So many questions- LGD and fox- Please help!!

[Secretlyspotted]

I have been really, really lucky and lost almost no birds to predators- until 2 weeks ago. Now I have a (horrible curse word I won't type) fox. He has decimated my flock- taking at least 10 layers and all 5 ducks. And these attacks are brazen- middle of the day. I have seen the fox 3 times myself in the daylight!
I am pulling out drastic measures- I bought a LGD- a 3/4 GP and 1/4 Maremma 5 mo old female that was raised with chickens. She is huge and sweet as pie and obviously I'm already in love. But when the fox came just to look at the chickens this morning she didn't do anything! The fox didn't go in the pen, but the chickens were still freaking out. What do I do? I can fully accept that she is just too young- will she grow into her job? How do I help her learn to hate fox?
And any suggestions on fox control? We have tried trapping and that didn't work, but we can try again. Also, we have run an electric fence along the bottom of the pen so it will shock anything climbing in or out. And obviously I would love to shoot the thing and be done, but haven't been successful with that either yet. Oh, and I also tried having an am radio playing out there but it came back with that too. AGHGHGHGH!
Please help!!

 

[baymillers]

We are having the same issue. We are missing two guineas and lost our "sitting" goose. Very very upset. We could use any and all ideas anyone has. I want to kill this fox myself! We have thought about running a hot wire down that side of the pasture where we have found feathers.

 

[amenfarm]

I have been really, really lucky and lost almost no birds to predators- until 2 weeks ago. Now I have a (horrible curse word I won't type) fox. He has decimated my flock- taking at least 10 layers and all 5 ducks. And these attacks are brazen- middle of the day. I have seen the fox 3 times myself in the daylight!
I am pulling out drastic measures- I bought a LGD- a 3/4 GP and 1/4 Maremma 5 mo old female that was raised with chickens. She is huge and sweet as pie and obviously I'm already in love. But when the fox came just to look at the chickens this morning she didn't do anything! The fox didn't go in the pen, but the chickens were still freaking out. What do I do? I can fully accept that she is just too young- will she grow into her job? How do I help her learn to hate fox?
And any suggestions on fox control? We have tried trapping and that didn't work, but we can try again. Also, we have run an electric fence along the bottom of the pen so it will shock anything climbing in or out. And obviously I would love to shoot the thing and be done, but haven't been successful with that either yet. Oh, and I also tried having an am radio playing out there but it came back with that too. AGHGHGHGH!
Please help!!

yes, she will grow into her job, but if you have her at the house she will bond to you and not the animals. I would read about the training they need at this age. About your electric wire, generally it's run close to the ground for dig-unders and several inches to a foot up to catch anything before it climbs over then a few inches from the top. I would close everyone into the coops, until you find a way or ways to secure everything. a game cam set-up might tell you how it's getting in. I had my share of fox attacks--thank heavens we moved from there. having a donkey helps alot with dog type preds.

 

[Secretlyspotted]

I have a donkey! LOL. She doesn't seem to care about the fox. Fail Trixie the donkey, fail. Moon (the LGD) is 100% outside in the chicken yard. And I can't really close everything up duringthe day. We don't have a covered run, we have a pen. They couldn't stay all day in the coop- it is too small. I suppose I could get my husband to build a run.... although he is about to divorce me over the animals as it is... (kidding!) We don't have a problem with nighttime predators. The birds are locked up tight at night.
So you think she will grow into her job? I have read about training, but I will do more reading.
Thanks!!

 

[Secretlyspotted]

I have watched this fox rip apart about 5 hens before I could get to it and I had to euthanize a duck it left for dead. I would shoot it between the eyes in a second, and this is coming from someone who didn't fully support gun ownership previously. This fox has GOT TO GO.

 

[123RedBeard]

Your dog is still a puppy ... Think pre-teen in humans, give it another 12-18 months to learn and do its job (full grown adult)

In the mean time you have to do its job for it, and show it how much you hate Mr Fox!

 

[bobbi-j]

Sounds like it's time to build covered runs for your birds. I don't know much about the type of dog you have, but at 5 months, she's still pretty young to take on a fox, I would think.

 

[Secretlyspotted]

Sigh. I know that would be many people's solution. But I sell my eggs and the big selling point is that they are 100% free range. I have a Great Pyrenees- she about 4x the size of the fox. I've been doing some more reading and I think that it is just going to take more time for her to bond with her poultry. I just hope I can get that fox before it gets all the chickens and she has no poultry to guard!

 

[bobbi-j]

You might need to talk to your customers and explain that the chickens need to be penned for awhile or you will have no more eggs to sell them. Maybe you could look into electric poultry netting that you can move from place to place in your yard.

 

[123RedBeard]

Your PUPPY is just a BABY! It will not be able to do a MAN'S job until it is fully grown!

A two year old human toddler is also MUCH larger than Mr Fox ...