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Keeping Your Chickens Safe From Predators

As a chicken keeper you will inevitably have some visits from some unwanted intruders such as foxes, racoons and badgers. Urban areas can be just as likely habitats for foxes and racoons as more rural areas but this shouldn't put you off starting to keep some hens in your garden because thousands of people in cities and the countryside do enjoy keeping hens.


The Walk In Chicken Run is the safest place for your chickens
The Walk In Chicken Run is the safest place for your chickens

Your best defense against predators is having a fox and badger proof chicken coop. All of Omlet’s chicken coops and runs come with features designed to prevent predators from getting in. For example the runs are made from extra heavy duty steel weld mesh and have anti tunnel skirts which stop predators from digging next to the run which is instinctively where they will try to get in.


A crafty fox hunting in the daytime
A crafty fox hunting in the daytime

As long as you shut your chickens away every night as soon as they have gone in to roost then your ladies will be safe from any unwanted visitors. If you want to stop foxes and badgers from getting into your run there are a few things to can do.


  • Fencing - Foxes are crafty animals and can get over or under most fences, but there are things you can do to make it very difficult for them. The fence should be at least 6ft tall and ideally slope outwards to make it hard for the fox to climb over. To make the fencing burrow proof your can dig it into the ground a foot and turning it outwards. Placing bricks or large stones on top of the outlaid wire before covering with soil is also a good idea. Foxes can chew through regular diy chicken wire so ensure your chicken fencing is strong enough that a fox can’t chew through it. Or alternatively you could electrify the fence which is a very effective way of keeping all predators away.

  • Deterrents - Owning a dog is a good way to deter foxes. Urinating around your chickens run can sometimes work as a deterrent. Some people claim hanging human hair around your garden will deter foxes. However if a fox is very hungry these are pretty unlikely to work, so your best method of defence is fox proofing your run.


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