So, it certainly may and can be true that you’re less likely to be bothered by foxes if you have large goats around the farm.
The larger the goats, the more likely the foxes are to avoid them.
But goats are not farmyard bouncers—they won’t actively and deliberately protect the other animals.
Let’s look further into this.
Do goats keep foxes away?
They certainly can keep foxes away.
It’s going to depend on a number of factors, though.
Goats come in many different shapes and sizes, and the largest fox could certainly see a smaller goat as prey.
Pygmy goats, for instance, are probably not much use at deterring them.
It’s also going to depend on the boisterousness of your goats.
If you have goats that are quite territorial, then they will react strongly to fox incursions.
They will make lots of noise and even attempt to ram the foxes.
If your goats are more likely to do this, then the foxes are less likely to come back.
The thing to stress is that, for the most part, the foxes will simply avoid your farm because of the goats, and won’t bother them.
Goats are, usually, quite docile, so they won’t go out of their way to attack a predator.
That said, they’re almost always too large for a fox to handle, so they would just go somewhere else for their food.
Why is this, then?
Why do goats keep foxes away?
There are a few reasons.
The first and most important is simple size difference.
Foxes are predators, and excellent ones, but they hunt small prey.
Rabbits, birds, rodents, even frogs and carrion are all on the menu.
None of these things, as you can see, are even close to the size of a goat.
Goats aren’t the most aggressive animals, but they stand a real chance of fatally injuring a fox if the fox got too close.
One of the most important lessons for any predator is knowing the limits of their own power.
Foxes aren’t ambush predators who can work together to bring down much larger prey.
They are small, sneaky hunters, looking for rabbits and rodents.
Again, though, it isn’t universally true that goats keep foxes away.
You can’t rely on them as bodyguards for your smaller animals.
But you can expect that foxes are somewhat less likely to come on your farm at all if there are many large goats around.
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So, are there animals which do actively deter foxes?
What animal deters foxes?
There are a number of different animals that will deter foxes, but I would say that the only sure way of deterring them is going to be with guard animals.
Animals whose dedicated role is deterring predators, unlike goats who will not do.
The simple, reliable and faithful dog is your best bet to keep foxes away.
If you can have a couple of dogs, that’s even better.
There are many breeds that are trained as guard dogs, and more or less all of them will do a great job of keeping foxes away.
You really can’t do better than a guard dog or two.
Other than that, many farmers also keep guinea fowl as a means of deterring foxes.
This might seem like a more rogue option, and it certainly isn’t as popular as a guard dog.
That said, there are many species of bird that are kept as guard animals, like geese or swans.
Properly trained, they will keep your farm fox free.
What else can I do to deter them?
How do I rid my yard of foxes?
Firstly, you should try and figure out how they are getting in.
If you couldn’t possibly prevent them entirely from getting in, then make sure every door or enclosure where animals live or food is stored are kept repaired and unbreachable.
Make sure all your garbage is stored in such a way that the smells aren’t permeating out and attracting scavengers.
Compost piles are one of the biggest things that attract foxes.
Put the compost in bins, rather than in exposed piles.
Chicken wire buried into the ground is your best bet at a physical defense.
Foxes are more than a bit of a pain, then.
They’re sneaky and sly, hard to find, and can easily slip into most parts of your farm unnoticed.
Large animals like goats, certainly larger herds of them, will certainly play a big role in making your homestead less attractive as a place to attack.
That said, you can’t expect them to do all the work.
They won’t deliberately protect your farm, and depending on the temperament of the goats, they might even totally avoid the foxes.
So, goats may help, but you’ll need to do other things too.