Daylight Foxes

[PossumCorner]

Whether more confident or just hungrier, foxes in the day-time are a bigger problem with poultry than the night time raiders. At night you can lock your chooks up securely, but when they are on free pasture through the day it's impossible. This fox was so intent on my ducks for morning tea it didn't see me watching it.

The horses and alpacas gave a warning that something was around, but it slipped around them behind the dam to come up to the house yard.

Peers over the bank to see if the coast is clear: didn't see me beside a fence-post as a magpie distracted it.

Up the laneway to the little orchard where it knows the ducks spend the day.

Energy saving climb over fence into orchard instead of a leap

Touch-down

Into full speed with the ducks only ten metres away, close to where I was standing. Isn't the camouflage amazing, you can be next to one and not see a thing.

"I DON'T THINK SO" I said - shock horror, poor fox took off quicker than I could take another photo, and lives to try another day, which it will, which is very worrying.

Edited December 14, 2016 by PossumCorner

[Scottsmum]

Great photos PC

[persephone]

WOW - terrific photo series.

he is one bold fox ... and he also looks very experienced .

[Roova]

I bet his heart was pounding when he realised how close you were. Obviously used to the smell of humans too!

[Kirislin]

great photos, especially the one of it climbing the fence.

[PossumCorner]

Tks people. Yes Kirislin - the fence is low, but it clearly shows how they can and will climb if they choose - something a lot of the fantasybook chook group people seem in denial of. When I suggested he leave, he flew up the field and this time took the fence like a show-jumper. I was just sooo lucky to be there, it was all things coming together: usually I let the ducks and geese out at 7.30am, so normally would just not have been around at 11.00. But I slept in, first time for years, and had to fix baby lambs' feed first. So didn't let chooks etc out til 10.30 - then I had the camera with me so stopped by the dam to look for bird shots.

Saw the trotters snorting and circling around, then the alpacas arced up in the next paddock, all looking the same way. Had to be a fox, so I froze and waited, a magpie dive-bombed it a few times then flew off bored, a sheep distracted it from looking in my direction, and it came up a few hundred metres right past me and on to the orchard fence. For sure I was conflicted how soon to stop it cold, but I did want to see where it came from and went, and where it chose to try its luck first, so waited til the last moment to see it off.

Shooting is not an option - the ponies are too close, plus the next-door Clydies one side, and stud Merinos the other side.

My lot this morning, pointedly camping under a field shelter being built for them, subtle as!

And the neighbours over the fence:

Plus my trotters -

[Scottsmum]

Lovely ponies too

[tdierikx]

Awesome shots... even though the little devil was intent on your ducks...

Foxes are expert climbers, and will climb rather than dig every time. That fence climbing shot is to die for... amazing!

This one probably has a family somewhere and was looking for an easy meal to take home to share with the kits... as they will be of the age now where they are eating meat, but still not old enough to hunt themselves. This would also be why it was hunting during the day.

He/she looks to be in pretty good condition, just finishing the spring/summer moult, which is why it looks a little scrappy, but the body condition looks pretty good actually.

Did you get an idea of where it had come from?

T.

[tdierikx]

After looking closely at the fence climbing shot, I can safely say that this was a male... you can clearly see the dark tip of the pizzle mid belly, and his testicle bulge at the rear. During breeding season (June-August), the testicles would be much larger. Depending on when his mate gave birth to his kits, he may have been hunting to feed either her or the now weaning kits.

Unfortunately this now means he will most likely return to where he knows there is easy prey - but may only kill/take single birds, as he doesn't have the cover of night to do more than take what he needs immediately.

Do you lay baits or traps for foxes PC? You may need to do so now if you can't shoot the raiders.

T.

[PossumCorner]

Thanks for confirming male - I was not sure either way. Been here five years, lost many chooks to foxes, sold my last guinea fowl as they were being targeted severely - wasn't fair. Ducks, geese are the hardest to protect, constant challenge. Less foxes around this year, I think some shooting since the bounty was re-introduced had some effect. Fox mange is a dreadful thing, feel so sorry for the ones who have it badly: I wonder if that has also reduced population pressure. But there are still enough around to need daily and nightly vigilance, it's an ongoing thing. They broadly have a territory of spots to check out, and are sometimes very predictable as to this paddock at midnight, that one at 3.00am - then change the routine when they know you know.

Often think of your foxes: there is so much 'hate mail' about them on the 'book, and people bat on about the evils of fox rescue people as if banning pet foxes in any form would solve their inadequacy.

I'd never poison, couldn't do it. Traps might work but not in the budget - and when one is caught another just takes up the territory. Not being defeatist, well maybe a little bit (and Kirislin I think went through the difficulty of disposal of trapped fox, not a walk in the park).

And becos this is photos thread not PossumCorner's fox woes, look what I saw down the road yesterday!! Not many around here, too many small country roads I think, farm trucks don't seem to slow for wildlife, ask the echidnas.

[Loving my Oldies]

Oh my !! Heart stopping, PossumCorner.

[PossumCorner]

Thanks DD - yes he'd be over a metre long, felt so priveliged and yes a bit in awe. It's good to see a fellow this size surviving in fairly cleared sheep country where even remnant vegetation is at risk.

[tdierikx]

Maybe you need to bring the lace monitor home and let him have at the fox... lol!

