Urban fox pests (I tried to post this one yesterday ......)

[jim]

Does anyone know of a good way to deter urban foxes? One has recently taken to digging up my raised beds to eat the earthworms. As a consequence of this feeding frenzy I have lost onions, leeks, garlic, turnips,runners and patience.
The prospect of posting animated cardboard cutouts of mounted toffs in pink around the garden stretches the boundaries of the practical.
Looking forward to realistic suggestions......
Love and Peace
Jim

[MKG]

I read somewhere once that you could buy processed lion manure for just such problems. I don't know if it's still available but it might be worth a Google.

[snapdragon]

chicken wire over the beds and pegged/nailed down firmly?

[happy place]

sorry to be blunt but a 22 air rifle with a heavy pellet at back of head works well, or try getting a cat most foxs won't stand up to a cat but will have a go at a dog!







try hard mean well and never give up

[MKG]

Ermmm ... careful with that one. I just picked this off the net -

"Foxes are not a protected species. You are liable to prosecution should you do anything which causes cruelty to animals, including foxes. It may be considered to be cruel to shoot, snare, poison or use dogs against foxes."

[happy place]

as far as i'm aware foxs are vermin and can be shot or desposed of in other ways which don't cause un due suffering but can't be hunted with dogs which gives them a chance to escape and if caught a very quick dispatch.
time to get down from my soap box and go back to my happy place








try hard mean well and never give up

[Enormous Sage]

I read somewhere once that you could buy processed lion manure for just such problems. I don't know if it's still available but it might be worth a Google.

Bizzarely, you can buy lion poo on Amazon.co.uk
(Isn't the internet marvelous?)
Most people seem to think it doesn't work very well, or at all. One guy says that cats seem to think having another (big) cat on the territory only encourages them even more. It doesn't say anything about foxes, though.

[Helsbells]

In River Cottage with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Hugh puts hair in stockings andhangs them round his chicken run to deter foxes. He also pees round the ende to deter them as well. Its the scent of both that deters them. Hugh got the hair form his local barbers.

[ina]

Ermmm ... careful with that one. I just picked this off the net -

"Foxes are not a protected species. You are liable to prosecution should you do anything which causes cruelty to animals, including foxes. It may be considered to be cruel to shoot, snare, poison or use dogs against foxes."

Doesn't say anything about cats, does it!

So, cats it should be...

[Enormous Sage]

In River Cottage with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Hugh puts hair in stockings andhangs them round his chicken run to deter foxes. He also pees round the ende to deter them as well. Its the scent of both that deters them. Hugh got the hair form his local barbers.

How do people discover things like that? How?#

"Ok everyone! Ideas for deterring foxes."

"Um... we could fill stockings with hair and wee on them?"

"Hmmm. Worth a try!"

[ina]

I think it's probably more like - well, foxes don't like humans; their most important sense is smell; what can we put out that smells of humans, without actually using a whole human?

[MKG]

Half a human (I have a few candidates).

[Helsbells]

Hee hee yes I think thats the idea, although Hugh didnt actually pee on the stockings filled with hair, he hung the stockings on the fence surrounding the chickend, and peed on the ground round the fence.
Just thought I should clear that up, I can imagine it being a little messy trying to pee on the stockings!

[Ratty]

try getting a cat most foxs won't stand up to a cat but will have a go at a dog!

When we first moved here a fox took to peeing on our front garden. As soon as I encouraged my own dog (old lurcher cross breed thing) to pee there, no more stinky fox pee! Also, we have 4 rabbits who often free-range in our back garden and we have NEVER been troubled by foxes, presumably because the fox can smell the dog. I'm sure I've read that keeping a dog alongside chickens can deter a fox too.

Ratty

[Christine]

Human pee works - just don't ask me how I know!