This was my first reaction to our loss (coop fire). My husband looked at me and said they brought you and the kids so much joy. We're building it better. New mother's day weekend project!
Everytime a sudden death whether its random or somehow a predstor gets them i get emotional and im a man i raise them love them and for thrm to get taken just out of nowhere is a thumbtack to the heart it hurts
Something similar happened to me nearly 2 years ago, it still upsets me from time to time. My family can't let our girls free range cause of the fox and hawks that are around but whenever we let them roam we always keep an eye out. Luckily whenever its been around when I'm out with the girls I've managed to scare it away. It used to even come up to the run area and terrify them until we came outside to scare it away hut doesn't anymore. If it allowed maybe removing the fox will help. I'm sorry for your loss, give the girls you had in your yard a proper burial ):
Sorry for your loss. I don't see the point in taking it out on the fox by trying to go all John wick and tracking it back to its den. When we free range this is the risk we take. Foxes are smart, but they can't get into a secure coop/run. Not trying to kick you when you're down, just really hoping you reconsider unsupervised free ranging if they mean this much to you. I promise you if it's not a fox next time it'll be a hawk, and then some other predator after that. It's just tough being a prey animal like a chicken, no matter what we do, the moment we let them free range, nature can eventually do it's thing. If it's any consolation, a fox kills things pretty quickly (at least compared to animals like hawks) so hopefully they didn't suffer long.
Iām so sorry. We lost our first girl to an early heat wave, and then the last two we lost to a fox. The morning before I had my hysterectomy. It was awful. Wouldāve been regardless, but that 1-2 punch was just terrible.
I lost one to a fox recently. I also chased it twice before saving my other hens. I read of you remove the fox, another one will come. They are very territorial so another will just take its place. I ordered an electric fence. Iāve read they are good barriers for terrestrial predators. We bought one of those that you can move around. My plan is to rotate areas of the yard with it, yet within the coopās distance for easy access to them. Iāve also had mine locked up in the meantime. My 130 lb dog was out there too when the fox tried to take one. He didnāt even notice the fox.
Get a goose. I live in a very rural part of Maine and had this problem for years. First year with a goose and my chickens and ducks, over 50 total, don't even sleep in a coup. They just chill in the grass or wherever they please. The goose is a better watchdog than my dog. No joke.
The world is a tough place for chickens despite all we do to care for them. It absolutely sucks.
Sounds like they were so loved, and will be dearly missed.
Iām sorry for your loss š
Iām sorry for your loss. I donāt have chickens right now but I know the fear of worrying. But remember the fox is just doing what comes naturally to him and trying to survive. We share this world with so many creatures and we have mostly destroyed their habitat.
The fox doesnāt do it to hurt you or your girls - just to survive and live. Easier said than done I know, but try to separate the personal part of it.
Listen, donāt be mad at a wild thing for doing what they do. Get better at your coop security.
At the end of the day, their lives are in your hands and everything wants to eat them. Youāve got to be more on top of your predator-proofing.
A fox killed one of mine, and was attacking another when I came outside in BROAD DAYLIGHT yesterday. I'm sorry for your loss. It's so rough losing part of a flock.
So sorry for your loss. We lost our cockerel to a fox on Wednesday and I am in pieces. Luckily he was a brave boy and fought off the fox so it didn't get the girls
This is awful to read. Our chicken coop (with our 8 ladies) burned down on Tuesday, so the raw pain of loss is palpable. Know there are others that empathize and sympathize with your situation. Your other 5 are survivors and you love them even more now!!!! Good luck with future chickening!!
I lost two separately to a fox (one in fall, one is spring), then last summer had 6 of the remaining 7 taken out in one shot. The one that survived had gone broody and was safe in the coop. Iām now up to 6, but now Iām crazy paranoid about letting them free range unless I can keep an eye on them the whole time.
I am so sorry for your loss. Even though they live outside they're still your babies. I hope you take the time and space to grieve and know that you didn't do anything wrong by them. They had a happy and healthy life with you and were lucky to have such a caring pet parent.
that sucks, I know the feeling and it's unfortunately comes along with raising chickens. we lost four to a fox attack .. now have a fort knox style coop and two dogs on high alert for predators.
More likely a raccoon and not a fox. Foxes don't typically live in cities but raccoons do and I had a raccoon who killed three of my chickens within two weeks. Left ones most eaten body in the yard and got the other one somewhere where I never found.
Oooo okay then if you have it on video that's different. I don't remember reading that in your initial thing but I had a problem with a raccoon undoing chicken wire just to get through it was fucked.
