Do racoons hunt in the day?

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We lost 4 hens over the course of a year. One in broad daylight to a hawk (lots if feathers in one spot) the other three to fox (a light trail of feathers.) The fourth and last was taken from right next to the house where she would hang out and eat the birdseed that fell out if the feeder. With four new chicks, we plan to keep them penned except for an hour or so before sunset if we happen to be home and hanging around outside. I am also thinking of a chicken tractor. I loved watching them peck around the yard all day, but it was too sad to lose them.
 
The only time i've ever seen a 'coon out in the daytime, there was definitely something wrong with it. It would sit and sway back and forth like it had had "too many". I called my FIL and he came and shot it. It was heading right into our yard and towards our dog pen.
 
Not normally out in the day, excepting in very remote areas like a swamp, I have seen them. Usually if a normally nocturnal hunter is out in the day time there is probably something wrong with it. I killed a skunk on our place that out in mid-day and acting strangely, probably had rabies. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to animals potentially carrying diseases.
 
Raccoons have taken some of my chickens and a rooster over the years and so have bob cats during broad day light. mainly during the time they are raising baby predators.
Never lot one to a hawk.
 
If you see a raccoon during the day the number one reason is that it has babies in a den. This is typically April through June.

The reason is that it stays in the den at night to protect the kits from predators so it risks her life to be spotted in the day in order to find food while the babies are safe.

It's actually very rare to have a rabid raccoon. But it's quite common to have mom mad. Unfortunately one hunts in my yard each Spring during the day and the chickens cannot free range during these months. However she always resorts to night hunting in the Fall, with her new babies.

So I researched all this and found the facts.
 

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