Using dummy eggs also helps keep chickens from cracking there own eggs. When you plant dummy eggs in nesting boxes the chickens will naturally peck at the egg in the beginning. This is a good thing as when they are ready to start laying there own real eggs they will have no desire to peck the real eggs.

Train Your Chickens to Return to Their Coop

1. Keep your chickens in their coop for 1-2 weeks.
2. Start letting them out at the same time every morning.
3. Watch to see when your chooks return to their roost.
4. Close the coop at the same time every night.

Elevate a chicken coop off the ground at least 1 foot for many reasons. An elevated coop ensures air can circulate around the coop, can prevent flooding in flood-prone areas, and prevents rats and mice from nesting.

Some predators are after chickens, eggs and sometimes both. Common chicken predators include birds of prey (hawks, eagles, owls), raccoons, opossum, snakes, rats, skunk, fox, coyote, bear, weasels, minks, fisher cats, bobcats and badgers.

Bury the hardware cloth a few inches around the outside perimeter of the run and extend it at least 18 inches away from the sides. The skirt prevents predators from digging their way into the run; once they hit the hardware cloth barrier a few times, they’ll give up and move on.

2 It is manufactured from a stronger gauge metal than chicken wire, (the smaller the gauge, the stronger the mesh) making it a much better choice for flock protection. 1/2″ to 1/4″ galvanized hardware cloth is typically recommended for coops and chicken runs.

There are some instances where chicken coop wire is the perfect choice of wire, but when talking about securing your feathered friends in their run or coop, I do not recommend chicken wire. While it may keep a small flock of chickens in a set area, it is not very strong.

Run Fencing Chicken wire alone is not adequate protection from predators. A far safer fencing choice is chain link or welded wire. Another option is to use welded wire fencing along the bottom foot or two and chicken wire above that.

Ground cover within the coop can be anything from wood chips, straw and grass to bare ground. Organic materials tend to break down quickly and plain sand is a popular choice for its durability. Whatever you choose, make sure the chickens may easily scratch and dig.

If you have a coop with a run then it would be advisable to place something heavy like paver’s around the perimeter of the run to prevent a fox from digging in under the side of the runs. You could also add a wire skirting but you’d need to make sure that it is kept in place by long sturdy tent pegs.

Protecting Your Hens from Foxes

1. Use Secure Fencing to Protect Your Flock. Good, secure and well maintained fencing is vital.
2. Ensure your hens are locked up every night come rain or shine.
3. Secure your coop from any Predator.
4. A Monthly Check Up.
5. Lights can Scare Foxes Away but…
6. Pets Can Help Protect your Hens.

Foxes love to dig holes. Sometimes it’s to build a den, often it’s to bury and store food and sometimes it’s to gain access under fences and bushes close to known entrance/exit points.

Foxes are often personified as being sneaky and in some ways this is true… They are quick hunters with the ability to climb high and fit into the smallest of spaces. It shows how a fox can tear chicken wire using their teeth and quickly enter a small gap in the fence.

Step 3: As mentioned previously, foxes are creative and smart creatures, so if they’re unable to access the chickens by biting through the wire on the side, they’ll usually start to dig beside the coop to gain access from underneath.

A SIMPLE deterrent for those plagued by foxes is to get a male person to lift and then aim. Male human urine distributed around a garden is guaranteed to discourage the creatures and send them elsewhere.