Generally, it’s not the fox’s fault, its nature and they don’t know any better.  Foxes are not called cunning for nothing; they will find a way into the chicken enclosure if they can. When they do however, they go into a frenzied attack and kill as many as possible.

Our problems didn’t end there. Where we live we get a great deal of Twitchers. These are visitors dressed in camouflage or khaki outfits with cameras. To their credit they are not looking for Blue Tits or over aggressive Robins but Goshawk’s. See description below.

The goshawk is a large hawk, almost reaching buzzard size. When up close it has a fierce expression with bright red eyes. Its broad wings enable it to hunt at high speed, weaving in and out of trees, and its long legs and talons are perfect for catching prey.

Over the years we have not had a problem with Goshawk’s, but when a few learn that chickens are easy prey and they twitter their friends, you have issues not just with foxes on the ground but raptors from the sky.

Due to the success of the breeding initiative in the New Forest National Park, Acres Down is said to have over 40 breeding Goshawks, who are all needing food. The Goshawks are our newest un-welcomed forest neighbour to our chickens!!

After much thought we came up with a cunning plan. We have now built a new compound for our chickens which we hope will solve all our problems. We don’t want to count our chickens before they hatched but we feel confident. The new compound is 6ft high with an electric perimeter and a “small bird” friendly netted roof.

The enclosure 20mtrs x 8mtrs can be moved around the field to ensure there is plenty of fresh grass to scrat around and run free in. The reduction in predator attack will ensure they are stress free and comfortable in their environment. We look forward to many fresh eggs and happy healthy birds.