Fox visit and wee!!

[mandyballantyne]

Hello Grapes,

Sorry I have not posted for a long time. My new job is taking all my time up, but I have been watching and keeping up with all your news.

I feel bad my first post being a question but Mr Fox is doing his first round in my 2 years of having the girls

Got up today to a bit of snow went over to let the girls out and fox tracks all over the garden, in raised beds, fruit bushes but luckly not around there shed where they are................but it is only time.............

I have checked fences etcand they are secure but I seem to remeber human hair and wee can help deter? Is it male wee or female or does it matter not sure if the male is just better for the composst??

Thanks, Mandy

[Suechooks]

Male wee for both purposes!
Any human hair - I believe tied in bundles and hung around.
Electric fencing even better!
Hope you keep the b@$t@*d at bay.

[Bephlam]

Oh Sue the human hair thing sounds like something from the Blair Witch Project! Eeeek!

We have a lot of foxes in our area, and I always feel my heart skip a beat when I see them leaving the street. However, they haven't caused much upset in our patch! Possibly because of the three dogs...two of which are male...so lots of scents, and noise. Who knows....but good luck with keeping Mr Fox at bay. I hate to hear of chickens being lost to him.

[pipscariad]

I fill old socks with the hair clippings from our haircuts, and hang them on the fence around the veg patch - they look a bit odd, but nobody really sees them! Need to replace them actually,they're getting a bit ancient - son number 2 is due a bit of a shearing, so I'll be down there with the clippings.

OH is too coy to wee around the boundary of the plot (I hasten to add that it is a field in pretty much the middle of no-where, not on a lottie site!), but my two sons have no such inhibitions, so that gets done now and then too. My hens are in an electric fenced enclosure, which I move about the plot (currently over the veg beds before planting, girls are doing a grand job at clearing them! ),and fingers crossed that the fence seems to be doing a good job, as there are lots of foxes about. (I've said it before but I always feel I shouldn't type that as it seems to be tempting fate...)

I'd give the hair and wee thing a go if you can, can't do any harm, but I would recommend an electric fence to anyone for sure.

[Pumpy]

Do these more natural remidies actually work? I have heard that they are basically old wives tales. I can see the logic and why it might work, but not so sure it does.

I put some Wild Animal Repellant from Growing Success down about 3 weeks ago and Foxy Loxy hasn't been seen or heard of since. But then he might have been run over/died/eaten from the the dodgy kebab place.

We don't keep chickens/animals and for us he just wakes us up, which is annoying but on the scale of things not a great problem.

Anyone verify they actually work?

P

[MaureenHall]

After going through the ordeal of clearing up lots of dead bodies in my garden thanks to Mr Fox last year, I installed everything I could afford. I put up solar security lights with the idea that if a light suddenly came on, he'd be a bit put off. I've got a sonic fox-scarer, I've used the same Wild Animal Repellent, got the feet of old tights filled with human hair (kindly donated by my hairdresser) stapled to fence posts and hanging in trees. I've asked male friends and relatives if they'll go and have a wee round the fences, but they won't do it . I'm thinking of putting a sign on the outside of the fence asking the locals who take a short-cut home from the pub if they'd mind weeing there, but I don't think the neighbours would take too kindly to that My friends bring their dog over occasionally and although I don't like it, he does wee in the garden so that might help with the scent thing. Oh, and I've put a wobbly netting "roof" over the run too.

[Pumpy]

I'm still not convinced it works, but if you want to try it, give the male friends and relatives a plastic milk container or similar to fill then empty that where you need it.

Depending on where you live, it may cause a few problems to have fellas using your garden as a convenience.

Pumpy

[Suechooks]

I went to see a local poultry breeder recently and he keeps his breeding birds in very precarious pens (chicken wire and batten) inside a polytunnel! However he has 2 dogs running loose all night (spaniel and terrier) around the place and a small flock of guinea fowl who give the alarm and alert the dogs if there's any activity! He says he's never lost any to foxes!

[Pumpy]

Can really see this one working, Guinea fowl make noise, wakes or alerts dogs who will come to see what the fuss is about and barks at Fox who will run away and eventually learn this is a no go area. Sensible but uses more animals.

What does the poultry breeder think of the more natural fox repellants?

[tlck9]

I'm told the absolute best deterent (not ideal for most) is an alpaca - they form a bond with the chickens and pay for themselves from their fleece

If I had the space they sound absolutely intriguing, however you must ensure that your dog is including in "their" flock else they will have no hesitation in heaving the poor thing from the field!

[Flummery]

I'm afraid I can't agree that these things actually deter a fox. You need a physical barrier -fences OVER 7ft in height that can't be dug under (the barrier has to go below ground level by a foot or so) or an elecrtic fence - that you don't ever forget to switch on.

[Bephlam]

I'm told the absolute best deterent (not ideal for most) is an alpaca - they form a bond with the chickens and pay for themselves from their fleece

If I had the space they sound absolutely intriguing, however you must ensure that your dog is including in "their" flock else they will have no hesitation in heaving the poor thing from the field!

LMAO! of all the suggestions I've never heard this one before. However, I think you're probably right...and as such shall attempt to convince my OH that we should invest in one of these...to keep the chooks safe, of course!

[tlck9]

LMAO! of all the suggestions I've never heard this one before. However, I think you're probably right...and as such shall attempt to convince my OH that we should invest in one of these...to keep the chooks safe, of course!

Apparently the alpaca can be tremendously aggressive to anything that it does nt consider its flock, so that could be us, the dog, fox or other predator. They do not hesitate in flicking anything up high and launching it out of the field

Wouldnt like to get on the wrong side of one!

[Bephlam]

Wonder if they'd be a good deterrent to the little school kids who enjoy throwing a whole manner of things at our front window!

[MaureenHall]

Alpacas have been at the top of my "when I win the lottery" list for ages I've never been anywhere near them apart from zoos and childrens farms, but I think they're amazing. All the better if they'll look after the hundreds of chooks I'll have then too