Fox in the city, fox on the site
How to keep a fox away from your home and garden Fox... A cunning, fluffy beauty, the heroine of folk legends. She is also a dangerous malicious pest in the city and in the garden. Read here about the dangers of urban foxes in the immediate vicinity of human homes. And also about methods that will help get rid of foxes on the site. Not that we personally have much faith in them... We've tried different things over the years, but foxes still visit us every night, leaving unpleasant traces of their presence.
Fox in the city
There are no stray cats and dogs in the UK, but they are more than replaced by 150 thousand urban foxes. The urban fox population has been growing rapidly since the 90s, especially here in the south of England. At dusk, foxes calmly walk through the streets of any British city or village. Some are not shy about appearing during the day. In London itself there are 18 foxes per square kilometer. One day, a fox followed my husband a meter from the train all the way to our house along the sidewalk for a full 15 minutes. From the outside it might seem that this is an owner with a dog.
The local red foxes ( common fox, Vulpes vulpes) are of a small variety. They are the size of a small dog or slightly larger than a cat, weighing 5-6 kg. From a distance at dusk, a fox can easily be mistaken for a large ginger cat. At night, foxes either courtship or showdowns. They squeal in heart-rending voices, reminiscent of a baby's cry and a hoarse bark at the same time.
There is no animal in the British Isles that naturally controls the fox population. Hunting of these animals has been prohibited since 2004. There are some animal lovers who feed foxes and don't even mind fox holes and offspring in their garden. Why shouldn't foxes breed uncontrollably in such favorable conditions?
Ferret and methods of dealing with it
The ferret belongs to the mustelidae family. He is very angry and fast. The forest ferret is squat with short and strong legs. Its body is long, adapted to penetrate narrow holes and burrows. He chooses his habitat once and does not wander from one forest to another. Glades and forest edges are its favorite habitats. He prefers not to go into the thicket of the forest.
His stomach is not able to digest plant food, so he gets all the useful substances by eating herbivores.
In one visit, a ferret can destroy 10-15 chickens
During periods of food shortage in the forest, the animal raids villages and villages that are located close to the forest. There he climbs into the chicken coops and destroys all the birds.
Fox on the site
It is unrealistic to block foxes’ access to a personal plot with a regular fence. Foxes dig under the fence or simply jump onto it and then down. I would not have believed that a fox is capable, like a cat, of jumping from the ground onto an almost two-meter fence if I had not seen it with my own eyes!
Foxes like to settle under old wooden buildings on the site; they don’t need a lot of space. And if necessary, they can easily dig up the land and “improve living conditions.”
What attracts foxes to garden plots? Odors and leftover food, food waste in compost pits, some organic soil fertilizers (bone and fish meal), decorative ponds, small pets (hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits) and poultry.
Fighting a predator at home: how to catch a weasel, ferret or marten
Ferrets, weasels and martens are mammals that belong to the mustelidae family. The animals are quite cute, so they are often kept as pets.
At the same time, they remain quite cruel predators, capable of destroying the entire population of poultry in one night.
Having made his way into the chicken coop, the ferret is able to eat only one chicken; he strangles and beheads the rest of the birds, causing irreparable harm to the household.
All representatives of mustelids are forest dwellers, so their main source of food is small rodents. Animals are unpretentious in food, so they are not averse to feasting on poultry.
It is almost impossible to catch a predator at the scene of a crime, however, its presence can be determined by the wary behavior of chickens.
Despite the caution of the animals, they certainly leave traces that can tell who exactly was trying to ruin the household. Representatives of the mustelid family move by jumping, so the distance between the tracks will help indicate the pest:
Having determined the type of animal causing damage to the farm, it will be much easier to choose ways to catch and destroy it.
The easiest way to get rid of a predator is to try to catch it with your own hands. The predator strangles chickens at night, so it is in the dark that you can set up an ambush in the poultry house.
The animals are very careful, so you will have to be patient and prepare for a long wait.
Having noticed an uninvited guest, you need to cover him with a thick blanket: the animal will desperately resist, and this precaution will help avoid bites. In addition, in moments of danger, ferrets and weasels emit pungent odors
An alternative is to make a homemade trap. This is done like this:
There is a wide range of hunting traps that are offered by specialized stores. The price of such devices ranges from 400-1500 rubles.
