How to feed a fox

[old biddy]

Thank you all for the good advice. I will not be setting out any fox food. I now have all my birds in pens and plan to keep them there for a number of weeks in hopes that the fox will start looking elsewhere for meals. Also, in the meantime, I am putting out predator pee (wolf urine) all around the aviary area. I know this is a controversial treatment but I did use it for a couple of years in the past and had no predators during that time. Don't know if it was the wolf pee or just good luck but it can't hurt to try it again.

I would really love to own a Great Pyrenees. I have thought about it often - though I wonder how it would stand this Florida heat. We already have 3 large rescue dogs (a red nosed pit bull and two blackfaced curs) that are useless as farm dogs. Do the Great Pyrenees need to be trained or are they just natural at protecting the other farm animals? Do we need to get them as puppies or would a full grown one adapt to our setup??? So many questions!!

 

[EggWalrus]

Thank you all for the good advice. I will not be setting out any fox food. I now have all my birds in pens and plan to keep them there for a number of weeks in hopes that the fox will start looking elsewhere for meals. Also, in the meantime, I am putting out predator pee (wolf urine) all around the aviary area. I know this is a controversial treatment but I did use it for a couple of years in the past and had no predators during that time. Don't know if it was the wolf pee or just good luck but it can't hurt to try it again.

I would really love to own a Great Pyrenees. I have thought about it often - though I wonder how it would stand this Florida heat.
I live just across the Ala/Fla border and mine do fine. Ill clip his hair sorry before june.

We already have 3 large rescue dogs (a red nosed pit bull and two blackfaced curs) that are useless as farm dogs. Do the Great Pyrenees need to be trained or are they just natural at protecting the other farm animals?
They have a natural instinct to protect the livestock they are raised around. But if you get a puppy you'll need to work with it and keep an eye out so they don't accidentally hurt a chicken till they grow out of the playful puppy stage.

Do we need to get them as puppies or would a full grown one adapt to our setup??? So many questions!!
If you get only at least a year old that has been raised with chickens, it should be the easiest transition.
Luckily my neighbor raises them and I got one free, but it's a half breed .

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

I have Pyrenees. They are natural protectors. Puppies are rambunctious and need transition time and training, like any other dog. (Sit, stay, lay down) They aren't hunting dogs, but they (as puppies) do have an instinct to play and you would have to teach them that the birds are not toys.

Great Pyrenees know their property and are protective of their charges. I dont know how a dog would react to being taken away from it's home and brought to a new one. I would get a puppy so it can bond with you and your birds.

Please do research before you buy them. They have two coats (meaning brushing is needed), get 100+ lbs, and bark. A lot. Their barking is loud. VERY loud. This is nice to keep away predators, but neighbors might not like it.

 

[EggWalrus]

I have Pyrenees. They are natural protectors. Puppies are rambunctious and need transition time and training, like any other dog. (Sit, stay, lay down) They aren't hunting dogs, but they (as puppies) do have an instinct to play and you would have to teach them that the birds are not toys.

Great Pyrenees know their property and are protective of their charges. I dont know how a dog would react to being taken away from it's home and brought to a new one. I would get a puppy so it can bond with you and your birds.

Please do research before you buy them. They have two coats (meaning brushing is needed), get 100+ lbs, and bark. A lot. Their barking is loud. VERY loud. This is nice to keep away predators, but neighbors might not like it.

Yes!
Very loud deep barking. And they are mostly nocturnal. Mine stays up all night keeping guard. Whether it's a possum, owl, coon, other dogs or people he is after it. I came home one night but parked out by the road. When I came around the house and he heard me, he started baking and growling. The motion sensor light had not came on yet so he didn't know who it was. I squatted down and i growled back at him, and he barked some more but was staying on the porch . About the 4th time I growled, scared or not, he came flying off the porch. When he did, the light came on just in time to keep him from biting me. When I got to the porch, there was a stream of Pee coming down the steps, and 4 puddles up on the porch. He was scared enough to pee all over the place but he was brave enough he was gonna get the intruder any way.
He's a good boy!
Pyrs are also very loyal, as well as loud and protective.

 

[IndigoFarms135]

I understand wanting to coexist with the wildlife, but what is more important to you ….. The survival of your flock, or the survival of the fox ?

I think feeding a predator in close proximity to your birds is a bad idea for the sake of your fowl.

You could try improved security measures, but with free range, that could be a difficult, and expensive ordeal, with limited and unsatisfying results.

Trapping, and relocating could be an option, but not a very good one. Legality of moving wildlife needs to be researched for your area. I speak from experience as a trapper, fox are very intelligent, and fairly hard to trap ….. You need to get them on the first try, or they will avoid the trap like the Covid 19 !!!!!

Now Imagine this scenario ….. You feed the fox, it gets bigger, and stronger, and has more kits ..... Now you have several more predators to feed/deal with, and they all know where their next meal is coming from !!! Not to mention the danger of a wild predator that is acclimated to humans, as stated above.

They may/will go after the offered food, but they still like chicken !!!

It's a loosing battle, in my opinion.

Personally, I would either harass it till it moves on, which would prove difficult, or my preferred course of action would be to eliminate the problem ASAP.

That above scenario is exactly what we are going through right now- except we never fed the (unusually enormous) fox. We ordered coyote urine and put some in mason jars around the coop and our property. After losing way too many to the fox and finally catching it on camera, leaving the jars out for about a month and a half, which kept the fox away completely- we figured it moved on. Nope. We lost another one last week, and yesterday we watched a younger smaller one stalking my Muscovy ducks- AND came back later in the day. Now I am on a mission to eliminate it, but who knows how many offspring there is