I spent last weekend reinforcing and doubling the height of the fence around my chicken pen. It was a job that had been on the ‘to do’ list for a while and foxes are notoriously more of a threat to ‘sitting ducks and chickens’ in the spring as they have cubs to feed and teach.
Surprised by the price of the timber I queried the total price at the builder’s merchants only to be told, “Wood is far more expensive than people realise – they think it grows on trees!”
Still chuckling and still feeling dubious about my Fort Knox-esque enclosure, I did a bit more research about deterring Mr Fox.
It seems that electric fences are the most successful option with a single strand running about a foot off the ground. That is fine if all sides of the enclosure are accessible in the first place but not if you have hedges, trees and stone walls to contend with. And an inquisitive Westie of course.
Sonic devices have mixed reviews but again they are not ideal if you have a dog – you may find they move out before the fox does. But I did come across a flashing light gizmo which I am trialling. The solar powered LED predator deterrent light claims to mimic animal eyes which will repel predators but upon installation it is just two very bright red flashing lights – not like any animal eyes I’ve seen! And I am now more concerned about attracting a RAF helicopter than Reynard.
Apparently mirrors can act as a deterrent when placed randomly around the fence line. Knowing my luck, I’ll find foxy combing his hair in them.
Someone else told me they use a cheap radio left on in the hen coop through the night and have never had a problem with foxes although a neighbour had. I wonder if it would also keep the hens awake though.
The most widely suggested method was human scent marking, almost certainly because it is simple, effective, readily available and completely free. Foxes mark their territories by urinating around the perimeter and respect the territories of neighbouring groups so it won’t take a great leap of imagination to understand why this works so well. You have two choices: the first involves collecting human hair (male works best) and stuffing into some old tights and hang them around the margins of your garden. The other involves directly mimicking a fox’s territorial behaviour by the application of male urine to your boundaries – you can choose whether you apply directly or, more discreetly, fill a container for later use.
I have read that pigs keep foxes away and when I had my two pet pigs adjacent to the hen pen I certainly had no bother but they had to be relocated for other reasons. Maybe pig poo put in tights and tied to the fence would work.
The good news is that I already have two indicators that the sonic lights are effective. One is that my veg patch is now inundated with rabbits (next weeks column will be how to deter rabbits) and the other is that my brother reminded me that the lights claimed to keep away wild animals.
He asked, “How many elephants have you seen since you put them up?”
“None.”
“There you are then, they must be working!”
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