Fox broke into my coop :(

Mrs Scrungee recorded the noise a hen makes after laying an egg as the ring tone on her mobile phone. Subsequently, when her phone rang whilst shopping in Iceland, several shoppers squawked about the noise of treetreetree chickens frightening their treetreetree kids.

 

This is a photo of the litter tray at the point where the fox would have landed on entering, must have been quite a big thing I guess?


The nesting box lid levered off


padlock still in place - just not the lid!


Mine wasn't a bugdet hen house ( compared with ebay price henhouses) but if any one is a novice hen owner like me, and has been lucky so far to avoid an attack. Please take some time to check the strength of your coop particularly if it isn't home made. The small over hang on the nesting box was all that this fox needed to be able to use his weight to lever it open and the litter tray appears to have easily buckled under his weight.

I have spent a bit of time reading on the internet and looking at you tube videos in order to get to know my enemy! It is a steep learning curve when it costs the life of your chickens. But already I know what I want and don't want in any future home.

Fox getting into chicken run - YouTube warning -graphic content

 

Blimey, sure it wasn't a Wild Boar?

 

Lol;

Is that kind of damage unusual/ extreme even for a fox then? Trust me to get a flippin terminator !

 

Bit extreme for a Wookie.

 

That makes two of us Scrungee

 

To illuminate our hen run I have an external light fitting operted by a radio signal operated remote control (got a few) so the light can be turned on from a distance without any need to unlock/enter the shed where it's plugged in and the receiver is sited. There's also a floodlight on the house at high level also controlled by the same radio remote (different button) and I've put a lower wattage lamp in it so it doesn't light up gardens in the next street, but it will illuminate our garden and the hen run.

When we go on holiday we give our neighbours a remote so they can turn our rear outside lights on if they hear anything suspicious, and it's also handy when we return after dark via the rear access.

 

Why not use a PIR sensor, with 500w floodlight £7 complete
then it is automatic, if something comes into the infra red beam the light goes on, so no one needs to listen, look or be aware all night ?

Jack McH

 

Really sorry to hear :( Having just had mine for 5 days I am already attached to them, and yes, can see each has her own personality.
I haven't read to end of post (as I am about to dash off on the school run) just your first message, so hope you have since been able to sort out a coop and more chooks. x