We are having a problem with too many foxes. They are taking my chickens one by one. A man at the feed store told me the next batch of chicks I get that I should raise a couple of geese with the chicks and they would protect the chickens from the fox. Has anyone had any experience with this? I would appreciate any input.
I have a pair of Toulouse geese in my flock of chickens, ducks, and turkeys. I don't think they could defend themselves against foxes (and there ARE foxes around here). Of course, the Toulouse are friendly geese; I know folks who don't want to enter my property because they've had bad geese experiences. Fox don't care, especially if they're hungry. My personal opinion is to get geese because you enjoy them, not to serve as "guards" against predators. They'd most likely die in any attempt to protect the flock. With that in mind, I use NiteEyes anti-predator lights on my perimeter fences AND near the coop itself and make sure the flock is locked up in the coop at night. Check 'em out: http://www.solarniteeyes.com/
I don't have any problem with night time attacks, I have a secure hen house. The foxes around here hunt during the day. DH has shot about 4 during the day in the last few months and we haven't seen any in a while. But it's only a matter of time before another "family" of foxes moves in to take the place of the old ones. It's a cycle that keeps repeating itself.
There are many methods on YouTube and Google for trapping foxes. Cage-type traps seem to be the least effective. Dirt-hole setups can be set and left for a while. Just freshen the scent being used occasionally.
The feed store person does not know what he is talking about. A fox is not deterred by geese. I have Toulouse geese, and they are effective against hawks but fox, coons, coyotes will kill them too. last year, I lost two full grown geese to coyotes. The best deterrent against fox, coons & coyotes is a good dog or two.
I have a few dozen free range geeses and i can tell you they are just a bunch of puffers when push comes to shove they will run away. A goose may try to stare down a fox and the fox may stop and wonder what the heck but the minute that goose turns to run it is a dead goose. end of story unless you have something in place to stop them like dogs. Geese are great at sounding the alarm so they will be good to have if you are home to check on them when they do sound off but then chickens sound off also. I raised a batch of geese with some guineas and ya know what when the geese made their way to the pond for the first time the guineas tried to stay in the water with the geese, it was sad, they would stand in the duck weed pond screaming their fool heads off trying to get the geese to come back.
Foxes can kill geese very easily. Geese will have zero interest in defending your chickens. Geese will go to battle over their own goslings and sometimes over their nest. That's it.
Human urine works. Sounds gross but it does work. Use a bucket, have the men take it outside, whatever. Do a perimeter around where your chickens normaly are. If they range, do it around the area that they use. Promise...it works.
LOL!!! I'll have to get a bucket and try to talk the guys into going in the bucket instead of the toilet. Couldn't hurt to try.
