The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: daddymatty82 on April 17, 2011, 04:54:37 pm
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377117/Fishermen-Richard-Langley-bitten-sleep-latest-victim-scavenging-foxes.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377117/Fishermen-Richard-Langley-bitten-sleep-latest-victim-scavenging-foxes.html)
bring back hunting i say
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I'm afraid I have to agree :( Maybe not with the thought of dogs ripping the foxes limb from limb, but something has to be done to seriously control the numbers.
I know they look cute and folk don't like the thought of hurting animals (I don't like the thought of hurting animals either) but enough is enough >:(
It was bad when they were a 'countryside' problem, but now that they are moving into towns and cities and coming into contact with more and more people they are becoming a major problem, one I fear will get worse, much worse, unless action is taken soon.
Karen
PS Daddymatty - do you drive an artic and do you have a white GSD ?
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no not artic yet need to save up for my licences this year and as for a white gsd i got a mostly white JRT why?
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Ah there was a guy with an artic up here turning a few weeks ago (he was a bit lost) had the double of my dog in his cab and talked about a furminator (for brushing dogs) and although I don't know you in person, only through here, he kinda reminded me of you a bit - don't know why ??? But I am a bit strange with things like that ::) lol! Could have been one of those weird coincidences ?
I say psychic - hubby says psychotic ;) ;D ;D ;D
Karen :wave:
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I lost a duck to the fox two days ago. It was not even dusk, we think it struck about 4 o'clock. I have been told that when they are feeding young they will appear at any time of the day, so although I have always carefully shut my ducks and chickens in as dusk falls, it didn't stop Mr Fox. I am so scared of him returning that i have been either in the garden or overlooking the garden from the house. I have Jack Russels roaming about the place but it did not deter him. Greater security seems the only answer!
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Hilary hates foxes, which is good, because it tends to keep them away from which ever part of the holding she is on.
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Lion poo...that's the answer apparently. Foxes wont come in your property if you have lion poo in it...mind you...not sure anyone or anything else would either :P
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Lion poo not readily available in Brittany :-\ sadly
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Longleat sell it, maybe they do mail order? ;)
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Get a tooled up friend to shoot it if you are not tooled up yourself. Snare it if you know how, then club the bluddy thing on the head. Dont tell anybody what you intend, bunny huggers are everywhere.
footnote. Poppajohn denies all liability for recommended actions against Reynard and / or any of his relatives. Poppajohn is not legally responsible for any of his ramblings or recommendations. Poppajohn also supports the culling of badgers due to the spread of bovine TB.
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Get a tooled up friend to shoot it
Exactly, quite normal here. They have a quota of foxes they can shoot legally (because foxes keep down rats).
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I have had to send Hilary out on to the pond as a fox trotted past our window this morning. She (fox) is on the pond near the 2nd Island I think searching for baby coypu. My ducks have taken to the remaining water at the house end, and the chickens are looking very wary. Hilary is slowly working her way across which will doubtless see the fox off. The dog is doing her best but gets confused poor thing, she wants to play with Mrs Reynard not see her off.
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Friend rang me to say a fox had left the exceedingly savaged body of a week old piglet, she hasn't found its head yet and has decided to move mum & babies back inside until she can fox proof the run. They're getting more courageous. Llamas are supposed to be very good fox deterrents so i inderstand
Mandy :pig:
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Foxes threatening piglets may be why Hilary has such an instinctive and passionate hatred of them. She spent some time browsing around where the fox had been, finally peed on the area. Have kept birds in until now, OH strimmed every bit of long grass or undergrowth in the area. Hilary returned to her own field very pleased with herself!
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Scary stuff, I have had 3 fox attacks in just over a week, last night my geese were shut in thier house, the female is sitting and the fox bit the head off my gander through the smallest hole, presumably he was trying to protect her! I have declared war!! Previous to that I have lost 5 Welsummers (the ones I bought at Cirencester no long ago, daddymatty) and a number of Marans. Got a trap coming at the weekend and then will get someone to shoot it if we catch it, although friend reckons there must be more than one as all the bodies have been taken not just killed. Watch this space and I will tell you how many we catch, if any >:( Worst thing is I am thinking that it will go for the lambs next!!
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Sounds like Renyard's got a family to feed if everythings dissapearing FF. Yep, he'll go for the lambs next once he's decimated your poultry flock!
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Digby has taken up residence in the paddock, and is guarding the hens. I dont think they appreciate his attentions most are crowded under the caravan, but as the fox just walked past AGAIN, I think the hens should be grateful.
Sadly the ducks didnot heed Digby and went on out for a swim. Down to 3 from 7 yesterday. I have never seen so determined or bold fox. Have to keep Hilary on the pond me thinks.
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The foxes have cleared out most of the poultry in the village and have taken 3 lambs so far from me.
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Blooming hell, thats terrible. :'(
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Have to keep Hilary on the pond me thinks.
Will she float?? ;) ;)
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The pond is seasonal and dries out, but has two big Islands which Hilary claims as hers!
