pets to keep foxes away from chickens. Almost all the chicken owners keep and train dogs to guard their chicken coop and free area range.

You can keep a dog within the perimeter of your chicken farm, and it will protect the flock of chickens during the whole day, especially at night.

The sense of smell of dogs is highly sensitive, and they can smell predators easily. Therefore, a dog will ward off any presence of harmful animals near your flock.

Apart from dogs, alpaca is also another friendly animal to keep away foxes from your flock. This animal is also perfect for your kids as they can play with it.

How to Scare Foxes and Other Predators Away from A Chicken Coop?

You can scare foxes using flashing lights during the nighttime. Red lights are especially good for this purpose as they instill fear in these animals.

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Moreover, you can also use a pet dog to scare them off your farm property.

What Is a Solar Animal Repeller?

A solar animal repeller is an animal repeller that uses high-intensity sound waves to repel creatures. The high-intensity waves of the repellent are not audible to human beings.

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Therefore, it is completely safe to install around kids. Moreover, it uses solar energy to operate constantly while covering an area of 2,500 square feet.

What Are the Advantages of Using Solar Animal Repellent to Stop Foxes?

·         It is an easy-to-use repellent.

·         It is a cost-effective and long-term solution to protect chickens from foxes.

·         It is a humane way of keeping foxes at arm’s length from the chicken coop.

·         It is not harmful to use around kids as the high-intensity ultrasonic waves are not audible to human beings.

Are Motion Sensor Lights Good to Deter Predators?

Yes, these sensors are good to deter unwanted predators. These sensors will turn on red flashing and revolving lights that will scare off the predators.

You can install these lights outside the chicken coop, and it will work well enough to deter these predatory creatures.

Can Electric Fences Protect Your Chickens from Foxes?

Yes, electrical fences can protect your hens from foxes. The electric fence gives a sudden shock of high voltage whenever these creatures try to climb them.

Resultantly, they will have to look for another way around to get inside the chick farm. These fencing arrangements should be kept operational throughout the day, especially at night.

Moreover, it is in the best interest of your chickens that you must lock the fencing doors properly at night. These predatory creatures can easily open easy locks.

Therefore, you will have to use different and difficult to open locks for your fencing gates.

What Are Some Preventive Measures to Protect Your Chickens from Foxes?

You must take certain preventive measures to protect your chickens and their eggs from any deadly predator. The first and foremost thing is to use hardwire mesh instead of chicken wire in the fencing.

Moreover, you should also bury this strong wire at least six inches inside the ground throughout the perimeter to discourage the digging of foxes.

You should check your barn at irregular times and observe any telltale signs of a predator. Moreover, check the fencing wire and replace it if it is damaged. Keep a well-trained guard dog to protect your chickens.

How To Keep Foxes Away from Chickens? Final Thoughts

Keeping chickens completely safe from foxes requires strategic planning. Your fencing is the first line of defense, and therefore, it must be strong enough to stop the invasion of these creatures.

You can keep foxes far away by using an electric fence.

Moreover, the best and easiest way to protect the chickens from any predator is by using the solar animal repeller.

This repeller is straightforward to use and does not require any sequential maintenance.

Moreover, it uses solar energy to operate continuously, emitting high-frequency sound waves every 30 seconds.

The high-intensity sound waves are good for keeping all predatory creatures away from your chickens.