fox problem?

[britannia74]

Hello,
I wonder if anyone can help?
Although we regularly see foxes around our home (we are surrounded by a lot of fields and woodland) lately they have become more and more brazen!
Yesterday we left our garage door open for a few minutes and a fox suddenly appeared mooching inside. We have also been outside and have had foxes walk up to us which is a little scary.And we put our pet rabbit outside in the pen and out of nowhere a fox appeared trying to get in it!
Can anyone recommend any good deterents?? we don't want to harm them just to safeguard ourselves and our property. I think they may have an earth close by, would they attack if we unwittingly got too close to it?
In advance thank-you for all your time
Michelle........

[Breezy23]

If you want to keep them away from your rabbit, then get some hair cuttings from your local hairdresser and hang them in muslin or cloth bags around the rabbit run. Supposedly chicken farmers use this method to keep their hens safe.
The foxes are probably out looking for food, if you like wildlife, maybe put out food scraps, jam sandwiches (they have sweet tooths) out of date eggs etc.
I live in a town in a semi-rural area and feed a regular visitor every night, lovely to watch by torchlight.
Whatever the cat leaves or our dinner left overs go out each night. Bit of a soft touch I'm afraid, I've even bought value eggs to keep him/her going through the worst of the winter.
Am sure you'll be safe, they would disappear if they even heard you, let alone saw you. I believe the only time they will cause harm is maybe to an inquisitive cat/dog if they have cubs in an earth and they are disturbed.

[King Normie]

They aren't there without a reason! Somehow they are drawn by food, be it pet food, garbage, small livestock or some other reason......do you feed any wild critters in, or near, your property? It could even be that you provide a more reliable water source than their other options!

[200748]

The best way to get rid of foxes is shoot them to keep them away from your rabbitsand any other small animals if you can't face the above is to get the men in your life to pee all round the perimeter of your garden.I know lots of people will be horrified with my above suggestion, but we are free range chicken farmers and if you could see the devastation that is caused when a fox gets among a flock of chickens it is heart breaking as they kill for fun not for food, they will kill all the chickens and maybe take one, why do they have to kill them all?

[lillys]

if i was u i would put chicken wire under the pen so they cant dig under and make sure the is no small holes anywhere, foxes can get in the smallest of holes,also make sure the pen has a lid on top! and my nan does not shook the foxes!!!

[lillys]

first thing put chicken wire on the bottom of the pen, so mr fox can not dig under and if the pen hasnt a lid fit one on,and put chicken wire arounf the sides,also my nan doesnt shoot foxes!!xx

[britannia74]

Thank-you for all your replies, I will now endevour to try some out and will let you know the outcome
Thank-you

[momalito]

I'm in total agreement with you 200748. We've lost so many chickens to fox, it's heartbreaking. They've even been killed in broad daylight and the worst thing is, they only take one or two. I love wildlife, but the day they banned fox hunting was one of the worst ever. There's too many around with no natural predators to keep numbers down.

[funkylad20]

No natural predators but thousands more cars every year, and many more road.s through natural habitats

As for killing chickens 'for fun', having been involved in Fox behaviour for many years now, I need to point out that a fox will indeed kill in surplus if faced by large opportunites of prey like a chicken coop (like a child in a sweet shop with a pocket full of money) and will indeed return to eat each kill, given the time it would take (ie. creating a larda for a temporarily consistent food supply)

[clive7888]

The only answer as far as I can see to foxes is electric fencing - get an energiser, connect up to hotstock. It does not kill them but like putting your hand in the fire you dont do it twice - hit the electric fence. Apart from a shot gun which one can only use with a licence and one is only going to get that if you live on a farm, but even then a farmer needs an electric fence as you cant watch hens every second in the garden.
Beware of chicken runs - Chicken wire is to keep chicken in - not predators out. One needs strong welded mesh, and wooden posts heavily weighted to the ground. Dont forget to have a solid roof on. Even then the hens may not be 100% protected.
So many people have lost chokes to them, as they are oportunised. They become desperate for food. I know I had one in the garden today, cause of the foot prints on the snow.
I believe a fox can jump high fences, but has to touch the top of the fence - which could be a disadvantage, with spikes on top. But there again one cant protect one's who garden or field.
Many anti-fox people, want their pet rabbit, cat, or hen ripped apart by a fox, then they might have a change of attitude towards the fox.
Remember - like burgulars dont give them the smallest opportunity, because foxes will surely take it.