Fox problem

[Trish1974]

This is the longest fox thread I have ever seen...

 

[roosterhavoc]

For those that use a nite guard or motion lights how do you know they work?
If your coop/run is secure they aren’t needed. If they actually work so good might I suggest leaving your coops and run doors wide open all night for awhile and see just how well they work.

 

[Trish1974]

For those that use a nite guard or motion lights how do you know they work?

I fell for those when I first started chicken keeping. I have security cameras on my runs, and saw a possum walk right past the lights, and saw a raccoon walk up and sniff one.

 

[roosterhavoc]

It’s really sad how many gimmicks and how much hearsay is out there. Many things that “supposedly” work just don’t and may make things worse. Peeing around your yard? Marking your territory? I’m pretty confident that the foxes and coyotes already know you’re there.

 

[Clifton sanders]

My feeling is that motion detector lights will not work - foxes are sneaky, crafty and smart. They will figure them out fast. Better to seal up the coop as best you can. I've never caught fox in a live trap, but I have caught raccoons, possum, and a weasel. Be aware that if you have the trap set and you let your chickens out, you will probably catch a chicken!

My coop is also on the wood line, which makes it easy for most predators, but if I moved it in to the open, I would worry about hawks more. For multiple reasons, I love to let my chickens free-range, but I'm sick of losing chickens. I don't know what the answer is : ( The next thing I'd like to try is to place the coop in a paddock with a llama, alpaca or donkey. I hear they can be protective.

 

[Clifton sanders]

I have found that the hawks in my area are more active in the morning and early afternoon. I let my birds out about an hour before dark and sit in the yard and work or watch their silliness. They always return to their coop and I lock them up after I count. They still get to free range and have a full crop of grass, grit and .

 

[Clifton sanders]

It’s really sad how many gimmicks and how much hearsay is out there. Many things that “supposedly” work just don’t and may make things worse. Peeing around your yard? Marking your territory? I’m pretty confident that the foxes and coyotes already know your there.

I peed all over my yard. It didn’t stop the foxes or the deer!

 

[roosterhavoc]

So I posted earlier quickly, just as I scooted out the door, and then was on the road for several hours mulling this over for part of the time...

This tangent we’re off on now, arose because of a trap prep recommendation that just didn’t hold square with the logic of why...

The more I think about the non trapping chicken keeper treating dog proofs or foot holds with FMJ of ZEP ... or even wax... the more I wonder: Why?

I think all of this thought of prep treatment of traps is getting carried forward without understanding the reasoning these practices became “traditional”.

The short of it is that the chicken keeper wanting to put a stop to predation issues just isn’t exposing their equipment to the elements enough to warrant wax, zep, fmj, or anything else. These treatments are to protect the investment of steel mostly, and maybe to some extent to keep them firing well... in for example freezing conditions, etc.

My recommendation to the average non trapping chicken keeper is the same as your own.... build a coop and run that precludes chicken eaters from chicken eating.

But we both know that folks won’t do this... so they’ll turn to traps...

so for these folks I say buy this ( thinking out loud ... feed back welcome):
- a game camera
- one large cage style live trap
- 2 dog proof canister type traps
- two 1-1/2 sized coil spring traps
- two 1-3/4 sized coil spring traps ( if coyotes are an issue)

And then prep the DPs and coil springs as such:

1- wash traps with Hot soapy water
2- rinse in hot hot water
3- Spray with vinager to “break” the surface
4- let set for a few days to rust a bit
5- rinse ( or not)
6- hang in a shed and wait for chicken eater to show

I really dont think much more is required, if we’re thinking about recommendations for the non-trapping chicken keeper as far as trap prep and predator readiness

I’ve got some thoughts about “stupid simple” sets, using the equipment list mentioned above to catch common chicken eaters...but maybe for now we just think about trap prep.

I don’t think we’d cause much “havoc” if we asked Gamefowl22 to comment about what the basic chicken keeper trap prep recommendation would be also? But maybe that’s not his style? I’m not here to kiss his backside... but I suspect he might have some good thoughts and suggestions... even if helping the uninformed isn’t his thing.

Ultimately, I think there is likely some basic info that can be delivered to the brand new chicken keeper that has not been done so far... and maybe put a rest to some of the misinformation

This is all good info for those who wish to free range chickens or constantly have animals harassing their chickens through the wire.
As far as recommendations, pictures and sets it’s not difficult but every situation is totally different. I will be more than happy to help anyone with what traps to buy, how to set them, where, why and how to keep your chickens completely safe while having traps set. I will respond to all PMs and help the best I can.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Cages are not that effective on anything other than raccoons, opossums, skunks and cats.
I wish people would quit wasting their money on overpriced junk havahart cages.

 

[bdfive]

I don't have a fox problem, because they don't live in my woods. My issue is with raccoons and rando coyote's. The packs avoid my livestock. The coon's cant help themselves, but they are a threat nonetheless. So what I did was start setting live traps and putting in whatever they were getting into. Cat food seems to work well, but I have cats so I use eggs. Cats don't go for the eggs more than once because they get caught and released. Coons don't go for eggs more than once because they get caught, shot and thrown out in the road for the buzzards to eat and the rest of the coons to see. But coons are dumb ****s, give it 6 months and they forget and some retarded coon comes up on my property, and then they stay away as long as the smell is too much for them. The coyotes are smarter, Only one of them ever got caught, and shot, and strung up in a tree to rot for all to see. Not rhyming intentionally mind you, it just seems to be working out that way. If that all fails I have a sociopathic were-demon that likes to kill and makes human territorial vocalizations to lure in its prey. All the native bee species seem to like me though.

But I mean hey that's just what works for me.