To hunt the mustelid family, trail traps are used, which are divided according to their appearance into plate and frame traps. Such traps are installed in places where the animal is likely to move.
Plate traps will help get rid of weasels; frame traps will help get rid of martens and ferrets.
Given the small size of nocturnal pests, you can fight them with large mousetraps. The Zürner rat trap is considered the most effective.
In appearance, such devices resemble a large box, inside of which there is a suspended bridge of two segments connecting the passages. Rat traps are made of wood or metal wire.
The principle of operation is simple: the bait is suspended in the central part. The animal, about to take possession of the prey, runs across the bridge, which falls inside, and the pest ends up in the chamber.
The animal is not able to get out of the trap on its own. The cost of the device is about 1,200 rubles, but given the simplicity of the design, farmers often make homemade analogues.
Ferrets are very careful, so they constantly change their route of movement.
It is almost impossible to guess the place where the animal will appear, so for a successful hunt it is recommended to place up to 10 traps.
Such techniques are aimed more at repelling than at physically destroying pests. The most affordable way to keep predators away from the chicken coop is to place a dog house nearby.
Dogs of any breed are natural hunters, so they see forest animals as potential prey.
A dog sitting on a chain will not be able to catch a ferret or weasel, but the smell will scare off uninvited night guests.
You can scare away predators by coating the walls and roof of the chicken coop with tar. The pungent odor is unpleasant to forest animals, so they will probably look for more attractive hunting territories.
The specific musky smell will scare off most domestic chicken hunters.
Hunting for night visitors at home is a long-term activity that requires extraordinary patience from the farmer.
Therefore, when building a poultry house, it will be much more effective to block in advance the likely entry points for predators.
In addition, it is necessary to promptly seal any cracks that appear and replace rotten boards. It is recommended to cover the inside of the floor with metal sheets.
It will not be easy for ferrets, weasels and martens to penetrate a well-built chicken coop, which will save the farmer from the need to buy and install traps.
Harm from foxes living near humans
Foxes regularly shit on the property, paths, lawns and flower beds, marking their territory. They litter by going into garbage cans and rubbish bins and digging through garden compost in search of food. They “steal” shoes and children's toys from the garden, often leaving these items on neighbors' property and their neighbors' items on yours.
Foxes prey on domestic rodents and laying hens, and can attack cats and small dogs.
Fox holes located near human habitations emit a disgusting smell.
Foxes themselves get sick and, through contact, can infect people and domestic animals with scabies (sarcoptic mange), rabies, worms and other parasites. Parvo virus, distemper and ear cancer are very dangerous for dogs. Foxes are carriers of erysipelas, brucellosis and tick-borne encephalitis.
Urban foxes may enter homes through open windows or patio doors. There have been several reported cases of foxes attacking children and adults sleeping in their homes in the UK.
Summary
When creating a chicken coop, you need to take into account in advance that a ferret may try to get in there. The fight against this skilled hunter will have results if the poultry house is protected at the stage of its construction. When the structure stands on pillars, the floor is made of thick iron-clad boards or a durable concrete coating, the walls and ceiling do not have holes or cracks, a predator will not be able to dig under and get inside.
If you have this prankster in your chicken coop, it doesn’t matter how you catch it. It is important to do this as quickly as possible
Having caught it, take it away from your site and let it into the forest.
How to keep a fox away from your property
- Do not leave food on the property, including pet food and low-lying bird feeders. Make sure trash cans, food waste bins, compost bins and barbecue grills are tightly closed.
- Equip the top of the fences with non-sharp plastic spikes, special rollers or electric fences. Block off existing tunnels under the fence. To prevent new ones, use special spiked plastic mesh.
- Install floodlights and water sprinklers with motion detectors.
- Install ultrasonic devices to discourage animals. Direct them specifically to where foxes enter your area.
- Use industrial or homemade (solutions with chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, coffee, etc.) odor repellents to throw the fox off your scent. To let the fox know that this territory is already occupied, use tools such as Scoop, Silent Roar. You can simply ask male household members to urinate in the morning in several places around the perimeter of the site, if it is hidden from prying eyes. Place things that have a strong smell of people or other animals in the “fox spots”: cat litter, sweat-soaked clothes from sports, dirty socks, etc. It is better to use odor eliminators exactly where you found fox feces, after removing them first.