As for pet foxes... the rules for keeping them are pretty stringent, so there's little chance that pet foxes would ever contribute to the wild fox issues farmers face. Unfortunately, the haters have to hate something, yes? Water off a duck's back to me really... most people are really interested in meeting mine when they find out I have them... *grin*... and Ghost is such a tart that he wins hearts immediately (Tom not so much, as he doesn't "do" human interaction if he can help it).

Fingers crossed he doesn't come back and actually take any of your duckies...

T.

[RuralPug]

PC have you thought about getting a livestock protection dog that has been bonded to ducks and geese? Some of the very best breeders in the country are active DOLERS

Or perhaps keep an alpaca group in the duck/geese paddock?

[Kirislin]

. Not being defeatist, well maybe a little bit (and Kirislin I think went through the difficulty of disposal of trapped fox, not a walk in the park).

Yes a few years ago I borrowed a trap from a friend and then went and asked my local vet about despatching a fox should I catch one and he explained the difficulties of it so I gave it up as a bad idea. It all sounds fine in theory but when it comes down to it, not an easy or pleasant task.

[PossumCorner]

RuralPug I can't take on another dog while Frodo and Rheneas are such old doggies, very frail, they would not understand or cope. Several friends have Maremmas or Bernese Mntn Dogs as guards, mixed success (one lost some chooks to foxes two nights ago, that horrendously hot night, the usually active Maremmas slept through it all, quelle embarrassment!!

I have six alpacas, they are wonderful guards but can't be in every field at once, and they also need to sleep sometimes. With this particular fox, it was the ex-trotters that first saw him, the alpacas closed ranks and went on the alert, that's how I knew a fox was in sight and on the move. Just luck I was there and saw the horses and alpacas reacting, the fox wasn't intimidated by them, knew it only had to hop a fence if they moved to chase it.

When the alpacas are in the duck paddock it is a disaster: that is our orchard, and they are the fastest young fruit-tree destroyers on the face of the earth. Well, maybe second to sheep. Or horses. Or the bloody goats (which I also love).

Kirislin I agree about trapping, I 'trapped' an ill fox in a house once, getting someone to come dispose of it was pretty harrowing all round.

[RuralPug]

RuralPug I can't take on another dog while Frodo and Rheneas are such old doggies, very frail, they would not understand or cope. Several friends have Maremmas or Bernese Mntn Dogs as guards, mixed success (one lost some chooks to foxes two nights ago, that horrendously hot night, the usually active Maremmas slept through it all, quelle embarrassment!!

I have six alpacas, they are wonderful guards but can't be in every field at once, and they also need to sleep sometimes. With this particular fox, it was the ex-trotters that first saw him, the alpacas closed ranks and went on the alert, that's how I knew a fox was in sight and on the move. Just luck I was there and saw the horses and alpacas reacting, the fox wasn't intimidated by them, knew it only had to hop a fence if they moved to chase it.

When the alpacas are in the duck paddock it is a disaster: that is our orchard, and they are the fastest young fruit-tree destroyers on the face of the earth. Well, maybe second to sheep. Or horses. Or the bloody goats (which I also love).

Kirislin I agree about trapping, I 'trapped' an ill fox in a house once, getting someone to come dispose of it was pretty harrowing all round.

Oh dear, alpacas in the duck paddock would be a disaster then! Perhaps you need an emu to kick the living daylights out of any fox brave enough to intrude!

Although I've no idea if your young trees would survive the emu either...

[tdierikx]

Did you get an idea of where the fox came from? If you aren't fussed on trapping or baiting, the only other way you might be able to keep him or his family from raiding your poultry is to put out diversion food a distance from your animals.

One student workplace I was at used to put out offal a fair distance from the farmyard animals - to keep the foxes and birds of prey at that end of the property. Worked pretty well.

Note that this fellow will have a family to provide for... so you'd need enough diversion food to feed at least 2 adults and possibly 4-6 growing kits... possibly even 3-4 adults, as sometimes the previous year's female kits can stay with the family and help raise new litters...

Do you have a local abbatoir or largish butcher that you could beg some trash offal from... that would be heaven for hungry foxes. Doesn't have to be fresh...

T.

[PossumCorner]

I'm glad you said that tdierikx, wondered what 'normal' people thought of leaving them a regular meal. As I've said I am on most of the nastybook groups of the animals I keep, and sometimes they are helpful (sifting out the rabid stupid and old wives tales element) but all push their own wheelbarrow so it's not always professional opinion. The anti-fox brigade are everywhere. And if they get onto some anecdotal information about people feeding foxes, they literally foam at the mouth. (As in, building up a healthier stronger population that will over-run the country; those doing it should be shot; more of the same).

So I think about it for sure, glad I'm not a lone voice/thought. Nothing to lose. The negative is that duck is a fox's absolute favourite food: they will by-pass easy picking chooks to look for duck. The other negative is bunnies: there are so many rabbits around, and with a bit of myxie going through just now they are wandering around as easy to grab, and less risk than poultry. So I don't totally think a free food source will keep them from the ducks they like best as their first option. But it's worth giving a go for a while to see what happens. And will keep very quiet about it on the local graziers grapevines, let alone the book.

It's definitely another chisel in the toolbox, and would be a bonus if some photography could be involved. I'd lace it with anti-mange tablets too if the system worked. Anything along those lines that is fox-compatible?

[Two Best Dogs!]

Is making the fences they climb electric out of the question? I think that's what my auntie upstate did, but she just had chooks and rabbits so the foxes prob moved on to her neighbours place...