So we've been on our small holding for 8 years now. This is the third time we've lost animals to the fox.
A fox came in today in broad daylight (11:45 this morning) and managed two get my two runner ducks out over a 4'6 high fence. It came back for my saxony and managed to get her out as well, but luckily my dogs caught the fox in the act the third time and we were able to save her.
Our chicken/duck run is close to the house, I was home and so were all four of our dogs. I even had all the windows open as it's been warm. Yet the fox managed to get two away before we caught it on the third.
My neighbour has free ranging (unfenced) chickens out the back of us, literally 150 yards away, it's not touched those although we have obviously warned them. It didn't kill my chickens (which are kept in with my ducks) either.
Our remaining poultry has been moved into stables with full grills on the stop of keep the fox out as a panic measure until we work out what to do.
Every time this happens we re evaluate all our fencing etc, every time we think we've got things fox proof, we last a summer or two and then we get them climbing in again. Does anyone have any tricks to keep our animals safe?
We've got electric on top, it doesn't work to stop the fox. We looked at those omlet walk in runs but they are not only astronomically expensive but much too small for them to really live in properly. We've looked at other walk in runs, same issues re money and size and a determined fox would just dig in without sitting the whole lot on concrete.
We've obviously got dogs, that doesn't seem to put them off either. I can't work out how our risky to get ducks are better pickings than our neighbours easy access chickens.
What do people do? Accept that you will lose the occasional animals to the fox? I always feel so responsible and like we've failed entirely to keep them properly safe.