Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[redcharlie43]

Hi,

 

Its been a long time since I have posted. I have a fox that started to appear in the garden at night last week (it takes the same route every night and triggers the security lights in the garden). on Tuesday the girls were out having some free time and as I went to lock them up I walked out to find the fox standing in the garden. It ran as soon as it saw me. We are semi rural so it is not an urban fox. I thought it might have taken one of the chickens but she soon reappeared about 30 minutes later. This morning I was woken up by chicken screaming at about 6.45am. I ran out and the fox was trying to get into the run.Oone of the chickens was out and panicking in the WIR. The fox ran off but came back about 15 minutes later. After I went out again it ran again and has not come back. Unfortunately the chicken that was panicking has injured her leg and I will need to take her to the vet. I have decided to enquire with some pest control companies how much it will cost to trap and kill the fox humanely. Has anyone done this? I have lived in our house for 7 years and this is the only the second fox we have seen. We live next to a farm so they tend to deal with any "pest control" problems.

[Guest]

Sorry no idea on the costs of a humane dispatch but could you have a word with the farmer as I am sure he will not want the fox around so close to lambing time.

[Olly]

No idea on cost, but my advice would be to strengthen your defences and avoid unsupervised free ranging rather than focusing on removing the fox. If you remove it you just create a vacancy for another fox to take over the territory and you won't know when that happens.

[gavclojak]

Sorry no idea on the costs of a humane dispatch but could you have a word with the farmer as I am sure he will not want the fox around so close to lambing time.

Gosh I just assumed they were around all the time anyway, the fact I never see them is timing as opposed to them not being here! Maybe as I'm in a busy town they visit during the night? The foxes around here are still fairly scared of human's

[Olly]

You are spot on Gavclojak, they are around all the time even if you don't see them. Sadly the biggest mistake most people make is to think that because they've never seen a fox there aren't any around. They are more obvious/more of a problem in very cold weather or in the spring when there are cubs to feed because hunger can make them take bigger risks.

[tinkkletoes]

i have suffered over the years with a few fox hits. the first one was as a new chicken keeper & all had been fine for 18 months, then all but one got taken. it was was a lowish fence, so my fault really. i raised the fence all the way round, then they found a way to climb over a 6" wooden fence from next door & it was more that one fox, so i put a higher fence on that side. they have also managed to climb a wire 7" fence, which now has razor wire around the top & dug down to bury deep boards to stop digging under. but my best deterrent has been a mains powered electric fence around the whole run. in the middle of the night during breeding season ( & most of the year ) i have heard a lot of yelping as they touch it. i also have solar security lights in the run so they will go off if something has got in the run & it helps me walk around the run at night to put the girls to bed. i haven't had a hit recently but i'm still very vigulent. they do have a large run but no free ranging if i'm not in the garden. i also will not let them out until i have had a quick check of the run. i did loose a flock by using the automatic door opener in the morning way before i got up & checked the run. never again. thou i do use it for the winter as they are in bed well before i get home from work. i also have one of those nature capture camera's that i sometimes put out in the garden in various places to see what is going on in the garden while i'm asleep. you'll be quite surprised what you'll see. i didn't know i had a hedgehog until i looked at the footage. & i know know what my cat gets up to at night !!

After you've read all this you'll be thinking i'm going over the top or i live in fox city, i'm just not willing to loose any more girls. i am urban so the foxes are not worried at all about humans.