Foxes neighbor's been feeding

[Folly's place]

Electric fencing is your friend, if it's legal in your neighborhood. Overly friendly foxes, not so good! And they are a common rabies carrier, definitely not good.
See what your DNR person says, and also Animal Control may have something to say to this neighbor about feeding them.
Mary

 

[Liz Birdlover]

A quick search of “nuisance wildlife Delaware “ turned up this. It has the number you can call.
http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Hunting/Pages/NuisanceWildlife.aspx

Used a company for groundhogs once when they were really wreaking havoc, it was very expensive & they didn't catch them all. These companies set a trap then don't come back until you call them to let them know a critter is caught, then it takes them hours to come back. I was moving the trap in the shade. The people at the horsebarn shoot the groundhogs. The foxes & coyote should go after groundhogs but obviously they don't or there wouldn't be so many. Why should they bother to hunt, when the neighbor feeds them? For years there was balance & peace, it was nice to enjoy the wildlife, at a distance. Not til this idiot moved here did we have issues, she is the problem. Oh yeah, she has a fenced in yard. She puts food out right next to my property line, so it's my yard they run through, hang out in & where they congregate, poop & where several paper plates blow. I wish I could move, more land, no neighbors!

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you, I called & was told it's legal to shoot coyotes & foxes but the person I spoke with wasn't the right person. Hope to reach someone today. I don't want to create any more problems than we already have.

For some reason, I assumed you were in the UK, If you're in the US, hire someone to SHEWT IT.
I'd call the dnr, they won't be too happy about someone feeding predators.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Electric fencing is your friend, if it's legal in your neighborhood. Overly friendly foxes, not so good! And they are a common rabies carrier, definitely not good.
See what your DNR person says, and also Animal Control may have something to say to this neighbor about feeding them.
Mary

So I called...They want me to call & pay hundreds or thousands to a company to trap them. That's not going to happen. My work has been affected by covid19, I'm barely surviving as it is, there is no extra money, if there was extra money I'd building an extra coop because I have too many roosters & I'd fence in my yard. They also want me to file a formal complaint about the neighbor. That's not going to happen either because I gotta live next door to that jackass, & we've already had a few flare ups that could've gotten ugly if I hadn't been super nice & kept my mouth shut. No, I have a feeling the people at the horse barn may do something because foxes can cause an illness to the horses, and they've addressed a sickly fox a few years ago.
Most farmers in rural places handle their own issues, their own way, I know a few, they told me what they'd do if a wild animal became a constant nuisance. My handguns are for protection & target practice, I've never shot at an animal & I'm not going to. This area used to be rural. It is changing dramatically. It was very peaceful & quiet until the lot next door was sold & they moved in. I need to fix this house up once I get back to consistent work, once we get a vaccine, sell & move to a much more rural area, so I don't have idiot neighbors to deal with. It looks like I am stuck here for awhile, just have deal with it.

 

[Folly's place]

I'd trap and shoot, and if necessary, take it somewhere to shoot it. A 22 is good for killing small animals in the live trap, a humane shot to the head, close range. Your hand gun will likely be too much, don't want to kill the trap too!
Mary

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I'd trap and shoot, and if necessary, take it somewhere to shoot it. A 22 is good for killing small animals in the live trap, a humane shot to the head, close range. Your hand gun will likely be too much, don't want to kill the trap too!
Mary

I'm not going to shoot any animal. The people with the horses will undoubtedly take action at some point. Foxes running & crapping in the corrals daily...not good. Hunting season started so sounds of gunfire won't be a shock. The foxes are beautiful, good mousers most of the time, and are just doing what they are doing because of an idiot, so I did not want to see them die because of it, but it is what it is. If I took action it would be to humanely trap & relocate, but I'm just going to mind my own business & not become part of yet another problem.

 

[Folly's place]

Meanwhile, your birds will be safe in their predator proof coop and run, not in the back yard. Sorry that you have such an idiot neighbor!
Mary

 

[ackie]

Have you tried reaching out to some type of wild life rehabilitation group? They might have more of a vested interest in the foxes living, and might be willing to come trap it and reintegrate it into the wild somewhere that's actually appropriate for it (since they probably have permits and such).

 

[Acre4Me]

Idiot neighbors ...sheesh.

the fact that the idiot is feeding them outside of her yard, and putting the problem on you (fox traffic and poop), takes her out of idiot status in my mind and into a whole other category.

good luck

 

[ackie]

Idiot neighbors ...sheesh.

the fact that the idiot is feeding them outside of her yard, and putting the problem on you (fox traffic and poop), takes her out of idiot status in my mind and into a whole other category.

good luck

I wonder if something could be done about her being on OPs property? like trespassing? but it's hard if OP doesnt wanna stir up any ish.