I need some opinions, please

[CMV]

I need some input on a grand debate/fundamental disagreement my husband and I are having.

I have kept poultry for several years, both chickens and waterfowl. Predation is a pretty major issue in our area, but through careful planning we have had few losses. In fact, the only really successful predators we have are hawks. The waterfowl flock is strictly free-range, but the chickens only free-range at times (usually monitored).

We recently have had a major rodent explosion, and as such trapping has been on-going since early spring. A bucket trap (1/2 full of water with a layer of sunflower seeds floating on top) has been employed with remarkable success. Unfortunately, the traps have been getting disrupted by a larger animal in the past week. Not knowing what was getting into the traps, I set out a game camera to discover my culprit. It's a large raccoon.

Here's where the disagreement comes in.

I want to remove this animal from my yard. It is a disruption to my on-going rodent trapping. It is a potential predator to my flocks. Although they have secure coops for nighttime usage, the flocks still free-range during the day. I think having a raccoon wandering around is an unacceptable risk.

My husband thinks I have entrapped this raccoon by luring it here with the bucket traps. He feels that once the food source (bucket traps) is removed the raccoon will move on to greener pastures. He thinks that since the birds are secure in the night, they are sensible enough to evade predators in the day. He is concerned that I have a "scorched earth" policy this year since I have been removing massive numbers of rodents from the area, and I have now moved on to larger prey. He does not want me to trap this animal because my traps are lethal.

I could use some other opinions on the matter both for and against to help us decide this issue. This debate has nearly turned into a screaming match at this point.

Thanks everyone.

 

[amberflea]

I would trap the darn thing and then dispose of it... coons can and will eat your eggs, birds and any seed left out... once you get rid of him, if it pleases your hubby, quite putting the pail/ seed out for the rodents... use another method... as to not attract anymore coons... IF coons still come around after that, then, well, I guess it wasn't your pail/seed traps that lured them in... was probably the birds/smell from your flock. I love my chickens and keep a live trap set for coons continually to make sure they do not start populating my area, and it works well.

 

[Jersey Jon]

Trap, Shoot, Shovel, Shut Up! That coon is a ticking time bomb.

 

[devora]

The scorched earth bit is hilarious. I imagine a woman in a field at night w/ a flame thrower screaming, "Bring it on, Mr. Raccoon!"

We have serious 'coon nonsense here so I sympathize.

If you are right then it seems you'd have to lose a bird to prove it. If your DH is right then you'd be waiting for nothing to happen.

If you remove the "lure" of the buckets won't you again have a rodent issue?

 

[SueBaby]

I vote down with the raccoon. It's a chance you don't want to take. I'm sure that guy has been hitting up trash cans, ponds and anything else it can find in your area. It didn't come around just for your trap's seeds.

On another note, I am intrigued with your bucket traps. Do they only work on little guys like mice? I have a serious squirrel problem, they are decimating my garden. I am looking at getting a cat, but here we risk loosing an outdoor cat to coyotes.

 

[chippie]

When there is one raccoon there are more. Remove the food source and they will move on. We have visiting raccoon's that like to get our bird feeders once I know they are around I take the feeders in and after a couple of nights they leave. They might come around here and there but no food they keep on going.

 

[CMV]

Devora- You crack me up.

Sue Baby- The bucket traps work on squirrels, too. You just need a bucket deep enough that they can't just hang from the inside and scoop out the seeds. A trash barrel should work, although I have caught a handful of small squirrels in a 5 gallon bucket. I have a variety of traps going right now- live traps, snap traps, and the bucket traps. Between the lot (as well as some sharp shooting) I have gotten 7 squirrels, 41 chipmunks, 55 mice and 1 mole. This is just in my front yard which is about a 1/2 acre. And they are still everywhere! I hear them chittering all over the place. I swear they are mocking me.

 

[joan1708]

Why can't you put the bucket where the rodents can get in but not the raccoon? A wire dog crate should do it. Since that raccoon was successful, I doubt he'll be moving on soon. Maybe trap just the one raccoon.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

once you have a coon, you have him forever., and soon you will have fifteen. Whatever brought him there, he's there now, take away the food and he'll eat your chickens. Do not ruin your marriage by discussing this with your husband. Follow the policy posted earlier, coons are not endangered species.

 

[bakerjw]

The lifespan of a raccoon in our area is very very short. They are not an animal to be tolerated if you keep fowl of any kind.
Trap it and dispose of it accordingly.