OMG, we are so shocked!!
11 June 2009, 11:54 PM
#91
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Salsa, i don't think a dog could have scaled an 8ft fence, anyway i found my chickens feathers in a shed at the end of my road along with lots of grey feathers.
Janspeed, i have chickens so i can have fresh eggs. You need to worn chickens and treat them for mites etc, nothing to nasty
Foxes are not meant to live in Urban areas, especially when their is countryside everywhere you look. They seem to be living here because the are too many of them to live in the surrounding countryside, and its easy pickings for them here.
This is an established area so no one has encroached on their territory forcing them out of their own environment.
Pigeons get culled when their numbers get too high so i think the same needs to be done here with the foxes. They not only kill small pets like rabbits but will also kill a cat, and my chickens.
This is my opinion and i am aware that it will differ from some of yours.
Janspeed, i have chickens so i can have fresh eggs. You need to worn chickens and treat them for mites etc, nothing to nasty
Foxes are not meant to live in Urban areas, especially when their is countryside everywhere you look. They seem to be living here because the are too many of them to live in the surrounding countryside, and its easy pickings for them here.
This is an established area so no one has encroached on their territory forcing them out of their own environment.
Pigeons get culled when their numbers get too high so i think the same needs to be done here with the foxes. They not only kill small pets like rabbits but will also kill a cat, and my chickens.
This is my opinion and i am aware that it will differ from some of yours.
Sorry to be harsh.
The only way to be sure your chickens will survive is to make sure they are totally secure at night.
Your run is not secure & Charlie Fox will get in.
Foxes live everywhere, whether you like it or not.
It is down to you to secure your birds.
As a thought. What is the security at the front of the house?
Mr. Fox always looks for the best way in.
Cheers
12 June 2009, 12:27 AM
#93
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is that right boyo??
SS - sorry to read about the chooks.. our neighbour a few doors down used to keep them in his garden.. until he had a rat infestation.. next thing we knew there was black smoke billowing far and wide, and the fire engine turns up..
seems he torched the chicken coop to cure the problem - birds an'all
SS - sorry to read about the chooks.. our neighbour a few doors down used to keep them in his garden.. until he had a rat infestation.. next thing we knew there was black smoke billowing far and wide, and the fire engine turns up..
seems he torched the chicken coop to cure the problem - birds an'all
12 June 2009, 07:57 AM
#94
Sara,
Sorry to be harsh.
The only way to be sure your chickens will survive is to make sure they are totally secure at night.
Your run is not secure & Charlie Fox will get in.
Foxes live everywhere, whether you like it or not.
It is down to you to secure your birds.
As a thought. What is the security at the front of the house?
Mr. Fox always looks for the best way in.
Cheers
Sorry to be harsh.
The only way to be sure your chickens will survive is to make sure they are totally secure at night.
Your run is not secure & Charlie Fox will get in.
Foxes live everywhere, whether you like it or not.
It is down to you to secure your birds.
As a thought. What is the security at the front of the house?
Mr. Fox always looks for the best way in.
Cheers
there is another thread here which shows the new safer home
https://www.scoobynet.com/non-scooby...-chickens.html
Oh Anna, it was horrible, not something that i ever expected, but we have been able to start again and are now enjoying lovely eggs and have two new feathered friends to talk to
12 June 2009, 08:07 AM
#95
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Foxes are not meant to live in Urban areas, especially when their is countryside everywhere you look. They seem to be living here because the are too many of them to live in the surrounding countryside, and its easy pickings for them here.
This is an established area so no one has encroached on their territory forcing them out of their own environment.
Pigeons get culled when their numbers get too high so i think the same needs to be done here with the foxes. They not only kill small pets like rabbits but will also kill a cat, and my chickens.
This is my opinion and i am aware that it will differ from some of yours.
This is an established area so no one has encroached on their territory forcing them out of their own environment.
Pigeons get culled when their numbers get too high so i think the same needs to be done here with the foxes. They not only kill small pets like rabbits but will also kill a cat, and my chickens.
This is my opinion and i am aware that it will differ from some of yours.
You are more than entitled to your opinion, but it is clearly that and not actually based on any sort of reality
Foxes are opportunists, and will take easy opportunities that come their way. You need to realise that and house your chickens accordingly. The fox has as much right as your chickens to exist. I encourage foxes, but that's only because I enjoy shooting them
With regards to shooting your fox, that will entail using a licensed firearm, and no responsible shooter is going to come anywhere near your garden with a rifle or shotgun - it is just too dangerous in a confined area - my fox rifle is capable of killing a large deer at 1/3 mile distance.
