Our neighbor farm wants fox for killing rats

[Noraaaaa]

We have two ultrasonic repellers in the closet. We pulled them because it bothers the dogs, cats, chickens, etc. Maybe that far away it wouldn't bother anyone, but I do want the dogs to go down there and they'd set it off.

Thats a good plan! That may work.

 

[Barnette]

Okay... gee im not sure. I think @Barnette has a sensor that has dogs bark when it goes off for bear. That may work for fox? Have you tried some of those high pitched dog screaming sounds?

Yep! I have an motion sensor that flashes and makes sounds (dog bark, gun shot, beep, etc) when it sees an animal. Works well, I haven't gotten a bear in the barn since we set it up! Mine is solar powered so it only works in the dark, and it doesn't go off when I or my chickens walk by it during the day.

 

[McChooky]

Motion activated water sprinklers along the trail should work.They work better with cayenne pepper added to the water

 

[nuthatched]

.38
If the neighbors have rats, that's not really a good way to handle it.

 

[aart]

Guessing it'll be kind of futile trying to 'steer' wildlife to another trail.
If you don't want to trap and shoot, just make sure your coops and runs are safe so those rats are a much easier hunt.

Have you ever heard of Nite Guards? They use a red flashing light to intimidate any creature at night, thus keeping them away. (They'll keep just about any night creature away, including coyotes and owls too.) Perhaps put the Nite Guards along your path so she won't use it anymore?

Whenever someone mentions these the vivid image in my mind is a video of a fox sauntering by a coop with a couple of these flashing.

 

[Debbie292d]

.38
If the neighbors have rats, that's not really a good way to handle it.

We have a .38 and a 20 gauge and I've shot my share of skunk and red squirrels, but no skill to outfox a fox. We'd have to be out there waiting for it to come by, so then it wouldn't come by.

 

[NatJ]

I'm puzzled about why you consider this a problem. You say your own chickens are safe at night, and your dogs keep the fox away during the day. So why is it a problem to have the fox going by at night to eat the neighbor's rats and pigeons?

 

[sourland]

We used Nite Guard mounted on poles to deter GHO at the beagle club. They ended up using the poles as perches. We hired a trapper to snare fox at the club. Snared 28 the first season. I would check the snares for him. About midway in the snare line there was a spot where I routinely would urinate. Once after a fresh snow I saw where a dog fox was marking the same place. Fox have become so habituated to human scent/activity that it does little to deter them. Snaring, trapping, shooting would be effective in eliminating the fox.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm puzzled about why you consider this a problem. You say your own chickens are safe at night, and your dogs keep the fox away during the day. So why is it a problem to have the fox going by at night to eat the neighbor's rats and pigeons?

it’s unnerving to have this fox becoming used to walking here in the open when there’s 100s of wooded acres on either side. It’s too close for comfort.

I’m also thinking if she keeps doing this, won’t that encourage more and someday we have a dozen doing this?

 

[NatJ]

I’m also thinking if she keeps doing this, won’t that encourage more and someday we have a dozen doing this?

I don't know how much foxes go where other foxes are. Dogs will definitely do that, going where other dogs have gone. But foxes don't seem to hang out in packs like coyotes or wolves would. So having one fox might actually keep other ones away, except for her own immediate family (mate and babies).

I live in an area where foxes go through lots of suburban backyards, and it seems like there are always the same number of foxes in a given area: a single fox or a pair at some seasons, the same plus cubs at other seasons. I don't know where the others go (move out or get killed by something), but it does look like a pretty consistent pattern over a number of years.

I was tempted to remove "the fox" at one time, but realized another would probably move in to take its place. So I decided that if the current fox is not causing big problems, it makes more sense to leave it, rather than deal with a different one that might be worse. If I get to a point where a given fox is a big problem, I'd remove it and hope the next one is better.