Coon or something

[jrc85]

I moved to a new place around a year ago and have been having major coon problems here. This week alone have lost 4 birds the fourth was tonight while I was out back on the porch. The birds have been roosting in a screened in part of my porch since one of my birds was taken ( guess they felt safer) and what ever came up grabbed the bird and ran when I was less then 20 feet away smoking and using my phone. Have used cage traps and now using DP traps but not catching the big one I have seen that keeps coming around on my game cam. I have tried shooting them when they were entering the coop from the porch and trapping but need help with bait ideas to catch the one that seems to go straight for the birds with out care if people are close.

Just to state my coop is a old horse barn until I can build a better coop. I do have a electric fence up now but having issues with it.

Any help I could get would be great since the dogs scent is no longer keeping them out of the main backyard.

Thanks in advance

 

[True Patriot]

Bait for raccoon; sardines, canned cat food, marshmallow peeps ( I was surprised too) PB&J, almost anything that has either a strong scent or sweet scent.
What issues are you having with the electric fence? Most common problems are weak or lack of ground and hot wires shorting to ground. Check along the fence, make sure nothing touches the hot wires ( weeds/grass, twigs from trees, bent fence) all will cause failure. Pics of your set up showing wiring will help diagnosis.

 

[Howard E]

Your problem is to find a short term solution to stop the carnage until you can enact an effective long term solution, which is to provide safe and secure housing the birds will actually use. And if you fail to do the latter, then you can expect the carnage to continue no matter how much trapping and killing you do. Just so we all understand the situation.

But as for your immediate problem, with an open buffet of live chicken dinner, a coon is likely going to bypass traps with baits, as they are less appealing than the chicken. You can keep trying other baits, but don't count on it. Of the options you mentioned so far, the electric fence holds the most promise for immediate relief. I'd focus my efforts there.

If all that fails, there are three more trapping options you can try that don't depend on the animal taking the bait. All are placed in the pathway the animal is using to gain entry. A coil spring foothold trap is one......they step on it and it grabs and holds them. A snare is another........placed in an opening they are using (like a hole in a fence), they push their head through and it closes around their neck to hold them (needs a stop and not a lock to keep them alive). And lastly, and not one for the faint of heart or careless or inexperienced......a body grip kill trap. The latter should be considered the choice of last resort, as it is dangerous to use (a body grip trap big enough to kill a coon is also big enough to break a finger or even your arm if you screw up while setting it) and does it does not discriminate. It kills anything that trips it, including your neighbor's dog or cat. In many states, including Missouri, they are not legal to use, except in very controlled situations. That should tell you something about the danger of using them.

One of those might help with your big problem coon, but it will take you several days or even a week or so to implement one of those. Until then, the carnage will continue.

 

[jrc85]

Bait for raccoon; sardines, canned cat food, marshmallow peeps ( I was surprised too) PB&J, almost anything that has either a strong scent or sweet scent.
What issues are you having with the electric fence? Most common problems are weak or lack of ground and hot wires shorting to ground. Check along the fence, make sure nothing touches the hot wires ( weeds/grass, twigs from trees, bent fence) all will cause failure. Pics of your set up showing wiring will help diagnosis.

Problem with fence is lack of power when wires hooked to charger. I have used electric fences before so I have checked for anything touching it. But once the hot wires are attached it has no juice. I think the issue is the length of distance from the house so it's not getting the power it needs.

I have used all those baits and the ants get the bait first or it does no good.

 

[Folly's place]

Buy a better charger! Is your ground set up correctly? Are you checking it with a fence tester, and where is it shorting out? As Howard stated, the electric fence is the fastest fix, while you are fixing the coop and run.
If nothing else, catch those roosting birds and cage them in the garage or indoors safely overnight for now.
We started with chickens roosting in our pole barn, and learned about raccoon carnage too. After too many losses, everything changed here, and life was better.
Mary

 

[jrc85]

Buy a better charger! Is your ground set up correctly? Are you checking it with a fence tester, and where is it shorting out? As Howard stated, the electric fence is the fastest fix, while you are fixing the coop and run.
If nothing else, catch those roosting birds and cage them in the garage or indoors safely overnight for now.
We started with chickens roosting in our pole barn, and learned about raccoon carnage too. After too many losses, everything changed here, and life was better.
Mary

I thought of that as well but it's doing the same as my other charger did when I hooked it up and thought it was bad. I think the fence might be popping enough to keep coons out but not what it should be. Last night put all the birds back in the coop with the ducks and my other ones that have been down there. The other night my best layer alerted and I went down and never found anything. I am checking with a fence tester.

 

[llombardo]

I had that issue with my electric fence. When I attached a second ground the charger went dead. I looked everywhere, found nothing. I them took it apart and put it back together--bingo. So something was touching but I couldn't see it.

 

[jrc85]

I had that issue with my electric fence. When I attached a second ground the charger went dead. I looked everywhere, found nothing. I them took it apart and put it back together--bingo. So something was touching but I couldn't see it.

I might check it out again but was talking to my dad and he said sounds like it's not a coon maybe a yote or fox cause this is number 6 in a year and only 1 could I find any remains. But what ever it is isn't big enough to keep them off the ground. It passed by eggs and feed along with 6 other birds and was 6 inches from my full grown rooster

 

[jrc85]

Your problem is to find a short term solution to stop the carnage until you can enact an effective long term solution, which is to provide safe and secure housing the birds will actually use. And if you fail to do the latter, then you can expect the carnage to continue no matter how much trapping and killing you do. Just so we all understand the situation.

But as for your immediate problem, with an open buffet of live chicken dinner, a coon is likely going to bypass traps with baits, as they are less appealing than the chicken. You can keep trying other baits, but don't count on it. Of the options you mentioned so far, the electric fence holds the most promise for immediate relief. I'd focus my efforts there.

If all that fails, there are three more trapping options you can try that don't depend on the animal taking the bait. All are placed in the pathway the animal is using to gain entry. A coil spring foothold trap is one......they step on it and it grabs and holds them. A snare is another........placed in an opening they are using (like a hole in a fence), they push their head through and it closes around their neck to hold them (needs a stop and not a lock to keep them alive). And lastly, and not one for the faint of heart or careless or inexperienced......a body grip kill trap. The latter should be considered the choice of last resort, as it is dangerous to use (a body grip trap big enough to kill a coon is also big enough to break a finger or even your arm if you screw up while setting it) and does it does not discriminate. It kills anything that trips it, including your neighbor's dog or cat. In many states, including Missouri, they are not legal to use, except in very controlled situations. That should tell you something about the danger of using them.

One of those might help with your big problem coon, but it will take you several days or even a week or so to implement one of those. Until then, the carnage will continue.

Due to my kids, dog and cats I have tried to stay away from the spring and body traps. Going to reset my camera and see what I find now cause it is crossing 2 fences to get out of my yard carrying the bird.

If I find it's a different predator the spring traps will be next or snares or a hunting party. My old house I had neighbor dog issues moved half mile down the road and have other predator issues noe. Maybe something is telling to go back to goats and forget chickens lol but I want my feathered friends they follow me around the yard like a dog when I let them out

 

[jrc85]

Found remains once it crossed second fence it no longer cared I was after it. Bones feet wings no head or insides. The only thing that really sucks is this was my daughter's roo and everything seems to take her birds first