Allotments 4 All

An allotment neighbour found a dead fox on her plot today.  He looked quite young and healthy and we were not sure how he died. We were worried he might have been poisoned. Anyway, we decided to bury him at the back of the plot, well away from the fruit and veg.  Did we do right?

Probably. You can't rule out poison, which could easily happen through eating poisoned rats. But the average life expectancy of a fox is just over a year, and they die pretty regularly.

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on November 15, 2008, 19:56:09
Probably. You can't rule out poison, which could easily happen through eating poisoned rats. But the average life expectancy of a fox is just over a year, and they die pretty regularly.

Thanks Robert.  I had no idea they had such a short life span.

I don't know how long a captive fox would live (a lot longer anyway) but a wild fox's life is pretty marginal, and at some times of year they're dependent on insects for survival. A cold spell must kill a fair few off, along with accident and disease.

My allotment secretary tells me he pulls several dead foxes out of the streams on our site each year (we have two streams running across the site, which is great for frogs). He doesn't think they are being poisoned, just dying naturally. We seem to have lots of foxes at the moment.  I nearly ran over one on my bike, cycling across the site to my plot this afternoon.

We have lost 2 foxes recently on our plot. They don't look as healthy as they did a couple of years ago. Several of us take food for them but I think that with the demand for plots the way it is they are running out of places to make their hides

 hopalong,

 What effect do the foxes  have on your allotment ? we have a fox family that have
 dug up crops, destroyed poli-tunnels and left infectious debris over our site.

 Several foxes found dead in a year, though I didn't know they had such short lives !
 seems a lot.  

 It is a problem for them and us --  we have decimated thier natural environment, and
 forced them to scavinge in the suburbs , a sad tale

 I wouldn't wish them harm  --  but should we live with our own mistakes ?

 floss

Quote from: FLOSSY on December 03, 2008, 18:26:10

 hopalong,

 What effect do the foxes  have on your allotment ? we have a fox family that have
 dug up crops, destroyed poli-tunnels and left infectious debris over our site.

 Several foxes found dead in a year, though I didn't know they had such short lives !
 seems a lot.  

 It is a problem for them and us --  we have decimated thier natural environment, and
 forced them to scavinge in the suburbs , a sad tale

 I wouldn't wish them harm  --  but should we live with our own mistakes ?

 floss

Floss

There's only been a small amount of damage from foxes on our site as far as I know.  The most annoying thing is their excrement, together with a few dead birds. I suppose we are fortunate in having a lot of green space around the site, even though we are in outer London - another allotment site next door, a huge cemetery next to that and woods behind.

Paul

Flossy we do have to protect our crops with wire netting from being destroyed more by the baby foxes playing. but I can assure you that on our site the squirrels magpies and pidgeons are more of a problem.

We used to get a lot of foxes until an outbreak of mange some years ago. I never heard any complaints about damage. The only time I suffered was when we briefly had rabbits, and they finished off my parsnips. They didn't last long with the fox about!

I remember the mange outbreak very well, Robert - dreadful to see beautiful healthy animals lose all, but all, their fur before they went away and laid down :'(  Baby foxes tho :)..little tinkers will nick a trainer or gardening boot to play with 8)

They get distemper as well, so its always a good idea to keep up with your dog's boosters ;)

  Thanks shirlton and hopalong for your posts,

   Have gone down the road of endless rolls of chicken wire [ could now build an enormous coop ]

   and it does help, I have been enclosing sections of planting that have had some effect but
 
   they still dig under or jump over !    Need to to enclose the entire plot before I get totaly ' raving '

   about them.  A fellow plotter has done this and as far as I can see --  it is doing the job .

    Found large hole mesh no good as they chew through the wire !     two feet high is not high enough

    they seem to ' lean ' it over and get in,   plenty of stringing to put them off  --   noooooo !

    Male urine has been said to deter them  [  my OH refuses ] ,  but this also attracts rats apparently !

    Can cope with pidgeons and the like  --  they seem to get the message with net and strings etc

    but have to laugh when I get presented with beany babies, gloves, toys and such - where do they come from ?

     I am very open about this as I am a wild life addict and would wish no creature any harm --  my
     site is organic and i have stood by this practice for many years  --  while some on our site resort to this and that organic weed killer,  slug pellets, etc ?? !  I cant do it .

  I'm off thread -----   will get my coat !

  floss xxx



   

Nice to know that there is someone else like me who don't like killing things. Although I must admit that I do use slug pellets.

The foxes must love your plot floss!  Sorry to hear about your problems. You're probably right that tough chicken wire (perhaps planted a few inches into the soil?) is the only solution. Like Shirlton, pigeons and grey squirrels are the bane of my life, in the garden and on the allotment. The foxes are not too much bother - touch wood.

Hugh fearnley uses old tights full of human hair tied to the fence to try to keep foxes out  :)

  thanks manics,

   I need help now !  would a cheap wig do !     ::)

   Havn't had the pleasure of waring with squirrels yet hopalong  --  may have that pleasure to come ?

   A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do shirlton,  I  will confess I put my slugs to sleep in a polybag

   with a last meal of course      :'(

   floss x

hugh goes to the local barber, we used ray's, callum's, sam's and mine, as well as the dog's to keep slugs off the lettuce  ;D

   -------- have just thrown a bag of OH s  curls away,  too late ..  gone.

  So will go collecting thanks manics,      ;D