Dogs and foxes and chickens

[Masco&Bongo]

We're making some space in our garden for chickens. They'll have a fenced in part of the garden (about 10sq m) plus an enclosed run and ark.

We live in a rural area, and several people near us keep chickens.

One old guy near us has said that because we have a dog, the scent of him (e.g. wee etc) will keep foxes away? Is this true?

Max likes to watch our neighbours chickens (from the other side of a fence) and he wouldn't be allowed in with ours (obviously) but it would be good if the scent of him keeps foxes away!

[red]

all the while I waas growing up we kept chickens in a chicken run, in a town garden. We had a dog, and lived opposite a public park.
We regularly saw foxes at night, so I doubt our dog or any of those that were walked in the park put them off at all.

but word of warning.. twice we had our hens attacked and killed - and both times by other people's dogs. there is no doubt it was dogs not foxes as we caught them at it! Even though the hen run was at the bottom of our garden and out of sight and far from the park - these two dogs got away from their owners burst in and killed the hens for sport - two separate occasions. - whilst the owners were standing at our gate called in their dogs.....(one owner said we shouldn't keep hens near a park and its what dogs do naturally - never seen my dad so angry he said what he did naturally was kill any dogs that attacked his hens - luckily he didn't...) Ever since those times I have wondered how often it was a dog that wiped out the hens and foxes blamed.

[Masco&Bongo]

I knew it was too good to be true! How annoying!

Oh well, think OH has lots more work to do sinking fencing into the ground then!

[Shirley]

We had foxes take our chooks and we had a dog, and a friend's dogs regularly visited - so I certainly wouldn't trust it as a deterrant.

[Magpie]

No foxes here (every other pest though!) My sis in Australia has problems with them though, and also has a dog, so it seems that one is just a myth, I'm afraid.

[Clara]

I think the only way a dog will deter a fox is by being there. I´ve just installed 8 chooks this evening, I´m hoping that a dug-in wire fence and 6 dogs standing guard will do the job. That said, it was one of my dogs that finished off the last lot - it IS only what they do naturally, it´s up to us to make sure they either resist the impulse or are unable to act on it.

Same bloody dog is looking menacingly at my kittens right now.

Clara x.

[Boots]

We have 3 dogs, and they all move through our poultry regularly, and I trust them to do this whether I am present or not. They are different breeds and I have never lost a bird to my dogs. My shep chases the peacocks, and the coolie will push the birds back from the fence - but none of them attack 'naturally'.

Most of the dogs round here are all cattle dogs, so they will chase and push, but not bite. One of the neighbours has a hunting dog though (pig), and it has attacked dogs, cats, peacocks, chooks, and kids... just about anything it can.

Like people - I don't think its so much a case of dogs behaving badly because "its to be expected" - but rather; a lack of attention, discipline or food. I have noticed that some of the feeding habits of dog owners can be really slack.

We have foxes round here, but *touch wood* I haven't yet lost a bird to one. I'm not sure, but I once read guinea fowl and peacocks are supposed to be very good at protecting the rest of the flock... so maybe that's it?

[Masco&Bongo]

Max likes to watch next doors chickens, but will just sit at the fence and watch them

He attacked a rogue peacock once (at about 7 months old) but has never bothered about other birds.

This is the boy in question:

[Clara]

Boots - I take your point entirely, but I think we can´t just assume our gentle pet will be so delicate with the chooks until you have observed it and/or trained them. I have another dog who will gladly mop up the rabbits and has chased the odd deer, but when the pastors flock stray onto our land will not even make eye contact with them!

The chook killer we had picked up as a stray the day before the "chicken incident". She is currently undergoing chook aversion therapy, will I shall shortly be marketing and hopefully get channel 4 to make a spin-off series for

Clara x.

[Shirley]

Our dog is always out with the chooks, ducks and geese - she playfights with the geese, and it's quite strange to watch... but then she was almost sharing her bed with the gander when he was a gosling and the chooks and ducks have been around for as long as she has.

[Mare Owner]

We have guinea fowl and they put up a racket when upset. Ours aren't kept with our chickens, though I know they would get along, but the guineas will fly a bit and come back in the evening to the coop if you coop them.

We have no fox close this year, but do have coyotes that come close to the farm yard. Our dogs chase them off (and wake us up with all the barking!). We have lost chickens to weasels though, they are so quiet the dogs don't find them and they are gone again once the chickens put up a racket.

[yugogypsy]

Suggest you get a donkey if you have room. They will walk a fenceline at night and if a fox comes in they run them down and trample them.

My donkey doesn't like dogs either and has shown one or two where to go

Lois

[flower]

I have chooks, a staffordhire terrier and two blimmin noisey kids.
foxes visit our garden every night

dogs v chooks...... I think there are lots of natural doggy behaviours that are sometimes useful and sometimes dangerous. But any animal can behave unpredictably and that is what owner's should be ready for.

My dog stoically resists his 'natural' instinct to chase my chooks.
We encourage him to protect them by applauding his 'natural' instinct to chase the foxes.
But if Boudicca, my hard as nails hybrid, keeps pecking him and nicking his biscuits she might just come a cropper

As for fencing, check out omlet.com
Their runs have a simple 6" skirt around, secured with tent pegs.
We've been using ours for over a year and often see foxes pacing round it and even sitting on top but they've never got in.
perhaps you could make something along those lines.

sorry for the looooong post
best of luck

[CrazyParrot]

I've never heard that one before, and i certainly know of people who ave had ducks and hens taken by foxes or mink (horrible things, mink) despite having a dog.

I dont think there is any real way to deter foxes, although lots of people near us get human hair clippings from the hair dressers, stuff old worn socks with them and hang them on fenceposts around the chicken runs. apparently the foxes are scared of the smell and wont come near, and right enough, none of the people who do it have had chickens taken. anouther old remedy is to get a male member of the household to pee around the boundries of the field or garden. nice.

foxes can climb over fences, but find it difficult to get into an enclosed run. so put them in while you are not there. if you put wooden palletes around the edges of the run the foxes wont be able to dig their way in.

[yugogypsy]

I'm planning on burrying the edge of the wire and putting a tin skirt on the hen house, keep any invaders from tunneling in.

And LOL the price of cicken wire has me knickers in a twist. And I'm going to need lots of it because I want to completely close in the run.

Deer fence for the garden, $329.49 CDN with all the taxes-owch Thats a 330 ft roll

But it must be done and at least it will last a few years.

Take Care all

Lois