How to fox proof your chicken coop
Foxes and chickens just don't mix. If you're one of those unfortunate owners of backyard chickens who have seen first hand what a fox can do, be sure to fox proof your current chicken coop. It's devastating, to say the least, to see what a fox can achieve in a short period of time inside your chicken coop. Unfortunately for many urban backyard chickens, many owners assume that foxes won't be a problem. These creatures are not only found in the country, but make their way into suburban areas, particularly when there's a park or reserve nearby.
As owners of 'Royal Rooster', manufacturers of chicken coops, we've heard many stories of cheeky foxes in urban areas. We've heard of one particular
fox that sat happily on a customer's back porch one early morning - and this was in a metropolitan area! Luckily this was before this customer got backyard chickens. I urge you to take appropriate measures to fox proof your chicken coop now, before you experience a fox attack in your own backyard.
Fox-proofing a mobile chicken coop
The best way to keep foxes out of your chicken coop depends largely on the style of coop and run that you have. If you have a mobile chicken coop that has a run attached to a housing section, it's important to make sure that foxes can't tunnel underneath the outer edges of your coop. Even if you've got hard soil, don't think that a determined fox won't try to gain access.
The easiest way to fox proof a mobile coop is to attach a large mesh floor to the bottom of the coop. Attaching this mesh floor to the base of the coop, means that you'll easily be able to move the floor along with the rest of the coop. Chickens love to have area to scratch, so you want to make sure that this mesh floor has large enough squares to still allow your chickens to scratch, but small enough that a fox won't be able to enter. In our experience, mesh that is 10cm x 15cm works really well. Installed correctly, we've not had any reports of foxing entering a coop with mesh of this size fixed to the base of the coop.
The other option is to create a mesh 'skirt' around the edge of your coop. This allows your chickens more room to scratch, as there's no need to have the mesh under the coop as well, but makes moving your coop a little harder. We've tried both methods and the skirt is very cumbersome, but may be the preferred option by some.
Another important consideration is the strength of the mesh that is used on the sides of your coop. Unfortunately, some of the imported coops that I've seen on the market are made using very light 'aviary' style mesh. We've been told of foxes that have chewed through this thin mesh to gain access to the chicken coop. So just make sure that the coop you purchase, or make, has strong enough mesh. I would suggest mesh that is 2.5mm thick. We've found that this cannot be damaged by foxes trying to chew through, or children who love chickens and clamber all over the chicken coop!
Proof-foxing a fixed chicken coop
If you haven't got a mobile coop, but a more traditional style coop that stays in a fixed position, you want to be sure that the run that is attached to your coop is fox proof. Most people with a traditional chicken shed and run erect a permitter of high chicken wire to form the run. This wire should have holes no larger than 80mm in diameter. As fixed chicken coops with runs, generally have no roof on the run itself, another important consideration is the height of the run walls. Chickens can't fly very high, but given a few 'stepping stones' inside your run such as a tree branch, they can potentially escape. Of course this height also needs to be high enough that a fox can't climb over. Generally fences of 1.8m high is found to be adequate to keep chickens in and foxes out.
The other important consideration is that the chicken wire at the bottom of the fence is dug into the ground, not far below the surface to a distance of about 50 or 60cm. As mentioned, foxes will dig to gain access to your chicken coop. When the foxes come across this wire time and time again, they'll eventually give up trying to access your chicken coop. Another way of achieving this barrier is to but something heavy like wooden or concrete sleeps on top of the mesh at the bottom of your fence.
As owners of 'Royal Rooster', manufacturers of chicken coops, we've heard many stories of cheeky foxes in urban areas. We've heard of one particular
fox that sat happily on a customer's back porch one early morning - and this was in a metropolitan area! Luckily this was before this customer got backyard chickens. I urge you to take appropriate measures to fox proof your chicken coop now, before you experience a fox attack in your own backyard.
Fox-proofing a mobile chicken coop
The best way to keep foxes out of your chicken coop depends largely on the style of coop and run that you have. If you have a mobile chicken coop that has a run attached to a housing section, it's important to make sure that foxes can't tunnel underneath the outer edges of your coop. Even if you've got hard soil, don't think that a determined fox won't try to gain access.
The easiest way to fox proof a mobile coop is to attach a large mesh floor to the bottom of the coop. Attaching this mesh floor to the base of the coop, means that you'll easily be able to move the floor along with the rest of the coop. Chickens love to have area to scratch, so you want to make sure that this mesh floor has large enough squares to still allow your chickens to scratch, but small enough that a fox won't be able to enter. In our experience, mesh that is 10cm x 15cm works really well. Installed correctly, we've not had any reports of foxing entering a coop with mesh of this size fixed to the base of the coop.
The other option is to create a mesh 'skirt' around the edge of your coop. This allows your chickens more room to scratch, as there's no need to have the mesh under the coop as well, but makes moving your coop a little harder. We've tried both methods and the skirt is very cumbersome, but may be the preferred option by some.
Another important consideration is the strength of the mesh that is used on the sides of your coop. Unfortunately, some of the imported coops that I've seen on the market are made using very light 'aviary' style mesh. We've been told of foxes that have chewed through this thin mesh to gain access to the chicken coop. So just make sure that the coop you purchase, or make, has strong enough mesh. I would suggest mesh that is 2.5mm thick. We've found that this cannot be damaged by foxes trying to chew through, or children who love chickens and clamber all over the chicken coop!
Proof-foxing a fixed chicken coop
If you haven't got a mobile coop, but a more traditional style coop that stays in a fixed position, you want to be sure that the run that is attached to your coop is fox proof. Most people with a traditional chicken shed and run erect a permitter of high chicken wire to form the run. This wire should have holes no larger than 80mm in diameter. As fixed chicken coops with runs, generally have no roof on the run itself, another important consideration is the height of the run walls. Chickens can't fly very high, but given a few 'stepping stones' inside your run such as a tree branch, they can potentially escape. Of course this height also needs to be high enough that a fox can't climb over. Generally fences of 1.8m high is found to be adequate to keep chickens in and foxes out.
The other important consideration is that the chicken wire at the bottom of the fence is dug into the ground, not far below the surface to a distance of about 50 or 60cm. As mentioned, foxes will dig to gain access to your chicken coop. When the foxes come across this wire time and time again, they'll eventually give up trying to access your chicken coop. Another way of achieving this barrier is to but something heavy like wooden or concrete sleeps on top of the mesh at the bottom of your fence.
