The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: benkt on January 17, 2012, 04:09:15 pm
-
So, trying to move on from yesterday's fox attack, I'm wondering if anyone has reports of success or otherwise with some of the fox repellents you can buy. I'm going to have to beef up my fences but that's expensive and time consuming so if I can get a bit of a reprieve with some foul smelling chemical then I'm willing to give it a whirl!
-
Foxes are clever animal and get used to most things , i find they are best repelled by lead! ( maybe you have a local friendly keeper if you don't shoot yourself)
If not then electric strands stepped out from fence and high buried fencing are the only other full proof methods.
Cage traps / Snaring are the next best options you have, obviously got a fox that has found an easy meal whether its old / young / injured / wild /urban release then there is really only one way to prevent further upset.
Sorry for being so negative but not convinced on anything else, having lost a few birds to predators over the years best to sort out the source of the problem
good luck
-
Do you have dogs? Can you let them loose around the chicken fence? I think a dog marking around the area would be a deterrent.
Fingers crossed but though there are clearly foxes about here they haven't come too close - and i think that's the dogs. Probably shouldn't tempt fate by saying so since my poultry are all very free range!
-
Jaykay - I agree with you. Since we've had our dog no fox attacks. However when it snowed last year one got two of our turkeys. I assumed the snow masked the smell hence the attack.
-
I did have terrible trouble last summer with Magpies stealing my eggs so I hid in the coop one morning for one to come in then closed the door so it couldn't get out and did a Basil Fawlty with a big stick once it was dead I then hung it in the door way of the coop. All the time that Magpie was hanging there not 1 Magpie came into the coop. I would try anything you can to stop the little blighters.
-
I remember on River Cottage a few years ago Hugh said that human male wee was supposed to work as well in terms of boundary marking and he also got hair sweepings from the barber and hung them up on the boundary fence tied up in tights!!! Could be an old wives tale but doesnt hurt to try!
-
Last summer, after we lost three hens, we bought a large fox trap. We kept it stocked with dead offerings for months but we never caught anything. A wasted £80 :-\
-
My Dad keeps baiting a fox trap in a triumph of hope over experience - the bait goes and the fox never gets caught. My mum regards it as a complicated way to feed foxes..... :D
-
FiB, I don't think we need to give men the complete go ahead to wee outside, would be fun to watch on a windy day though. :thumbsup:
-
I've been keeping poultry for about 20 years now, nothing works as a repellent in my experience.
Man wee, hair cut from head - all nonsense (but plenty of people swear it works).
Make yourself (or buy) a fox trap. Then get someone to shoot the fox when you've caught it.
Dog/s running about are a help (as long as the dog is good around the birds and your exterior fencing is secure), but last year I actually saw fox walk right up to my door in the afternoon (with only an eye for the tasty dinner he had in his sight). Right past the dog - who was asleep!
:chook:
-
but last year I actually saw fox walk right up to my door in the afternoon (with only an eye for the tasty dinner he had in his sight). Right past the dog - who was asleep!
Not good the fox came to your door in the afternoon, but what a picture that would have made with the dog sleeping. :D
-
In my opinion there are now two breeds of fox.
The Country fox, who is wary of humans and generally only moves at night but preferably not near humans. They are getting bolder now that there are far less shooters with the tight legislation and no fox hunts. So they do go out during the day. Very difficult to trap and respond to male urine along the boundary. In our case it means they didn't come during the day, but still came at night, despite the urine. However all that changed Christmas Eve when one entered 50 yards away and killed two chickens in broad daylight.
The Urban fox. Afraid of nothing except large dogs. They eat cats given the chance and will wander into your garden fearless of humans and help themselves to your chickens, right under your nose. So confident of their own safety, they are easily trapped. Usually then released into the countryside they are quickly shot by some irate farmer protecting his livestock.
So if you live near a town forget urine, it won't work. If you live in the Country, don't rely too heavily on urine as the next fox may be an Urban release.
-
Last summer, after we lost three hens, we bought a large fox trap. We kept it stocked with dead offerings for months but we never caught anything. A wasted £80 :-\
This seems to be a universal bait that works well .. I've used it myself and not had any failures either .
Here is a comment from one of my commercial pest control pals , who shoot foxes in the countryside , trap & then shoot foxes in urban situations as professional licenced pest control operatives.
.............................................. ........................................... .............................
" I have never failed with a wild duck in the trap, usually when the duck has been dead a couple of weeks, for some reason charlie loves em ".
