OK, ok, I know. The best method is to trap and/ or shoot. But I'm just asking. I heard through the grapevine that our neighbor two houses down has a fox family living under their HOUSE. So, needless to say, they're pretty used to people. We are very much opposed to killing wildlife for any reason except as an extreme last resort. Has any one had any good luck with repelling foxes?
And what methods? This is a mother and two kits, who have discovered our open diner.
We've had two hens disappear and I'm sure foxes got them. and then a fox ran though our yard the other day in the middle of the day and grabbed one of our very best hens right under my daughter's bedroom window! Our flock is free range, and we've always lost one or so a year to foxes. But never to this extent. Yesterday evening at 700PM my daughter was outside our barn sitting with a pet rooster in her lap, working on his foot. A fox came around the corner and stared at her less than a foot away! And a few nights before that, the mother and her two kits were by our barn, our neighbor called to tell us. But I think they were scared away by the talk radio and the flock freaking out, plus, our peafowl take it upon themselves to act as guard birds for the flock, and they were in action, and I think that helps.
So, has anyone found a particularly effective repeller for a free range flock? We lock our birds up at night, and we have motion activated security lights on the barn they are in. I'm thinking of asking our electrician friend to run a ground wire, low voltage, around the base board wall of the barn, to keep them from digging under the wall, not sure how well that will work. We have barricades in place anyway most of the way outside the barn to prevent digging, but I'm not sure how determined a fox would be...so far we haven't had any problem with them trying to get in after dark. We've been heaving fireworks in the foxes direction when we know they are near, and that keeps them away for a while. We have a bunch of roos who are working overtime guard duty for the flock. We are outside as much as we can be. And we have talk radio in the barn, which isn't doing much. Any other ideas???
Oh, and please. I know people mean well but I don't mean comments like "SSS" and similar comments. That just makes me upset. We live here because we like wildlife too, and I already know that TRYING to trap them is an option, and that if we do, they will have to be destroyed. And I doubt we can effectively trap them anyway, since they are coming during the day, and I don't want to mess with trapping lots of wildlife at night that don't have anything to do with it, and with releasing chickens, cats, and everything else besides what we want, from the traps during the day. And yes, I'm aware how much damage a fox can do. Or foxes. We have lived her for several years though like I said, and we have never had a problem like this.
And what methods? This is a mother and two kits, who have discovered our open diner.
So, has anyone found a particularly effective repeller for a free range flock? We lock our birds up at night, and we have motion activated security lights on the barn they are in. I'm thinking of asking our electrician friend to run a ground wire, low voltage, around the base board wall of the barn, to keep them from digging under the wall, not sure how well that will work. We have barricades in place anyway most of the way outside the barn to prevent digging, but I'm not sure how determined a fox would be...so far we haven't had any problem with them trying to get in after dark. We've been heaving fireworks in the foxes direction when we know they are near, and that keeps them away for a while. We have a bunch of roos who are working overtime guard duty for the flock. We are outside as much as we can be. And we have talk radio in the barn, which isn't doing much. Any other ideas???
Oh, and please. I know people mean well but I don't mean comments like "SSS" and similar comments. That just makes me upset. We live here because we like wildlife too, and I already know that TRYING to trap them is an option, and that if we do, they will have to be destroyed. And I doubt we can effectively trap them anyway, since they are coming during the day, and I don't want to mess with trapping lots of wildlife at night that don't have anything to do with it, and with releasing chickens, cats, and everything else besides what we want, from the traps during the day. And yes, I'm aware how much damage a fox can do. Or foxes. We have lived her for several years though like I said, and we have never had a problem like this.
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