Red Foxes

The majority of the continental USA is home to the ubiquitous red fox species, which is well-known for its penchant for chicken. Foxes kill as many chickens as they can catch and store the carcasses for subsequent meals, unlike other predators like hawks or opossums which only kill one bird at a time. They can quickly sweep out a whole coop as a result in only one night, making even the smallest security breach utterly catastrophic.

Foxes are incredibly intelligent, resourceful, and powerful. They can gnaw through chicken wire, dig under fences, scale walls, and fit through narrow openings. Because they are so versatile, they aren't always deterred by the presence of human habitations because they appear to recognize instinctively when terrible weather or a human mistake has left the flock exposed. Due to the lack of their natural predators, foxes are far more prevalent in towns and urban regions than in rural ones, but they can still attack there, therefore it's necessary to protect yourself.

Foxes frequently steal chickens without leaving any signs of their predation, killing numerous chickens at once and stashing them. A strong but not overpowering skunk-like stench is a reliable sign that foxes have been around here. Other indications of a fox assault include buried chickens, heaps of feathers, or bodies with only the heads removed.