12 June 2009, 08:11 AM
#96
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I have a meeting with Peter Lilley (MP)coming up. I will be talking about the foxes as they are taking over the streets at night and people are scared to walk down the road. I have invited someone from the local council to the meeting as they think it is not down to them to control the problem
12 June 2009, 08:15 AM
#97
With respect; you clearly know absolutely nothing about the realities of nature and the countryside
You are more than entitled to your opinion, but it is clearly that and not actually based on any sort of reality
Foxes are opportunists, and will take easy opportunities that come their way. You need to realise that and house your chickens accordingly. The fox has as much right as your chickens to exist. I encourage foxes, but that's only because I enjoy shooting them
With regards to shooting your fox, that will entail using a licensed firearm, and no responsible shooter is going to come anywhere near your garden with a rifle or shotgun - it is just too dangerous in a confined area - my fox rifle is capable of killing a large deer at 1/3 mile distance.
You are more than entitled to your opinion, but it is clearly that and not actually based on any sort of reality
Foxes are opportunists, and will take easy opportunities that come their way. You need to realise that and house your chickens accordingly. The fox has as much right as your chickens to exist. I encourage foxes, but that's only because I enjoy shooting them
With regards to shooting your fox, that will entail using a licensed firearm, and no responsible shooter is going to come anywhere near your garden with a rifle or shotgun - it is just too dangerous in a confined area - my fox rifle is capable of killing a large deer at 1/3 mile distance.
I am well aware that foxes have always lived amongst us but their numbers are growing much larger than they ever have before and they are now overlapping into our lives which is not always acceptable.
It is a problem here and it is getting worse.
I know that some foxes will return but it will be a while before their numbers get out of hand again.
I found a resident in his 70's yesterday, he says he shoots them with his 22 in the allotments that back onto his house. He said he killed 3 last week. He kills them because they have tunneled under the allotments and no one can grow anything
12 June 2009, 08:34 AM
#98
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Foxes are not moles. They don't tunnel under everything. They dig an earth to sleep/breed in, and it wouldn't be in the middle of an allotment. Foxes have two natural enemies in this country - humans and dogs, and they generally try and keep away from both.
12 June 2009, 08:44 AM
#99
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lol I was about to post the same thing about shooting on property that is used by numerous people who may not be aware there is some nutty old codger shooting a .22 when he feels like it, what a fruitcake. I also very much doubt foxes kill pet cats. I've seen my cats I had chase foxes out the garden and down the road. Chickens and rabbits yes, but that is hardly surprising really is it when you think what their natural prey is. If you keep chickens and rabbits then you need to secure them enough to stop foxes.
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 12 June 2009 at 08:47 AM.
12 June 2009, 08:45 AM
#100
This man sounds dangerous and probably needs his rifle taken away from him - it's only a matter of time until a bullet ends up where it shouldn't. Almost certainly I would say he does not have a licence for it, and if he does that probably needs taking away as well.
Foxes are not moles. They don't tunnel under everything. They dig an earth to sleep/breed in, and it wouldn't be in the middle of an allotment. Foxes have two natural enemies in this country - humans and dogs, and they generally try and keep away from both.
Foxes are not moles. They don't tunnel under everything. They dig an earth to sleep/breed in, and it wouldn't be in the middle of an allotment. Foxes have two natural enemies in this country - humans and dogs, and they generally try and keep away from both.
Your probably right there, he looks more like a nut case than someone who should be in possession of a gun license. And i agree that he shouldnt be using it where he does but its his own private war, until he kills someone
As for the tunneling at the allotments, the place is riddled with shallow tunnels. They are too big to be moles.
12 June 2009, 08:50 AM
#101
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Riddled with shallow tunnels? Doesn't sound like foxes then and more like someone who takes their dog with them to the allotments. My 5 month old puppy has dug holes in our garden that look deep enough to be the beginnings of a fox hole. Nice soft earth at an allotment she could probably have a field day digging tunnels.
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 12 June 2009 at 08:52 AM.
12 June 2009, 08:58 AM
#102
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Your probably right there, he looks more like a nut case than someone who should be in possession of a gun license. And i agree that he shouldnt be using it where he does but its his own private war, until he kills someone
As for the tunneling at the allotments, the place is riddled with shallow tunnels. They are too big to be moles.
As for the tunneling at the allotments, the place is riddled with shallow tunnels. They are too big to be moles.
He probably will give someone a third nostril by accident, and then it will be too late, and all us legitimate responsible gun owners will get the blame once again
Shallow tunnels? Rabbits. They are vegetarians, and will be also happily eating the crops on the allotment
12 June 2009, 08:59 AM
#103
The allotments are only used by a few old people now and there are no dogs that would do that. When i say shallow tunnels i don't mean that they are just below the ground, you can walk over them and they wont collapse but you can tell that something is under your feet as the ground is slightly raised.
They are not tunnels as such as they don't go anywhere, they just end a few feet under ground.
The old bloke said that his veg would get eaten by the foxes too
Two people in my road have them living in the gardens, that we know of. Most of the residents are old and don't manage the large gardens so they have become over grown, perfect for foxy residents.
