#Foxes attacking chickens how to

They aren’t known as sly foxes for nothing. Most fox attacks on chickens will be difficult to identify.

#Foxes attacking chickens how to

How to Tell if It’s a Fox Attacking the Chickens While they will hunt during the day as well, in most cases, when a fox has located a chicken coop, the chickens will be snatched up in the night. These savvy little opportunists will take what food they can get and store the rest.įoxes are typically nocturnal hunters and tend to begin searching for prey from dusk to the early hours of the morning. Foxes are notorious for rummaging through human trash in urban areas and have no trouble scavenging carcasses as well.įoxes will eat around 1 to 2 pounds of food per day. Foxes will prey on smaller animals such as rodents, rabbits, lizards, voles, birds, insects, and anything they can overpower. The unfortunate chickens that are left behind from the attack were likely unable to be carried off and stored for one reason or another.įoxes are omnivores that feed on a variety of meat and other vegetations such as fruits. This behavior is often seen in other meat-eating mammals, such as leopards. Foxes are opportunistic hunters and if they come across a large supply of prey it is not uncommon for them to kill as much prey as possible with the intention of storing it for later.įoxes will bury what food they cannot consume under leaves or within the snow to ensure they have a meal for a later time. So why would a fox kill chickens and leave them? The answer is quite simple. Occasionally, a fox may be more apparent in their attack and kill one or more chickens and leave them at the scene. Some keepers will simply notice members of their flock go missing one by one. Foxes are slick enough they can even leave little evidence of an attack. The intelligent, sly fox is a feared predator among chicken keepers.