Problems with foxes?

charolais0153

Well nothing has happened yet with regard foxes but there was one in the field where the singles were Sunday evening . he wsas dazzled by the lights I'd say and was slow to move. He jumped over the wall and I followed him to see where he went . anyways after checking on the couples in the field beside that one I went down to the corner of our field that bounds the neighbours field that he went into. I then saw two sets of eyes however I didn't see the actual foxes.

I moved the couples to back of house and left light on just so I could see from back window if fox came again
.
. Today the auld lad went down the field at same time as I went down yesterday and he seem him in the neighbours field but he walked off when he seen him.

Should we be worried. I've often heard them down towards the river 500yards away but they've done no damage to hens or lambs so far. Should we leave them be and risk lambs being taken or try and take them out. We never really had problems with foxes before and its quite worrying.

Username John

charolais0153 wrote: »

Well nothing has happened yet with regard foxes but there was one in the field where the singles were Sunday evening . he wsas dazzled by the lights I'd say and was slow to move. He jumped over the wall and I followed him to see where he went . anyways after checking on the couples in the field beside that one I went down to the corner of our field that bounds the neighbours field that he went into. I then saw two sets of eyes however I didn't see the actual foxes.

I moved the couples to back of house and left light on just so I could see from back window if fox came again
.
. Today the auld lad went down the field at same time as I went down yesterday and he seem him in the neighbours field but he walked off when he seen him.

Should we be worried. I've often heard them down towards the river 500yards away but they've done no damage to hens or lambs so far. Should we leave them be and risk lambs being taken or try and take them out. We never really had problems with foxes before and its quite worrying.

Do you lamb outside?

I know some lads are very against foxes, but we have foxes here. Often see them about, but we never had any issues with them taking lambs.

Having said that - we always lamb inside, and the lambs would be a few days old before they were out, so they were good and strong...

We always had an attitude of leaving well enough alone. The foxes weren't bothering us, we left them be...

Others may disagree with this, just our experience...

Birdnuts

Username John wrote: »

Do you lamb outside?

I know some lads are very against foxes, but we have foxes here. Often see them about, but we never had any issues with them taking lambs.

Having said that - we always lamb inside, and the lambs would be a few days old before they were out, so they were good and strong...

We always had an attitude of leaving well enough alone. The foxes weren't bothering us, we left them be...

Others may disagree with this, just our experience...

Understandable if they are not causing problem and many folks recon that if you take out the resident pair, a wanderer might come in and potentially take more of an interest in the lambs. I do lamp and snare foxes myself but that is more for protection of poultry and ground nesting birds.

rangler1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Well nothing has happened yet with regard foxes but there was one in the field where the singles were Sunday evening . he wsas dazzled by the lights I'd say and was slow to move. He jumped over the wall and I followed him to see where he went . anyways after checking on the couples in the field beside that one I went down to the corner of our field that bounds the neighbours field that he went into. I then saw two sets of eyes however I didn't see the actual foxes.

I moved the couples to back of house and left light on just so I could see from back window if fox came again
.
. Today the auld lad went down the field at same time as I went down yesterday and he seem him in the neighbours field but he walked off when he seen him.

Should we be worried. I've often heard them down towards the river 500yards away but they've done no damage to hens or lambs so far. Should we leave them be and risk lambs being taken or try and take them out. We never really had problems with foxes before and its quite worrying.

Leave them be until they're a problem, we've foxes here and often see the cubs out playing in the spring, albeit in late spring after lambing.
Never had lambs taken here until 2005 when the motorway construction was going on and obviously a fox evicted from somewhere moved in to one of our burrows, strangely enough once we left him out the dead lambs he was happy enough. but he got killed on the road and haven't had a problem fox since.
Might be a different story if we were lambing outdoors

stantheman1979

A neighbour of ours had terrible trouble with foxes taking lambs. He used the fox oil and didn't have a problem after until he ran out of it and let lambs out without it. Fox took the lambs without the oil so it obviously works!!

Green farmer

Have ongoing problems here. Thing is all depends on how many foxes are about. The gun clubs release a lot of pheasants around here which tends to draw foxes from miles around. Coupled with that I'm near suburbia. Result is a large population ready to take lambs.

charolais0153

I saw him this evening again at around 8 the same as last two times. Not a big fox but still potent I would imagine. I'd say we'll try and nail him as these lambs are the guts of a week now but well have to let them out sooner when they come lambing rightly. Even though I wonder why he doesn't have any taken he has had ample opportunity.

