I Was Outfoxed by a Fox It Got into our Chicken Coop VLOG

[@wwsuwannee7993]

The electric fence will help a lot, but don't get too confident because you won't win 100%. I have fox, coyotes out the ying, racoon, bobcat, wild boar, hawks, snakes, and the occasional bear. I minimize my losses buy keeping my birds locked up tight at night in their " Fort Knox" coupe :) I use critter proof latches that the racoons can't open and I have a Great Pyrenees guard dog. Despite my deadeye aim with the ole 20 gauge, something always manages to snatch one of my birds occasionally. It's part of it I reckon. It's a shame they got your whole flock. The wife and I go out to breakfast once in awhile and I always order eggs like a fool and they always suck, after getting spoiled on the home growns. Are the birds worth all the trouble? Absolutely, Positively, YES! Two birds will feed a grown man for years, a dozen will feed a whole family and some of the neighbors. So in the words of Jerimiah Johnson..." Eh?.....What trouble?" gg.

[@Selfsufficientme]

What a great comment gg - I'm pinning this to the top... Cheers :)

[@killerluuk]

WW Suwannee Shooting the animals is a bit much though imho. Protecting yours is a key for you but see it as part of nature for some to grab your occasional chicken right. A fan of nature and home grown food should perhaps see this as part of the deal?

[@scarlettrubyrose]

Are Racoons that clever that they can open latches? What mischievous little devils 😂

[@wwsuwannee7993]

I felt the same way until a pack of coyotes killed one of my dogs, that changed my thinking. It was my dog man.....now they die.

[@killerluuk]

WW Suwannee Oah wow, yeah I get that. A man's dog is sacred. You must live in Australia too then, right? The most dangerous animal here in The NLS is a squirrel xD

[@nt4g1]

Beautiful area.. Don’t forget to put a baby monitor in the hen house.. You’ll hear them upset and save them...

[@ashyslashy5818]

GOOD ONE

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

hmm interesting idea. I don't know if the signal would reach that far though.

[@Selfsufficientme]

That's a top tip! :)

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

i hear geese work well to guard the flock and make lots of noise too =)

[@jasonnikolic]

@fergus5151 Yes. My dad has a huge property and a ton of chickens. Refuses a guard dog, says his Guinea Fowl scare the foxes off!

[@petrosstefanis6234]

I keep rewatching this video. One of the best you have ever made. Well done Mark.

[@angelasharp6869]

Totally devo! Sorry to hear of such a massive loss. Next time it's gonna be super awesome. Looking forward to seeing you regrow your lovely chicken space.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you, we're finishing the job today and I'm looking forward to testing it out! :)

[@StillSwirling]

My heart sank when I found out about your chickens 😔 Sounds like you have a good plan to come back bigger and better! I appreciate you giving your chickens & ducks their best life. That's what I'm trying to give our chickens. Wish you all the best in the rebuild!

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Libby! Us chicken lovers will never give up! Cheers :)

[@Mulberrysmile]

Like most of us, you started small and kept growing, adding on, modifying a bit. Improvements usually have to fit a small budget, for most of us, I think. But, it was funny in my own experience that I ended up spending a bit by bit fortune to keep the chickens safe, and then wasting time going back to fix the problems. I hope people new to this learn that 1)You will end up with more chickens than you planned for 2) plan for more chickens from the start...more room is never bad 3) make a plan, lol! 4) do months of research and gathering materials before you get your first chicks 5) plan in items: access to nest boxes and water without entering chicken area 6)hardware cloth is your friend 7) lockable coop inside their safe zone 8) roofing on the coop 9)Shrubbery for hiding 10)don’t feed inside the coop...treat it like just a sleeping place so rodents are less attracted, then snakes are also less attracted 11)nest boxes accessible inside the coop for those early morning laying times of the cycle 12) do have water in the coop for days when there is a lockdown, or you are late opening the door 13) create a sick bird area, and a broody area, and a chick/pullet safe area from the start. 14) have an emergency kit and an emergency plan...bad storm coming, deep freeze, heat waves all happen. These are all things I wish I had done from the start instead of having to do piecemeal under pressure to “fix” my oversights. I hope they help someone!

[@jecriggs]

Well said!

