Cat or maybe a Fox

dufflight · **Posted:** Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:11 am

I've lost 3 chooks over the last week or so. First thought that they made it over the fence into the backyard and the dog was eating them. But with clipped wings I'm now thinking I have a cat or a fox problem. Trying to find a trap on short notice. Hope to have it set tonight. :bat:

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:01 am

I feel your pain Duff. Lost all our chooks and suspect a sneaky fox, cunning things they are Grrr.
Now looking at upgrading the area and getting some new varieties, maybe some for meat as well as eggs, if I can find someone that would do the deed when the time comes.

earthbound · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:52 pm

No worries Faye.... :bat:

Though it might be a bit more like :swing:

Then..

Can you get a trap through your council Duff? I think our council here might lend them when needed.. Good luck getting the buggers...

dufflight · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:18 pm

Council does not like talking to me. Apparently I cause a lot of problems for them from higher up when they try to force me to do things I don't want to. :hello:

Did manage to get a small trap off a mate. 1st night and the bait is still there. Going to google and buy a couple to have set up all the time. Don't like having my chooks go out that way. And they were just starting to lay. :cry:

Simo · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:48 pm

I'd go with fox, sneaky buggers will climb anything for a free chicken supper. I built my own trap and I know it works because it caught 2 cats, but it seems the foxes are too smart to go anywhere near it. Best way to deal with foxes it to make the chicken run more secure.

skipd · **Posted:** Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:26 am

I doubt fox as they generally leave no survivors. Im with Simo best way is to lock them up every night. My neighbor and I lost all our chooks in one night a year or so ago :cry:

, I live in Bassendean and the foxes live down in the swamps at the river.
I lock my new ones up every night.

freoboy · **Joined:** Sun Nov 07, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 41

like i said on another thread, i have a Jack Russel/ Staffy cross if anyone wants to borrow it . . . .no garuntee that the chooks will be around in the morning tho :ohdear:

or you could just set a trap and not tell the council?? :shhh:

Simo · **Posted:** Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:01 am

skipd wrote:

I doubt fox as they generally leave no survivors.

It is true that this happens skipd but anecdotally I have noticed that the big chicken massacars occur in spring just after the bitches whelp, I've been told they take all the chooks and bite of the heads to drink the blood to regain the iron they have lost during birth, this is why you can usually find all the chooks in a pile with only heads missing. With male foxes or at any other time of the year they only take what they need to eat, hence one chook every few days.

This could just be old farmers tales but I believe as my neighbor lost all his chooks three yaers running in spring.

skipd · **Posted:** Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:24 am

Yeah Interesting point Simo, I have not heard that before. Makes sense though. We have quite a few stray cats around us and we never lost any chooks to them.
After I finnish building my Garden shed I will be upgrading my chicken run so that it is fully bird and fox proof. Having chooks is like a magnet for all stray animals that either want to eat the eggs, the chooks, or the food I feed the chooks. Still, I love the fresh eggs.

earthbound · **Posted:** Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:21 pm

Never heard that before, interesting theory...

gnash · **Posted:** Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:00 pm

I'll back simo on that..... :wink:

on another note I have a dirty old crow jumping into the chook pen during the day when the chooks are out (we let them out every morning and lock them up at night).
I actually caught the bugger one morning in the pen when the girls were out, slammed the door, locked it, went back to the house to get Mags and by the time i got back ( under 5mins) the bugger had made its way out a gap in the roof.... :bash:

.
The girls make a different cluck/ warning sound when one turns up so next time :hello:

Big_Dave · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:24 am

I lost 5 ducks last year, but that was from a 2.5 meter Olive Python. I managed to re-locate him one morning when I cought him with a gob full of Muscovy!

bushy · **Posted:** Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:14 pm

Yep pythons love chicken takeaways. Have never seen a cat, even big feral ones, kill mature chooks, but they may.
Fox is the most likely and they will squeeze or dig their way in every time. Mostly they kill most or all the chooks, and will grab them around the neck and drink their blood, sometimes not even eating the head.
Foxes like chook heads, when skins were worth lots I used to poison foxes by using buried chook heads....worked every time.

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Cat or maybe a Fox

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Cat or maybe a Fox

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