I had a coyote take my cat and then a week later took my chicken in the middle of the day. I tell you I was so mad, I too want revenge on that coyote for taking my babies from me. One after the other. Itās not fair. And it mustāve been so scary for them, our poor babies. Iām so sorry youāre going through this, I feel your pain and you are not alone. I hope you and the rest of your girlies and Rocket all are doing well for the rest of time. Damn fox. Damn coyote.
i'm so sorry! chickens are so goofy and yours sound like the sweetest little things. i had something similar happen: my family had 8 chickens for ~2 years and we got 4 beautiful new black/iridescent ones (i was young so i don't know what they were but i was obsessed!) and when they came from the farm they STUNK SO BAD. about 2 days later all 12 chickens got snatched up by a family of foxes that lived in a cave near our house. i can imagine how you felt walking into such a devastating crime scene. we loved our sweet girls so much, my younger sister used to bring her favorite one inside and sit on the couch with a towel so they could watch tv and not make a mess.. i hope that image makes you smile. damn those foxes!
I feel your pain. A fox killed one of my geese today and severely injured a handful of other birds. I have my surviving birds in a hospital cage, hoping they recover.
I can't wait to go all "eye for an eye" on that fox.
Very sorry for your loss. This happened to me too. I gave up and have been chickenless since. I was so attached to my girls.
This was my first reaction to our loss (coop fire). My husband looked at me and said they brought you and the kids so much joy. We're building it better. New mother's day weekend project!
Dont give up if you really love them you will do your best to keep them safe
Everytime a sudden death whether its random or somehow a predstor gets them i get emotional and im a man i raise them love them and for thrm to get taken just out of nowhere is a thumbtack to the heart it hurts
Something similar happened to me nearly 2 years ago, it still upsets me from time to time. My family can't let our girls free range cause of the fox and hawks that are around but whenever we let them roam we always keep an eye out. Luckily whenever its been around when I'm out with the girls I've managed to scare it away. It used to even come up to the run area and terrify them until we came outside to scare it away hut doesn't anymore. If it allowed maybe removing the fox will help. I'm sorry for your loss, give the girls you had in your yard a proper burial ):
This happened to me too, all 4 of my girls killed on Halloween night last year. By a coon. Get reinforcements and try again
Sorry for your loss. I don't see the point in taking it out on the fox by trying to go all John wick and tracking it back to its den. When we free range this is the risk we take. Foxes are smart, but they can't get into a secure coop/run. Not trying to kick you when you're down, just really hoping you reconsider unsupervised free ranging if they mean this much to you. I promise you if it's not a fox next time it'll be a hawk, and then some other predator after that. It's just tough being a prey animal like a chicken, no matter what we do, the moment we let them free range, nature can eventually do it's thing. If it's any consolation, a fox kills things pretty quickly (at least compared to animals like hawks) so hopefully they didn't suffer long.
Im sorry for your loss.
I'm so sorry ššš
Iām so sorry. We lost our first girl to an early heat wave, and then the last two we lost to a fox. The morning before I had my hysterectomy. It was awful. Wouldāve been regardless, but that 1-2 punch was just terrible.
So sorry for your loss. I lost 4/5 6 month old ducks last fall to a fox.
I lost one to a fox recently. I also chased it twice before saving my other hens. I read of you remove the fox, another one will come. They are very territorial so another will just take its place. I ordered an electric fence. Iāve read they are good barriers for terrestrial predators. We bought one of those that you can move around. My plan is to rotate areas of the yard with it, yet within the coopās distance for easy access to them. Iāve also had mine locked up in the meantime. My 130 lb dog was out there too when the fox tried to take one. He didnāt even notice the fox.
Get a goose. I live in a very rural part of Maine and had this problem for years. First year with a goose and my chickens and ducks, over 50 total, don't even sleep in a coup. They just chill in the grass or wherever they please. The goose is a better watchdog than my dog. No joke.
Really? Have land in MA, are geese fine solo or do you need a pair?
I always had pairs. I do know several farmers that had one male without any issues.
Thank you
The world is a tough place for chickens despite all we do to care for them. It absolutely sucks. Sounds like they were so loved, and will be dearly missed. Iām sorry for your loss š
Xoxoxo ššā¤ļøāš©¹š«šļø
Iām sorry for your loss. I donāt have chickens right now but I know the fear of worrying. But remember the fox is just doing what comes naturally to him and trying to survive. We share this world with so many creatures and we have mostly destroyed their habitat. The fox doesnāt do it to hurt you or your girls - just to survive and live. Easier said than done I know, but try to separate the personal part of it.
So sorry, sending the biggest hugs š„ŗ
So sorry for your loss. We have lost a few to foxes and red tail hawks over the years and it is devastating when attacks happen.