On a good note Digby spent the day outside the small meat chickens house, guarding them from the fox. Which actually worked as the damned thing was out and about in the afternoon but avoided that area.
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Just had a lunchtime encounter with foxy, I was in the kitchen making a sarnie and heard the rooks making a din, then realised the cockerel was making a racket, went outside to the chicken pen and saw the fox sat on the wall waiting to get over the fence, so i did something like a primevil scream and it ran away but no doubt will be back. Lost 12 hens and a goose in the last 10 days!
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Would pig poo put it off?
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they would eat the pig and leave the pooh
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Would pig poo put it off?
If it was travelling at 600 metres per second, yes.
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Would pig poo put it off. I dont think so, it appears that its the actual pig sitting around the hen house (or in Digby's case inside when he gets the chance and wouldnt I love to see that when the fox thinks its in with a chance at the hens) Hilary will chase them and attempt to stamp on them, Digby would probably flatten them as he rolled over in his sleep.
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YOu all need to either bait for foxes or use a marmma dog. I have had some 60 littlers since my last suggestion of using a dog on this site.....which is not that long ago, and my girls still all have their young thanks to "TOBY". He is so worth his weight in gold. I also bait on the other side of the farm and yes they are around but he certianly helps to keep them out of the piggery
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What is baiting?
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I really like the idea of using Maremma dogs - but the size of the holdings and farms we have here, and the freedom of access people have to the countryside, and in my case the number of roads and amount of traffic we have, seem to me to make Maremmas impractical. :( I would LOVE to hear about anyone who has found a way of using them in similar circumstances to my own (which includes tourists on foot, bicycles and in cars visiting the world heritage site which runs through the ground we farm...)
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Update: We caught the bugger! We were lent a homemade trap, which to be honest I thought would not work, first night nothing, second night just before dark, bang down went the door and lo and behold a fox!! the very same one that I had seen on Friday lunchtime eyeing up my next lot of chooks. We used a pigeon as bait, again I thought, that isn't gonna lure it, but I was wrong. Off to re-set the thing now and see what else we get. :) :) :) P.s we did shoot it, not just release it elsewhere!
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Excellent!
How about a pic of the home-made trap?
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Well done! You'll have to post pictures and/or plans of this trap - sounds like something that would be useful on many a smallholding.
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If someone can tell me how to resize pics so that they will upload I will put them on!!
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I usually do mine in photobucket. If you click on the pic, it will give you several option, one of which is 'resize'.
I looked out of my window about an hour ago, and there was a vixen walking across the field, about fifty yards from the house. She had something in her mouth, but I couldn't make out what. I thought none of my hens were out, but went to check anyway. Lucky I did as there had been a door blown open and my RIRs were out, but in the garden.
I saw where she went through the fence, though, so I'll get her soon.
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Here is a couple of piccies of a sucessful guilotine type trap .. size is abot 1.2 mtr long by 600 by 600 pre bait the area for a coupe of days with half a can of dog food each evening , move the food near to the trap , place food in trap at the back , hang fresh food on the trigger bar.
the trap you see was baited with the remains of several foxed chickens at the same place . they were put in a bin bag and frozen till the trap was obtained.
The trigger is a fulcrum & lever that act by the baited hook being pulled back , as it pivots on the fulcrum it pulls a holding up pin out thus causing the guilotine door to drop
Make sure someone will be available to legally cull the fox when trapped .. check the trap at least twice a day to comply with the law.
Don't even think of taking the fox elsewhere and releasing it ..( Think it's illegal under countryside act conservation type legislation ) for all you will do is move the problem elsewhere if you do take it many miles away ( at around five miles or less the fox will apparently often find its way back to you ) .
This trap had to be re sited three times for the fox was trap shy .. it was eventually placed right by the entry hole in the chicken pen , you might have to locate the point of entry and try it first.
Foxes do like to run along fence lines etc. rather than wide open spaces .
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/Misterdavid/foxtrap.jpg)
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/Misterdavid/fox2.jpg)
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Yep the one we borrowed is exactly like that! Worked a treat, have left it in place since but have had no more foxes (touch wood)
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Yep the one we borrowed is exactly like that! Worked a treat, have left it in place since but have had no more foxes (touch wood)
Notice the floor of the trap has been covered in earth from the local area .. they are not so wary if this is done.
Do an area rebait jobby for a few days and see if the food goes , if so move the rebaiting towards the trap and also bait the trap again .. still leave a few morsels outside the trap as well just to get the fox in to switched on free food mode.
Most cubs are now starting to be on their own so you'll not likely get two or more cubs rushing in the trap to compete for the bait ..but if you do zap them as before for they will be your future stock killers if you let them off.
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wish i could borrow one lol
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Update: We caught the bugger! We were lent a homemade trap, which to be honest I thought would not work, first night nothing, second night just before dark, bang down went the door and lo and behold a fox!!
Could we see a pic of your trap please?
The foxes have cleared out most of the poultry in the village and have taken 3 lambs so far from me.
Sorry to hear that ellisr. How old were the lambs?