[@PetalsonthePavingSlabs]

Oh no, I feel your loss. We too keep chickens and its heartbreaking when a fox gets round our defences. Good luck to you.

[@grassgeese3916]

I really love your videos. Thank you for being such a positive and caring person showing everyone how you've been increasing your self sufficiency

[@Liwayputi]

Sorry for your loss. I always appreciate your videos. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to publish all these informative videos.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you! I enjoy making these videos - It's fun and it's a passion - I'm just grateful others like watching them. Cheers :)

[@jenihansen7201]

So Sorry about the loss of your chickens and ducks. Poor things. Love your channel.

[@james-r]

For fox sake

[@KymsHomestead]

I feel your pain, loosing your flocks can be devastating, 😢😢😢 you have plenty of room there have you thought about adding a couple of guard geese to the flock? They will also help with the extra grass and weeds ☺

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Kym, we'd like to keep a few geese but they aren't allowed on our sized property... weird I know. I appreciate the suggestion though! Cheers :)

[@Steve-tj5ti]

@@Selfsufficientme they aren't allowed?

[@jensenhomestead3269]

So sorry you lost them.. Hope this gives you the chance to make your improvements.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Christopher, yes I intend to turn this negative experience into a positive! :)

[@tryxlr8m8]

Thanks Mark! So nice to tour the property with you! The mrs and I were watching and both so shocked when you said the fox got to the entire flock, so sorry to hear, we only have 5 chooks and attached to all of them, can’t imagine what that must have been like for you, checked the date and realised this was a while ago, so good of you to post this to help others. I’m posting a video real soon on our suburban coop if ur interested, I’d like to mention you’re videos in mine if that’s ok? we’re also in SEQ just south of Brisbane.

[@ZfromC]

This is sad news, but I'm glad we all got a learning experience out of it. This will end up being a positive thing for my flock when I apply the lessons you taught us from this. Cheers, sir!

[@gelawncare789]

Mate I love your videos. You are buy far the best KZbin channel out there when it comes to gardening and more. I look forward to your new videos, I check almost every day. I'm in the process of changing my garden to be more self sufficient. I only discovered your channel about 3 months ago and have spent many hours at night (when my wife goes to bed) watching you. Ive learnt shit loads and can't wait for my garden to be more self sufficient. Not only have I learnt heaps but my 2 girl love it to. O and sorry about you poultry.Keep up the good work mate.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks mate, comments like this make my day and remind me why I started my KZbin channel in the first place - one video view or one million, if I've inspired, thought provoked, or entertained someone I'm happy! Cheers :)

[@plantsoverpills1643]

Only 2 years late finding this vlog, but I’ll send along belated sympathy. We too have had our hens devastated by coyotes, raccoons and skunks who actually took 40 3 day old chicks. That was very upsetting. They hadn’t even had a chance. In retrospect, it forces us to smarten up and predictor proof our birds so the loss is a lesson. It also makes us realize that a daily inspection of our coups is very important. Now I’m sure you’ve created “Fort Mark’s!!!!”😉 It

[@karenhobbs3218]

I would certainly be depressed. and I am so sorry this has happened. I am so happy that you keep the birds forever as they are important to you not just for food but as individual creatures. You used an expression I hadnt heard before and laughed out loud the first time I heard it. that you keep the birds until they "fall off the perch"

[@AdvancedHarmonics]

Life. The natural way is fraught with danger, even if it's just danger of the unknown. You did the best you could (which is wonderful) and you learned from Life Itself. Can't ask for more. Excited to see what's next. Keep up the great work and all the best!

[@Selfsufficientme]

Nicely put... Yes, I do wish I had done this earlier but we've learned from this experience and will make our free ranging area and coop safer in the future! Cheers :)

[@i8BBQ4Lunch]

Sorry for your loss. You've done so much for your birds to give them a good life while they helped your family.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you - these improvements will hopefully give us all peace of mind and keep our birds safer. Cheers :)

[@michaelrichard5554]

Mark. Consider high tensile fencing that you can stretch tightly between posts/trees. A homemade stretcher is easily made using a couple 2x4's and some eye bolts. Stretch it a section at a time and secure to the posts with staples. The fence looks more squared away, you use less fencing obviously, and your electric strands stand off from the fence wire providing a nice gap between hot and ground. I use 72" RedBrand orchard fencing that has smaller/tighter openings near the bottom and larger openings at the top. Cheers my friend.