As for foxes taking cats, there are about 3 posters up for missing cats plus what you hear from other residents...if a fox is hungry surely they would kill a cat
The tunnels are not from rabbits either, too big
Last edited by sarasquares; 12 June 2009 at 09:00 AM.
12 June 2009, 09:07 AM
#105
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lol missing cats can't be blamed on foxes. What about being hit by cars? One of my cats went missing for 3 weeks and thought he had been hit by a car and then one day just turns up at the back door looking as healthy as the day he went missing. He did this frequently after that so who knows where he was going. A hungry fox would not waste its energy on chasing something that is faster and more agile than it is, it would be looking for easy food.
12 June 2009, 09:13 AM
#106
Scooby Regular
The allotments are only used by a few old people now and there are no dogs that would do that. When i say shallow tunnels i don't mean that they are just below the ground, you can walk over them and they wont collapse but you can tell that something is under your feet as the ground is slightly raised.
They are not tunnels as such as they don't go anywhere, they just end a few feet under ground.
The old bloke said that his veg would get eaten by the foxes too
Two people in my road have them living in the gardens, that we know of. Most of the residents are old and don't manage the large gardens so they have become over grown, perfect for foxy residents.
As for foxes taking cats, there are about 3 posters up for missing cats plus what you hear from other residents...if a fox is hungry surely they would kill a cat
The tunnels are not from rabbits either, too big
They are not tunnels as such as they don't go anywhere, they just end a few feet under ground.
The old bloke said that his veg would get eaten by the foxes too
Two people in my road have them living in the gardens, that we know of. Most of the residents are old and don't manage the large gardens so they have become over grown, perfect for foxy residents.
As for foxes taking cats, there are about 3 posters up for missing cats plus what you hear from other residents...if a fox is hungry surely they would kill a cat
The tunnels are not from rabbits either, too big
Foxes are not vegetarian, although a wounded fox that cannot hunt for meat will eat anything in desperation.
Foxes do not kill cats normally - they are wary of cats because if cornered the cat will go for a fox with its claws. The missing cats were either run over, or didn't like where they lived and went somewhere else. I forget the actual statistics, but it is something like 4 million cats in the UK, but 10 million cat owners
12 June 2009, 09:19 AM
#108
You just don't know what the foxes kill. I never expected my chickens to be killed in the afternoon when everyone was in their gardens.
The foxes are changing their normal habits because they are living in an urban environment. Next they will be mutating
The foxes are changing their normal habits because they are living in an urban environment. Next they will be mutating
12 June 2009, 09:26 AM
#109
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It is also extremely rare for foxes to take on cats. It is not, however, rare for cats to commit suicide under the wheels of vehicles, or to move elsewhere
12 June 2009, 10:16 AM
#110
There is a cat that always sleeps in my front garden, i hate it because it ***** in the back and sleeps in the front so i always get it with the garden hose. It never hears me creep up on it and i always get it wet but it always comes back
12 June 2009, 12:45 PM
#111
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It is possible of course that the bloke with the .22 rifle is a very good shot and is also very careful how he uses the gun and would only shoot if he had a safe shot at the fox without endangering other people.
Older people do tend to be more responsible and take more care as a rule.
Les
Older people do tend to be more responsible and take more care as a rule.
Les
12 June 2009, 02:30 PM
#112
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It is possible of course that the bloke with the .22 rifle is a very good shot and is also very careful how he uses the gun and would only shoot if he had a safe shot at the fox without endangering other people.
Older people do tend to be more responsible and take more care as a rule.
Les
Older people do tend to be more responsible and take more care as a rule.
Les
You also have neighbours and the public to consider. You go walking around with/firing a rifle in a confined area these days and you will have an Armed Response Unit out after you.
12 June 2009, 04:00 PM
#113
Dave's right about .22 rimfires - takes me back to my college days using the Westland's rifle range!
If it's a .22 air rifle then he shouldn't even consider it as he'll wound or maim the fox; even a FAC air rifle wouldn't be good enough to shoot foxes cleanly.
The other thing to consider is that if he is shooting any gun (air or cartridge) in a public place he's going to end up in a world of **** if it's somewhere technically public like an allotment if he hasn't got licenses, a spotter to make sure the area's clear of other folk, the landowner's permission, the certainty his rounds will only fall within the curtilage of the ground he's allowed to shoot on (if he is!) etc. etc.
Got to agree that the burrows sound like rabbits after the underground veg - or fat rats coming out from under the compost heaps!
At least your new coop looks a lot more fox proof Sara - it'll shift Foxy onto an easier target. Remember to make sure your girls are tucked away safe every night - Foxy only needs you to make one mistake and he/she'll be in for another snack.
Steve
If it's a .22 air rifle then he shouldn't even consider it as he'll wound or maim the fox; even a FAC air rifle wouldn't be good enough to shoot foxes cleanly.
