Can foxes hypnotise chooks?

nolliavac · **Joined:** Sun Jul 17, 2011 3:29 pm **Posts:** 56

Sorry to hear of your neighbours chookies plight Petite Poulet. Im constantly on the alert for foxes here. I have heard at night several foxes calling to each other and seen one in the paddock but it disappeared before we could get the gun out [smilie=thumbdown2.gif]

! Im very lucky that I have a spare indoor stable that my chookies call home at night but still often wonder if a fox would be desperate enough to scale the horses stable door to get to the chickens without setting the horse into commotion, then the dog and probably the chooks! We have a rabbit problem but have noticed their numbers decreased slightly recently so thinking that the chooks might be safe for now until the rabbits disappear [smilie=a_whyme.gif]

!

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

Hello, nolliavac,

We haven't had little bunnies for years, the neighbours baited them. The nasty Mr. Fox has been lurking around, and has been sighted on the other neighbour's property nearly every morning. I have taken purefeather's advice and put barriers around the tractor at night.

My neighbour is still very sad

, and now one of my girls is sitting so if all goes well she can have a couple of my chicks

Brownie · **Posted:** Sun Sep 09, 2012 9:17 pm

Petite Poulet wrote:

.... Something feral got into my coop last week.... Then today the girls next door went missing from their fox proof pen this morning and there was only a pile of feathers left.... There were no signs of digging or holes, just a pile of feathers.... the bush is far away from her.... nothing should get in or out that shouldn't be there...

Petite Poulet, I am fascinated by this story because you say the neighbours pen was fox-proof, but that obviously wasn't the case if a fox got in. But then you say there were no signs of digging or holes, and that makes even less sense. I hate to incriminate a native animal that may not be responsible at all, especially since you say your neighbour lives a long way from the bush. Have you heard of Phascogales attacking chooks before? I have, but only near the bush where they live. I've seen one in a conservationist friend's house at night. He counted himself lucky as phascogales kill mice and are sweet looking little things.

This is from a Victoria government sheet about phascogales -
"The Brush-tailed Phascogale gained an early reputation as a 'determined slayer of chickens, and one which killed not merely to appease its appetite' (Jones 1923). This reputation continues today and aviculturists have reported losses of caged birds (Ahern pers. comm.; Humphries unpubl. data). There may be concerns raised if populations of Brush-tailed Phascogales rise in local areas so as to become a problem for poultry farmers and bird fanciers. However, it is unlikely that this situation will occur, given the ecological characteristics of the species, i.e. low population densities. The problem is manageable by taking appropriate precautions in areas where Brush-tailed Phascogales occur, e.g. protective fencing."
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/__data/assets ... e_1997.pdf

I won't link to another poultry website, but googlesearch "phascogales kill chickens" if you want to read about cases where they have definitely killed chooks.

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

Hi, Brownie

,

This is nearly 12 months old, so I shall add a post script.

The neighbour eventually after further investigation did find a 20cm hole at the back of the coop, no one had looked there. To this day she will not keep chooks as she is too heart broken and other neighbours have also lost their girls to foxes.

We have lots of foxes in our area since the bushfires, they come morning, noon, and night and anytime in between.

Thanks for the link, I don't know if Brush-tailed Phascogales are indigenous to our area.

Brownie · **Posted:** Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:10 pm

Whew! I felt so guilty incriminating the native phascogale, and in this case at least it turns out they are innocent.

I know how your friend feels about losing chooks to foxes. It's devastating, you hold yourself responsible, and you just can't face it again. It happened to my chooks 25 years ago, after my pet duck was also killed by a neighbour's terriers ripping through chicken wire. I haven't been game enough to have chooks again till now, but the fear of losing them means my mobile tractor is built like Fort Knox and I won't be free-ranging them. I absolutely 'get' where your neighbour is coming from.

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

We've had problems with the neighbour's Jack Russell's too, but that's another story and thread. They've killed and maimed poor defenseless chookies in the neighbourhood too and their owner has blamed foxes.

Brownie, may your chookies be safe from all harm.

Brownie · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:09 pm

Petite Poulet wrote:

Brownie, may your chookies be safe from all harm.

And yours too Petite Poulet.

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

Brownie wrote:

Petite Poulet wrote:

Brownie, may your chookies be safe from all harm.

And yours too Petite Poulet.

Thank you, kindly

Brownie

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