[Bruced]

Woke up to mass flapping at about 5 this morning and peered out to see cat sat on coop roof and mrs fox lying down about 3 feet from the run, staring at it. Chooks were understandably going nuts at this unholy alliance (and I wasn't quite sure why the fox hadn't gone for the unfenced black and white option ).  After hurling a football at the fox, I checked and couldn't find any sign of attempted break-in. The coop is very secure and the run has a wire skirt and underlay, albeit not the world's strongest and up for replacement, so am not too worried about the fox gettting in; however, I'd rather the chooks didn't get pestered every morning, or wake me up! Do foxes get bored eventually and go looking elsewhere or do they wage a war of attrition and hang about for ages?

[Vember]

I'm no fox expert but I would imagine he'll hang around for a day or two now he knows they're there and try and find the best way in 

I think he's waiting for the just turned your back opportunity 


Sarah

[Briony]

It now knows where there is grub and it will be back.

I guess, arm yourself with a nice led injection machine (12 bore) and sit and wait tomorrow morning.

Good luck.

[Aunt Sally]

As we keep saying on these forums Briony - shooting a fox does no solve the problem at all.  It just leaves a space for another fox to move in !  A shot gun is quite inappropriate anyway !

I have had good success with a FoxWatch ultrasonic device.  Our local fox skirts my garden and goes through the neighbours gardens.

[Briony]

Shooting is the most humane way of killing foxes.   As we are farmers and hunting folk,(whoops that will upset alot of people and I am sorry for that but I am not getting into an arguement about Foxhunting, as each to their own opinion, and I respect that) but people do not understand the awful things that foxes get up to.

  I am afraid with the ultra sonic decive is that is drives the fox away to pester  some one elses chickens, ducks etc and does NOT  solve a problem, and it will only leave open the way for another fox to move in, same as shooting really.

We have and always will use a gun to diminish the population  of the foxes around here.
 
I can't see why the are "innappropriate" just this morning I inappropriatley removed a couple of rabbits, permanently from eating my veg patch!!!!

We have to protect our livestock in anyway we can and find this is by far the best way including the lamping of rabbits at night also.

I am a country girl at heart and this is the way we have been bought up and taught, I can't and don't want to change that.

[Foxy]

Shooting is the most humane way of killing foxes.   As we are farmers and hunting folk,(whoops that will upset alot of people and I am sorry for that but I am not getting into an arguement about Foxhunting, as each to their own opinion, and I respect that) but people do not understand the awful things that foxes get up to.

  I am afraid with the ultra sonic decive is that is drives the fox away to pester  some one elses chickens, ducks etc and does NOT  solve a problem, and it will only leave open the way for another fox to move in, same as shooting really.

We have and always will use a gun to diminish the population  of the foxes around here.
 
I can't see why the are "innappropriate" just this morning I inappropriatley removed a couple of rabbits, permanently from eating my veg patch!!!!

We have to protect our livestock in anyway we can and find this is by far the best way including the lamping of rabbits at night also.

I am a country girl at heart and this is the way we have been bought up and taught, I can't and don't want to change that.

Briony, I completely agree that shooting is the most humane way of despatching a fox, as long as it is in a controlled way and undertaken taken by someone with a license and who perfectly understands the law. Unfortunately, not many peeps are able to do that or want to. We have to provide a balanced view and provide as much information and support to help members here keep their poultry safe. Unfortunately as you can imagine, any thread discussing the "despatching" of predators can become quite heated and detracts from the purpose of the original thread and becomes quite unhelpful!
As an aside we also live on a farm, and were shooting this morning, hubby spotted a fox and boy was his trigger finger itching! but decided to leave it as we haven't lost a chicken to a fox in 8 years within the fencing and did wonder whether she still had late young somewhere.

[Briony]

No probs, we are licensed so therefore are in the fortunate position to do so., also we have firearms licence for rifle.

Only this morning I found my little sussex wandering around(she has been on turkey eggs for 3.5 weeks and they are due off on Thursday).  She had obviously been taken from inside a shed where she was sitting and was in a bit of a daze and confused as to where she was supposed to be and asking to go in a different stable to where her egg where.  She had been taken by something (only a fox could have picked her up) but luckily she got a way and had a few teeth marks, and very wet feathers, to bear the evidence, but she is o.k. and back sitting, bless her, I shall be watching out tonight  in case he comes back again.

[poultrygeist]

just to add that a large number of hen-keepers do live in urban areas where shooting would be wholly innapropriate. The fox-watch deters the fox from the guarded area, and would deter any other fox the same way.
There are other solutions available which many people prefer.

Rob

[Aunt Sally]

I can't see why the are "innappropriate" just this morning I inappropriatley removed a couple of rabbits, permanently from eating my veg patch!!!!

Sorry Briony, I certainly didn't mean to wind you up !  A shot gun is fine for rabbits but not best for foxes. 

There are no 'legal' minimum for the calibre of rifle to shoot foxes but it is recommended that you should use a .17 as minimum, which I'm sure you would rather than the 12 bore you mentioned  

The FoxWatch does work well to protect small flocks of chickens in the urban situation  !

PS. I'm from a shooting family too.

[Briony]

Forgot alot of urban people out there sorry,

I hate urban foxes more, as they look mare scanky than the country fox and a lot less timid, too brave for my liking.

 I do admit though it would be nice to get some nice photos in ones back urban garden of foxes etc. 

[Bruced]

Thanks for the advice and the diatribe ;-)

[poultrygeist]

 

You can be sure whenever the word "f*x" is mentioned, we all converge like vultures to give our opinions.

Hope you can come up with something to persuade it to move on. Either that, or train the cat in karate !

Rob

[Aunt Sally]

Get a FoxWatch Bruced, that'll do it

[Foxy]

could you borrow a friends' dog? That might put the fox off as well....

[Bruced]

I'll look into the Foxwatch - thanks for the tip. The coop lid is now chained with 4mm welded narrow link so I don't think it's getting through that. A friend suggesting peeing in all corners of the garden (!) but I have enough trouble with the 3 year old doing that without any more encouragement!

I still can't believe that the fox was just ignoring the cat! Wish I'd taken a photo!