Monday, September 10, 2012

Being outfoxed


Even from an early age I knew foxes to be cunning, clever and tricky. Many of the children's stories that I was raised on depicted foxes in this way. Even in Asian folklore the fox symbolises a powerful spirit that is smart, cunning and mischievous. The act of beating one's opponent in a competition of wits is known as "to outfox". But not until I have been up against a fox have I understood what a serious adversary the fox truly is.

So as you may know my first encounter was when two of our chickens were taken through the open coop door, requiring very little wit on the foxes part, and allot of stupidity on mine. Next one more was taken, removed from the dome via the roof. The dome did not have wire covering the very top, but the umbrella cover was meant to block that opening. The clever fox however climbed up the side of the dome, under the umbrella, and probably just plucked out one of the girls while she sat ever so still high on the perch.


I fixed the hole in the ceiling with more wire mesh but still knew there was the potential for the foxes to gain access by burrowing  under. With a moveable dome I couldn't think of any possible way to prevent this, so instead I worked on creating a secured roosting area high off the ground. About 1.5 meters off the ground I made an enclosed area out of wooden stakes and wire mesh. The only entrance into this roosting area was a small hole on either side. The chickens even found it a challenge to get in, requiring them to fly almost vertically. After watching them struggle I was pretty confident a fox would not be able to make the vertical jump through a small opening with only some thin wood and wire to grab onto.


But I was wrong! Outfoxed again.

What was also surprising is how little the fox had to dig to get under. Oh the shame, not only as an example of my mental powers, but of showing my face at the fodder store. In the meantime, while I plan my next cunning move, the chickens are being carried like royalty to and from the coop and dome at dawn and dusk. With just two chickens that’s not too much of a chore.

So have I developed a hatred towards foxes? No, surprisingly I have found myself developing quite an interest in them, along with a deep respect for their skills. I was pleased to discover my feeling towards foxes are shared even in Britain, one of their native homes. According to a recent survey 92% of respondents admitted having a fondness for them. Unfortunately for the native Australian wildlife they were found inhabiting Melbourne in the 1930s and had become widespread throughout Australian cities by the 1970s. But not at the fault of the fox who all this time, including the times it has been taking my chickens, has just been doing what we all fight to do... survive. As the caretaker of chickens I have just got to get smarter.

A discovery I found quite interesting on my internet travels, was that the fox have been successfully integrated into agriculture as a way of naturally controlling pests on fruit farms.

20 comments:

  1. Oh no! I hope you can outfox him/her!

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  2. Oh no! I would be so upset.
    So far I've been lucky. I'm pretty sure a fox could get into my coop by burrowing under. for some reason I thought foxes couldn't climb!
    Hope you manage something.

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  3. I had a smaller dome, and because we have a fox problem here as well I made a skirt of chicken fencing, attached to some flexible old trickle irrigation pipe, bending the wire over to make it into a curve. I then attached it to the ground and to the chicken dome with tent pegs all around. It made moving the dome a longer process, but did work, until the day I became too lax and didn't attach the tent pegs properly on one side (how did the fox know we weren't home??).

    Michelle

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    1. It is wonderful to hear from someone with a small dome as well. So does this skirt run out from the dome along the ground? I would like to see a picture, could we exchange email? If you are happy to send me a message via gumbootgarden.com.au contact page.

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    2. You should be able to see it in this pic (if I set up the sharing correctly on picassaweb) https://picasaweb.google.com/mconkas/Chickendome?authkey=Gv1sRgCNvUmoS8iZ-FgAE#5786888612349217922 - it's about 40cm wide, and I tent-pinned it to the dome itself as well as along the outside edge.

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    3. Have you seen Linda Woodrow's new chicken house/umbrella (if your climate is warm enough and chickens can jump high enough)?
      http://witcheskitchen.com.au/we-have-chooks-again/

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    4. That is a small dome. I like how you made it out of irrigation pipe. My understanding of the skirt was correct. A simple yet effective solution. I will have to think how I can adapt it to my situation. Thanks.
      BTW could I post that photo on my blog?

      Yes I have seen Linda's chicken house, unfortunately it requires the garden beds to be fenced.

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    5. Yes, you could use the photo on your site.

      I think it was 900mm high chicken fence, cut along the middle, giving two 450mm widths, and I wrapped the cut side around the irrigation pipe, you have to bunch it up a fair bit to make it go more round to match the curve of the dome. I had two (covered half the circumference each) that overlapped a little bit.

      And cut chicken wire scratches. A lot! So wear gloves if you can get a handle on it with gloves on.

      The base circumference of the dome was made from old heavy duty cable we had lying around (from ex-hail netting orchard), and we drilled holes in the polypipe and wove it through.

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  4. I'm sorry to hear you've lost more chooks, I thought I didn't have a fox problem until I lost my favourite broody hen who had just started sitting in the nesting box. In my dome I have a single old branch which is supported by the top circle of poly pipe which the chooks roost on. I don't know if this is what has stopped the foxes here before or if I've just been really really lucky. Good luck in your quest for fox proofing.

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    1. Sorry you lost your favourite. Luckily Ginger has survived all the attacks. I would be very sad if I lost her, our bond has grown through this drama. How high off the ground is you roosting post?

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  5. Oh Jason I am really sorry that it happened again. A sure fire way to fox proof would be a little electric fence like is used for keeping dogs in or cattle etc in paddocks. You can hook them up to car batteries. Try your local pet barn.

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    1. My father suggested this too. I am nervous that it might get knocked against the dome and electrify the chickens. I have also read that foxes, like goats, can sense the pules and thus get past unshocked. Do you use an one?

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  6. Sorry to hear that, but good to know Ginger TTA survived. This is all helpful info for me in learning how to protect my future chooks.

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  7. Jason, I'm so sorry to hear this! How did the fox get up to the roost in the dome? I honestly didn't think they could jump that high. I read somewhere that if a fox finds food, it always remembers and comes back - is trapping and moving the animal an option?

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    1. Today when attending to the girls I noticed the wire wall as pulled inwards. I now suspect the fox climbed the inside wall. Pretty impressive ha? A hole in the middle like yours is probably a better design. Removing the animal may solve the problem for awhile, but another could still find them in time.

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  8. Ohhh! So Sorry Jason. You have a very athletic fox to deal with. We lost both our drakes to a fox this year - Sir Francis and Sir Walter, both beautiful boys. We've taught the girls to sleep on the island in the dam now, and so far they're safe. But foxes are a menace.

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    1. You have got me intrigued with how you might have taught them to sleep on the island.

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  9. Hello Jason

    I've popped across from Rhonda's Down to Earth blog. I am soon to become a chook farmer (we will get 2!) and I also want to establish a bit of a veggie patch so your blog fits the bill perfectly.

    Oh, your poor chookies! I do hope we won't have that problem. We have a new little chook house but I will show my hubby the wire skirt that Michelle has used and see if he can attach that to the house to keep Mr Foxy Loxy out!

    I look forward to reading more of your garding and chooky adventures.

    Cheers - Joolz

    Cheers - Joolz

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    1. You will love being a chicken farmer, particularly if you let them out while you garden. They can be great company. If your hen house is fixed ie doesn't move, a hard or wire floor will also stop foxy getting in.

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  10. What a great permaculture adventure you are undertaking. Have enjoyed reading your posts.

    If you or any of your readers would like to be win a $150 Bunnings Gift Voucher I am giving one away at my blog A Green Earth.

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