Fox in the ‘hood

[NewAtThis8]

There’s a fox in my neighborhood- I’ve heard it for weeks but it seems now it’s in my backyard/the neighbors found poop that “looked like dog poop” in their yard and heard it close by too the past few nights.

I have my chickens and ducks in separate enclosed runs (chicken wire with hardware cloth, and 1/4 inch wire apron under both perimeters that’s buried to deter digging). That’s also covered by soil and mulch and bordered by 2x4s like a garden.

My yard is also enclosed by a 6’ vinyl fence and the areas in which there are gaps underneath have galvanized metal bars hammered into the ground about 6”.

But, I’m worried about why they seem to be getting closer, and the eventuality that they could breach my fence and try to get to my birds. There are areas around both runs that do have small gaps I couldn’t close (around and under the doors) and I’m concerned they can dig in there at night. Those gaps are about 1-2”.

Both flocks get locked up in coops at night once it starts getting dark but I’m worried about them 24/7 as I know foxes can and do hunt during the day.

What else can I do? Trapping and “relocating” during pup season isn’t what I want to do, and I’m not going to kill anything.

I have two large dogs that do use the back yard (but aren’t outside dogs) and the coops are both close to my house- the chickens are actually built under my deck and only a foot from my back door and the ducks aren’t much further away.

Thinking the only other thing I can do is get electric poultry netting/fencing to put around the outside of my fence?

What (aside from killing or relocating) has worked for you?

 

[Livia Ammon]

There is a sort of motion activated light that might work for nighttime’s. The idea is that you stick the light on the outside of the coop facing wherever you think a fox might go but not anything else and the light turns on when it senses motion. With wary foxes, it could scare them away, but if the foxes are more brazen, it might not work. Best of luck!