- If you find a fox hole in the garden, wait until the fox and her litter leave their home in the summer, and only then block the entrance. First, use lightweight materials sprayed with odor control agent. When it becomes clear that there is no one left in the hole and the fox cubs will not be harmed, you can wall up the entrance.
- If you bury deceased pets in the garden, bury them 40 cm or deeper, compacting the soil firmly. Although this is not a guarantee that foxes won’t dig them up!
- The only guaranteed effective fox repellent is a large domestic dog!
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Ferret - the threat of the chicken coop
One can understand the villagers who have a grudge against the ferret. On the conscience of this animal there is a darkness greater than the darkness of the destroyed flocks of birds. A cautious, intelligent and passionate animal can torment living creatures for weeks - farmstead after farmstead, deftly avoiding the traps set for it. He will eat one chicken during the night, and leave the rest of the chickens headless or bleed them. It’s not for nothing that this predator is called the storm of the chicken coop.
However, the ferret commits atrocities not out of bad character, but in obedience to his blind instinct, which tells him to make provisions for the winter. There are never too many of the latter in any cold weather. In the end, plant foods are not included in his menu by nature.
However, when you become angry with this predator, remember that the benefits from it are no less than the harm. The ferret also destroys mice, rats, gophers, hamsters and even poisonous snakes. Therefore, think seven times before acting on the principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Is such a fight justified? Maybe it's better to drive the uninvited guest away from your chickens and wish him hunting happiness in another place?
Getting rid of a ferret
Once he gets into the chicken coop, he won’t stop until he gets all the chickens out of the world. Therefore, it is better to prevent a tragedy.
For this purpose, careful owners concrete the floor in the chicken coop or make it from piles - in order to prevent the animal from undermining it. Next, they cover the walls with metal sheets or at least a mesh, digging it in half a meter around the perimeter. The door and loft of the chicken coop should also be strong.
But a reliable shed is not enough. The area around the building should be free of boards, brushwood and other rubbish that the ferret may be attracted to closer to winter. Having chosen such a shelter, the animal settles in it next to the food. Then the fight against him becomes more difficult.
Involve your Polkan or Rex to guard the chicken coop, who will notify the predator with a loud bark that he is not welcome here. Let him run around the yard freely or on an extended chain at night - the ferret only plays mischief at night. Just don’t lock the dog up with the chickens: there will be no peace for either the bird or the guard. If one morning you find a tunnel in the barn, know that the predator has very serious intentions regarding your chickens. To get rid of a ferret, you will have to act quickly.
In this case, we can recommend that for lovers of “civilized measures” they purchase an animal repeller. The device is placed next to the poultry house and emits unpleasant signals when a predator appears: sound, ultrasound, light flash, vibration. Such devices operate from the mains, battery or batteries. Having tried the repeller on itself a couple of times, the animal gives up trying to get into the barn.
Daredevils can guard the ferret themselves. Stock up on a thermos with strong coffee for the night and an old coat and stand guard. As soon as the ferret approaches the tunnel, throw a coat over it, and then wrap it well around the tailed criminal. Just in case, put on thick gloves before the fight: the ferret has good teeth.
Well, for those who do not like night vigils, we advise you to place two traps in the tunnel - one at the entrance, the second at the exit. Just boil them first along with spruce spruce branches - it will help get rid of the human smell. Meat, fish and even chicken feathers are suitable as bait. And finally, the most humane way to get rid of a ferret is a live trap. One of its options is shown in the video from Vilali Zapryd.
The video shows a store-bought or homemade mesh box with a door slamming shut after an animal gets into it
Bait inside - and wait! Just remember to be careful: you should get rid of the human smell. Instead of spruce infusion, you can coat the trap with lime, plus, of course, mittens
After catching a ferret, take it several kilometers away from home. He will remember the unpleasant adventure for a long time, and your bird will remain intact.
Marten is a virtuoso mischief maker
Unlike the ferret, the marten is an omnivore. In addition to mice, rats, birds, bird eggs and other small animals, she is not averse to eating delicious berries and sweet fruits of bushes and trees. This prankster also comes into poultry houses.
More precisely, it penetrates, because she does it so masterfully that you are amazed. Any crack in the floor, in a window, a mouse or rat passage, a door that is not tightly closed - and now there is a marten in the room.