[@sharonmorton6734]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Farm animals are not the same as pets but they do become family in other ways. It was good you took time to grieve.

[@nirmal148]

Even though long....It was relaxing seeing your property. Nice tour

[@SherryTheSecretary]

Oh gosh, foxy fox! Sorry for your loss. A good lesson learned. Can't wait to see the improvements and the next generation.

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

sorry to hear about your birds mark, at least you have some quail still and it makes a good excuse to get all this work done (gotta look on the bright side) I'm very keen to see what you do with the pen and see it all setup and with new birds in the future, hope you don't have too many issues getting it all setup, take care =)

[@Harley04]

Ah, so sorry to hear that Mark, I got behind on watching your excellent videos and only just hearing about your loss. In fact, it was after a fox got our 6 chickens that I found your channel and the used the dog wire technique. Our chicken run is nothing as large as yours and we only ever have about 6 chickens maximum. The coop has an automatic door so all safe now.

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

I took chickens from a lady in town, Oregon City Oregon USA that didn't want them because they didnt lay anymore. They are great at working at making compost and they are beautiful. I also think the older ones help teach the younger ones a lot.

[@stevenwatson3963]

Top man, i just got some new chickens after 7 years after a fox cleaned out the coop.Uplifting video mate!!. Cheers.

[@regencylass1183]

How heartbreaking. Hope you can get it all secured soon and get back to raising your birds.

[@punkyroo]

I'm so sorry, that's awful. :( You have such an amazing poultry setup and I look forward to what it becomes!

[@lindahipple4817]

G'day Mark, sorry to hear about your chooks, and ducks. Wiley fox can be a problem. I've used the same electric fence sys for my livestock for 30 yrs. Only replaced the tape about every 3yrs or so, the snow& ice would strech it. It's a great unit, hope you got the 25 mile electric charger unit. Battery backup is easy for you since you don't have 32f temps..or lower. Can't wait to see the new improved chook yard. God bless.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Linda! We got the 20km which should be plenty for our 200m fenceline plus we don't have the lower temps or snow (like you say) that you guys do so the electrician is confident this set-up will do the job well. Fingers crossed still... Cheers :)

[@luckychicav7981]

Oh my goodness Mark, I'm sorry! That has to be so difficult to see and overwhelming when it first happens. Fort Knox definitely to protect you next flock.

[@dollyperry3020]

I'm so sorry this happened. But I'm so glad to see what you do for the Fort Knox!

[@daddiosunny]

I know this was awhile back seeing that you posted it a few years back. We have cameras on our chicken pin and chicken house and for at least 8 months I hadn't seen any fox at all but now this last week, each night around the same time, a Fox goes through, Right by the Chicken Pin but its gone (or at least hiding) by the time I get out there and don't see it again until the following night. I do appreciate you showing things you've done to Fox proof as I plan to start trying that stuff myself.. I hope things are going better for you these days :) .. By the way, I just liked and Subscribed to your channel ;)

[@cottonballus]

the same thing happened to me! At first I did not know what got my girls and how it was getting in, I lost all my girls and my boy. Thank you for your tips.

[@veganvocalist4782]

What a sweet family you all are

[@rosemarie741]

So sad about losing your chickens and ducks😢. It sounds like you have a great plan, though, to prevent it from happening again. You do have a wonderful shady place for them. I don’t like thinking about chickens living in a confined space. The pictures of your birds free-ranging made me know you gave them a good life. I’m looking forward to watching your progress. Best wishes from Alabama, USA.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Hi Rose and thank you! Those birds being taken won't be in vain - they've paved the way for future poultry to have an even better and safer place to roam and enjoy. Cheers :)

[@Cheryl64014]

What a beautiful property! Thank you for sharing your estate with us.

[@Freakontheway]

Thank you for this informative video. Although we don't have the predators you encounter, we do have some, and I will secure our chicken pen for sure! I like your vlogging! Feels like me being a friend, visiting, and strolling along. Keep up the good work! Blessings

[@saganahazelfire]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Have you consider building a fox pen for the chicken? There are videos of folks keeping foxes and have pens to keep the foxes in. If it keeps them in then it would keep them out.

