[Brijjy]

I agree with In the Hills and see if you can get a local gamekeeper to help you out. You could try the other methods of deterrent, it certainly wouldn't hurt but once a fox knows it can get an easy meal it will keep on coming back. Shooting is the only way to control foxes. Deterring them only moves the problem onto someone else or defers the inevitable attack. If shooting is not an option then penning your poultry in with electric netting is a solution.

[henchard]

you do not have enough land for the backdrop if you can get  close enough with the shotgun it will only be once  and they don't just hand them out like ( licences )  lucky bags

You don't need to own any land to get a shotgun certificate. I had one before I moved to my smallholding and just live in a detached house with a small garden. You just need to have an ok reason to justify having one and that was (in that case) that I was keeping guns left to me after my father's death. I would have thought they would have no problem with a certificate for vermin control on 5 acres.

[deepinthewoods]

i thought that a shotgun wasnt  legal for fox.

[in the hills]

BASC - Lamping Code of Practice - Sorry dont know how to put the link up to this site but it gives some ideas as to what is allowed/appropriate and safety measures.
 
Where I live you informally mention it to the gamekeeper and he tends to sort it out or one or other of the farmers locally knows .... a man who can     
 
Unfortunately its the only real way of dealing with the problem   but if you dont Mr Fox will deal with all your poultry sooner or later.

[henchard]

i thought that a shotgun wasnt  legal for fox.

You can shoot foxes with a shotgun.

Some useful info here

[deepinthewoods]

from the site above:
'' Shotguns with large magazine capacities (more than two cartridges) offer the user a significant advantage when dealing with large numbers of pests.For ranges up to 30 metres a 12 bore shotgun with a load of not less than 36 grams of large shot such as no. 1 or no. 3 is recommended as an effective alternative to a centrefire rifle for fox control.''
 
thanks useful to know.
''

[robert waddell]

you can shoot whatever you want with a shotgun as to the legality that is a different matter
henchard do you have a shotgun licence just now
as i said before they don't give out gun licences like  lucky bags

[plumseverywhere]

We have lost 2 chickens in 5 years. Fox walks past the chicken run, we've seen him     I think our 'luck' comes from the fact that a)our chickens are housed near the house and people are about a lot, b) our chickens are mostly kept in a very large enclosure with electric poultry fencing but the 2 that were killed had flown out (we trim wings now) c) we have goats next to the chickens which I believe  play some part in deterring the foxes?


You can spot the released urban foxes, they are very cocky and not scared of man. The rural ones seem to me to look healthier and are less likely to be bolshy.
If you shoot a dog fox, doesn't another dog fox move onto its territory? The farmer across the road has taken out several foxes in the past few months but new ones keep on coming.

[henchard]

henchard do you have a shotgun licence just now

Yes we (my wife and I) still have certificates.

You just have to notify the old and new Police authority when you move; so the old certificate transfers in effect. Although our guns are on loan to a friend until I get round to installing the gun cabinet.

Our son had a certificate at 16.

[robert waddell]

not as easy for a new aplicant now 

[PetiteGalette]

Here in Brittany we are plagued by foxes, despite the hunt which meets (legally) twice a week during the season to shoot anything that moves and (illegally)  unregistered hunters and their dogs. They also have 'special' Saturdays out of season to hunt foxes.

We use Heras panels around  our duck enclosure and mains voltage electric fencing (tallest we can buy) around the chicken, turkey, geese, and sheep enclosures.
After five years..............., fingers crossed................, no losses to four-legged marauders.....................!

[Derby_menagerie]

A large cage trap and then shotgun and then shot gun to dispatch. Shotgun certificates are straight forward to get, I got mine 2 years ago again at the time had no land was a member of no clubs etc, you do not need to given a reason for wanting one, however you may be asked why you want one, dispatching of trapped fox thats been eating my chickens seems resonable. You will need secure storage, usually a purpose built cabinet with 2 locks is sufficent. If you want to shoot the fox a would recommend a rifle, this are harder to get, your 5 acres may be approved dependent on the lye of the land hill etc, the bullet needs to hit something if you miss, but a FAC which is required for a rifle is a little bit more complex to get, however if you don't have a criminal record or a history of mentel health problems, you should be able to get one just might have to jump a few hoops.
With trapping get some meat in but don't set the trap so the fox gets use for 3-4 days then set should get the fox, other trapping tips, bigger is better and use gloves to avoid the human smell. You will never stop foxes completely, so keeping stock in pens does keep them safe, but also keeping numbers down will help.