Can Foxes Jump Over Fences?

Foxes can be a nuisance when they break into your garden or poultry farm looking for any of your pet animals to devour.

Chickens are mostly the ones in danger as foxes are known predators to them. However, keeping your pets secure from predators is one of your responsibilities as a pet owner.

Despite your best efforts to make sure your pets are well cared for and protected, it can be hard for animals like foxes to understand that they are wild animals and must hunt to stay alive.

If you find yourself wondering if foxes can jump over a fence or how they managed to get into your yard and what to do to scare them away, then this post will help you.

Here, we answered some questions that might be troubling you about foxes, what they dislike, how tall a fence should be to keep them out, and how to keep your yard safe from foxes.

Many foxes can jump up to 3 feet high, and adult foxes can jump up to 6 feet or higher. Their retractable claws help them climb and jump through long distances.

Foxes can jump over fences as high as 6ft; if they do not jump, they get past the fence by digging.

If you are considering using an electric fence to keep foxes away, it may work. Some foxes run away from dangers like electric fences, meaning that if a fox feels the effect of an electric fence, it will immediately retreat.

But some foxes are determined, and nothing can keep them away from their lunch waiting behind the fence, not even an electric fence.

How High Should a Fence Be to Keep Foxes Out?

Urban foxes that have adapted to modern life can jump as high as 3ft because, in most cases, these foxes don’t have to jump over a fence to get food; humans give them food. But foxes from the rural area can jump as high as 6ft; some can even climb up to the roof of a house.

A fence about 9ft high is best to keep both urban foxes and rural foxes away. A fence 6ft high may be okay to keep urban foxes away, but a fence 9ft high coupled with an electric fence is the perfect fence to keep foxes away.

How Do You Stop Foxes from Jumping Fences?

Building a high enough fence with just the suitable material will keep foxes from jumping fences. As discussed above, a proper fox-proof fence should be 9ft high and have extra protection like an electric fence.

You can also use items or exhibit certain behaviors that foxes despise. We will get into more of that soon.

How Do You Fox Proof A Fence?

You don’t want a fox using your chickens for lunch if you own poultry, or you don’t want them making a mess in your yard or eating your fruits. You will need to properly fox-proof your fence, and it is not as easy as you think.

Like we discussed, your fence should be 9ft high; if you feel it’s too high, you can make it 6ft high. Your fence should extend down to the ground to about 19 inches to prevent the foxes from digging their way into your yard.

The tallest part of your fence should be made of timber or a wire mesh, and then the heart that overhangs outward should bend at an angle of 45 degrees and should be made of a wire mesh or electric fence for extra protection and prevent foxes from climbing up at all costs.

Some additional precautions can be observed to ensure that your fence is well built and fox-proof. You may want to start by enduring that the diameter of your mesh is 0.9mm or the thickness of your best is 0.9mm; this way, a fox can’t chew through the mesh.

You should also consider doubling the mesh if it is the main fencing material to ensure that the foxes don’t push through the holes; you should also see that the holes in the wire mesh should not be larger than 80mm.

Foxes are great at climbing, and using timber for fencing will help them climb through easily. Using a wire mesh, the fox will find it difficult to climb through as the mesh holes are small and tightly held together to prevent expansion.

What Do Foxes Hate the Most?

It is natural to search for your enemy’s weakness, which in this case is the fox, and we are here to help you do just that. Now there is a list of things foxes hate, but what do they hate the most?

Foxes have a strong sense of smell, and they hate the smell of chili peppers and garlic. Putting these in your poultry or around your yard should do the trick of repelling them or chasing them away.

What Are Foxes Afraid Of?

It is a known fact that foxes are cunning, which may give you the impression that they are powerful and brave creatures, but the truth is that foxes are timid and afraid of many things. Keeping a guard dog in your yard will easily scare off foxes away.

Noises also alarm them and get them running, so you may need to bang your cooking spoon against your pan to create a noise loud enough to chase them away.

You can consider getting a motion-activated sprinkler or alarm system to scare them off, or you can use animal repellants.

Trapping them is also a good enough method, but you will need to be extra careful while carrying out this task.

Other things foxes hate are scarecrows, smelly things like socks or a sweaty t-shirt, and the smell of some herbs and spices.

Conclusion: Can Foxes Jump Over Fences

You may want to keep your chickens safe from foxes by fox-proofing your fence. This includes extending the height of your fence and using other protective materials for fencing.

We have also seen other things that a fox hates and can naturally keep them away from your yard.

Never panic when you see a fox in your yard. It may lead to you hurting them. Instead, you should follow one of these procedures above to scare them away, or you can call animal control or other wildlife experts.

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We trust this article helped you know if Foxes can Jump Over Fences. You may also want to check out if Skunks can Climb or Jump.

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