fox in the barn

[mudvstheory]

I think I trapped a fox in the barn night before last. there are at least two in the area, Steuben with the stubby tail, and Maybelline with the distinct face mask. One of them used to live in our barn, but we harassed them out, and used a bottle of miracle enzyme pet accident cleaner to get rid of the smell.

But...

There was fresh digging Monday, so I threw some garden tools there to obstruct it, and make it unattractive. Yesterday in another place was a big frantic hole under the wall in another stall where something had dug its way out. A good sized hole, eight inches across, with dirt thrown straight out behind it, just like a dog digging. I wedged the tiny push lawnmower in there. I know they can dig around it, but I want them to feel harassed.

The long term plan is to dig out the skirt of the barn, add some flashing or hardware cloth or something, then fill with gravel on both sides. Barbed wire could be buried there, but it may be more likely to bite the gardener than the predators. Nice thing is that I can make a gravel trench that drains to daylight, so it should help keep the posts dry.

I just hope I can get through this without trapping kits inside.

They say training the fox you have is more efficient than repeatedly eliminating them. I want to train him to be wary of the barn, and stay out of the chicken fortress when that gets built. But I don't want the mice or vole population to explode either. Currently we have hawks and crows and the foxes, and very few squirrels or mice. I'd rather have foxes than rodents. I'm figuring the delawares will eat mice inside the run, if I can keep bigger things outside.

 

[blucoondawg]

Personally I would kill the fox however it may work to throw some sort of very strong ground pepper in the holes and areas where they are digging, they will get a nose full of that and be very uncomfortable for a while, it may discourage them from the area, add the pepper everyplace you find a new digging. I know there are pest deterrents some farmers use that they refer to as hot sauce that is sprayed on Christmas trees and other crops to keep the deer from eating them, it will actually drive the deer right out of the area, something like that may work however I don't know what its real name is or if it can even be bought in small quantities.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Hmmm interesting because I always thought if a fox felt like it was being stalked or invaded upon it would just move on...she must need that den to have her kits/pups.

 

[mudvstheory]

Yup, I think there must be kits. Last time the foxes did move on after the gentle attack of the garden tools, merely laid in the holes.. But now there is frenzied digging, more fresh today, and musky pee smell. I might just let it go for a month. We don't have barn animals yet, and I have other things to do, like learn how to keep my gravel driveway drivable - that is important for groceries.

The last thing I need is to corner a desperate mother animal with big pointy teeth and claws. They might well move out on their own when it gets warm anyway. And then I will have more time to dig-proof my barn.