Fox on the plot

[Pumpkin_king]

Hi,

I know this may seem a fairly straight forward question to some, but as a newbie I wanted to double check. I am expecting my new chickens on the 30th and have constructed what I consider to be a fox proof cage and house at my allotment (I made a floor for the cage out of euro pallets and buried the whole thing 12 inches under ground, he’d need a hacksaw to get through it!). The only problem I can foresee is that there is a relatively tame fox on site. A lot of the other plot holders like him being around, they even feed him by hand and he often follows people around much like a dog. Although I am certain he isn’t going to get in to them I am concerned his presence may upset the chooks. Is it something they will get used to or is there anything I can do to make things easier for them?

Thanks

Neil

[Suechooks]

My chooks aren't bothered when my dog goes near their run. As long as you're sure he can't get in over or under then really I don't think there's a lot else you can do. You could try the usual things around your plot to discourage him from coming in your direction - male wee, dog wee, human hair, lion droppings etc. We have a resident fox on our site - so far he seems to prefer raiding the bins of the school opposite! I have an ultrasound repeller which works against foxes and rats etc too.

[lindyloo]

gosh, i would love a fox that tame!

i had a fox living under shed near chicks for several years, and they never seemed stressed, nor my my yappy dog, who looks like a bit siver fox. the only thing i would ask/say, is does your run have a wired cover all over the top of it, as foxes can climb and jump very well, and do the pallets underground have a chickenwire reinforcement to cover the wood, as foxes and rats can chew through wood, and also wood underground will rot down, so you need to keep a check on it often.

my chicken have never been bothered by foxes; we have a deal- they leave the chicken alone, and i give them the spare eggs.