I'm at war with racoons.

[mdees88]

We have had raccoons and opossums for years, and they have access to both our chickens and our bunnies. They have never harmed a single living animal. They do eat any cat food and sometimes chicken food if left out and may or may not take an egg or two. I have a surveillance camera and see them coming and going - the raccoons, opposums, armadillos and our feral (trap, neuter and return) cats. They would rather forage for food than risk injury from an animal with claws, spurs, beaks or teeth. I recently lost two free ranging roosters to a red-tailed hawk, but never to another critter. I shoo the opossum and rooster out if the big barn But they don’t then go into the chicken run or bunny run. I find it very puzzling that so many others are having problems with them. We also have great-horned owls hunting on our property at night and coyotes come through the neighbors’ yeards, but go around ours. It is truly puzzling why they are a problem for some but not for many of us. No one else in the neighborhood has lost any to wildlife either, only to loose/stray dogs! The cats, chickens, raccoons, opossums, rabbits all seem to respect each other.

You must live in Utopia... or your coons/possoms are very well fed

 

[swamperkk]

i have racoons,dogs,fox,and opossums,i have a hot wire around my chicken yard,never had a problem since,execpt hawks,but i fix that too

 

[techbsmith]

Actually I thought it was coyotes at first. They are bad to but so far I haven't had a problem with them but those dang racoons with thier human like hands are monsters. They're smart too. Good luck with the coyote problem. Follow my lead and shot them too. I've never killed an animal but I'm ready now.

Never fear - I'll be shooting any offenders I can! My plan is to visit a local beauty shop and get a big ole trashbag full of cut hair to spread around the perimeter of my property. I've also been going out at night and um...marking my territory along the fence row. LOL I know...WEIRDO! The thought is to scent the perimeter with as much human odor as possible to help deter them wanting to come into my yard area.

Sadly, my husky is getting old and just not sturdy enough to take on coyotes. I'm thinking about getting an Anatolian to help me with the work load.

 

[lazy gardener]

When snow season is over, I start flinging all of the dog poo from her E-collar territory into the brush line around my property. I do believe that helps a bit. However, I've had coons wander across my lawn mid day. Those are immediately shot. I do want to get some of those DP traps. Also have live traps, but those are not terribly effective for me for coons. Caught a ground hog last summer, dispatched 2 others sans trap.

 

[Howard E]

On the videos found on post #41 of this thread, it looks to me like most of the birds lost were INSIDE??? their coop or run when attacked? If you live in Raccoon Central, and coons can find a way get in at night, no amount of shooting, trapping, etc. is going to save your birds. If coons can get in, go ahead and chalk your birds up as dead already. A word of caution, mass slaughter starts getting really bad this time of year as ma and pa take the young'ns out for a night on the town......teaching them to hunt and kill.

Your first (and best) line of defense to save your birds from coons and most other varmints is to house them in a predator proof house. Do that and you should not have to worry about them. They can't get in no matter how hard they try.

Best use for traps is if you have suffered a loss, fix the coop first, then trap the culprits after. If it makes you feel better, you can trap these as they will be back and be determined to gain entry again.

Best way to trap them is with dog proof coon traps with two way triggers. Success is said to be 10X higher with those than the Dukes. Set out a line of them......maybe 4 or more. Initially, do not set the traps. Fill them to the brim with dry cat food. Once that is disappearing at a steady rate.......after 3 or 4 days......then set the traps with only minimal food in the bottom. In one night, you may catch a coon in each trap you have. Shoot and dispose of those and do it again until they stop showing up.

 

[oceansunset73]

Hate those critters. They may look cute, but they are monsters. We have a family of those things living in the area, a few months back we actually counted 10 of them wandering around in our yard at one time. I have also seen them on more than one occasion climbing in the tree's during the daytime . I no longer let my babies free range unless I am home to watch over them.

 

[Flockandfowl46]

Hmmm it appears that she may have one large puncture an the rest is just debated tissue which should heal fine but no more feathers there... i had a duck do this with a neighbors Dog attack and she ended up doing fine used hydro therapy and betadine at some point when risk of infection is gone you will way this to dry out hope all goes well
I hate auto fill

 

[Chicky D]

We have had raccoons and opossums for years, and they have access to both our chickens and our bunnies. They have never harmed a single living animal. They do eat any cat food and sometimes chicken food if left out and may or may not take an egg or two. I have a surveillance camera and see them coming and going - the raccoons, opposums, armadillos and our feral (trap, neuter and return) cats. They would rather forage for food than risk injury from an animal with claws, spurs, beaks or teeth. I recently lost two free ranging roosters to a red-tailed hawk, but never to another critter. I shoo the opossum and rooster out if the big barn But they don’t then go into the chicken run or bunny run. I find it very puzzling that so many others are having problems with them. We also have great-horned owls hunting on our property at night and coyotes come through the neighbors’ yeards, but go around ours. It is truly puzzling why they are a problem for some but not for many of us. No one else in the neighborhood has lost any to wildlife either, only to loose/stray dogs! The cats, chickens, raccoons, opossums, rabbits all seem to respect each other.

I haven't had a problem for two years. I also have Hawks, eagles, coyotes, snakes....etc. I think these racoons have been introduced to our area.

 

[Chicky D]

Thank you so much for your advice, I will maybe start soaking them tomorrow. Just flushing now to prevent anymore stress.[/QUOT

Well lost what I thought was the least injured this morning. Go figure.

 

[swamperkk]

coon cuff works very well