Of course it goes with out saying a fox that has escaped or had a near mis with trap or is with parent tht gets trapped tends to give them a very wide berth unless it is a period of prolonged extremely cold / snow & ice weather . Then usually hunger overcomes the trap shyness
But there is indeed an art to sucessfuly setting a fox trap ..it usualy involves putting earth on the floor and having the bait at the back away form paw reach or nibbles for a couple for days before the door is unlocked and the trap is set.
Most professionals using a trap in an urban situation also use a cheap dog food bait in the area for a couple of days .
After we place the locked trap with the duck in it ,we get the property owners/housholders to do this baiting of us for us as we charge a minumum of around £ 80 for each attendance.
Using a couple of spoons of cheap tinned dog food around the area say 30 feet away from the trap make six or seven feed points . Bringing the food closer to the trap , using less feeds each day of the same sized dollop , ,
The owner has been shown how to set the trap so on the last day of baiting the trap is set , the single dollop dog food is just inside the trap & the duck also now available .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just had to edit the post .. glaring mistake was noticed it's OK now .. I think
-
In my opinion there are now two breeds of fox.
The Country fox, who is wary of humans and generally only moves at night but preferably not near humans. They are getting bolder now that there are far less shooters with the tight legislation and no fox hunts. So they do go out during the day. Very difficult to trap and respond to male urine along the boundary. In our case it means they didn't come during the day, but still came at night, despite the urine. However all that changed Christmas Eve when one entered 50 yards away and killed two chickens in broad daylight.
The Urban fox. Afraid of nothing except large dogs. They eat cats given the chance and will wander into your garden fearless of humans and help themselves to your chickens, right under your nose. So confident of their own safety, they are easily trapped. Usually then released into the countryside they are quickly shot by some irate farmer protecting his livestock.
So if you live near a town forget urine, it won't work. If you live in the Country, don't rely too heavily on urine as the next fox may be an Urban release.
It is thought very liklely that released urban vixens iare hapily mating with the wild dog and she schools the cubs not to be afraid of humans etc . because of her knowledge & experiences
I understand that in the UK for many a year , Its been illegal to release a trapped fox caught in one place and let it go in another .
Not only because they are vermin but under the countryside act legialations as well , some people do it though ,thinking they are being nice , humane & kind to animals etc.
-
are they allowed to shoot in urban areas even if they are pest control operatives :farmer:
-
We've tried some 'natural' methods - ie. getting all the drunk men here at parties to pee round the fence (when I'm in a good mood I even turn the electric fence off so they can do this ;) ) I have had bagfuls of human hair hung in stockings round the coops (helps to have a friend who's a hairdresser)
in 5 years or so, we've only lost 2 hens to the fox which considering they have a den within several feet of our chicken run is very good going! I put this down to the electric fence, my shutting them in as soon as dusk arrives, a large quantity of wild bunnies in the fields and hubby chasing the old dog fox up the lawn once dressed in nothing but his pants and sporting a rifle ::)
-
you can soot urban foxes if you have a licence
-
i shoot foxes for farmers, gamekeepers etc.
with the exception off electric fences, there is no deterrent to foxes other than trapping and then shooting or shooting them.
foxes are creatures of habit and will usually visit at a similar time each night
one trick if you want to know what time he is visiting is to buy a small battery travel alarm clock, attach a chicken carcass or similar as bait, to a peice of string, tie this to a peice of fishing line then wrap this line around the battery, set the time put the battery in the clock and place outside...... the fox will come, take the chicken, pull out the battery and the clock will stop, do this a few times and you will know what time he is visiting
this will help if you have someone who can shoot the fox as it means you wont have to stop up all night waiting for him, just get into position half hour or so before he arrives.
-
Intresting stuff.
We have had no problems since we got birds 9 months back. Our elderly Westie has recently gone down hill and for the last 5 nights could not use the dog flap ( his sister won't go out at night). The Fox came 3 nights ago and took 2 ducks. I was up with the sick dog last night and saw the Fox at 03:00
So - another night on the sofa with the dog and the instruction book " How to Kill a Deer with a Crossbow". I only have 6 bolts left as the others were fired wide or straight through the target we made and are buried somewhere in the field beyond. I think I may have more chance soaking the Fox with wee than killing it with the crossbow at 03:00 tonight. Oh - Must turn off electric fence next time aaaaaaaaaaaah
-
The best bait for the fox trap is the innerds of one of the birds (chicken/duck etc).
It throws off a strong scent to attact the fox and for those of you that have seen the leftovers after a fox visit, it's the innards he eats first.