How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Wow,how little I know!

Welcome to the world of building huge, gigantic, fenced buried, fence covered, 15 ft cedar posts, 4 x4 x12 ft braces, gates, double and tripled fenced and et... chicken outdoor pens. I have chicken pens the full length of the main barn, surrounding the barn on 2 sides. Plus, 4 more huge pens with live traps running every where, and barns, plus .... You will end up with acreage horse fenced, hardware clothed bottoms, chicken fencing outer fencing over it all, with wild bird netting, and supported to hold snow and to stay put in tornadoes unless directly hit by one. All to keep precious pets safe. Cathryn

I am learning first hand how much I have to learn!I have been on especially high alert since I read Anne's post about the fox attack.People said foxes just don't kill to kill but this one I have around here does.

I got confirmation a short time back.I took the white hair that was left on the cage wire after the bloodbath to UT veterinarian teaching school and they put it under a microscope and said"fox".Thank God I work from home but even with that my sleep is screwed.
During the day I am making sure no holes are being dug around cages.I am going to chain link the bottom of all my cages after the mud dries up a little.At night my shelties and I listen for my "watch birds".I turn the volume down on my usually really loud(Chris HAS to be going deaf)TV.I have the gun chambered and I am still dressed at four in the morning ready to run out and shoot something!
Well,last night around eight Chris was pulling in the driveway as the fox was coming out of our property towards the neighbors.He got out of the car yelling at it and as it ran clapping his hands.Well,it came back at 5am.I heard the guineas and I opened the door to find a fox about 15 feet from the door.He was so big it stunned me.He was not the little red fox I had seen before.He was almost the size of a coyote but it wasn't one!He also had more gray in his hair and a black instead of white tip on his tail.He zigzagged and was gone before I could sight him.I found one of my guineas on the ground right where he was with ruffled feathers on his neck.I got my coat,turned out the porch light and used my flashlight and netted her.She turned out to be very lucky and was ok.The big question was why in the world would she fly out of a perfectly good tree to be on the ground where the fox could get her?
Tonight when I looked fox up(know your enemy)with the description including black tip on the tail I just sat wide eyed.I read the following...Gray foxes are bolder than red ones.They also LOVE TO CLIMB TREES.NOW it all makes sense!I did not know that! Now tomorrow to put up a yard high piece of sheet metal around the "guinea tree".I hope that solves that!I hope the fox does not come tonight.Because even chickens health is not worth mine.I have to sleep tonight.God,I need a good dog or trap or both.Britt

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