Looky what I caught in my duck pen

[juliect]

If you don't agree with the trapping, killing, or relocating of raccoons, but want to protect your runs and coops....Electric Fence!!
Raccoons, possums, dogs, etc all find electric wire at various heights to be entirely offensive. Gee...even I find it offensive when I accidentally tangle with the stuff while it is still connected. A hot strand of electric fence is an excellent way to learn the entire extent of your vocabulary.

I am even considering buying solar powered units for my two tractors.

Animals will soon learn to associate your chickens with pain, and leave them alone.

 

[awtandrocks]

Quote:
Drink some coffee and read the thread again.

(She is going to drown the coon first and THEN use the carcass to train the dogs.

)

But Wifezillaaaaaaa (you are going to have to imagine the whine yourself)-

I understand she is going to train the dog (1 dog - a single GSD) on dead coons to go after live coons. She wants to train the dog to attack and kill live coons around her chickens. And I actually have no objection to it EXCEPT-

1 GSD could take on a young, inexperienced coon and kill it with only a little damage to herself.

1 GSD could try to take on a 20 lb boar coon and get her little doggy face, ears and eyes shredded. I'm not even going to go into a momma coon with kits! Not worth the risk. I would never send any of my dogs after a coon.

Her dog will get hold of a big coon one of these days, get shredded, and avoid coons for the rest of its life!

Coonhounds usually hunt in at least packs of three.

Trap them and drown them.

Some dogs can handle them pretty well as you can see in this thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=247048&p=1

 

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
But Wifezillaaaaaaa (you are going to have to imagine the whine yourself)-

I understand she is going to train the dog (1 dog - a single GSD) on dead coons to go after live coons. She wants to train the dog to attack and kill live coons around her chickens. And I actually have no objection to it EXCEPT-

1 GSD could take on a young, inexperienced coon and kill it with only a little damage to herself.

1 GSD could try to take on a 20 lb boar coon and get her little doggy face, ears and eyes shredded. I'm not even going to go into a momma coon with kits! Not worth the risk. I would never send any of my dogs after a coon.

Her dog will get hold of a big coon one of these days, get shredded, and avoid coons for the rest of its life!

Coonhounds usually hunt in at least packs of three.

Trap them and drown them.

Some dogs can handle them pretty well as you can see in this thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=247048&p=1

I have seen and read that thread. That is an example of "a young, inexperienced coon" as I mentioned above. That is obviously a small coon, probably new from leaving its mother.

I have Terriers, too, and am very aware what they can do. The owner of the Russell was really lucky there wasn't a 15 lb coon on her porch when she let her dog out.

I didn't reread the entire thread, but is this the one where the owner said the fight went on for a long time and she wouldn't do that again if she knew it was a coon?

 

[Boyd]

I'm pretty sure that was. I've got a Pit mix that I wouldn't send after a large boar coon or Mama with kits. No way ever. And this is a trained guard/attack mutt

Coon's are too wild and dangerous. Like another poster said, coon hounds hunt with a minimum of 3... thats because a mad coon is greased lightening. All the cute and fuzzy is out the window when they start digging the innards out of your animals

Safest way in my opinion is to dispose of it at a distance. Be it a shot, or a bath.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Raccoons, possums, dogs, etc all find electric wire at various heights to be entirely offensive. Gee...even I find it offensive when I accidentally tangle with the stuff while it is still connected. A hot strand of electric fence is an excellent way to learn the entire extent of your vocabulary.

I can relate to the last sentence. Hot wire does stop predators, whether dogs, racoons, possums or whatever and is so worth using.​

 

[Royd]

Quote:
Nevermore!

 

[eekgads]

Congrats on trapping these predators!

2 at one time...wow, that's tough to do.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Ummm...couldn't you just shoot them?? Drowning them seems cruel...not a quick death at all...

AND PUT BULLET HOLES IN THAT NICE CAGE!??? NAW, THEY NEED A SWIMMING LESSON! NICE HAUL BY THE WAY! A TWO-FER! GOTTA LIKE THAT!

 

[gypsy2621]

Some one mentioned the poor hungry coon was only looking for a meal.
I am not going to quote the person.
Those poor hungry coons being because of displacement, Bah nonsense.
Raccoons are opportunistic feeders.
They can have an entire forest to feast at and will still come into the easiest meal available.
this can be your coops, your garbage barrels, you misplaced cat food on the porch.
I really wish people would learn more about predators and their habits before posting nonsense answers.
Raccoons are mean, they are calculating, they are persistent.
when I hear the words "just a dumb animal" we can rest assured they have not had raccoons figure out how to undo a latch, chew through a fence, nor figure out how to get around that hot wired fence they hold in such high regards.
Raccons are not stupid animals by a long shot.
they are in fact problem solvers.

 

[becky3086]

Well, I read the whole thing. I am always interested to hear everyones opinion on a subject like this. As for me, I would never be able to drown anything either. I am sure I could shoot it or beat it to death(umm, not in the case of a racoon by the way) but not drown it. I have never had a coon get my birds. We have a lot of wildlife here by the lake but the only thing that has gotten my birds have been snakes (and I do kill them but um, downing isn't an option with them, lol).
It doesn't bother me that the OP is going to kill theirs this way though. I do think this is the same mentality that the pioneers had though. "If it gets your livestock, you should kill it. There are plenty more." Well, there aren't "plenty more" of a lot of animals now and that worries me.
Just my thoughts, doesn't have to be anyone elses.