fox attack

[Howard E]

X3 on the electric fence option. A way to prolong the peanut butter on the fence is to use a piece of foil draped over the fence, and PB pressed between it, holding the bottom edges together. Most animals attracted to it lick the foil, which is a good conductor. A piece of chicken skin draped over the wire is good for canines. The sniff/lick that too. Usually not twice.

Tall fences and most farm fences are not problem for foxes, coyotes and a lot of predators. They encounter them all the time and learn to easily get past them. Electric fences are a different obstacle completely. Those bite back. They don't know why, but they do know what happens when they try. So they quickly learn to move on and leave that alone.

 

[DancingWthDucks]

I would definetely reccommend electric fencing- although we don't have Racoons, Coyottes and bears in the UK, we have LOADS of really sly foxes. After loosing 5 flock members, we invested in a 5 foot tall electric netting and placed a camera trap next to it.....

On the first night, Mr Fox visited and attempted to climb the netting, which of course resulted in a nasty electric shock . I haven't seen him, or any other predator on my camera traps since (and this was last year), so using electric is definetely affective.

 

[bobbi-j]

I guess my dog will have to learn the hard way.  Ouch
Jeff

If he has a brain in his head, it'll only take once...

 

[jjoos99]

So the fox will go for the peanut butter or is it just a bear thing? I will pickup some insulators on my way home tonight and attach the wire to my existing fence posts. At what height should I install it? I know one needs to be low for diggers as suggested above, not sure how high to place the second layer?
Tks
Jeff

 

[bobbi-j]

So the fox will go for the peanut butter or is it just a bear thing? I will pickup some insulators on my way home tonight and attach the wire to my existing fence posts. At what height should I install it? I know one needs to be low for diggers as suggested above, not sure how high to place the second layer?
Tks
Jeff

I would place 4-5 strands to cover the diggers, the climbers and the general sniffers. We put them 4-6" apart around the sweet corn patch.

 

[Howard E]

For a canine (fox, coyote, dog), I'd get some fresh chicken breasts, with skin still attached, and remove the fresh, uncooked skin and drape that over the wire. Or a long strip of fresh beef of some kind like you would slice as if for jerky. Let than hang on the wire and dry in place. Ouch.

This is how I did my wires.








Neighbor tells me we have a fox in our yard.......they watch it play all the time. That would be between this fence and the top of that house in the background and that is less than 100 yards from where the birds hang out all day long. On the other side of the chicken yard is new ground I"m breaking out for chicken pasture. In the past week I've noticed fresh tracks from two different canines......one large and one small.......and have yet to see one inside the wire or even close to it, and that is with the birds out and about and in full view most days. So they are around, but they stay out.

Bottom wire is about 5 inches off the ground.......right where the lowest clip point is on those white step in posts, and three more above that. One at each of the four lowest clip points. That is it. It is low enough I have no gates......I just step over it. Chickens could easily fly over it and varmints could jump over it, but they don't.

The only thing I've done different that most is this fence. It is powered by a 12 volt electric fencer that tests 16,000+ volts on a fresh charge and not much, if anything, will tangle with it......at least not twice.

 

[WesleyBeal]

I am guessing you are meaning an electric shock type of cattle fence? At what height should I place the wire? I have the shock fence already that I install every year around my garden so I could put it up tomorrow.
thanks
jeff

If you haven't set things up already, predators tend to lead with their noses. So nose height or a little below is what I'd go with. Now, baited, I suspect the fox will find it wherever you put it, so probably not worth moving if you've already installed it.

 

[jjoos99]

Thanks for all the wonderful replies. I have had several people think that this might have been a hawk attack and seeing the fox outside the fence was just coincidence. Im not sure myself, just assumed by seeing the fox the same day of the attack it was the culprit. The girl was fine at 5 and when I went out at 7 and saw the fox the attack had happened. I can easily electrify the run, if I hawk proof it I have to reduce the size of the run and cover with netting which I have ordered. Just wondering what you all think? I posted in another thread and I got one post for fox and one post for hawk.
thanks
jeff