Hi everyone,
This morning, within less than an hour of letting my chickens out at 7:30, a fox came and killed 5 of my chickens. We didn't hear anything! I looked out the window (the coop is right behind my house) and saw the fox outside of the chicken's fence and all the dead chickens inside. I ran outside and screamed at it and it ran away. I came back a little while later and I yelled at it again and it ran off. I picked up and buried all of them and then noticed one was still alive. She was laying an egg and in the coop and was left unharmed. I have shut her inside the coop. The fox must have got into the fence by squeezing between the gate and the gate post. The fence is 6' high and the gate is 4' but has a piece on top to make it 6'. I am not sure what to do now and really upset and shocked. I had a chicken die back in August and had a necropsy done and she had Coryza so I assume they all have it. I also was in the process of treating SLM and had just treated them with ivermectin and treated and cleaned the coop. I just don't know what to do with my remaining chicken and I feel like with the disease issues I shouldn't get anymore (I actually was just planing on letting everyone live out their lives and not getting anymore chickens), but she is only 3 and I know they are social animals. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry too for the ramble. I am really upset. Thank you.
This morning, within less than an hour of letting my chickens out at 7:30, a fox came and killed 5 of my chickens. We didn't hear anything! I looked out the window (the coop is right behind my house) and saw the fox outside of the chicken's fence and all the dead chickens inside. I ran outside and screamed at it and it ran away. I came back a little while later and I yelled at it again and it ran off. I picked up and buried all of them and then noticed one was still alive. She was laying an egg and in the coop and was left unharmed. I have shut her inside the coop. The fox must have got into the fence by squeezing between the gate and the gate post. The fence is 6' high and the gate is 4' but has a piece on top to make it 6'. I am not sure what to do now and really upset and shocked. I had a chicken die back in August and had a necropsy done and she had Coryza so I assume they all have it. I also was in the process of treating SLM and had just treated them with ivermectin and treated and cleaned the coop. I just don't know what to do with my remaining chicken and I feel like with the disease issues I shouldn't get anymore (I actually was just planing on letting everyone live out their lives and not getting anymore chickens), but she is only 3 and I know they are social animals. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry too for the ramble. I am really upset. Thank you.