CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) - Gabriel Slayton woke up early Wednesday morning to find a red fox in his yard. The fox then attacked his chicken coup, killing four of his 10 hens. Two others chickens are missing.
“I was shocked initially but, you know, I realize that there is a hierarchy on the food chain and it’s just part of nature,” he said.
Slayton said he initially saw the red fox on his security camera feed.
“It took me a while to realize what was going on when I saw the fox on the camera but it wasn’t the first thing on my mind that it was going to come into my yard and have a feast on the chickens,” he said.
Slayton said he got the chickens about a year ago as a pandemic hobby. Fearful of pandemic related food-shortages, he said he thought hens would be good to have since they lay a lot of eggs.
The animals quickly became part of Slayton’s family.
“It’s something to look forward to everyday. You know, just go outside and, you know, say hi to them. And they’ll come right up to you, you know, usually looking for food but they’re very social creatures and really interesting to have around,” he said.
The red fox got away. Slayton has since fortified his coup and put multiple fox traps in yard.
According to Shawn Rossler, a Furbearer Specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, red foxes are common in the state. People are allowed to trap them if they’re causing property damage.
He said red foxes are shy creatures but also opportunistic predators.
Slayton said if he catches the red fox, he hopes it’ll be relocated somewhere where it can’t get into too much trouble.
“It was really curious to see, you know, what the phrase ‘fox in a henhouse’ really means,” he said.
Slayton said he’s not sure if he’s going to replace the six chickens.
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The Link LonkApril 05, 2021 at 10:11AM
https://www.weau.com/2021/04/05/red-fox-attacks-chippewa-falls-mans-chickens/
Red fox attacks Chippewa Falls man's chickens - WEAU
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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