The other thing to consider is that if he is shooting any gun (air or cartridge) in a public place he's going to end up in a world of **** if it's somewhere technically public like an allotment if he hasn't got licenses, a spotter to make sure the area's clear of other folk, the landowner's permission, the certainty his rounds will only fall within the curtilage of the ground he's allowed to shoot on (if he is!) etc. etc.
Got to agree that the burrows sound like rabbits after the underground veg - or fat rats coming out from under the compost heaps!
At least your new coop looks a lot more fox proof Sara - it'll shift Foxy onto an easier target. Remember to make sure your girls are tucked away safe every night - Foxy only needs you to make one mistake and he/she'll be in for another snack.
Steve
12 June 2009, 04:10 PM
#114
BTW, meant to add Sara, these aren't the allotments off Piggots Hill Lane or Dark Lane are they?
My g/f's mum has an allotment up there somewhere - she hasn't mentioned either foxes or 70 year old Rambo, but she is in a bit of world of her own so may not have noticed either!
Steve
My g/f's mum has an allotment up there somewhere - she hasn't mentioned either foxes or 70 year old Rambo, but she is in a bit of world of her own so may not have noticed either!
Steve
12 June 2009, 04:21 PM
#116
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Assuming (because that's most likely what it is) the .22 is a rimfire, they are well known for ricocheting. The bullet only has to hit a rock or a piece of metal (plenty of those on an allotment or in a garden) and could fly all over the place. I have been shooting for 40 years and there's absolutely no way I would use a .22 in that situation
You also have neighbours and the public to consider. You go walking around with/firing a rifle in a confined area these days and you will have an Armed Response Unit out after you.
You also have neighbours and the public to consider. You go walking around with/firing a rifle in a confined area these days and you will have an Armed Response Unit out after you.
12 June 2009, 05:00 PM
#117
True - can't really blame the fox for being good at adapting to changes in circumstances.
Like sharks, they're just good at their job, and (again like sharks) that's not a problem until we decide they're impacting on the way we want things to be.
Like sharks, they're just good at their job, and (again like sharks) that's not a problem until we decide they're impacting on the way we want things to be.
- mybe its the townie in them
12 June 2009, 05:29 PM
#119
BTW, meant to add Sara, these aren't the allotments off Piggots Hill Lane or Dark Lane are they?
My g/f's mum has an allotment up there somewhere - she hasn't mentioned either foxes or 70 year old Rambo, but she is in a bit of world of her own so may not have noticed either!
Steve
My g/f's mum has an allotment up there somewhere - she hasn't mentioned either foxes or 70 year old Rambo, but she is in a bit of world of her own so may not have noticed either!
Steve
No, these are the allotments just off Common lane on the left. They are very secluded and the entrance to it is through alleyways. There is a kids park there without the play stuff and a field. The place has become very abandoned and desolate, perfect for foxes.
I wont take my dogs down there as i don't know if they are safe or not.
I remember not so long ago there was a cull of pigeons in St. Albans because they shat all over the town hall so if they can do that they can be responsible for the fox numbers....
Watch this space
And the bloke with the 22, he showed me a 2 inch long silver shiny shell, looks the business
12 June 2009, 10:54 PM
#120
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A 2"cartridge certainly aint a .22RF .22magnum maybe but those are probably the 2 most dangerous bullets out there for richochet! I dont know where you live but **** me it sounds dangerous!
poison the foxes and i'll report you to the relevant persons (aRSPCA love people like you, not to mention you local police wildlife officer)
There are specialist companies who deal with urban fox control who KNOW what they are doing so leave it to them! Where are you located? I may have contact details if required.
Foxes are only in "our" environment because we removed theirs!! Then thought leaving food in bins, live bait in the gardens ( rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens etc) was a good idea! Hugh fernley whittingstall has a lot to do with this fad with owning ex battery hens, bloody stupid in urban areas!! The fox is not at fault, simply feeding it's young. You were at fault for not securing the coop, a simple bolt would suffice to secure the door. I laughed when i saw that latch!!!
My bet will be you get rats pretty soon too
poison the foxes and i'll report you to the relevant persons (aRSPCA love people like you, not to mention you local police wildlife officer)
There are specialist companies who deal with urban fox control who KNOW what they are doing so leave it to them! Where are you located? I may have contact details if required.
Foxes are only in "our" environment because we removed theirs!! Then thought leaving food in bins, live bait in the gardens ( rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens etc) was a good idea! Hugh fernley whittingstall has a lot to do with this fad with owning ex battery hens, bloody stupid in urban areas!! The fox is not at fault, simply feeding it's young. You were at fault for not securing the coop, a simple bolt would suffice to secure the door. I laughed when i saw that latch!!!
My bet will be you get rats pretty soon too