Birdnuts

stantheman1979 wrote: »

A neighbour of ours had terrible trouble with foxes taking lambs. He used the fox oil and didn't have a problem after until he ran out of it and let lambs out without it. Fox took the lambs without the oil so it obviously works!!

I take it you mean Stockholm Tar when you say "Fox oil" - certainly is effective stuff as foxes stay well away from lambs that have it on there backs and shoulders. I see in todays farming indo a lady with some Alpacas that keep away foxes which is another approach. Got 2 young donkeys myself that run any foxes or dogs out of their territory which is handy at lambing time later in the spring

dodderangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

Well nothing has happened yet with regard foxes but there was one in the field where the singles were Sunday evening . he wsas dazzled by the lights I'd say and was slow to move. He jumped over the wall and I followed him to see where he went . anyways after checking on the couples in the field beside that one I went down to the corner of our field that bounds the neighbours field that he went into. I then saw two sets of eyes however I didn't see the actual foxes.

I moved the couples to back of house and left light on just so I could see from back window if fox came again
.
. Today the auld lad went down the field at same time as I went down yesterday and he seem him in the neighbours field but he walked off when he seen him.

Should we be worried. I've often heard them down towards the river 500yards away but they've done no damage to hens or lambs so far. Should we leave them be and risk lambs being taken or try and take them out. We never really had problems with foxes before and its quite worrying.

I don't know where ya are in the country. But I'd be willing to travel to take care of them for ya.
I've heard them calling for mates. This the time of year they start mating. So now is the time to hit them before they breed.

farawaygrass

I'd agree with those saying leave well enough alone. We have them here but don't bother with lambs, killed poultry alright a few years ago but don't have any anymore. They never bother with lambs on us- not that I know off anyhow! Only last week I was taking out a bale of straw from the shed and one hopped down and jogged off

charolais0153

dodderangler wrote: »

I don't know where ya are in the country. But I'd be willing to travel to take care of them for ya.
I've heard them calling for mates. This the time of year they start mating. So now is the time to hit them before they breed.

South mayo. Plenty of lads around here too😉

JMF240

The fox is a big problem around my area-I surprised how he doesn't bother some posters even though he's living close by. We put young lambs in at night to avoid him yet some losses are inevitable. We used to put out snares and have the gas gun going. The lamb jackets are meant to deter them too.Putting a battery radio in the field during the night works as well, but like the lamp, I'd say they'll eventually cop it.

dodderangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

South mayo. Plenty of lads around here too😉

Best ask them anyway. No bad thing can come of asking them. They'll love t bash foxes and only good results will come from it.
All farmers are a hunters best friend.

Zoo4m8

Username John wrote: »

Do you lamb outside?

I know some lads are very against foxes, but we have foxes here. Often see them about, but we never had any issues with them taking lambs.

Having said that - we always lamb inside, and the lambs would be a few days old before they were out, so they were good and strong...

We always had an attitude of leaving well enough alone. The foxes weren't bothering us, we left them be...

Others may disagree with this, just our experience...

Our experience here as well, the odd time over the years we lost one or two but nothing to get concerned about.
Our resident fox doesn't bother us and we don't bother him/her, I think lambing indoors is half the battle, lambs are lively and strong when they go out.
Donkeys years ago when everyone lambed out it was a different matter, walking the fields at night with a torch and the gun I often saw a fox watching a ewe as she lambed waiting to grab the lamb before she got up, and a twin was even more at risk as it could be taken while the second was coming.
Having said all that I don't recall our losses ever being excessive.

ganmo

once lambs are a week old we'd consider them safe from foxes, once they can raise hell and run.

ewes lambing twins outside would be the main targets

stantheman1979

Birdnuts wrote: »

I take it you mean Stockholm Tar when you say "Fox oil"

No I mean fox oil!!:)

ganmo

stantheman1979 wrote: »

No I mean fox oil!!:)

https://www.agridirect.ie/product/fox-repellent-for-lambs
That?

archer22

Every field in Ireland is part of some Foxes territory..so you are going to have Foxes anyhow.
If you kill the ones you have now they will be replaced with new Foxes.There are always' homeless' Foxes looking for a territory to become available.
If as you say the ones you have now are causing no problems so whats the point in replacing them with a new set.

stantheman1979

ganmo wrote: »

stantheman1979 wrote: »

No I mean fox oil!!:)

https://www.agridirect.ie/product/fox-repellent-for-lambs
That?

Yep that's the one mighty stuff I'm told

sniperman

anyone with a fox problem around the nenagh area,ill gladly help control them,fully insured,with 36 years experience,day or night.

sonnybill

Anyone else with experience using the orlden fox oil ? Had the fox looking through the wire at them lastnight