[@heidigib01]

Have you tried chicken tractors? They will eat grass and weeds and prep your planting areas for you, you move it around and chickens are safe.

[@50shadesofgreen]

what a shame, sorry this has happen to you Mark, think on the positive side at least you can do all the renovation so it dont happen to you again !!

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks mate - yes that's a positive alright! Cheers :)

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi...... Self Sufficient Me, thank you for sharing your video 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍

[@killerluuk]

Have you ever thought about goats or sheep? They would go well in the penn. They are great to look at, not too hard to keep and also protects your poultry :D

[@jasonnikolic]

Need permits for them in Australia.

[@ourfloridagarden4191]

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. The summers here are chocker block full of activities, home improvement and travel. Never enough time on the day. Great move on the electric fence..

[@kristyking8283]

So very sorry about your chickens and ducks :( I thought it was a very true and beautiful thing that you said at the end of the video, about the quality of life if the animals. I agree whole heartedly, and I'm sure they had and appreciated having such a great life. I love your videos, and they have helped me a lot in starting a dining room farm and a healthier lifestyle. Thank You. Have you ever thought about starting into any aquaponic gardening? Just curious. Good luck with the Coop, and all the best to you and yours :)

[@angelsmurfwingss.5368]

I'm so sad to hear about the loss of your animals...

[@becsterbrisbane6275]

Awesome about the fence- shame about the poor chooks though :( . But the real question is.....what did the fox say? Bwahaha!

[@TheBabyskywalker]

Sorry for your loss.... Here in southern nsw we have an abundance of foxes and have lost our beloved chooks on more than one occasion. Our chooks free-range daily and spend their nights in a veritable fox proof fort knox, so i can only comment on daytime prevention which is when all of our previous attacks occurred. Since employing a tactic apparently common with english poultry farmers we haven't had any issues with foxes whatsoever. Its simply a matter of having a radio tuned into a talkback station (abc news and abc southeast in our case) running throughout the day. On our 30 acres, half paddocks half bush, two small radios is sufficient. Both running from a timer turning on and off at regular intervals (adding shock value) early morning before the chooks are released, and then running continuously whilst the chooks are free until a tad past sundown, at which time the chooks are secure. Foxes have very good hearing therefore the radios do not need to be large or running loudly which could defeat the purpose of country life, and its important to run talkback or news stations only as music orientated channels aren't as effective apparently. Also make sure that however many radios you run they must be tuned to different stations, to prevent the sly foxes putting two and two together so to speak. Plus its important to monitor and correct the on/off timing as seasons progress. Ps Thanks for your videos.. I really appreciate how much I've learnt from them. Kind regards

[@jessilatiolais4894]

You have a ton of work ahead. Just focus on one step at a time! You need to keep all brush away from the electric tape. Every tiny blade of grass touching it is zapping power. Also during very dry times can cause a brush fire. Fox and hogs will come back every now and then and sniff at the fence to check that it's still hot. Maybe get a couple of fence lights so that at a glance you can tell the fence is good. We have a 3.5 acre area fenced and keep a light on the back fence so I can see that the area back there is connected and hot without having to even walk all the way out. It is just a nice comforting feeling after an attack. They even make some that glow different colors for good and weak current. Glad you aren't giving up. I really think its great for any family to have chickens. They bring so much to your home life and as you say that's a few less chickens living the factory farm life to support us.

[@ericjohnson1008]

Wish I was closer. I've got some eggs that can go into an incubator. I've also got some spare birds (ducks, turkeys and guinea fowl). It would just be hard to get it from Texas to you in a fast safe way. Don't know of anyone that has figured out teleportation yet. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see the new and improved Fort Knox.

[@Selfsufficientme]

LOL thanks anyway Eric! Fort Knox fox proof coming soon! (we're finishing the fence off today) Cheers :)

[@ericjohnson1008]

Store bought eggs, are horrible. Can't wait to see the fort Knox version.

[@dr.froghopper6711]

Wow! Sorry about your birds Mark. Predators are a pain. We have to watch for rats, snakes, coyotes, feral dogs and cats, hawks, skunks, raccoons. It never seems to end. Fix one thing and another challenge presents itself. Don’t work your butt completely off mate! You’re gonna need it when you finally go to sit down! Blessings brother!

