Sigh. Foxes. How to get them to stay away?

[D'Angelo N Va.]

It might sound gross, but have your friend urinate around the house each time he has to relieve himself. I saw it on Dances with Wolves., and also I read it in a magazine. The fox will think it is someone else's territory and not come near it. also, tie pie plates to wire in the run or door or somewher where it will make noise...this will make the foxes shy....

 

[chickenjen]

Dawn - you did not ramble, I enjoyed the read. Thank you!

I think the first one getting the jolt will be one of the boys, both of who have yet to figure out that Mom really does know what she is talking about. I don't know how many things they have touched that I warned them were hot. They just have to see for themselves. My cousin was the same way. Growing up, we had an electric fence around the cow pasture. We told her not to touch it. She thought she was bullet proof and grabbed hold of it after saying "It won't shock ME!"

Peeing does not seem to deter them from us or the dogs. I have seen them around before we got chickens so I knew they were in the area. In the summer, being we live in the woods, the boys and the other half all pee off the back deck. Who will see? Maybe a squirrel. And I have still seen foxes around here but now that we have chickens, I really wish they would just go elsewhere. One neighbor said they kept having problems with the foxes getting their chickens. I have followed them down the drive before with the car. These ones around here are quite ok with humans. Sigh. It is not a big community but we see a lot of traffic from bear hunters and summer travelers into the valley (all forest service land). No one listens to "Don't feed the wild life" so I am pretty sure that if not all but some of the foxes (and all other animals) have been fed by humans.

I do think foxes are cool. I was deer hunting one year and had one come about 15 ft from me. It saw me, looked at me like "I know you won't hurt me" and sat down on a log. Wrapped its tail around and just sat up all nice and pretty for me. Oh how I wished I had had a camera. But that was one of the many in that area that were chicken hunters.

I just find it interesting as to how bold they are and how little scares them off and will keep them scared off. One of our dogs has a fear of water so any time I want her away, I head for the hose. She heads for Georgia.

Well, the good news is that just over 24 hrs later and it has not returned. But that does not mean anything. One of us has been here the whole time and have yet to hear a gun shot so either it was just exploring and knows better or has not been spotted yet. Some are not as forgiving but then again, they have lost plenty to wild animals.

Oh, the dogs. They will tree a squirrel and only quit going after the bull down the drive after one of them got rolled by a good swift kick. They just are horrible though at doing what we WANT them to do. One is just dumb, the other is just cranky.

Man, I was about to let them free range too. We had a trap door all designed and were ready to build it with an auto lock system and everything. The cost of vegetables to give them is going up. 2 heads of old lettuce on special were $2.50. Didn't it used to be under a buck a head for the fresh stuff? My garden is far from producing this time of year. They need out to get some greens. Their run is picked dry. Would do a rolling run but there is no way to get it to sit on a hill with out rolling down and I sure can't lug something like that up the hill and around. Nothing here is flat!