The post I didn't want to make...

Foxes have been a huge problem in our area. It's a combination of factors I suppose - our area is 'fox friendly' in that there are a number of small properties, mostly lifestylers who don't go out of their way to make an area unappealing to a fox. There is plentiful wild game, water sources, pockets of bush for dens, virtually no one trying to do them in as is more common on big farming properties and a number of people who still leave dog and cat food out or toss food into open compost piles. The only real danger they face here is cars and they learn to avoid those easily enough. In short, if you're a fox, this is eden.

If you're a chicken, a duck or a goose or a person who loves them however this is not such a good area. We've battled the foxes since we moved in, putting up pens and aviaries, more fox proofing, better fox proofing, different fox proofing etc. We've buried rubble and wire everywhere around perimeters. We're reinforced pens, we've used sturdy material, put aviaries in pens to lock the birds in at night, never let the birds out unless it's bright daylight and put them away well before dusk even hints at arriving. We've limited the areas the birds can free range in to right around the house and garden. We've banned the waterfowl from going anywhere near the dam or even into the paddocks or small-yard. We've even got a Maremma for their protection although that turned out to be a remarkable failure.

We've had them break through wire fencing, dig under buried bricks, climb over two meter tall fencing, chew 2x4 wood pallets set underneath an aviary to grab the birds out. We've had them bait the birds to pecking at them and grab any bit protruding from the fence before trying to tug the birds through the wire. It didn't work - a rooster won't fit through a 3" square but it did kill him. We've had foxes break into an aviary on the porch by pulling the door until screws on the bolt-latch snapped at the nut. We've had them pull and pry away colourbond from the steel frames of the shed. We've had them take them during the day while the dogs were wandering loose around the place. I lost my first goose 10 minutes after it arrived and got onto the dam when I went to the sheep shed. We've had them take a mature Embden gander while we were a few hundred meters away working on the chook pens. We've lost several adult geese who were spooked by a neighbors 4 Wheeler. I've opened the door to find foxes on my doormat several times, utterly unafraid of my presence. Sometimes I have seen them working singly, sometimes in pairs or trios. Regardless the results are devastating.

Each time up till now we've simply tried to build better, safer, stronger, bigger, more reinforced homes for our birds. We've spent thousands doing so. The results always the same, eventually the foxes work out how to defeat it. We've tried dealing with the foxes 'the nasty way'. We've got a Maremma, Shadow, a breed of dogs who adopt the birds as their 'pack' and protect them. We'd been careful to quiz the owner that he was old enough to start working and had been bonded to animals before. We didn't want a puppy but adopted an older rescue because we wanted one who would be old enough to protect them straight away. He's a lovely boy but I think the guy telling us he was raised with ducks and lambs was nuts because there's no way they were around for long if so. We were persisting with him though, I'd decided to reduce how many birds I had until he was trustworthy with being loose with them full time, adapt how we penned them near him etc. It was not ideal but if it meant investing a bit of time until he matured we were willing to do so.

Then on the 23 I decided to let them out in the garden with us while we were moving mulch. Bright daylight, Nic, myself, La running around like a loonie, Lily babbling, Hope and Si with us. The only ones left were one Silkie, one Wyandotte hen, two Aylesbury girls and my black Muz girl. The rest just disappeared with nothing but a few tufts of the roosters feathers left. Most of my chookies are pets with names, many were born here and will (would...) hop up for cuddles and eat from your hands, sit on your lap, get kisses from La, ride in the pram calmly along with the kids etc. La adores them. Lily adores them. One of my favorite stories is how our geese stood outside the window where I was birthing Lily and honked encouragement to me. The next day we were out in the sunshine and she got to meet them and help feed them. It's just too much to keep loosing our lovelies. I've kept at it this long because I couldn't imagine not having our lovelies greet me and beg at the door for treats and helping me garden. I still can't and keep thinking, maybe I could just keep Lilah, the silkie... and maybe just the rmaining dottie girl... how can I let go of my lovely 'dotties? But at this point I'm not willing to risk anyone anymore. It's not fair to them.