[@joannenaylorsingersongwriter]

Sorry to here about the attack Mark, we lost a few chooks in one night a few weeks ago - I forgot to lock up the pen at night after their free ranging. We have an electric fence around our whole farm with just one hot wire at about four inches off the ground turned on when we are lambing. We don’t lose a single lamb to foxes anymore and we have over a thousand lambs every year. So, I’m sure it will work out for you!

[@scifigrl23]

Did you have a rooster? My dad's farm was attacked by a coyote in the US and the rooster saved the coup. He ended up dying from his injuries but they didn't lose a single hen. Sorry to hear about your loss. That's quite devastating

[@kevinrudd1]

scifigrl23 unfortunately you’re not allowed to keep roosters in residential areas in Australia

[@ashyslashy5818]

WOW THATS SO BAD ASS WHAT BREED OF CHICKEN...

[@Selfsufficientme]

We can keep 1 x rooster where we are (laws are very strict here in Oz - red tape capital of the world) but our last big fella died unexpectedly about 12 months ago so we never replaced him... but, we will be getting another one and yes I agree they help considerably to protect the flock! Especially by day. Cheers :)

[@mindtek_aus]

Oh no not the chookens! Damn those foxes!

[@codeypendent1899]

Thats a real bugga, Mark. Sorry to hear.

[@anofritz]

sir, now that all kinds of seeds are featured, how a bout a video about encouraging bolting, pollinating, and How to encourage growing seeds. because i'm still confused about how to grow seeds and flowers, and i believe some other viewers too. thank you, great videos you make!

[@englishguyinmexico6952]

It's sad when you lose a whole flock to predator attacks. I've lost the last of a dozen chickens that I raised from tiny chicks and you do get attached to them. Opossums here in Northern Mexico are the worst (nasty things that always find a way into a coop and I swear the mother must train the babies to hunt because the faster I "bumped them off" the faster they kept coming) with feral dog packs, foxes and buzzards a close 2nd here. I literally gave up 2 years ago after finding the last old bird with it's head missing despite a coop inside an inner perimeter of wire and a 10 foot wall and 400 meters of outside perimeter and barbed wire....something always found it's way inside the Hacienda eventually, no matter how hard I tried. I sure miss those fresh eggs every day though, and this video of yours might just get me to start again....thank you and good luck with the renovations. ps I subscribed years ago and have watched most of your vids. Luckily the snakes here are nowhere near the size of your monstors.....yikes.

[@MasterKenfucius]

I feel for you mate. Had the same happen to me a while back. Fox got in and destroyed 50 of my birds... chickens, quail, golden pheasants, partridges.... I was really sad for a long time. You would think they kill only what they want to eat, but no, they have to kill everything for some reason. It's really sad. Hang in there.

[@susand1177]

Ken Tichy - please understand that foxes are cache killers - when they are extremely hungry, they will kill all the prey animals they can at once; people have demonised them and said they kill for fun, but foxes will store uneaten kills for future consumption. It IS sad, but it's also just down to instinct on the part of foxy. Leopards are another example of an apex predator which will overkill and bury. Sue - veterinary grad.

[@brittanyrose9398]

Absolutely beautiful where you live!!!

[@foggyD83]

I lost my flock last year. After finding what I believe to be the entry point of a raccoon, I decided to really beef up the run. Our run had to be enclosed mainly because of hawks, but we've also got raccoons, opossums, coyotes, foxes, snakes and dogs roaming around. We've started our flock over again from chicks and it's been 6 months or so and we've had a few losses but from the extreme heat from the summer. No predators...yet. I'm wanting to expand my run for a few more birds we're wanting to add into the flock. I like your run especially how you used salvaged timber for the posts. I'm trying to use as much salvageable lumber and materials as I can and really make sure it'll be as predator-proof as it can be, but a predator will always make you aware of weak points. I just discovered your channel but I love all the tips and advice you provide! Keep them coming!

