Fox The Predator - Neighbor The Pest

[TheChickenCameFirst]

I have a neighbor who lives three houses down and around a corner from us. They are nice people, but they have a bad habit. They like to throw out hard boiled eggs. FOR THE FOX that lives under their wood pile. The thing has fox kits EVERY YEAR. I know that this is the fox we have lost chickens to in the past, and has made it nearly impossible to free range my chickens without losing one a week. The best part of this story - THEY KEEP CHICKENS. They claim that throwing hard boiled eggs out for the foxes will keep them from eating their chickens. Well, thanks allot, it may work for your yard, but she hunts over here!!! We lost 5 chickens in one day last spring! Due to her feeding her kits I would guess.

I only learned of this silliness a few weeks ago when this neighbor came to my house asking if I had recently shot a fox. I said no, we have been hunting it but never got it. She gives me this look, and I understood perfectly. You want to kill it!? her eyes told me. I'm thinking ~YEAH! DUH! It's killing my chickens!~ But being kind I said "Why?" She said that she has baby fox in her back yard she is worried about being orphaned. Again, I'm thinking ~Good! Let them die!~ But, I told her I was sorry and didn't know what had happened to the mommy.

Good grief. What would you all suggest I do?????

 

[dthomascg]

.22 LR is a pretty quiet round, and .22 short is even quieter. Bait and wait....

 

[TheChickenCameFirst]

*Sigh* We have tried the bait and wait. I'm not a gun person, so have no idea what kind of gun my hubby has, but it is pretty quiet. Just a "Pop". We will try again though. Good suggestions for bait? We have used raw chicken bits, but he never comes by when my man is out there. The thing is crafty.

 

[mlbs]

Early spring my neighbors were having fox issues. Late one night i heard one gun shot and no more fox!
Feeding chicken predators is going to come back to haunt your neighbor.
Well if you shoot the fox your neighbor will probably call the cops. Trap and rehome it in another county?
Get one of those electric poultry netting fences?

 

[TheChickenCameFirst]

Nah, calling the cops would do them no good. It's free reign in my town, if you have a wild animal getting after your livestock of any kind, you are free to trap, kill, change the home whatever. I've checked with the town to make sure killing off the pesky pests was ok. I think this person is a bit of a "animal activist". I have also heard that re-homing doesn't really work so well, and I have no idea how to trap a fox without hurting it. I really wish they would stop feeding them LOL they have chickens too... they are not doing themselves any favors

 

[dthomascg]

probably a .22 if its just a pop. Foxes are definitely sly animals. Camo would help (he could even just cover himself with some big burlap sacks fro. a coffee shop). there are also predator calls you can buy that will help bring them in, and they can be had for less than 20 bucks. As for bait, any fresh meat will do, maybe a chicken quarter. Certain times of the day may be better, but if they are anything like coyote, doesn't matter the time of day, just work the predator call that sounds like an injured cottontail or rodent, and any predators in the area will come running. They may not get very close before they smell you and stop in their tracks, but since this fox seems to be used to being in the vicinity of human dwellings, the scent might not throw her off and she will be well within range of a .22, and watching the direction of wind can help too. Happy hunting and good luck!
http://www.allpredatorcalls.com/categories/Fox/
Dan

 

[TheChickenCameFirst]

Thank you very much that is all very good advice! We have tried using a call that sounds like a rabbit, but no luck. We'll keep trying though! Thank you very much!

 

[mlbs]

When our neighbor got the fox this spring he shot it from his 2nd floor bedroom window and i can tell u it was no .22! Lol Talk about luck.
Maybe u should start feeding it ;-) Good luck!

 

[TheChickenCameFirst]

Ha ha ha, Maybe I should

 

[zazouse]

While I don't condone feeding wildlife it looks like you are also, when you live in a neighborhood you have no control over what others do , so you have to work around things, the best you can do is put up a fence and hot wire in your free range area and lock them up in a secure coop at night..

I have critters here but I have no neighbors , I rely on my dogs to keep all trespassing critters away ..
Sorry for your loss