Fox problem

[canalcolt]

@canalcolt arrived at the solution I would pick. I have yet to lose a bird to a fox but man in Germany I lost so much sleep to them. That or 200 pounds of dog meat would protect your flock as it does for us against the coyotes. I am so sorry to hear about your losses. One final option is my wife swears on Donkeys being good against predators but they aren't something I am personally familiar with.

We bought a goat from some people last year that live in our area and the people had their dogs run around their property and haven't had any attacks. We walked out dogs and let them pee here and there but it didn't help. While looking for a doe I see people are breeding and selling pyrenee mountain dog and they r supposed to be good guardian dogs

 

[theoldchick]

Well, when I had a fox problem, I asked the local hunt club to help me out. They were more than thrilled to do their thing. Couldn't risk shooting the foxes because of the livestock wandering all over the place. And I recently discovered my mini horse is a good fox deterrent.

 

[greggooo]

can any one please help
I have been visited by foxes again tonight, the wire around my chicken run is 6 ft tall with 3 strands of barbed wire running around the top of the wire making it 7 ft tall over all. but they still keep jumping the wire, this time they killed 22 of my chickens, only leaving me with 2
Can anyone tell me ways I can protect them other than getting in the local game keeper.
Please help as I’m at my wits ends

We put in an electric fence. Saw a fox walk by it, but shocked away a bear, a fisher, and three raccoons. If the fox would've touched it, he would've ran as well.

 

[blayt90]

We put in an electric fence. Saw a fox walk by it, but shocked away a bear, a fisher, and three raccoons. If the fox would've touched it, he would've ran as well.

I have a “homemade” electric fence around my pen. It killed a raccoon last weekend that tried to get into my ducks. Glad that I did over the last few years I have lost 10 ducks because of predators. I know it don’t sound like a lot but they were my kids ducks and we took a year break in between.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I don't know how comfortable I would be with a killer fence on my property, but kudos just the same. Glad that 'coon didn't get your flock.

 

[Chicken Whisper101]

Welcome To BYC! You Could get some electric wire and wrap it around the entire coop.

 

[Mama Runner]

My cousin swears by his motion detector lights he has around his coop. I haven't tried it. We have a small coop for the ducks under my son's play house. We buried our chicken wire 12 inches in the soil and then put cinder blocks burried half way on top of that. It really is more like a jail than a coop. Nothing can really get in or out. But now that I've said that I have probably cursed myself

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC - sorry for the problem. Hot wire around the pen will deter fox. I belong to a club that has 54 acres protected by hot wire. A low wire about a foot above the ground and two hot wires and a ground on top. As long as we keep it working, the fox stay out.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Oh I am so sorry for all your losses! Predators are just brutal!

I don't have any great advise for your fox issues but I do know that we have a terrible Bobcat and Mountain Lion problem here. They lurk day and night. So I have taken to letting my birds outside under my supervision only. When I can be around to watch them, they go outside. When they can't go outside, I've built them a huge oversized run. I keep mirrors, levels, hanging veggies and a free feed bowl of alfalfa leaves so they can forage. This keeps them safe and happy.

Good luck and definitely post in our Predator and Pest section for more help.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I've never seen a bobcat or mountain lion hunting during chicken hours. When we lived in Wise County Texas there were bobcats stalking our cat. This was a near nightly thing they would come under the barbed wire fence at dusk or early night and vocalize.
Regardless the dogs always ran the bobcats off so no harm no fowl