[@theGreaterAwareness]

It will be exciting to see how you adapt to counter the fox. I too had fox issues and so I made a stronghold for my chickens with cement sheeting and various grades of wire mesh so the poop could fall through the floor but no foxes could get through. Also it was raised off the ground on legs. The housing was ok but over time the foxes learned to hunt when everyone went to work and the chickens were out - about 8 to 9 am where as usually they started around dusk and dawn. Eventually I raised Malay Game hens because the genes I had raised produced about a 93cm tall chicken - huge birds and great pets (could walk them like a dog) but they were a little too aggressive towards other birds and when the males developed hormones they would suddenly attack me like little Velociraptors - Example: I'm walking, feel a pain on my thigh, look down and a chicken is holding onto my leg with its beak while kicking me with its legs. Very aggressive birds - and after all that aggression they are still no match for a fox. Guinea fowl might be interesting as they use numbers to attack snakes and such but I think a fox has a monopoly on most small animals - very agile creatures - like an animal version of Legolas from LotR. In the end I just stooped down to using cage traps and chicken bone scraps for bait but still never caught one. They seem to have patience to match their agility. They are incredibly observant and patient. I think they literally observe every hour of the day to see who is doing what and when before they attempt something. The only time they seem to get sloppy is when they have pups and the pups are hungry. Now I work with AI and am just getting into robotics and so I'm fantasize about making a little sentry that uses Neural networks to recognize foxes and shoot them but there is zero margin for error when making anything that has the potential to harm someone and so I won't be doing that in my nanny state country.

[@lisabooker6405]

Man that stinks. I’m so sorry. The rebuild projects should be very interesting to watch though. TFS. God Bless ~Lisa

[@jolyndaj]

Thank you. I am looking forward to your new free range home for Chickens and Ducks. I like a person that thinks humanely. I had a dog that I fostered for awhile that killed 30 chickens all one afternoon while I was working in town. It was devastating. My prize rooster was killed too. I never fostered another dog. I do miss my chickens.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Sorry to hear about your loss of poultry - that's worse than mine - and a LOT of birds! I don't blame you for being picky about fostering dogs now... All the best :)

[@karenkmk4035]

I've done the same thing. Wire skirt on the bottom of the boundary fence and electric on the top. 👌

[@Selfsufficientme]

Ok cool! Thanks :)

[@johnseabrook1029]

We tried most of that but on a smaller scale. Electric fence & all. Didn’t work. Foxes will still find a way under it. We’ve gone back to letting the chooks out in the morning & making sure they’re secure at dusk. We only have a few though, not for commercial purposes.

[@lamprinedatsika6292]

I'm very sorry Mark. I just like it because it's beautiful! But it does a lot of damage. No, no snakes. 🦊

[@rlbnpt2]

What about leaving the top few feet of the fence unsupported so it droops outwards. That makes it harder for animals to get up and over.

[@wendyrowland7787]

No it doesn’t, that just acts like a trampoline.

[@rlbnpt2]

Wendy Rowland then maybe support it like when they put barbed wire angled off the top of chain link fences.

[@wendyrowland7787]

Robert Bradfield your idea is the perfect solution as long as the fence is dug in and small mesh.

[@mrstigbittys]

Robert, the only thing that concerns me with barbed wire is wildlife getting stuck in it, causing serious injury - even those roaming around not meaning to do any harm to the poultry. It is a great idea though for those who cannot support an electrical boundary. I'm preparing to build my own chicken enclosure and pen. I plan on lining it with 1/4" wire, then about a foot away creating a solar run electrical perimeter. I had a friend who owned chickens in her typical chain link fence backyard, and she would often come out to find decapitated chickens because the chickens would stick their neck through and the foxes would grab them.

[@karenhobbs3218]

I believe the point was to angle it outwards from the coop. the animal must climb a tree to use it like a trampoline to get into the coop. This is a common and effective way to keep cats and dogs out of an area.

[@dorfriedman9115]

Always good to see you man! :)

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

I am planning to get chicks for the first time in the spring. I've heard of people's entire flocks being taken out before so I'm trying to be mentally prepared for that especially being a first time chicken owner. I have a plan where I think they should be safe, but you never know...

[@Selfsufficientme]

Do your research and learn from others (as you are wisely doing) and then just do your best. If your flock gets attacked or catches an unlucky virus etc you musn't be too hard on yourself because it's your intent to protect the flock and give them as good a life as possible that matters. All the best :)

[@Flippin_Crazy]

Neighbors 2 pitbulls literally chewed through the board at bottom and slaughtered my 13 hens. It is heartbreaking. Sorry you went through that. I would like to make a suggestion. Run a hot wire about 6-8 inches off the ground, as well as the one at the top.

