Raccoon on top of my coop

[chickengeorgeto]

Will he come back is a moot point. When he comes back is probably a given.

I agree with both responses. A lead injection at high speed with anything above and including a 9mm dose will do the trick. If you are not into extreme prejudice in such situations, try a live, havaheart trap baited with marshmallows or cat food, but even that includes disposal of the captive raccoon with a dose of lead. Never relocate a problem for somebody else to deal with.

You got a break this time.

Not only will the cat burglar coon be back, he, she, or it is by no means the only coon with eyes for your chickens. There may well be 2 or 3, to 2 or 3 dozen coons all living within striking distance of your coop. The closer you live to an urban area the higher the coon population.

Now what some of you fail to realize is that raccoons use latrines, they don't go just anywhere they please. The reason I think that this is so is because of the large numbers of round worm larva and eggs found in coon scat. This species of round worm is especially dangerous to humans.
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[ChickenGuy9999]

Funny but useful:

If you can put some ting like a tape recorder or a radio and turn it to something with human voices.

The coon will get spooked and run.

 

[microchick]

You must have different raccoons than the ones we have around us.

Couple of summers ago I went out into the kitchen one morning to discover a raccoon hanging on the dog kennel panel that was secured beside the window. Silly thing had dogs barking on one side of the fence and not enough sense to realize all it had to do was climb down the opposite side. Of course, clawing through our screen seemed the logical thing. For it to do. I yelled. It stared at me and the dogs kept barking so I yelled for my husband to come quick and bring a lead injector with him. He came charging out into the kitchen with a 40 cal carbine in hand and saw the raccoon staring back at him. The only clear shot he had was through the rapidly shredding window screen so he took it, hitting the raccoon in the neck. It fell off the fence landing quite dead on the 'safe' side of the fence.

Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree and not afraid of human voices either.

On a side note. A vet once told us that 70% of the raccoons hit by autos are rabid.

Add that to the tape wormy skat and you got a critter that screams to be treated with extreme prejudice.

 

[HotDesertChick]

I would set up a game cam, and an electric fencing system 'round the bottom (assuming that Bandit CAN'T leap from a higher ledge, roof, etc). In deep snow you may need an "above-snow" steel "step" that is grounded through the charger). And buy a Fenix flashlight of about 2900 lumens to scope out your possible HERD of 'coons within the general area of your coop. Pulsing a similarly-intensive light might send off the newbies (works with coyotes on our place, coupled with Aussie Dawgs). "Successful" raccoons, and those used to raiding every neighbor probably won't bat an eye though. Raccoons adapt even faster to human populations, than coyotes?

Raccoons are smart as Heck, and rarely travel alone. "Lead Poisoning" WILL work, but you have to be within a safe spot to shoot any varmint, even with a shotgun. Often a difficult situation if you live near other residents. I DO shoot varmints, but only with much consideration of where we have lived, proximity of other residences, etc.

A well-designed, well baited live trap (not a Catch-All) can help you out, but raccoons are quick learners,...no dummies. And, yes...please,... never turn the entrepeneur loose. You will only create a problem for someone else. Depending on where you live in the US, raccoons, and skunks CAN be very big harbingers of rabies.

 

[katieducklady]

Thanks so much for all the replies - sorry it took me a few days to get back to responding! My 4 month old baby has kept my hands full. I've been watching out the window like a hawk when I can, we do have a "farm dog" although she's pretty much turned herself into a "house dog" after an injury about 2 months ago (although she's all healed up now). I've been letting her out more to hopefully ward off potential predators. The coop gets closed before dark which makes my ducks mad. I've had to chase one muscovy in a few times Anyway - we don't have guns (lame for country life, I know), but I'm hoping my husband will do the electric wire for me. He's capable of it since he did it for our horse pasture but he just doesn't quite understand all my high maintenance demands for these birds, lol I reminded him that all his hard work on my coop/ run could be undone in a matter of minutes if a coon gets in there and wipes out my flock so I think that motivated him! (Not to make him sound lazy by any means - he's a very hard working man that has little free time). Anyway thanks again for all your help. The flock is still safe and we haven't seen the coon again although I'm sure he's lurking nearby with his friends & family...