A ventilation hole will also work if you forgot to cover it with a metal mesh.
Penetrating into a poultry house, it gnaws the throat of one of its inhabitants and then eats it. Of course, it doesn’t reach such chaos as a ferret. But if the owners do not react to the first incident and do not begin to fight it, it can become a habit and save you from many chickens.
What signs can you use to spot predators?
As a rule, both ferrets and weasels do not approach human habitation during the day. Traces of their stay in the yard can be seen in the snow in the morning; on the ground they are almost invisible. Both animals move by jumping, the distance between tracks for a ferret is 50-60 cm, and for a weasel 20-30 cm.
If you find strange traces around the chicken coop, most likely, predators came to investigate, and you need to prepare for a second visit and more active actions. Although they often do not postpone the hunt until later, they attack suddenly and immediately.
The fact that a weasel visited the chicken coop at night is also indicated by the behavior of the chickens: they huddle together on the perch, look scared and may even refuse to feed. The weasel will not choke the entire flock, but it will scare the bird and put it into a state of stress, but next time it will not leave without prey.
Source: onfermer.ru
Weasel
Who else strangles chickens in a chicken coop besides a ferret? The charming weasel does not disdain this activity. Looking at this cute creature, it’s hard to believe that it is absolutely fearless. A weasel is capable of defending itself to the last, attacking a person and injuring him quite severely. And this despite the size of the predator. Her teeth are sharp, like needles.
This animal is very cruel. The weasel destroys its prey with “special cynicism.” It attacks with lightning speed, strangles, and then tears into pieces and eats. Having had enough, he continues his hunt. Therefore, the owner, coming to the chicken coop in the morning, will find many strangled birds.
The weasel is fast and agile. It is almost impossible to catch it on your own.
Types of traps
To get rid of small pests and successfully fight them, several types of traps have been created that are used to firmly hold the animal. They give a high guarantee and come in plate and frame versions. When an animal gets into it, with the help of springs and plates the device tightly pinches its neck and paws, completely immobilizing it. There are times when an animal runs away with a trap. To prevent this from happening, it must be tightly attached.
For caressing, frame devices are used, which are relatively smaller than plate devices intended for large predators. The cunning animal is able to gnaw through the canvas that serves as the base of the trap and escape.
To ensure that the ferret in the chicken coop remains only a bad memory, when building a farm it is important to adhere to all safety rules and build the premises strong and without cracks.
Source: selomoe.ru
What to do?
Get rid of the visitor. In addition to damaging the farm, the fox also spreads rabies. A sick predator can attack a person. Therefore, having barely noticed fox tracks, it is necessary to urgently take action.
The best way to get rid of the red cheater is a live trap. The thief remains alive by getting into it. The trap is taken away and the animal is released.
Nobody has canceled the traps yet. But this is inhumane.
A guard dog is the best option for scaring off foxes and other small predators. An Alabai or Caucasian Shepherd dog running around the area at night will not allow the sister fox to visit the area.
Some general information
When entering a chicken coop, the ferret will try to decapitate all the chickens, but only eats one. Headless carcasses deteriorate very quickly and become unsuitable for human consumption; as a result, they have to be disposed of or fed to dogs and cats.
Therefore, the ferret is considered one of the most dangerous farm pests. The weasel does not kill chickens in such quantities, however, once it gets into the chicken coop, it will gradually destroy all its inhabitants.
Saving livestock from these two predators is not so difficult, the main thing is to block all routes of entry into the premises. Their sizes are very small; they can fit even into small cracks. If the body length of the largest ferret is about 50 cm and weighs 700-800 grams, then the weasel looks like a long fluffy and flexible rope. Weighing from 60 to 250 grams, its body length is 15-25 centimeters. An animal with such parameters easily enters the barn through a loosely closed door, cracks in the walls, floor, ceiling, mouse holes, and ventilation holes.
Under natural conditions, the weasel hunts around the clock; the ferret prefers to look for prey at night. The weasel living in the wild is not at all afraid of humans, but in populated areas it hunts only at night, and not only chickens; its prey can be rabbits, geese, ducks, mice and rats.
If you tame a ferret and weasel at an early age, they will not attack their owner’s chickens, but will hunt rats, mice and neighbor’s birds. Their fangs and claws are quite sharp, which allows them to easily cope with small domestic animals.
