- May 17, 2013
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I was a trapper and hunter as a child...so I saw the opportunity to revisit those days when it came to protecting my chickens.
I bought a Model #: 1085 Havahart Trap...Large, One Door Live/Cage Trap, with the trip panel 3/4 of the way to the rear of the cage and a "bait hook" to hang bait at the very back of the cage.
Review: I've had it for 30 days now and I've caught 1 Fox, 1 Oppossum, 1 Blue Jay, 2 Racoons and 4 stray cats...the key is to cover the trap with weeds, grass, small limbs with lots of leaves, etc., especially the bottom/inside of the cage so it feels like they are walking on grass once they get in it...a smart fox doesn't like walking on wire and can easily spot a trap if not camo'd correctly. Then, bait...any meat, but especially fishy smelling bait. I put my trap behind my chicken coop so I can catch anything that might otherwise try to get my chickens...it's a lot easier for a fox to eat the tuna in the trap than to try and dig under the walls of the coop, so it's worked so far. Also, be sure to put the bait in the very back corners so they have to walk back there where it trips the trigger. And, of course put the large bait at the back, but remember to start the "bait trail" outside the cage and progressively leave larger bait pieces as they enter further into the trap. Very easy to set, but pay close attention to where you put the "little hook wire" that holds the cage door up when set. Slide it back to where it barely seems to hold the cage door up and it'll be a hair trigger - that's the only way to be sure you get everything that comes in...I even caught a Blue Jay I set mine so lightly triggered.
As far as release, If possible, release (everything but a fox or domesticated animal) them where you catch them and "they won't come back" (90% of the time anyway). But, a domesticated animal may have to be made "upset" a few times or leave them in the trap a little longer to "teach them a lesson". Otherwise, if you keep letting them go as soon as they get caught with "no consequences" they'll just keep coming back for the food. And, with fox, they are just to sly to take the chance...once you catch it, take it at least 5 miles away to a wooded area and release it...or do whatever you want to with it I guess, but don't just let it go where you caught it...it could very well just come back and try other ways of getting in without getting near the cage.
In the beginning, if you do it right, you should have lots of fun going to check the trap everyday...but after you've caught all the animals within close proximity, the activity will slow down and after a while, you'll be lucky to catch one animal every two weeks or so.
Though the trapping aspect is fun, the goal is to protect my flock, so I'm glad the activity has decreased...I still walk around the coop at least twice a day to check for signs of digging, etc. by intruders. I've also double chicken-wired my bottom 24" of wire on the coop and then carried another 24" around the coop with cement stones holding it down...it'd take a lot of dinning for a fox to get in...and, with the baited trap around, why would they try.
Thought I've thought about using fox urine as an attractant to catch ANY fox in the area, I hate to bait them into the area if they weren't gonna come around anyway...the ones I'm looking for are the animals that come around because they smell the chickens, then once they get close enough, I hope to have a bait in the trap that is more desirable and much easier to get to then my flock.
I bought a Model #: 1085 Havahart Trap...Large, One Door Live/Cage Trap, with the trip panel 3/4 of the way to the rear of the cage and a "bait hook" to hang bait at the very back of the cage.
Review: I've had it for 30 days now and I've caught 1 Fox, 1 Oppossum, 1 Blue Jay, 2 Racoons and 4 stray cats...the key is to cover the trap with weeds, grass, small limbs with lots of leaves, etc., especially the bottom/inside of the cage so it feels like they are walking on grass once they get in it...a smart fox doesn't like walking on wire and can easily spot a trap if not camo'd correctly. Then, bait...any meat, but especially fishy smelling bait. I put my trap behind my chicken coop so I can catch anything that might otherwise try to get my chickens...it's a lot easier for a fox to eat the tuna in the trap than to try and dig under the walls of the coop, so it's worked so far. Also, be sure to put the bait in the very back corners so they have to walk back there where it trips the trigger. And, of course put the large bait at the back, but remember to start the "bait trail" outside the cage and progressively leave larger bait pieces as they enter further into the trap. Very easy to set, but pay close attention to where you put the "little hook wire" that holds the cage door up when set. Slide it back to where it barely seems to hold the cage door up and it'll be a hair trigger - that's the only way to be sure you get everything that comes in...I even caught a Blue Jay I set mine so lightly triggered.
As far as release, If possible, release (everything but a fox or domesticated animal) them where you catch them and "they won't come back" (90% of the time anyway). But, a domesticated animal may have to be made "upset" a few times or leave them in the trap a little longer to "teach them a lesson". Otherwise, if you keep letting them go as soon as they get caught with "no consequences" they'll just keep coming back for the food. And, with fox, they are just to sly to take the chance...once you catch it, take it at least 5 miles away to a wooded area and release it...or do whatever you want to with it I guess, but don't just let it go where you caught it...it could very well just come back and try other ways of getting in without getting near the cage.
In the beginning, if you do it right, you should have lots of fun going to check the trap everyday...but after you've caught all the animals within close proximity, the activity will slow down and after a while, you'll be lucky to catch one animal every two weeks or so.
Though the trapping aspect is fun, the goal is to protect my flock, so I'm glad the activity has decreased...I still walk around the coop at least twice a day to check for signs of digging, etc. by intruders. I've also double chicken-wired my bottom 24" of wire on the coop and then carried another 24" around the coop with cement stones holding it down...it'd take a lot of dinning for a fox to get in...and, with the baited trap around, why would they try.
Thought I've thought about using fox urine as an attractant to catch ANY fox in the area, I hate to bait them into the area if they weren't gonna come around anyway...the ones I'm looking for are the animals that come around because they smell the chickens, then once they get close enough, I hope to have a bait in the trap that is more desirable and much easier to get to then my flock.