I'm so sorry
We fell into chicken keeping by accident, and I didnāt want chickens. I fell desperately in love with them. Iām fascinated by them. Reading your description of each hen reminds me of how I talk about my ladies to anyone I corner at a party. It also reminded me how utterly heartbroken and inconsolable I was when we lost two hens within a couple months of each other due to old age. Ruby and Big Suze were red sex links and I didnāt know that breed had such tragically short lifespans. They both just faded away before my eyes in a matter of two weeks and many tearful vet visits (god bless my vet). Iām between wanting to get more RSLs because I miss them so much, and never wanting to touch that breed again and risk saying goodbye so early in 2-3 years. All to say is, I know how you feel, and so does everyone else here. Itās the worst. ā¤ļøāš©¹
Happens all the time. Lost 5 ducks 3 weeks ago and 3 chickens last week.. shot the fox taking off with his last meal. Still 2 foxes near the property.
Listen, donāt be mad at a wild thing for doing what they do. Get better at your coop security. At the end of the day, their lives are in your hands and everything wants to eat them. Youāve got to be more on top of your predator-proofing.
He will be back. Get some traps from tractor supply and use the carcasses as bait
Iām so sorry for your loss.
A fox killed one of mine, and was attacking another when I came outside in BROAD DAYLIGHT yesterday. I'm sorry for your loss. It's so rough losing part of a flock.
I have got to start looking at what subreddit a post is in BEFORE I read the title. Iām so sorry you lost your girls ā¤ļø. Simply devastating.
Sending luvs
So sorry for your loss. We lost our cockerel to a fox on Wednesday and I am in pieces. Luckily he was a brave boy and fought off the fox so it didn't get the girls
No foxes don't suck. Its just nature.
This is awful to read. Our chicken coop (with our 8 ladies) burned down on Tuesday, so the raw pain of loss is palpable. Know there are others that empathize and sympathize with your situation. Your other 5 are survivors and you love them even more now!!!! Good luck with future chickening!!
I lost two separately to a fox (one in fall, one is spring), then last summer had 6 of the remaining 7 taken out in one shot. The one that survived had gone broody and was safe in the coop. Iām now up to 6, but now Iām crazy paranoid about letting them free range unless I can keep an eye on them the whole time.
With cubs in the den this time of year, the fox will be much more likely to attack unfortunately.
I am so sorry for your loss. Even though they live outside they're still your babies. I hope you take the time and space to grieve and know that you didn't do anything wrong by them. They had a happy and healthy life with you and were lucky to have such a caring pet parent.
that sucks, I know the feeling and it's unfortunately comes along with raising chickens. we lost four to a fox attack .. now have a fort knox style coop and two dogs on high alert for predators.
So sorry for your loss! I completely empathize, Iāve been here before with a fox too! Predation is such a hard thing to deal with.
FightingĀ that problemĀ rightĀ now,sorryĀ for yourĀ loss
More likely a raccoon and not a fox. Foxes don't typically live in cities but raccoons do and I had a raccoon who killed three of my chickens within two weeks. Left ones most eaten body in the yard and got the other one somewhere where I never found.
I have the fox on video going to the coop.
I'm so sorry. It always sucks, I hope with time you can remember them without it hurtin'
Oooo okay then if you have it on video that's different. I don't remember reading that in your initial thing but I had a problem with a raccoon undoing chicken wire just to get through it was fucked.
I had a coyote take my cat and then a week later took my chicken in the middle of the day. I tell you I was so mad, I too want revenge on that coyote for taking my babies from me. One after the other. Itās not fair. And it mustāve been so scary for them, our poor babies. Iām so sorry youāre going through this, I feel your pain and you are not alone. I hope you and the rest of your girlies and Rocket all are doing well for the rest of time. Damn fox. Damn coyote.
A fox just took my last two chickens yesterday. I am plotting my revenge. One of them was from my original flock and it's pretty crushing.
i'm so sorry! chickens are so goofy and yours sound like the sweetest little things. i had something similar happen: my family had 8 chickens for ~2 years and we got 4 beautiful new black/iridescent ones (i was young so i don't know what they were but i was obsessed!) and when they came from the farm they STUNK SO BAD. about 2 days later all 12 chickens got snatched up by a family of foxes that lived in a cave near our house. i can imagine how you felt walking into such a devastating crime scene. we loved our sweet girls so much, my younger sister used to bring her favorite one inside and sit on the couch with a towel so they could watch tv and not make a mess.. i hope that image makes you smile. damn those foxes!
I feel your pain. A fox killed one of my geese today and severely injured a handful of other birds. I have my surviving birds in a hospital cage, hoping they recover. I can't wait to go all "eye for an eye" on that fox.
Donāt let them die in vain, vengeance
Now itās time to kill the fox. Bait a trap with some sort of chicken or tasty meat it canāt resist. Wait awhile. And then u have a fox u can kill