[@maribethvergara2753]

Thanks for sharing , your property is awesome.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Maribeth! :)

[@MarMar-pb8ht]

I am so sorry for the chicken. Dogs and foxes can be very creative. I would use "malla ciclon" in all the property's perimeter. It would be very effective.

[@josephconroy8531]

so sorry i love my chickens and my mercy for u ,cant wait to c new coop,what the best plants that reseed bed every year??

[@acumenautomotive2276]

Hi mark sorry to hear about the chicken flock demise....that would have been a shock...our biggest problem is with hawks, snatch and grab....bas#$"Ed's, however the best eggs is always worth it...looking forward to seeing your mark 2 version...no pun intended....

[@upta-q.a.m.p343]

thanks for the info, I've had the same problem from a grey fox just this week.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Sorry to hear you're having fox issues like us... Best of luck finding a way to beat him! Cheers :)

[@Wadaryu1000]

Nice vid Mark.

[@kayeschlenert5905]

So sorry that dreaded fox killed your birds. When we had acreage we had a similar size poultry run as yours, we had the outer perimeter fence made of 5 foot high stainless steel fine mesh, which we dug into the ground. Each actual coup was also constructed of mesh walls and corrugated iron around the bottom. And netting over the top to keep out wild birds. It worked very well at keeping out predators, no foxes in 9 years, we did have the occasional brown snake though.

[@denisebrady6858]

Mark you need to get some Guinea fowl seriously they are the best warning birds I have ever known. They are very sociable & will follow you everywhere but mostly they look after the other chickens / ducks etc. & warn you when there is a predator snakes/ etc anywhere near. Cheers Denise Brady Brisbane

[@jbeargrr]

So sorry for your loss. I have poultry myself, so been there a few times. That's so odd that the fox knocked off the lot in one night. I get the occasional fox or coyote here, but they never bump off more than one or two at a time. Got a weasel once, that killed about 17 in one night. There were still some left, and it never came back, to my surprise and great relief. Lost several over the years to snakes. Racoons have been the worst, but I can usually catch them in a live trap. Right now there's a coyote with pups, using my chickens to teach the babies to hunt, while the birds are out in the daytime. She and the pups will be eliminated before long, meanwhile I'm being a lot more vigilant. Letting birds out later in the day, and closing them up before it gets dark. The coyotes favor dawn and dusk for hunting. That sounds like a lot of predation here, but really, this has been over the course of more than 20 years. The predator problems are just once in a while. Mostly my birds run loose in the daytime, and get closed up pretty securely at night. Sometimes I go a couple of years without a problem. Amazing, as many predators as we have, the ones I mentioned, plus bobcats, hawks, there are reports of black bears and cougars now and then, I've never seen them, but I believe they're out there. Best of luck, hope your new fortifications​ do the trick.

[@Selfsufficientme]

You have several bigger predators then us! Bears, weasels, and raccoons - bloody hell! I'll stick with snakes, goannas, dingoes, and foxes thanks. Anyway, I'm with you - predator attacks are not that common here either so hopefully this will help do the trick and make it even less so. Cheers :)

[@annettenewton6240]

jbeargrr I know coyotes around here are awful. I let my chickens out to free range it was about noon, just came in the house and a flipping coyote ran 30ft away from my back door and got one of my chickens. It got my only Easter Egger I had. So I don’t let mine out anymore.

[@susand1177]

'..she and the pups will be eliminated'.?? How dare you. Protect your fowl better, man.

[@barbara-pigeonbray4579]

So sorry about the loss of your chickens and ducks ... A coyote killed my pet hen , "Bukka" .....so sad ..

[@jchny00]

Its rough. We get very attached to our egg flock, including our roosters. Have had hard hits from fox, raccoon, mink, skunks, and possums here. I have found electric fence solves 99% of our predator issues. I also keep geese, they prevent hawk attacks. Owls are also an issue so we lock down our coops at night. We started keeping poultry and waterfowl again about 6 years ago, and I can tell you every birds name still today lol.

