Nick Gorham wrote:
So you advocate keeping the chickens inside for their entire life ?

Not how our 5 chickens spend their day....

How do you defend your chickens then? you cant possibly be there for
them 24/7/365

The fact that we have 13 assorted lurchers around the place tends to put
foxes off hanging around...

Fair enough. but I'd still say you had no right to take the foxes life
if it did manage to overcome your defenses. You *can* make better defenses.

The simple fact is that in medieval times foxes were at least as common
as now and chickens were at least as undefended as now, yet they werent
all wiped out. Trap a predator in with its prey in a confined space and
it will predictably slaughter everything.

If you have a reasonable space for your chickens now, I wouldnt expect
that a fox would take all five in one go unless desperate of it it got
confused somehow and felt trapped.

Im thinking of a chicken wire coop, outside, large, and with a
chickenwire FLOOR as well to stop the foxes digging under it.

Yes that would work, I am not suggesting it can't be done. But I doubt
the expense would appeal to the farmers.

I doubt it would, but chickenwire *is* cheap.

Now if you want to comment on the conditions that chickens (and turkeys)
are kept commercially, and how something should be done by the
goverment, then I would be with you all the way.

Battery farming? I buy free range and pay the price for it. Not sure how
much better it is, but at least Im voting with my wallet.