Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Moonshine132435 on October 05, 2012, 10:18
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I have been having an ongoing war of attrition with the foxes living on our allotment. As my plot is closest to the underbrush they focus most of their attention on my plot and leave plenty of "messages" around. Not nice when I'm hoping to bring my toddler to the plot next spring to get a tast for allotmenteering. I've had some success in my garden in keeping the foxes away from the chickens, but less so on my allotment.
However, twice now I've found a relatively deep (ca 15 cm) steep-sided hole dug into a freshly dug-over bed with a surprise in it, not covered over or anything, or looking like it was from a fox. Don't ask me how, but I've had to become a bit of an expert at recognising the presence of a fox. The hole is really deep so it can't be cats either, but I'm at a loss as to what this might be.
Before I go asking for my allotment neighbours to start taking DNA tests I was wondering if any of you had experienced anything like this and figured out what was causing it?
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that sounds very much like a badger latrine...
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Foxes will dig a hole to bury food in if they have had a successful evening hunting and have eaten their fill. They want to hide their food for a hungry day.
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Lucky you. You have a badger latrine. Badger poo is really revolting and gloopy. At least fox poo can be easily shovelled up.
They come looking for worms and stop to deposit. They will be back.
You have to be really careful with badgers as they are protected and you are not allowed to disturb them.
I know it is politically unfashionable, but there are too many badgers. Why have hedgehogs declined? Badgers are the one animal that can undo a hedgehog and eat it.
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Thanks Salmo, your description is bang on the money. I cover the holes and fill them in, but am dreading having to turn over those plots before planting!
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On a separate note, I think I'll also put my plans to make a hedgehog home on hold; no point encouraging them to come and eat my slugs when I'm really just creating a buffet for the badgers.
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I used to have an old badger who regularly visited my front garden. When we moved in, he used to do his business on the lawn which was raised up off the ground level.
We removed the raised lawn and replaced with a hard standing with a narrow border nearest the house planted with two round box bushes.
He decided to flatten the top of one of the bushes and did his business right on top!