Fox lights deterrent in town

[Tilly6]

has anyone tried the foxlights predator deterrent in town with neighbors? Is it too bright and annoying them all? I live on a lake and the fox have been gone for the last few years due to a new house going up next door. There’s a small bit of woods left on the far side of their house. The fox has some tall grass to use as cover right next to the lake, but basically has to cross two suburban grass lawns to get to my 8ft chain link fence. The ducks and geese are locked inside a house and hardware cloth covered run inside that fence at night. But during the day roam freely inside the chain link fence. The fox was spotted by my neighbor last evening just after the birds were put away in their run. I want to find an extra deterrent quick before it gets comfortable.

The light would be visible all over the lake probably, and I’m wondering how “bad” it would be for the neighbors. I know they moaned and groaned about the mercury light we would use in our greenhouse.

 

[Trish1974]

I wouldn't bother trying to deter fox with lights. It may work for a few days or weeks but I guarantee they will eventually adapt to the light and return. In my opinion, fox are the smartest and sneakiest predator, and the hardest to deal with. I wouldn't risk ticking off the neighbors with something that probably won't work permanently.
Edited to add: If you could put up an electric fence around your run, that would be your best bet.

 

[Tilly6]

Thanks, I could try some electric fence around the run, it’s just getting the kids to remember to turn it on when they put the birds away! I think it would take the fox some time to get under the chain link fence and then into the run. Unfortunately part of the top of the run caved in after some snow/ice damage so there is a way in right now. The first year we’ve seen a predator(besides hawks,eagles) since we got the birds. Typical for my luck.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Save your money (as well as the lives of your chickens) and invest in the only electronic devise that works to protect poultry. That devise is an electric fence. Besides there is no bothersome lights to irritate the neighbors and the only sound is the satisfying yelp of a chicken predator when he or she touches the fence. In your area I would recommend a multi strand rigid wire fence that can be modified in only a minute or so to keep the lowest hot wire above the snow during winter.

 

[Foxlights]

has anyone tried the foxlights predator deterrent in town with neighbors? Is it too bright and annoying them all? I live on a lake and the fox have been gone for the last few years due to a new house going up next door. There’s a small bit of woods left on the far side of their house. The fox has some tall grass to use as cover right next to the lake, but basically has to cross two suburban grass lawns to get to my 8ft chain link fence. The ducks and geese are locked inside a house and hardware cloth covered run inside that fence at night. But during the day roam freely inside the chain link fence. The fox was spotted by my neighbor last evening just after the birds were put away in their run. I want to find an extra deterrent quick before it gets comfortable.

The light would be visible all over the lake probably, and I’m wondering how “bad” it would be for the neighbors. I know they moaned and groaned about the mercury light we would use in our greenhouse.

Hi Tilly
I am the inventor of Foxlights and happy to answer your questions.
If you live in an urban area foxes are less afraid of humans and so non lethal deterrents don't work as well as they do in rural areas but you are not permitted to use lethal methods. The reason Foxlights has a far better effect than a standard flashing light has is because the flashes are random and of different colours, predators are not so adaptable to them.
Unless they were within a few meters of your neighbours house they would not be of much concern and you might be assisting them in keeping predators from their property. This hasn't been an issue for the many people who are using them.
The one thing you must observe is the lights need to be set where a predator can see them well before getting to you ducks or chickens.
Please go to my website www.foxlights.com to gain further information and maybe check out my conservation page. To date I have sold 40,000 in Australia and now selling all around the world.

Regards
Ian

 

[Foxlights]

I wouldn't bother trying to deter fox with lights. It may work for a few days or weeks but I guarantee they will eventually adapt to the light and return. In my opinion, fox are the smartest and sneakiest predator, and the hardest to deal with. I wouldn't risk ticking off the neighbors with something that probably won't work permanently.
Edited to add: If you could put up an electric fence around your run, that would be your best bet.

Dear Trish
I can clearly see you have had no experience and know little of Foxlights or non lethal deterrents, so I ask you refrain from comments until learning more. Please go to www.foxlights.com where there is more information than I can post here. Please look at the conservation page just to see how much they are doing around the world to save endangered species and to allow farmers to live beside predators.
Regards
Ian

 

[Foxlights]

Save your money (as well as the lives of your chickens) and invest in the only electronic devise that works to protect poultry. That devise is an electric fence. Besides there is no bothersome lights to irritate the neighbors and the only sound is the satisfying yelp of a chicken predator when he or she touches the fence. In your area I would recommend a multi strand rigid wire fence that can be modified in only a minute or so to keep the lowest hot wire above the snow during winter.

Hi George
As a farmer I can say electric fencing often fail.
You know little of Foxlights but I can tell you they will have no effect with your neighbours unless placed right beneath their window.
They are far cheaper than electric fences and can be deployed miles from a power supply, they are fully automatic with a built in light sensor, random flashing and different colours so predators won't habituate to them. Please look at my website www.foxlights.com for further information.
Regards
Ian

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Foxy, for 50 or so years I have either bought or have friends who purchased all kinds and descriptions of flashing lights "Guaranteed" to protect chickens from predators. I think that the first generation were called Owl Eyes and they were pointed at the night sky and their twinkling was touted as protecting real free range chickens from the depredations of big horned owls.

A flash, flashing lights don't work, they have never worked and they never will work, at least not to protect chickens, however flashing lights do work well to separate chicken keepers from their money.

Like it or not this old FARMER has had more experience with electric fences than I can remember, and the only flash that will provide any long or short time protection to a flock of chickens is the flash that comes from the barrel of a scatter gun.

 

[Trish1974]

Dear Trish
I can clearly see you have had no experience and know little of Foxlights or non lethal deterrents, so I ask you refrain from comments until learning more. Please go to www.foxlights.com where there is more information than I can post here. Please look at the conservation page just to see how much they are doing around the world to save endangered species and to allow farmers to live beside predators.
Regards
Ian

I do have experience with predator lights which why I said what I said...

 

[sylviethecochin]

As a farmer I can say electric fencing often fail.

I can clearly see you have had no experience and know little of Foxlights or non lethal deterrents, so I ask you refrain from comments until learning more.

As a farmer's kid myself, electric fencing doesn't usually fail unless you forget to trim around it, or you leave it on in a thunderstorm. And they are non-lethal, with the added benefit of being effective against marauding dogs.

Animals get used to lights. My father bought some once. About a month later, I thought I heard something, so I went to the window, and saw a wild rabbit grooming himself under them. Granted, they were ordinary lights, single-color, motion-activated—but we lived on seventy acres in the middle of nowhere, so the wildlife wasn't used to any lights at all, and rabbits are prey animals.