Keeping foxes away from your property becomes necessary when they start to visit your homestead occasionally. If they are unchecked, it is only a matter of time before they target you & your poultry, and trust them to be cunning & persistent. Let’s look at various ways to keep these carnivores away.
3 Strategies for Keeping Foxes Away From Your Property
Don’t Have An Inviting Property
The truth is, foxes (much like scorpions & other harmful animals/insects) will not target your homestead if it isn’t attractive. They come for scouting, and if they find your property a place that would suit them, then why not? Below are simple tips to make your property uninviting to foxes:
- Dispose of all food scraps properly & keep all bins well enclosed.
- Cover accessible water at nighttime, so they don’t get to drink.
- Avoid using fertilizers made with fish, bone, or blood.
- Collect fruits & veggies as soon as they are ripe.
- Keep shows & other portable items inside, as foxes see such things as playthings.
- Seal access to nearby places that could serve as a den for foxes. Be careful while confirming that a treacherous snake isn’t already inhabiting this spot.
Try Out Repellents
Repellents against foxes have strong scents that leave the foxes confused and thus unable to mark your yard as its territory. If you don’t find one designed for foxes specifically, get one made against dogs.
In some cases, you have to try more than one repellent to find which works for you.
Here are recommended repellents to try:
- Aluminum ammonium sulfate — scent-based
- Capsicum (pepper spray) – Extra-spicy taste, but slightly less effective.
- Methyl nonyl ketone — scent-based
Where to Use Repellent
Instead of spraying repellent directly to your poultry sheds, do so in strategic positions, such as:
- the spot called scat, which is the marking made by the fox to show territory. It is very likely for a fox to return to its scat, so add a lot of repellents here. If kids are in this area, disinfect them to keep them protected.
- the spot where you bury compost, foods, or dead pets.
- suspected & confirmed entry points to your property, or along fences & wall tops.
Set up an Electric Fence
An electric fence is a very effective way of deterring foxes, as they almost always climb over the fence, although they assess your fence before doing so — good for them.
If foxes run into an electric wire, they won’t die but will suffer a painful shock, which is typically enough to discourage them from retrying. Set up three wires for maximum effects: one at the head height of the fox, one in the middle & the other along the top. Your energizer should be producing between 5000–7000 volts.
For shock to occur, the fox must make simultaneous contacts with the electric wire & the bare ground. If your fence is therefore not grounded, you have to set up a ground wire to step on.
For safety, set up the ground wire at least 6 inches above the ground to avoid hedgehogs from becoming the victims. Other small mammals are typically okay.
Concluding Thoughts on Keeping Foxes Away From Your Property
Keeping foxes away from your property is apparently easy. Try out the methods above and see how it goes. Be very careful if you’re considering the 3rd option; however: remember that an electric fence is a big no-no in areas with kids!