Protecting my Girls

[MaryN]

We've got a fox problem looming. It's that time of year when the wee devils are breeding and the urge for a nice fresh chicken or two becomes overwhelming. I have seen a couple of foxes running along the hedge at the top of the field, and I know it is only a matter of time before they try ramraiding my chicken run.

The run itself is fairly sturdy, made of fence posts and bars, covered in two layers of netting - one medium size and one small chicken wire. Experience has taught me that foxes will actually dig to get into a run if they have a mind to. Casting around trying to find something to brace the bottom of the run and keep it pinned down to the ground I came across the perfect solution. Tent pegs. I managed to buy a pack of long steel pegs that fitted perfectly over the bottom rung of the fence. Hammered into the ground at intervals around the run they pinned everything down firmly and provided a metal barrier to any digging paws. I must have done it right because I couldn't dig one up with the end of a crow bar. Success! (Fingers crossed).