[@James-uc2nd]

That sucks! Can you please do a video on the toro mower and Stihl trimmer

[@angelagibson4253]

We also lost ours to large Goannas and fox. We had barbed wire and electric fence 😑

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

Please add some smaller size fencing too, at least on the bottom couple feet.

[@tekkendavis]

I'm so sorry. :(

[@kerielwatson3197]

We just fox proofed our coop. It's roofed, triple wired in the lower meter, the wire is sunk into concrete that extends 1 metre outside the pen half a metre below the ground. Then just as a last paranoid defence we've put tin sheets around the base as well. A fox can't dig under. It's only option is to try climb above the metal. Sheets and literally chew through 3 layers of wire, or climb to the roof and chew through that.. Our fort Knox is after loosing 15 of 16 home bred chickens, 8 of which were pullets 2 gorgeous roosters and the rest older hens. There wasn't even a body left behind. I was a teenager at the time and they were my special project. It broke me for a long time. This year is the first year I've decided to get back into it. We will be reinforcing the roof wire as well. But I need to pull off all the morning glory vine that's taken over (advise on killing that please), and clear all the leaf litter off first otherwise I don't think I'll be achieving much.

[@ryanmann9068]

I hope to live a life like you someday!

[@DianeHasHopeInChrist]

A "Fort Fox Knox".....we had electric fence too.

[@GardinersPlot]

sorry for your loss. have had a fox take some of my girls before.

[@petrosstefanis6234]

Great quality video. Content and pixels. Thank you Mark. I've lost quite a few to pythons in FNQ. My defences are now much better. Keith Richards said "It's a struggle"

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Peter and thanks for the feedback on vid quality (you're the second person to do so) I'm currently looking into upgrading my gear and replacing my 2006 Song Camcorder. Most of this video was shot on my Hero5. Cheers :)

[@petrosstefanis6234]

It's a labour of love. we would not do it otherwise. You take it one step further by sharing it, I'm grateful. Much respect, Sir.

[@lisanowakow3688]

So sorry about you losing your birds. The electric fence will help a lot! It’s a sorry thing that people have to make their homes Fort Knox to keep chickens and fowl, but it really does beat not having the diversity of nature.

[@kevinesposito1693]

to keep snakes out. i found out that mothballs work. i simply throw them on the outside border of my yard. never see snakes again for a whole 2 or 3 seasons

[@FaultAndDakranon]

Sorry about your chickens.

[@tommontgomery9400]

G'day Mark i also live in Australia in Victoria Melbourne and have seen foxes in my area i have two guineas one bantam three hens and four quail, I recommend you dig the wire of your coop into the ground about half a meter, I also recommend having some guinea fowl because they will squawk very loudly if a fox comes near and they will also fight the fox. Cheers Tom

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks for the tips Tom! Technically, we can't keep guinea fowl in our area (council laws) but I've seen several properties around here with them - nearly run one over the other day! Cheers :)

[@marcheck3400]

I wonder why no one mention barbed wire? Electric fence is quite a overkill right?

[@tommontgomery9400]

I am sorry to hear that you cant keep guineas, Thanks for replying Cheers

[@Truebluexpat]

Sorry to hear that news mate, put a few volts through the buggers

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks mate, will do! :)

[@dianebelew4394]

What about raptors? Here in Indiana, USA there are several species of hawks, and now the reintroduced bald eagles. I saw on another channel that a male goose was kept with the flock that was raised as a little gosling with them. They said he raised an alarm if any predator showed up and the chickens knew to run to the coop. Any thoughts on that?

[@thecuriousvida]

I understand the feeling of getting out foxed by a fox...they are relentless creatures you have to give them credit for that lol

[@kevinesposito1693]

awe man i hate that. sorry bout your chickens. that happened to me a few years ago. beautiful very healthy hens i had., stupid fox busted through the wire , stole the chickens. havent had any chickens yet b/c of it. trying to figure out ways to keep foxes out.

[@susand1177]

Foxes are far from stupid...

[@2cb-fly]

Hi there, this is not really related to the topic of your Vid. but i was asking myself if u ever thought about raising ur own fish to eat it in the end. i think u have the space for that or are u not interested in that? PS: I really like ur Videos. i`m living in germany and have a little garden of my own on the Balkony. I learn so much from u and enjoy all u load up here! keep up the good work! Greetings from Hamburg^^